Two of the Pacific-10 Conference’s four California schools square off against each other this weekend as No. 8-ranked California (3-1 overall, 1-1 conference) hosts UCLA (4-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-10) in Berkeley, Calif.
Going into week eight of the college football season, UCLA has defeated conference foes Washington and Arizona and is currently tied for first in the Pac-10 with No. 1 Southern California and No. 19 Arizona State. The Bruins continue to shock and impress the nation under second-year head coach Karl Dorrell, who feels that his squad will need nothing less than a perfect game to defeat Cal on Saturday.
“They (Cal) have the best defense/offense in the conference right now, and they look that way on tape,” Dorrell said. “It’s a great challenge for our program.”
For marquee players in this game, look no further than the offensive backfields of both teams. This game features two of the top tailbacks in J.J. Arrington of Cal and Maurice Drew of UCLA. Both backs are ranked number one and two in the Pac-10 in rushing yards. As well, Cal features last week’s Pac-10 Player of the Week, junior quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has been giving defenses all they can handle all season and is best-known for throwing to senior flanker Geoff McArthur, a 2003 second team All-American.
Cal comes into this game reeling in the wake of a heartbreaking 23-17 loss to USC last weekend in Los Angeles. Despite the magnitude of the loss, Cal head coach Jeff Tedford has assured his players have put the loss behind them.
“It’s great that sometimes the players are more resilient than the coach,” Tedford said. “They practiced very well (Monday) … they understand we still have a lot of opportunity left ahead of us.”
UCLA is riding a modest four-game winning streak after making a track meet of last week’s game against Arizona , which ended in a 37-17 victory.
Last season the Bruins defeated Cal in Pasadena in an overtime thriller, 23-20.
Stanford (3-2, 1-1) at
Washington State (3-2, 1-1)
It is homecoming day in Pullman, Wash., this weekend as Washington State hosts Stanford at Martin
Stadium.
Much like Cal, Washington State is enduring hardships suffered
after last weekend. The Cougars lost 41-38 to Oregon after surrendering 27 points in the fourth quarter alone. Washington State needs a win this weekend to stay in the hunt for the Rose Bowl. For the Cougars however, this weekend will not be the mulligan win they are accustomed to having every season against Stanford.
The Cardinal is a legitimate team this year and has played tough in each of its two losses. Last weekend in South Bend, Ind., Stanford lost to Notre Dame, 23-15, in a game Cardinal head coach Buddy Teevens has regarded as a disappointment.
“We certainly had respect for that team (Notre Dame),” Teevens said. “But we came out ready to play. The players are sad, disappointed … but they understand that it’s critical to compete for 60 minutes.”
As a Pac-10 team with only one conference loss, Stanford is far from out of making its first trip to Pasadena, Calif., for the Rose Bowl since 2000. It will have to play a stiff defensive game in order to beat Washington State, which features tailback Jerome Harrison. The junior rushed for 117 yards last weekend against Oregon.
Washington State has an explosive offense but must conquer the Stanford defense, which played well against USC earlier in the year.
Oregon State (1-4, 0-2)
at Washington (1-4, 0-2)
For troubled Washington and Oregon State fans, good news is on the way this weekend. One of them will come away with its first Pac-10 win when the two last-place teams face off in Seattle Saturday.The Husky faithful have reached trying times, but have enjoyed the past week following Washington’s 21-6 win over San Jose State last Saturday. In the game, sophomore
tailback Kenny James rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
The Husky defense was stingy last week in the red zone and
will need to be this Saturday when the Beavers come to town. The Beavers feature a high-powered offense led by senior quarterback Derek Anderson who leads the Pac-10 in passing yards.
Beaver head coach Mike Riley believes this weekend will be a challenging game Oregon State can win.
“The Huskies are like us in a lot of ways,” Riley said. “They’ve played a lot of good football and had some very close games against some good teams.”
The Beavers are coming off of a much needed bye-week. Their last game was a 49-7 home loss to Cal. Last season, Washington defeated Oregon State in Corvallis 38-17 in an upset that ended a four-game winning streak for the Beavers.

Scott J. Adams is a freelance sports reporter for the Daily Emerald