The Oregon State Beavers (6-4, 4-3 Pac-10) go to Palo Alto, Calif., to play a Stanford (1-9, 1-6 Pac-10) team who just upset the Huskies by 17 points on the road in Seattle.
One thing is for sure, the Beavers’ secondary will have to watch Richard Sherman. The 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound wide receiver torched the Huskies for 177 yards on six receptions, en route to earning Pac-10 Player of the Week.
The freshman’s outburst carried the Cardinal to their first win of the season. The highlight of the game was when Sherman and quarterback T.C. Ostrander connected for a 74-yard touchdown.
As the Cardinal averted a winless season in Seattle, Oregon State’s offense sputtered against UCLA.
The Beavers need one more win to become bowl eligible, but the team that upset USC three weeks ago lost last week to a mediocre Bruins team.
Oregon State’s Alexis Serna who is usually automatic, came away from the UCLA game with two missed field goals in as many chances. He leads the conference with seven misses.
Stanford will remain competitive, but for them, the revised goal of not going through the season winless has been checked off.
Oregon State remains hopeful it can win its last two Pac-10 games, and why not.
Stanford’s won only one game and the Beavers play Oregon in Corvallis where the Ducks haven’t won since 1996.
Oregon State should win this game easily, but which Beaver team shows up remains to be seen.
Washington at Washington State
The Apple Cup will be played in frigid Pullman, Wash., on Saturday. The Huskies, without senior quarterback Isaiah Stanback, come off a disappointing home lose to a winless Stanford team.
Washington’s (4-6, 2-6 Pac-10) loss last week cost them the chance at a bowl birth, but the opportunity to smudge Washington State’s record is a delightful opportunity for the Huskies.
Washington State (6-5, 4-4 Pac-10) needs the win to keep its third place and Sun Bowl hopes alive.
With both teams coming off stunning losses last week, the last game of the season brings validation to roller coaster seasons for both programs. A loss for the Cougars takes them to .500 on the season, while Washington is looking to salvage what it can from a season that came so close.
The Huskies dropped six straight Pac-10 games after beating Arizona 21-10 in Tucson, Ariz., and nearly beat USC in Los Angeles and Cal in Berkeley.
Washington will try to throw the ball out to leading receiver Sonny Shackelford. The Huskies attempted 44 passes and only completed 11 for 122 yards and three interceptions last week against Stanford. The team needs running back Kenny James to be effective to open up the passing game.
Washington State’s defense was challenged by a solid passing attack led by Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter last week. The Sun Devils threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns, as they cruised to a 47-14 win.
If the Cougars pass defense can’t contain junior quarterback Carl Bonnell, the Cougars could end up in a middle-of-the-pack bowl.
Look for Eugene’s Alex Brink to have a solid game, and the Cougar offense to rack up the points against the suddenly lackluster Huskies.
UCLA at Arizona State
UCLA heads to Arizona State for a game between two Pac-10 teams that never panned out.
Arizona State (6-4, 3-4 Pac-10) started the season ranked 24th, but never lived up to the early hype. A young Rudy Carpenter seemed to be the answer for the Sun Devils on offense, but during the Pac-10 season he hasn’t accomplished much.
Until last week against the Cougars, that is. The sophomore played his best game of the season against Washington State, throwing for 339 yards and three touchdowns as Arizona State beat its first .500 Pac-10 team.
UCLA (5-5, 3-4 Pac-10) needs the win to make it to a bowl game. Pending a possible upset win against USC at home in two weeks, the Bruins need to take care of business against the Sun Devils to ensure a possible bowl bid.
The Bruins played well against Oregon State last weekend to increase its chances.
The Sun Devils and Bruins also need a win to keep up with the block of four-win teams in the Pac-10.
Expect a high-scoring affair with several turnovers throughout. Whoever capitalizes off turnovers will take the victory.