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By Ted Miller
Issues to consider heading into the*ninth week of games.
Barkley vs. Luck: Stanford Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in college football, the Heisman Trophy favorite and*is almost certain*to go No. 1 overall in this spring's NFL draft. USC's Matt Barkley is pretty good, too, and could be picked in the first round. He certainly could help his stock -- and his team -- by outplaying Luck on Saturday. For USC to notch the upset, Barkley almost certainly will need to match or, more likely, exceed Luck's numbers. Last year, these two combined for six TDs and no interceptions as Stanford won 37-35 with a field goal in the waning moments.
James and Thomas watch: Oregon is probably not going to have much trouble with Washington State at home on Saturday, though, of course, you never know. The big issue will be whether quarterback*http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/378502/darron-thomasDarron Thomas or running back*http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/379314/lamichael-jamesLaMichael James play. It's not really about how much they play or even how effective they are. It's more about them being ready to go for*a crucial two-game road trip: at Washington on Nov. 5 and at Stanford on Nov. 12. Those are games when the Ducks will want -- need? -- to be at full strength.
Return of Onyeali: Arizona State appears poised to dash to the Pac-12 South Division title, and a visit from 1-7 Colorado doesn't figure to slow the Sun Devils down. But the return of defensive end Junior Onyeali from a knee injury is big news. Onyeali, the conference's defensive freshman of the year in 2010, was hurt Sept. 17 at Illinois. The Sun Devils defense has mostly played well in his absence, with Greg Smith and Davon Coleman stepping up opposite Jamaar Jarrett. But four good DEs is a good thing. A really good thing.
Maynard sharp II? California QB http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/384118/zach-maynardZach Maynard had perhaps his best game in the Bears' 34-10 victory over Utah, passing for 255 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 36 yards and a score. He rolled out and moved around in the pocket and seemed to be sharper, more confident and, most important, more accurate with his throws. Was the win over the Utes a turning point game for him, and therefore the Bears offense? If so, the Bears should roll over UCLA, which is awful on defense.
Where's the O, Utah? Speaking of the Utah-Cal game, the Utes offense didn't show up. It turned the ball over four times -- three interceptions from QB http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/516270/jon-haysJon Hays -- and gained just 178 total yards, including just 13 yards rushing. It's certain that the Utes won't have a juggernaut offense anytime soon. They didn't have*one approaching that even*when http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/482349/jordan-wynnJordan Wynn was playing quarterback. But if the season is to be salvaged, they are going to need to figure out ways to get a few points on the board. A solid defense can keep things close, but it's hard to win if you can't score.
Price vs the Arizona secondary: Four Arizona players are suspended from Saturday's game at Washington for their role in a brawl with UCLA just before halftime last week. All four are from a secondary that has already lost two starters to injury. Cornerback Shaquille Richardson*and nickelback Jourdon Grandon are suspended for the entire game; cornerback Lyle Brown and strong safety Mark Watley are suspended for the first half. While Richardson is the only starter, things are still going to be tough against a Huskies passing offense led by quarterback http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/482599/keith-priceKeith Price and a deep crew of receivers. Price leads the Pac-12 with 22 touchdown passes and ranks sixth in the nation in passing efficiency. Even before the suspensions, the Wildcats ranked last in the conference in pass efficiency defense, with opponents completing 71 percent of their throws.
Other than Woods? Before showing balance at Notre Dame, USC's offense was all about Barkley throwing to receiver http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/500234/robert-woodsRobert Woods. Stanford's defense, which got gashed by Barkley-to-Woods last year, figures to be all over Woods with bracket coverages*with safeties helping cornerbacks on just about every play. Woods still figures to have his moments. It's not like he's a secret, yet he still ranks second in the nation with 129 receiving yards per game. But the Trojans need other receivers to step up and help Barkley. Or, even better, what if the running game, which piled up 219 yards against the Fighting Irish, comes through again?
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Pac-10 Blog
Click here to view the article.
Issues to consider heading into the*ninth week of games.Barkley vs. Luck: Stanford Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in college football, the Heisman Trophy favorite and*is almost certain*to go No. 1 overall in this spring's NFL draft. USC's Matt Barkley is pretty good, too, and could be picked in the first round. He certainly could help his stock -- and his team -- by outplaying Luck on Saturday. For USC to notch the upset, Barkley almost certainly will need to match or, more likely, exceed Luck's numbers. Last year, these two combined for six TDs and no interceptions as Stanford won 37-35 with a field goal in the waning moments.
James and Thomas watch: Oregon is probably not going to have much trouble with Washington State at home on Saturday, though, of course, you never know. The big issue will be whether quarterback*http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/378502/darron-thomasDarron Thomas or running back*http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/379314/lamichael-jamesLaMichael James play. It's not really about how much they play or even how effective they are. It's more about them being ready to go for*a crucial two-game road trip: at Washington on Nov. 5 and at Stanford on Nov. 12. Those are games when the Ducks will want -- need? -- to be at full strength.
Return of Onyeali: Arizona State appears poised to dash to the Pac-12 South Division title, and a visit from 1-7 Colorado doesn't figure to slow the Sun Devils down. But the return of defensive end Junior Onyeali from a knee injury is big news. Onyeali, the conference's defensive freshman of the year in 2010, was hurt Sept. 17 at Illinois. The Sun Devils defense has mostly played well in his absence, with Greg Smith and Davon Coleman stepping up opposite Jamaar Jarrett. But four good DEs is a good thing. A really good thing.
Maynard sharp II? California QB http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/384118/zach-maynardZach Maynard had perhaps his best game in the Bears' 34-10 victory over Utah, passing for 255 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 36 yards and a score. He rolled out and moved around in the pocket and seemed to be sharper, more confident and, most important, more accurate with his throws. Was the win over the Utes a turning point game for him, and therefore the Bears offense? If so, the Bears should roll over UCLA, which is awful on defense.
Where's the O, Utah? Speaking of the Utah-Cal game, the Utes offense didn't show up. It turned the ball over four times -- three interceptions from QB http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/516270/jon-haysJon Hays -- and gained just 178 total yards, including just 13 yards rushing. It's certain that the Utes won't have a juggernaut offense anytime soon. They didn't have*one approaching that even*when http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/482349/jordan-wynnJordan Wynn was playing quarterback. But if the season is to be salvaged, they are going to need to figure out ways to get a few points on the board. A solid defense can keep things close, but it's hard to win if you can't score.
Price vs the Arizona secondary: Four Arizona players are suspended from Saturday's game at Washington for their role in a brawl with UCLA just before halftime last week. All four are from a secondary that has already lost two starters to injury. Cornerback Shaquille Richardson*and nickelback Jourdon Grandon are suspended for the entire game; cornerback Lyle Brown and strong safety Mark Watley are suspended for the first half. While Richardson is the only starter, things are still going to be tough against a Huskies passing offense led by quarterback http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/482599/keith-priceKeith Price and a deep crew of receivers. Price leads the Pac-12 with 22 touchdown passes and ranks sixth in the nation in passing efficiency. Even before the suspensions, the Wildcats ranked last in the conference in pass efficiency defense, with opponents completing 71 percent of their throws.
Other than Woods? Before showing balance at Notre Dame, USC's offense was all about Barkley throwing to receiver http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/500234/robert-woodsRobert Woods. Stanford's defense, which got gashed by Barkley-to-Woods last year, figures to be all over Woods with bracket coverages*with safeties helping cornerbacks on just about every play. Woods still figures to have his moments. It's not like he's a secret, yet he still ranks second in the nation with 129 receiving yards per game. But the Trojans need other receivers to step up and help Barkley. Or, even better, what if the running game, which piled up 219 yards against the Fighting Irish, comes through again?
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Pac-10 Blog
Click here to view the article.