The idea is to avoid acting like a moron.
This isn’t an Ozzy Ozbourne gig. It’s a college football game.
That means the following: Leave the Jack Daniels in the liquor cabinet. No bota bags. No coolers. No .38s. Nada.
It’s a small price to pay to get into Husky Stadium before the third quarter Saturday and to feel as safe as possible, given the current climate.
Security’s going to be out. Some you’ll see, some you won’t. But they’ll be there. All over the place. And they should be.
They’ll be watching for anyone trying to turn Section 42 into The Jerry Springer Show. They’ll be watching for anyone who’s had enough to drink to turn into a matinee idol or a standup comedian or Mussolini.
And they’ll have little patience for those who do.
So don’t do it. Hey, the game’s not even televised. None of your buddies will see you in your shirtless, face-painted, drooling glory.
No, we’re not turning into Communist China. But as University of Washington athletic director Barbara Hedges said, the climate in America has changed.
And we’re not suggesting you sit on your hands and turn the place into a library. For three hours, we have a chance to forget about passenger jets exploding into buildings. About Osama bin Laden. About the Taliban. About aircraft carriers moving to the Persian Gulf.
And if that’s not reason enough to stand, scream, wave your arms and do The Wave, what is?
Here’s a look at Saturday’s games involving Pac-10 teams:
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. at Husky Stadium
TV, radio: No live TV, KOMO radio (1000 AM)
Stars to watch: Washington – The Washington offense looks to get rolling against an opponent against which it should get rolling. Wideout Reggie Williams had 134 receiving yards against Michigan. He could get double that against the Vandals. Quarterback Cody Pickett, from Caldwell, Idaho, figures to get some quality trash talk spewed his way. But Idaho’s pass rush is so bad, talking may be the only contact it gets on Pickett. The running game, with Willie Hurst and Rich Alexis, should have little trouble against a struggling defense. Look for a big game from outside linebacker Kai Ellis. Although he led the team in tackles against Michigan, he didn’t have a sack, something he was brought to Washington to do. The Vandals will have their hands full with Larry Tripplett’s inside rush, which should leave Ellis room to roam.
Idaho – Quarterback John Welsh will be one of the better quarterbacks Washington will face all season. Wideout Chris Lacy is Welsh’s favorite target, but the Vandals like to throw to all their skills guys, receivers and backs alike. Tailback Blair Lewis is a talented runner. Defensive tackle Wil Beck is one of the strongest in the game.
Breaking down the game: UW offensive line coach Brent Myers said problems his guys had against the Wolverines have been corrected. That may mean trouble for Idaho, which allows 518 yards and 36 points a game. Pickett needs a great game to build his confidence, and this looks to be it. Idaho has no one who can hope to match up with Williams. Paul Arnold, who had just one reception against Michigan, could break out here. If Welsh gets any protection, he could put up decent numbers, but it won’t matter, because the Vandals haven’t stopped anybody.
Bottom line: This is a tuneup for the Pac-10 season for the Huskies.
Pick: Washington, 38-10.
Kickoff: 2 p.m. at Martin Stadium, Pullman
TV, radio: no live TV, KRKO radio (1380 AM)
Stars to watch: Washington State – Nakoa McElrath is leading the nation in receiving at 175.5 yards game. He also has five TDs. Quarterback Jason Gesser is completing 62 percent of his passes, has six scoring throws and no interceptions, albeit against shaky defenses. Tailback Dave Minnich averages 102 rushing yards a game. Receiver Mike Bush, the Cougs’ best basketball player, has six receptions for 166 yards and a TD.
Cal – Quarterback Kyle Boller, a disappointment in his first two seasons, is completing 58 percent of his passes, with a TD and two interceptions. Tailback Joe Igber has 158 yards on 37 carries. Fullback Marcus Fields has 133 yards on nine receptions.
Breaking down the game: Cal is opening up the offense and is struggling, with eight turnovers in its first two games. Give the Cougars the ball under those circumstances and they’ll take adavantage. The Cougars already have 11 sacks, and Cal gives them up, eight in two games. On paper, WSU is strong in areas the Bears are weak, which, come to think of it, are most areas.
Bottom line: Cal has given up 44 points in each of its first two games. No reason for the pattern to stop here.
Pick: Washington State, 44-17.
Ohio State at UCLA: The Bruins can make a claim that they were playing better than any Pac-10 team before the break. The pressure is on Buckeyes quarterback Steve Bellisari, because the UCLA defense is passing pretty stringent tests on the ground (122.5 yards a game). UCLA workhorse DeShaun Foster is fourth in the nation in rushing. On defense, Bruin linebacker Robert Thomas (15 1/2 tackles, five for loss) is keying an apparently vastly improved defense. This is the biggest game in the nation this weekend, which isn’t saying much. Pick: UCLA, 28-17.
Arizona State at Stanford: Pretty competitive game between two teams hoping to sneak into one of the lesser bowl games. The Cardinal were more impressive against Boston College than ASU was against San Diego State. Stanford’s connection of Randy Fasani throwing to Ryan Wells is something the leaky ASU secondary won’t cope with. The task for the Cardinal is to protect him. Pick: Stanford, 30-20.
UNLV at Arizona: The latest chump on Arizona’s schedule, after San Diego State and Idaho. The Wildcats still have to wonder how they beat Idaho by just seven points after taking a 29-0 lead. Sheesh, scrubs or no scrubs, that shouldn’t have happened. Pick: Arizona, 13-12.
USC at Oregon: A few “experts” are picking USC to score the upset and stop the Ducks’ home winning streak at 22. There’s good reason for that, considering how badly Oregon has struggled on defense. The streak will end, but the Trojans don’t have the horses (sorry) to do it. Pick: Oregon, 24-20.
Sleeper pick of the week: Michigan State 17, Notre Dame 14.
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