Ever heard of Akil Harris?
You’re about to.
He’ll be UCLA’s starting tailback against Oregon on Saturday.
He’s starting in the all-important game against the Ducks because DeShaun Foster, the Bruins’ Heisman Trophy candidate, resident superduperstar and slam-dunk first-round draft choice, couldn’t keep his hands off a new Ford Expedition some glad-handing hoo-hah close to the UCLA program only too happily “loaned” him.
Allegedly.
Now, Foster’s suspended. The fading Bruins, a BCS title game contender just three weeks ago, are swirling toward the Pacific-10 Conference sewer and those in powder blue are seeing red.
Hey, at least the SUV didn’t have a handicap placard hanging on the rearview mirror.
This time.
You’d think they’d learn.
Oh, wait. This is college football, where too many big-time tailbacks think they’re entitled to more than tuition and books. Where boosters swoon so giddily at the scent of analgesic balm that they’d cheerfully sign over their life earnings to a 20-year-old with a 45-inch vert.
And where school officials, such as UCLA sports information director/Bruin apologist Marc Dellins, say to the Los Angeles Times, “I’m not certain that DeShaun knew what he was doing was wrong.”
Sure.
And the Taliban is setting up a college scholarship program for women.
Pending an investigation, Foster will miss just one game. Maybe more, but not likely. That would be bad for business. Bad for ticket sales. Bad for the Bruins. Bad for the Pac-10. Just bad, bad, bad.
Yeah, I’m certain DeShaun thought that driving around town in a “borrowed,” late-model SUV was perfectly fine with the NCAA. Probably didn’t think twice about it. Maybe he needed more room than what he had in the ‘Vette he drove around last year.
Reminds me of playing Monopoly in the fourth grade, when I caught a buddy lifting Park Place from my pile. I called him on it. Know what he said?
“Oh, was that yours? My mistake. Sorry.”
Look for DeShaun to say the same.
I’m sure it won’t ever happen again.
At UCLA or anywhere else.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s games.
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. at Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Ore.
TV, radio: Fox Sports Net, KOMO radio (1000 AM).
Stars to watch: Washington – Quarterback Cody Pickett, separated shoulder and all, is becoming more effective and more consistent than most anyone expected, given that this is his first year as a starter. Who would have thought he’d be ahead of Oregon’s Joey Harrington in passing yards and total offense per game at this stage? Receivers Reggie Williams, Paul Arnold and Todd Elstrom all have been terrific, as have reserves Pat Reddick and Wilbur Hooks. Tailback Willie Hurst has put together back-to-back 100-yard games and has scored four touchdowns in the last two contests. Tight end Jerramy Stevens, after missing six games with a broken foot, returns and should help to free up the wideouts. Linebacker Ben Mahdavi leads an improving defense. Charles Frederick is dangerous on punt returns.
Oregon State – Tailback Ken Simonton isn’t having the Heisman year envisioned for him, but that is due partly to a young, reconstructed offensive line. Quarterback Jonathan Smith also isn’t having a year he wanted for his senior season, with eight TD passes and eight interceptions. Wideout James Newson is second in the conference with 45 receptions. The defense has just three senior starters. Best of the defensive bunch is junior corner Dennis Weathersby (who has 41 career pass breakups) and senior linebacker James Allen, who has six sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Breaking down the game: One of the issues for Washington is to avoid looking past the Beavers after such a huge win a week ago against Stanford. A Pac-10 title and a major bowl game is within reach, but only if the Huskies win out. Despite their 3-5 record, the Beavers have circled this game on their calendar since Washington beat them last year, ruining what may have been a berth in the BCS title game.
In purely strategic issues, the Huskies have to continue to get great play from their improving offensive line, which has strung together three straight impressive performances. The line has given Pickett time to throw and Hurst room to run.
Defensively, Washington may aim to stifle Simonton and dare Smith to beat it throwing. Although it hasn’t shown up in sack statistics, the Huskies have been getting great pressure on the quarterback the last three games. OSU will want to strike early, get the crowd amped up and gain a comfortable lead by the fourth quarter to avoid another Washington comeback.
Bottom line: We think Washington’s mature enough to keep focus on the Beavers and has too many weapons to lose.
Pick: Washington, 38-28.
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.
TV, radio: Fox Syndicate (KTWB, Channel 10/22), KRKO radio (1380 AM) and KHHO radio (850 AM).
Stars to watch: Washington State – Quarterback Jason Gesser hasn’t been sterling in his last two games, but still leads the conference in both passing yardage and total offense. Wideout Nakoa McElrath leads the Pac-10 in receptions with 60, has 936 receiving yards and has scored eight touchdowns. Wideout Mike Bush averages 21.2 yards a catch. Tailback Dave Minnich is questionable for the game after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Safety Lamont Thompson is the school career-leader in interceptions. He and Billy Newman may form the best duo in the conference, if not the country. Corner Marcus Trufant hits like a freight train, as evidenced by UCLA’s Tab Perry, who was hospitalized with four broken ribs following a collision. Defensive ends D.D. Acholonu and Isaac Brown are fearsome pass rushers.
Arizona State – Quarterback Jeff Krohn is one of the top passers in the conference when healthy. He is coming off a concussion, but probably will play. Wideout Shaun McDonald, at 5-9, 166 pounds, averages better than 22 yards a catch and has nine touchdowns. Wideout Donnie O’Neal also is a threat. Tailback Delvon Flowers averages 5.9 yards a carry. Defensive end Terrell Suggs’ forte is rushing the quarterback, but doesn’t have a sack in the last two games.
Breaking down the game: Watch for a high-scoring one. Krohn and McDonald haven’t been stopped all year and the WSU offense, although struggling lately, is explosive. This is a great matchup between ASU’s receivers and WSU’s secondary. Krohn gets rid of the ball quickly, so it will be difficult to get to him. That leaves the game in the hands of the Cougar pass coverage.
Bottom line: Both teams have much to play for. WSU can nab a major bowl this year. ASU needs two wins in the last three games to become bowl-eligible, a coup for this program and first-year coach Dirk Koetter. This may go to overtime.
Pick: Washington State, 41-34.
Oregon at UCLA: Without DeShaun Foster and with the uncertainty at quarterback, it’s difficult to see how the Bruins can move the ball with any consistency. Sheesh, how the mighty have fallen. Pick: Oregon, 27-20.
USC at Cal: The only interest here is whether the Bears can suck it up, given coach Tom Holmoe’s resignation notice this week. How will it affect Cal emotionally? On the other hand, USC has a bowl game to shoot for. Assuming the Bruins’ funk doesn’t stop anytime soon, can USC knock the Bruins out of even a lower-rung bowl and grab it for itself? Hey, rivalries are rivalries, even for the Las Vegas Bowl. Pick: USC, 27-17.
Stanford at Arizona: The Cardinal still has much to play for, even if it isn’t for a Fiesta Bowl bid. Formerly struggling Wildcats quarterback Jason Johnson threw for 315 yards last week. Of course, that was against Cal. Pick: Stanford, 38-20.
Sleeper pick of the week: South Carolina 31, Florida 30.
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