Oregon at WSU
Time: 7:15 p.m. Saturday. TV: FSN
The records: Oregon, 8-1, 5-1 Pac-10; WSU, 3-6, 0-6 Pac-10.
Last week: Oregon beat California in overtime, 27-20; WSU lost to Arizona State, 27-24.
Last time: Oregon beat WSU 41-38 in Pullman on Oct. 9, 2004.
What it means for WSU: Not … a … whole … lot. The Cougars were eliminated from the bowl picture last weekend, so now they’re playing for little more than pride. This is the last home game of the season and the last for a group of seniors that, while putting up some decent numbers, have struggled to carry younger teammates to success the last two years. That said, head coach Bill Doba has said repeatedly how much it would mean to him to get the win for his oldest players, and getting Pac-10 win No. 1 against a team harboring big bowl hopes would provide a measure of redemption in this tremendously disappointing season.
What it means for Oregon: The Ducks still think – maybe foolishly, maybe not – that they have a chance to make a BCS bowl as an at-large entry. They have a decent case, given their only loss is to No. 1 USC, but based on their current ranking the Ducks will have to win and win big to garner some more positive attention. Nevertheless, Oregon has the inside track on the second spot in the Pac-10 and at worst a Holiday Bowl berth, which would be huge for this program one year removed from a disappointing sub-.500 finish. Oregon got a big win last week against Cal, so it must guard against a letdown in this potentially dangerous game.
Oregon’s best: Mike Bellotti is in his 11th season as head coach at Oregon and has a 109-66-2 record… . Oregon is the second consecutive WSU opponent with a relatively new situation at quarterback because of an injury. Dennis Dixon has taken over for Kellen Clemens under center, but Brady Leaf, younger brother of former Cougars star Ryan Leaf, also is getting snaps… . Gary Crowton joined the Ducks as offensive coordinator this season to great acclaim and has done well, though it doesn’t hurt having a 1-2 running combination of Terrence Whitehead and Jonathan Stewart, who nearly chose to come to WSU… . Cougars fans will remember tight end Tim Day, who shredded WSU last season as Oregon made a big second-half comeback… . The Ducks’ defense is improved but not overwhelming. The strength is up front where massive tackle Haloti Ngata and end Devan Long can cause headaches, though safety Anthony Trucks is the leading tackler with 68 and has 10 quarterback sacks as well, tops in the Pac-10.
The numbers: Think WSU is a passing team? Maybe, but Jerome Harrison is tied for second in the nation with 244 carries. The Cougars senior needs 87 yards to tie Rueben Mayes for the school single-season record of 1,637 rushing yards in a season. … Oregon has intercepted 16 passes this season, a big reason for a plus-7 turnover margin.
Glenn Kasses