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ARIZONA: In what was quite possibly one of the most exciting matchups of the
week, the now 14th-ranked Wildcats narrowly defeated the now 18th-ranked Iowa
Hawkeyes. Arizona rolled into halftime with a 27-7 advantage over Iowa, but
the Hawkeyes would not go quietly, scoring 20 unanswered points to even the
score late in the final frame. However, the Wildcats would get the last laugh
when Nick Foles connected with William Wright on a four-yard scoring strike,
giving Arizona the lead and eventual win. Foles completed 28-of-39 passes for
303 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick for the Wildcats, who dominated Toledo
and The Citadel over the first two weeks. Wright hauled in five passes for 67
yards, while David Douglas caught seven passes for 74 yards and a score for
the victors. Arizona, which is in the midst of a four-game homestand, will
open league play next with a matchup against California.
ARIZONA STATE: Just like their state rivals, the Sun Devils also had to battle
a tough Big Ten squad this past weekend, as coach Dennis Erickson's boys took
on Wisconsin. The Sun Devils fought hard in the contest, and even used a two-
yard touchdown run by Cameron Marshall to creep within an extra point of tying
the game in the final minutes. However, the extra point by Thomas Weber was
blocked, and coach Erickson's team would not have another chance to earn the
victory. Steven Threet went for 211 yards on 21-of-33 completions for the Sun
Devils, who began the season with wins over Portland State and Northern
Arizona. Kerry Taylor posted 71 yards on six receptions and Deantre Lewis
gained 122 yards on nine carries. Marshall scored the lone rushing touchdown
for ASU, but it was Deantre Lewis that pace the ground attack with 122 yards.
The Sun Devils will look to rebound from their first loss next week, but it
will not be easy as the Oregon Ducks will be in town.
CALIFORNIA: After clobbering UC Davis and Colorado by a 104-10 margin in their
first two games, the Golden Bears got a taste of their own medicine this past
Friday against Nevada. Cal's offense performed to its usual capabilities,
scoring 31 points, but the defense was overwhelmed by the Wolf Pack, who
punched the Golden Bears in the stomach with 52 points. Shane Vereen starred
in the loss with a career-high 198 rushing yards and three scores -- including
59 and 50-yard TD runs. Cal senior Kevin Riley was 23-of-37 passing for 277
yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted three times. Riley's main target
was Marvin Jones, who hauled in 12 catches for 161 yards for California. The
Golden Bears will try to rebound this upcoming weekend when they travel to
Tucson to open league play against a red-hot Arizona squad.
OREGON: The juggernaut from Eugene continued to breeze through its competition
this past weekend. Oregon demolished a much weaker Portland State team, 69-0,
giving the Ducks 189 points in three contests, the most points scored in a
three-game span in school history. Darron Thomas threw four touchdowns and
LaMichael James scored twice on the ground for Oregon. Thomas completed 9-
of-18 passes for 140 yards and James posted a career-high 227 yards on 14
carries for the Ducks, who topped New Mexico and Tennessee in previous weeks
and cruised to victory by setting a school record with 528 yards on the
ground. Jeff Maehl recorded 82 receiving yards and two scores on three
catches, while Remene Alston, Jr., Nate Costa and Josh Huff added a rushing TD
each. Not to be overlooked is the play of the defense, which has posted two
shutouts on the year. It is the first time an Oregon team has two shutouts in
a single season since 1964. The Ducks will look to continue their outstanding
play this upcoming Saturday when they open league action on the road against
Arizona State.
OREGON STATE: The Beavers were able to taste victory for the first time in
2010 with a 35-28 decision over Louisville this past weekend. Oregon State,
which was idle this past weekend, opened the year with a 30-21 setback to TCU.
Jacquizz Rodgers, who scored twice on the ground and once through the air,
finished the game with 132 yards on 24 carries and added five catches for 22
yards for the Beavers. Ryan Katz went 15-for-26 with 142 yards and two
touchdowns for Oregon State, while Markus Wheaton had a score on the ground
and Joe Halahuni caught a touchdown pass. Next up for the Beavers will be a
challenging bout against the tough Boise State Broncos on the blue turf.
STANFORD: For the first time since 2001 the Cardinal have opened a season with
a 3-0 ledger. Stanford, which clobbered Wake Forest 68-24, has scored 155
points on the season, the most for a Cardinal team since 1923 when the team
was known as the Indians. Andrew Luck threw for four touchdowns and rushed for
a score for the 14th-ranked Cardinal in the 44-point victory. Luck completed
17-of-23 passes for 207 yards for the Cardinal and also rushed for 69 yards on
three carries. Tyler Gaffney carried the ball seven times for 76 yards and two
touchdowns for Stanford, which totaled an impressive 303 yards on the ground.
Chris Owusu led the receiving corps with three catches for 65 yards and a pair
of scores. The Cardinal will now have to battle an old foe this upcoming
weekend, as coach Jim Harbaugh's squad will travel to South Bend to take on
Notre Dame.
UCLA: The Bruins opened the year with back-to-back losses to Kansas State and
Stanford, but UCLA finally got into the win column this past weekend with a
31-13 decision over Houston. Johnathan Franklin scored three times to help
UCLA and finished the game with 26 carries for 158 yards. Kevin Prince went 9-
for-17 with 99 yards and a pick along with 10 carries for 60 yards and a score
for the Bruins, who will now head to Austin to take on a southern powerhouse
in Texas.
USC: The Trojans have dealt with a coaching change, sanctions from the NCAA
and a steady stream of bad publicity in the media, but despite all of that
nonsense, USC is 3-0 on the year. The most recent victory came on the road
against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but it was not easy. Robert Woods' 97-
yard kickoff return in the third quarter began a run of 19 unanswered points
for USC, which grabbed a 32-21 decision. Allen Bradford carried the load in
the running game, amassing 131 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries for USC,
which was coming off a lackluster 17-14 win over Virginia last week. Matt
Barkley had another mediocre game behind center, completing 17-of-26 passes
for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the win. The
Trojans will remain on the road this weekend when they travel to Pullman to
take on Washington State in their Pac-10 opener.
WASHINGTON: The Huskies came into this season with high hopes, but thus far
coach Steve Sarkisian's squad has struggled. This past weekend the Huskies
were clobbered at home by Nebraska, 56-21. It was the second loss on the year
for Washington, which kicked off the year with a 23-17 setback against BYU.
Washington senior quarterback Jake Locker had possibly his worst game of his
career, completing just four of his 20 throws for 71 yards with two
interceptions. Locker did hook up with Jermaine Kearse for a 45-yard touchdown
and ran for another score. He led the team in rushing with 59 yards on 11
touches while Chris Polk ran for 55 yards and a score for the Huskies, who
were coming off a 41-20 win over Syracuse. Locker and the Huskies will have a
week to regroup, but then will head to Los Angeles on October 2nd to open
league play against USC.
WASHINGTON STATE: Despite narrowly defeating Montana State, 23-22, it has been
a rough year for the Cougars, who began the year with a 65-17 loss to Oklahoma
State. the team is coming off its second setback on the season, as Washington
State fell to SMU, 35-21, this past weekend. In the setback, Jeff Tuel threw
for 284 yards and two TDs for Washington State, while Marquess Wilson posted
six catches for 134 yards and a score. Returning to the win column will be
tough for the Cougars, who will host USC this weekend.