| ESPN Network: ESPN | NBA.com | NHL.com | ABC | Radio | EXPN | Insider | Shop | Fantasy |
|
| Wednesday, November 28 UCLA goes from Rose Bowl bound to biggest bust By Terrance Harris Special to ESPN.com |
||||||||||||||||||
|
For a while, it seemed that the Pac-10 was the strongest conference in the country. And the conference seemed poised to prove it with possibly two teams making BCS appearances, which is the maximum allowed.
The talk of a national title and another BCS bid, however, realistically faded when the UCLA Bruins began their unbelievable slide toward the end of the season. But the league does have one of the nation's premiere teams in Oregon, which is fifth in the latest BCS poll. And the Ducks have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Heisman Trophy hopeful Joey Harrington. Oregon will finish as the Pac-10 champion this season and represent the league in the Fiesta Bowl. There is still a chance at a national title run, though that is very unlikely with only a marginal Oregon State team still remaining on the Ducks' schedule. Overall, the league proved exciting with Washington, Oregon, Washington State and Stanford all taking turns beating up on each other.
Arizona On the surface, an identical 5-6 record from a year ago indicates that the Wildcats did not improve. But that is not entirely true as Arizona played inspired football during the last half of the Pac-10 season. After being pummeled by Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State, the Cats defeated Cal and rival Arizona State. They also had chances against Washington and USC, which could have made the season a huge success in Mackovic's first year. MVP: Clarence Farmer, running back. Farmer, a true sophomore, made the biggest improvement of any of his teammates this season after establishing himself as the premiere running back in the Pac-10. It was his cutback ability and hard running which usually sparked the Wildcats this season and made some of the late season games interesting. He was crowned the Pac-10 rushing champion after finishing the year with 1,229 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 209 carries. Biggest Disappointment: Defense. Arizona became known for its harassing defenses during the Dick Tomey years. And that figured to continue when Mackovic elected to keep the double-eagle flex scheme and bring back original defensive coordinator Larry Mac Duff to pull the trigger. But instead of being a strength, the unit turned into something of a liability this season. The Cats became only the second Pac-10 team to allow more than 300 points in a season, while they yielded a school-record average of 34.3 points per game. Did You Know: The 63 points scored by Oregon were the most allowed by Arizona in a Pac-10 game.
Arizona State Koetter quickly learned that the things he accomplished in the Big West at Boise State were not going to happen overnight in the Pac-10. He has won just one game in conference this season, but has a chance for two when the Sun Devils meet reeling UCLA in the season-finale on Saturday. MVP: Receiver Shaun McDonald. Without a doubt, McDonald proved this season that he is a big time receiver in this league. The sophomore quickly became quarterback Jeff Krohn's go-to receiver. He finished the season with 1,039 yards on 44 catches to go with a league-best 10 touchdown receptions. Biggest disappointment: The offensive line. The unit, which is anchored by seniors Levi Jones and Scott Peter, figured to be the strength of the team this season. But it didn't quite work out that way in the Sun Devils' new aerial attack. They have yielded 29 sacks for minus 172 yards this season. Did You Know: McDonald is only the fifth receiver in school history to mass 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
Cal Cal, which at one point was 0-10, was saved from a winless season when it defeated Rutgers on the road to end the season. MVP: Quarterback Kyle Boller. After years of just seeming not to get it, things seemed to finally click for junior quarterback Kyle Boller under first-year offensive coordinator Al Borges. Boller threw for 1,741 yards, while completing 49.3 percent of his passes. Biggest Disappointment: The defense. Defense has long been a strong part of the Bears' football tradition, while the offense has usually struggled to find its way. That was reversed this season as the Bears became vulnerable in just about every aspect of its defense. Cal gave up an average of 446.3 yards per game, while yielding 52 touchdowns to rank last in the Pac-10. They did little to gain opportunities for themselves, gaining just 18 turnovers this season , while the offense gave up 35 for a -17 turnover margin. Did You Know: The Bears halted two ominous school streaks with last week's win at Rutgers. They stopped the most consecutive defeats in a season at 10 and most straight losses overall at 13.
Oregon And they owe much of their success to senior quarterback Joey Harrington and his ability to come up with the big play whenever the Ducks needed it. Oregon was also helped by an outstanding one-two punch at tailback with Maurice Morris and Onterrio Smith. Oregon, which still must face Oregon State in the season-finale, is already assured of a first-place finish in the Pac-10 and the league's spot in the BCS Fiesta Bowl. But there is also an outside chance that the Ducks could end up in the Rose Bowl playing for the national championship. MVP: Quarterback Joey Harrington. Joey Harrington has proven that he is nothing but a winner since securing the Ducks quarterback job. But no year was better than his senior season when he used a group of virtual unknown receivers to maintain the Ducks offense as one of the most explosive in the nation. Biggest Disappointment: Home winning streak comes to an end. Autzen Stadium had a gained a mystique to where teams were defeated before they ever stepped foot in the nation's loudest stadium. But that was altered some when Stanford ended the Ducks home winning streak at 23 games this season. Did You Know: The Ducks are 9-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less in the last two seasons.
Oregon State The Beavers found out that they had lost too much speed on defense at wide receiver to challenge for the Pac-10 title this season. It also did not help that seniors Jonathan Smith (quarterback) and Ken Simonton (tailback) both did not perform up to expectations this season. MVP: Linebacker Richard Siegler. Middle linebacker Richard Siegler followed up a strong freshman season with an even more dominating performance as a sophomore. He finished fourth in the Pac-10 in tackles with 87 stops, which included 51 solo hits and two quarterback sacks. Biggest Disappointment: Tailback Ken Simonton. Simonton began the season amid Heisman Trophy hype. But after several subpar performances, he could still make it over 1,000 yards rushing this season with at least a 113-yard rushing performance in the season-finale against Oregon on Saturday. But Simonton should finish the season as the first tailback in the Pac-10 to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons and he did replace USC great Marcus Allen as the league's second all-time leading rusher. Did You Know: Quarterback Jonathan Smith is third on the Pac-10 career passing list with 9,428 yards from 1998-01.
Stanford In a season reminiscent of the 1999 Rose Bowl year, the Cardinal came from nowhere to establish itself as a force in the Pac-10. Much of the credit belongs to a potent offense led by senior quarterback Randy Fasani and the most experienced offensive line in the league. And when Fasani went down with an injury this season, backup Chris Lewis was able to step in and keep the Cardinal rolling. The Cardinal appears headed for a three-way for second place in the Pac-10 and berth into the Seattle Bowl. No bad for a team that was predicted to finish around the middle of the pack. MVP: Backup quarterback Chris Lewis. For the second year in a row, Chris Lewis stepped for an injured Randy Fasani and the Cardinal did not miss a beat. Last season, Lewis led the Cardinal to a win over Texas. This time around, it was at the helm for the improbable win that snapped Oregon's 23-game home winning streak to give the conference champs their only loss of the season. Lewis, who has returned to the bench in favor of Fasani, has thrown for 1,277 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games this season. Biggest Disappointment: Punter Eric Johnson. One of the biggest problems for the Cardinal's sometimes high-yeilding defense was field position. Punter Eric Johnson often let the team down with a subpar performance that saw him average just 38 yards per punt. Did You Know: Stanford extended its Big Game winning streak over Cal to seven straight games, which is the longest streak for either team in the series.
UCLA They have lost four games to go from national title contenders to just plain pretenders. Off-field distractions have been the major problems for the Bruins after star tailback DeShaun Foster was suspended for the season because of an extra benefit and it was later found out that starting quarterback Cory Paus had picked up a second DUI charge this past summer. This four-game slide has diminished some of the luster from an outstanding defensive unit. UCLA defense is still one of the strongest around, but the offensive problems have become too much of a liability. The Bruins, who finish the season against Arizona State on Saturday, will likely still end up in a postseason bowl. But instead of staying home to play for the national title, they will probably end up in the Silicon Valley Bowl or the Humanitarian Bowl. MVP: Middle linebacker Robert Thomas. Thomas has proved this season that he is one of the most dominating linebackers in college football this season. Thomas, a senior, has been the unquestioned heart and soul of the defense this season. He is the Pac-10 leading tackler 106 stops, which includes 72 stops. His 24 tackles for loss this year is a single-season record for UCLA. Biggest Disappointment: Tailback DeShaun Foster. The Bruins were already starting to reel, but when Foster eliminated himself by driving around in a SUV leased by a booster, the downward spiral hastened. In addition to leading his team back to prominence, Foster had been a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender with 1,109 yards and 12 touchdowns through eight games. But Foster's irresponsibility ended all of that. Did You Know: In 40 quarters this season, UCLA has allowed an opponent to score than once on just two occasions.
USC They were able to ride a conference-best four game winning streak into bowl eligibility at the end of the season. USC's four-game swing includes a 27-0 thumping of cross-town rival UCLA a couple of weeks ago to end the regular season. Now, the Trojans have a likely berth into the Las Vegas Bowl to look forward under first-year coach Pete Carroll. The Trojans' late season success will also make some wonder what might have been if they had been able to pull out a couple of close loses to the likes of Kansas State, Oregon, Stanford and Washington. MVP: Quarterback Carson Palmer. Without the aid of a strong running game, Palmer was still able to get on track late in the season. His maturation as a quarterback coincides with the Trojans' late season success. Palmer finished the regular season as the Pac-10's third best passer, throwing for 2,567 yards for a 58.7 completion rate. He also threw 13 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions. Biggest Disappointment: The ground attack. The Trojans have a reputation as Tailback U, but after years of struggling at the running back position that title may be a thing of the past. Sultan McCullough seemed poised to resurrect the once proud running game, but an abdominal injured hindered him much of the season and eventually sidelined him for the year. The Trojans finished last in the Pac-10 in rushing offense with just 1,051 yards on 387 carries this season. Did You Know: The Trojans knocked off UCLA for the third straight year after enduring an eight-game losing streak to their biggest rival.
Washington And the Huskies had a chance again in his third season, though few thought Neuheisel could do so with a new quarterback and several holes to fill on both sides of the football. Quarterback Cody Pickett stepped in proved that he is a big-time player in this league, while nose tackle Larry Tripplett led a strong defensive attack. Like a season ago, the Huskies relied heavily on their ability to rebound late in the games. That tactic, however, proved costly in a critical loss to Oregon State that knocked Washington out of the conference title race. Their inability to stop the run was also evident during last week's 65-7 thumping at No.1 Miami. Still, the Huskies will finish in a three-way tie for second place and receive the conferences entry into the Holiday Bowl. MVP: Quarterback Cody Pickett. Pickett took over the reigns from departed Marques Tuiasosopo and there was never any signs of a letdown. Pickett proved to be an accurate passer, capable runner and outstanding leader for the Huskies this season. Pickett was second in the conference in total offense with 2,463 total yards and an average of 246.3 yards per game. Biggest disappointment: Rushing defense. With All-American nose tackle Larry Tripplett returning, the Huskies figured to be tough against the run this season. But they struggled in that area and as a resulted created a situation where they had to rely on fourth- quarter comebacks. Washington finished the regular season last in the Pac-10 in rushing defense, yielding 162.6 yards per game and 20 rushing touchdowns. Did You Know: The Huskies had a 13 of 16 success rate when going for it on fourth down this year.
Washington State But there is also no team that struggled more than the Cougars a year ago with three overtime loses which could have made the difference in a 4-7 season. That experience, however, seemed to pay off for the Cougs this time around. Instead of playing close games, WSU and its potent offense blew opponents away this season. Junior quarterback Jason Gesser was the most exciting quarterback in the Pac-10 this season and he had three outstanding receiving targets, led by senior Nakoa McElrath. The Cougs, who were predicted to finish last in the Pac-10 during the preseason media poll, were in a position to gain a piece of the conference title before falling to instate rival Washington in the season finale. But that does not taint the fact this was the most successful season for WSU since it's 1997 Rose Bowl campaign. The Cougs will make their first bowl appearance since then in this year's Sun Bowl. MVP: Quarterback Jason Gesser. For the second year in a row, Jason Gesser proved that he is the most dangerous quarterback when rolling out of the pocket. And he had plenty of weapons with a trio of big receivers in Nakoa McElrath, Mike Bush and Jerome Riley. Gesser finished the year as the Pac-10 leading passer with 2,729 passing yards and 25 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions. Biggest Disappointment: Punt returner Collin Henderson. It was a good thing that the Cougs' high-octane offense attack didn't need much help, but Henderson certainly did not give them much to work with. He averaged a league-worst 5.8 yards per return this season. Did You Know: The Cougar defense held its last three opponents to under 100 yards rushing. Terrance Harris covers the Pac-10 for the Arizona Daily Star. |
| |||||||||||||||||
|
|
Like Stanford, the Pac-10 preseason media poll did not give Washington State much of a chance this season. They were predicted to finish last in the standings, despite returning one of the best quarterbacks and running backs and not to mention a contingent of receiving talent on offensively. Defensively, WSU was
equally loaded. As a result, the Cougars produced their best season since their 1997
Rose Bowl year by finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the
Pac-10. And they had a very real shot at the title before being derailed
in their season-finale Apple Cup matchup with Washington. Players like quarterback Jason Gesser, receivers Nakoa McElrath and Mike Bush and safety Lamont Thompson made the difference on the football field. But this also may have been head coach Mike Price and his staff's best season of coaching. 
