Maybe the Pacific-10 Conference coaches should rethink their preseason predictions.
The biggest surprise of the season, thus far, has no doubt been the massive offensive explosion by Washington State and junior quarterback Jason Gesser. The Cougars, picked to finish dead last in the conference standings, are 3-0 and lead the Pac-10 with 546.3 yards of total offense per game, nearly 400 of that through the air.
This weekend the Cougs take on undefeated Arizona.
“If you were a defensive coach, and these were the numbers against you, you wouldn’t sleep, period,” Arizona head John Mackovic told the Arizona Daily Star.
So much hype has surrounded Oregon’s senior quarterbacks — the Ducks’ Joey Harrington and the Beavers’ Jonathan Smith — that the kid from the Palouse has seemingly come out of nowhere.
But that’s not necessarily true. Gesser, who threw for 432 yards in Saturday’s 51-20 victory over California, torched the Wildcats for 348 yards and six touchdowns last season.
And Duck fans will remember Gesser’s performance in Pullman last November, when the 2000 Pac-10 leader in passing efficiency nearly pulled off an upset before suffering a broken leg that caused him to miss the rest of the season.
When the Ducks again travel to Pullman Oct. 26, you can bet Gesser will be looking for revenge.
“To me, he’s the best quarterback in the Pac-10,” Arizona defensive end Anthony Thomas told the Arizona Daily Star. “And I think a lot of people on our defense think that way.”
The last time the Cougars started a season 3-0 was in 1998, the year Ryan Leaf led them to the Rose Bowl.
Stay tuned, Duck fans.
Oregon’s Smith named
player of the week
Following a three-interception, eight-tackle performance in the 24-22 win against Southern California, Oregon senior defensive back Steve Smith was named the Pac-10 defensive player of the week. Smith tied an Autzen Stadium record with his three picks, returning one 33 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Stanford quarterback Randy Fasani, who passed for 232 yards and four touchdowns against Boston College on Saturday, was named the offensive player of the week, while Washington’s Roc Alexander was the special teams player of the week.
Yee haa … UW’s Pickett
is a true cowboy
Whether it’s his purple and gold helmet or his leather cowboy hat, Washington quarterback Cody Pickett is right at home.
The sophomore from Caldwell, Idaho, who has led the No. 12 Huskies to a 2-0 start, was a rodeo team-roper in high school. Pickett, who’s father, Dee, was a championship roper on the professional rodeo circuit, qualified for the national finals in 1997 and 1998.
Simon says record books
Oregon State senior running back Ken Simonton is on pace to eclipse two of the most distinguished offensive records in Pac-10 history.
Simonton’s 4,284 career rushing yards put him third on the Pac-10 career rushing list, trailing only Heisman Trophy winners Charles White (6,245) and Marcus Allen (4,810).
With 330 total points scored, Simonton is tied for fifth on the Pac-10 all-time scoring list. Assuming he scores one more point, Simonton will become the conference’s career leader in points scored by a non-kicker.
