Pac-10 race wide open, with Huskies in it

  • John Sleeper / Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, October 31, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

By John Sleeper

Herald Writer

SEATTLE – Rick Neuheisel got that right.

Asked what his take was on the Pacific-10 Conference race, a race in which half the teams have just one defeat, the University of Washington head coach said, “Anything can happen in the Pac-10, and usually does.”

But remember the testosterone-laden mantra among contending teams that hey, hoo-hah, we control our own destiny?

Forget it.

Oregon, UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Washington State, the five Pac-10 teams in contention for the conference title and a probable Fiesta Bowl bid, need help from somebody. Anybody.

Even if they win the remaining games on their schedule, it matters zero. All need somebody in the Fab Five to go down.

  • Washington needs someone to knock off UCLA, be it in games at Washington State or USC, or home games with Oregon or Arizona State.

  • UCLA, which lost to Stanford last week, needs the Cardinal to lose, either in contests at Washington or Arizona (the Cardinal also has a non-conference game at San Jose State and a home game with Notre Dame); or a home game with Cal.

  • Washington State, with a loss to Oregon last week, needs the Ducks to lose somewhere in this list: a game at UCLA or home games with ASU or Oregon State.

  • Stanford, a loser to Washington State, needs the Cougars to lose either an away game at ASU or Washington, or a home game with UCLA.

  • Oregon, which lost to Stanford, needs the Cardinal to lose to the same teams UCLA does.

    Great o-line: Neuheisel called Arizona State’s offensive line one of the best in the conference. The one at Stanford, Washington’s opponent Saturday, is right up there.

    The book on the Cardinal is that it can both grind it out with a devastating ground game (Brian Allen and Kerry Carter are seventh and ninth, respectively, in Pac-10 rushing), and it can hit the big play (both wideouts, Ryan Wells and Luke Powell, average better than 17 yards a catch and have three TD catches apiece).

    The line has three third-year starters (guards Greg Schindler and Eric Heitmann and center Zack Quaccia) and two sophomores (tackles Kwame Harris and Kirk Chambers) who weigh in at a combined 1,500 pounds.

    The line is no small reason the Cardinal is leading the conference in time of possession (34 minutes, 6 seconds a game), put up 49 points against Oregon and 38 against the Bruins, and given up just one sack this season.

    “They play the way the game is supposed to be played,” UW defensive tackle Larry Tripplett said. “They’re physical, smart and tough. They’re never dirty.”

    Weathermen: Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham is known as a coach who keeps a keen eye on projected weather reports of locales his Cardinal will play. He reasons that it’s one less surprise his team goes through.

    Neuheisel is of a different school.

    “I don’t worry about things I can’t control,” he said. “When I came here, I thought it rained every day. We’ve had one rain game here since I arrived.”

    That was the 1999 Apple Cup, a 24-14 UW victory.

    Short routes: Victories against top-five teams UCLA and Oregon the last two games boosted the Cardinal 19 spots in the AP poll and 16 in the coaches’ poll. Stanford is No. 10 among the writers, 13th with the coaches … In each of the last three UW wins, the Huskies scored the winning points on their last offensive play … In games decided by seven or fewer points, Washington has won 10 in a row.

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