Arizona State at No. 21 Georgia, (4 p.m. Saturday) ESPNU
A week after steamrolling Louisiana Monroe 38-14, the Sun Devils travel to Sanford Stadium to face Joe Cox and the No. 21-ranked Bulldogs. The Sun Devils defense was stifling last week, holding the Warhawks to only 126 passing yards. Omar Bolden returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, while running back Dimitri Nance ran for two touchdowns of his own.
Key stat: Arizona State has allowed a total of only 168 passing yards this season.
Arizona at Oregon State, (4:35 p.m. Saturday)
Both the Wildcats and the Beavers hope to bounce back from tough 10-point losses last week. The Wildcats fell to Iowa 27-17 in Iowa City, and struggling quarterback Matt Scott was benched in the fourth quarter after completing only four of 14 pass attempts. The Beavers were stifled by a surging Cincinnati team as star running back Jacquizz Rodgers was held to only 73 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Key stat: Arizona has lost nine of its last 10 meetings with Oregon State.
No. 24 Washington at Stanford, (6 p.m. Saturday)
After shocking the nation last week with a 16-13 win over USC last week and climbing into the AP Top 25 for the first time in six years, an upstart Huskies team looks to keep its momentum going in Palo Alto. Turnovers played a key role in Washington’s upset of the Trojans, as USC lost two fumbles and also had a pass intercepted. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker stepped up with the game on the line, leading Washington on a 10-play, four-minute long drive that resulted in the game-clinching 22-yard field goal. Stanford never trailed last week in their 42-17 win over San Jose State, and Chris Owusu returned a kickoff 94 yards for the first touchdown of the game.
Key stat: Washington quarterback Jake Locker’s 811 passing yards for the season already eclipses his total from last year by 299 yards.
Washington State at No. 12 USC, (7:15 p.m. Saturday)
Coming off of yet another early season Pacific-10 Conference loss, the Trojans hope to have injured stars Matt Barkley and Taylor Mays are ready for Saturday. Even if Barkley and Mays are not ready, USC should have little trouble against a struggling Cougars squad that barely survived Southern Methodist last week. Down 27-20 with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Marshall Lobbestael led the Cougars 80 yards down the field and tied the game with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jared Karstetter. In overtime, the Cougars intercepted Southern Methodist’s first pass attempt, and kicker Nico Grasu ended the game with a 39-yard field goal. The Trojans should also walk into this game with a bit more confidence than usual, having embarrassed the Cougars last year 69-0.
Key stat: Washington State has not beaten USC in the L.A. Coliseum since 2000.
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