Pac-10 Notebook For 09-27-2006 - College Football News And Picks

Pac-10 Notebook For 09-27-2006
By Jeff Zell
Posted: 4:00 am PDT 2006-09-27

The USC Trojans will not miss star wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett.

How is that, you say? The preseason All-American caught four passes for 36 yards and a touchdown in last week's win against Arizona, moving his total to 20 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns on the season. But Jarrett injured his shoulder and the game and could be out 2-4 weeks. With the break in the schedule as it currently is for USC, this may have been the perfect time for an injury, if there is such a thing.

Will USC really need its top guy for a road contest against Washington State (Trojans are -17 at WagerWeb.com)? The Cougars could barely hold their own at home against Baylor. And certainly two home games with Washington and Arizona State won't be too tough for Pete Carroll's squad, which doesn't rebuild but reloads.

Through three games, the Trojans have proven to be efficient. Just two turnovers in 12 quarters while producing seven. The offense is balanced to perfection. While throwing for 238 yards per game and rushing for 178, the number of rushing plays trumps the number of passing plays by 1: 125-124.

Recap: Conference play began for 8 teams this past week. The most surprising win came from Tyrone Willingham's Washington squad, which spotted UCLA 16 points and scored 29 of the final 32 points. Cal scored four times in the second quarter to quickly change anyone's mind whether ranked Arizona State was going to give the Golden Bears a run for their money. Stanford, meanwhile, is not a Pac-10 caliber school right now. Unless something fortunate happens, the Cardinal will not win a conference game.

The Jackson Factor: Dating back to the final two games of the 2005 season, Cal WR DeSean Jackson has scored 10 touchdowns in six games. His 93 receiving yards per game this season ranks No. 14 in the nation, while his seven TDs rank him No. 12 in scoring. The wideout even did it on special teams last week, returning a punt 80 yards to spark a 28-point second quarter, which put the game with ASU out of reach.

A Fast Two Minutes: With eight minutes remaining on the game clock Saturday, UCLA found itself trying to hold on to a 5-point to all of a sudden being in panic mode. Washington QB Isaiah Stanback found receiver Johnie Kirton for four yards and six points, and three plays later Bruins QB Ben Olson threw an interception, which was returned to the house by the Huskies. "Olson is learning game by game," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell told the Daily Breeze. "This was a difficult place to play, and we ran into some problems in the second half, and the result was a loss. It's not just Ben, though. There are a lot of mistakes being made by a lot of people on offense."

Looking Ahead: Arizona State must quickly bounce back from the loss at Cal when the Sun Devils host No. 14 Oregon (WagerWeb.com line: Oregon -1.5). Mike Bellotti's Ducks have had two weeks to prepare for the game. ... Cal plays its first road game since the opening debacle in Knoxville. Can Jeff Tedford get his squad ready to play at Oregon State (WagerWeb.com line: Cal -9)? ... This is the week for Mike Stoops' Arizona squad to prove itself. The Wildcats take on Washington at home, a game Arizona must win to have any credibility.

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