USC at No. 18 Arizona
5:00 p.m. Saturday
Though any lingering Rose Bowl hopes might have vanished in a 42-17 defeat to Stanford last weekend, Arizona still has plenty to play for. If they beat the Trojans, No. 1 Oregon, and Arizona State to finish the season, the 7-2 Wildcats would still have an outside shot at an at-large berth in a BCS bowl. Of more immediate concern to Arizona is its quarterback situation. Starter Nick Foles looked rusty in his return from a knee injury against Stanford, completing only 28 of his 48 pass attempts, and talented back up signal caller Matt Scott is presumably out of action for the foreseeable future with a wrist injury. In order for Arizona to top USC, Foles will have to play like the quarterback who helped lead Arizona to a conference leading 294.8 passing yards per game.
It would also help Arizona’s cause if the Wildcats’ defense found a way to contain USC’s (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) powerful offense. The Trojans rank third in the Pac-10 in total offense, and quarterback Matt Barkley has emerged as a top NFL prospect in only his sophomore season. However, USC’s third-ranked rushing attack has been decimated by injuries and inconsistency. Starter Marc Tyler has been held out of practice with an ankle injury, and senior C.J. Gable is just returning to health from a knee injury, while senior Allan Bradford has struggled with ball security.
No. 7 Stanford at Arizona State
4:30 p.m. Saturday (Versus)
The 8-1 Stanford football team kept rolling along last weekend, with a 42-17 shellacking of then-No. 15 Arizona. The Cardinal has now won four straight games, dating back to its loss at Autzen Stadium in early October. Quarterback Andrew Luck is climbing up Heisman Trophy watch lists each week, with a 22:6 touchdown to interception ratio and Pac-10 leading 163.37 passer rating. Despite the loss of last year’s Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart, Stanford’s rushing attack has taken another step forward this year — the Cardinal is 12th nationally in rushing yards per game.
But if there’s one area in which Arizona State’s 60th ranked scoring defense excels, it’s in rush defense. The Sun Devils (4-5, 2-4) are second in the Pac-10 in rushing yards per game allowed, and surrender only a meager 3.3 yards per carry. And while Arizona State is susceptible to allowing big plays in the passing game, (the Sun Devils are seventh in the conference in points allowed), the team matches up relatively well with a Stanford team that has soared to No. 6 in the BCS standings. Led by Michigan transfer Steven Threet, Arizona State is second in the conference in passing yards per game at 292. Interceptions have been an issue (Arizona State’s quarterbacks have combined to throw 16, the most in the Pac-10 by a wide margin), but talent is not. As shown by a narrow 20-19 loss to No. 6 Wisconsin in Madison earlier in the year and a one-point, road loss to USC last weekend, the Sun Devils can hang with any team in the country. If Stanford’s not on its game, Arizona State could break through.
Washington State at Oregon State
1:00 p.m. (FSN Northwest)
After coming close to its first Pac-10 win in 15 tries last weekend against Cal, Washington State (1-9, 0-7 Pac-10) will again try to halt that losing streak, this time against Oregon State in Corvallis. Any chance of a Cougar victory probably lies on the potent right arm of Jeff Tuel. The quarterback, who leads a Washington State offense that’s 110th nationally in scoring but 44th in passing yards per game, will look to exploit Oregon State’s secondary that has surrendered 249.9 yards per game, eighth most in the Pac-10. The Cougars are last in the conference in rushing at 76.1 yards per game, and Beaver defensive tackle Stephen Paea makes life difficult for any rushing game.
The Beavers have lost two of their past three games, against conference lightweights Washington and UCLA. Jacquizz Rodgers is steady out of the backfield, and Ryan Katz has performed admirably in his first year starting, but the Beavers rank only eighth in the Pac-10 in total offense. Oregon State is second in the conference in turnover margin at +10, though, and the Beavers play well at home with a 3-0 record at Reser Stadium this season.
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