Pac-10 notebook: Coaches share searing seat

PULLMAN – Is there a Pac-10 football coach not under fire?

OK, Dennis Erickson, Mike Bellotti – their highly ranked teams meet this week in Eugene – and Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh are getting a pass.

But everyone else, including USC’s Pete Carroll, has undergone varying degrees of criticism the past few weeks.

Now the critiques of Carroll have been muted – how could the Trojans actually be in the midst of a rebuilding year, for goodness sakes? – but the other six have all felt the wrath of alums, fans and yes, media critics.

Sitting in the hottest seat most of the season has been Arizona’s Mike Stoops, but in this game of reverse musical chairs it looks like Washington’s Tyrone Willingham is now the guy with the singed glutes.

Following Saturday’s come-from-ahead loss to Arizona, Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley called the loss a 24-carat embarrassment. He wrote, “Washington isn’t working,” and called for changes on Willingham’s staff.

Stoops has been under fire for much of the year. Last week the Arizona Daily Star ran a story comparing last season’s 6-6 Wildcats team to this year’s group, with the bottom line being UA was regressing, not improving.

That was only a week after columnist Greg Hansen had opined Stoops probably couldn’t survive another non-winning season and athletic director Jim Livengood might also be on the way out.

Of course, the future of Washington State coach Bill Doba has been the subject of much speculation the past few weeks. But Doba’s team won last Saturday, throwing the weight back onto the back of UCLA’s Karl Dorrell – as if Dorrell, whose hoped-for firing is the subject of a Web site, needed any other pressure.

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, who hired Dorrell, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday, “I will be very interested to see how we finish the season. And you can use that.”

Not a real vote of confidence, and the Cougars are to blame.

“We were all disappointed with the performance in Pullman this past weekend,” Guerrero said. “But we have four games left to go. We play four difficult conference games. Our destiny is still in our hands.

“I think if we play to our capability, if we played to the level of performance against Cal, we still have a chance to do something special.”

When Oregon State lost 34-3 in a nationally televised disaster at Cincinnati, the rumblings began in Oregon over the performance of coach Mike Riley’s team. They got stronger when the Beavers lost their first two conference games, but now have receded thanks to three consecutive wins, including an improbable upset at Cal.

That 31-28 loss sent the Golden Bears into a tailspin that coach Jeff Tedford hasn’t been able to stop these past two weeks. Cal, expected to be a national title contender, is 5-3 and has to deal with unmet potential.

“The expectations (at Cal) have gotten so great that when you do lose a few games (people are upset),” Tedford said. “It is a hard hit when it doesn’t happen.”

Around the conference

UCLA running back Kahlil Bell is out for the year after suffering a torn knee ligament against Washington State. Bell got hurt early in the game, tried to return, then was helped off for good late in the first quarter. Receiver Brandon Breazell, also injured against WSU, is “50-50” to play against Arizona this week, according to Dorrell. … Another of the Pac-10’s best running backs, Oregon State’s Yvenson Bernard, may not play this week against USC after suffering a left shoulder injury against Stanford. … Quarterback John David Booty will probably start for the Trojans against Oregon State after missing three consecutive games with a broken finger on his throwing hand. … Stanford’s ground game was non-existent against the Beavers. The Cardinal had minus-8 yards, matching the seventh-worst total in the school’s history.

Cougar notes

Doba finally commented about the Cougars’ recruiting Tuesday on the Pac-10 conference call, but only in the context of the criticism of his tenure on the Internet – and as a way to set up a line typical of his dry sense of humor. “I’m concerned some because of the Internet and all the negative stuff,” he said. “We have some kids that we offered (scholarships to) and I think they want to commit, but they want to wait and see if the Internet’s going to fire me.” … Doba’s quarterback, Alex Brink, also has a sense of humor, but it isn’t as dry. When asked which vitamins he takes to allow himself to stay healthy while so many Pac-10 quarterbacks haven’t been, Brink didn’t miss a beat. “I take straight HGH,” Brink deadpanned, waiting for the inevitable laughter, which he joined. “I’m definitely kidding. Obviously,” he continued, pointing to his body. “I don’t take any steroids.” … His real answer: He doesn’t worry about it. He just plays hard because he feels like “when you’re pulling back a little on the reins, that’s when you get hurt.” … The defense posted its best game last Saturday, and there was a carryover to practice Tuesday. First Andy Mattingly then Devin Giles came up with interceptions against the scout team, returning both for touchdowns. … None of the players nursing concussions – Kenny Alfred, Alfonso Jackson and Chris Ivory – suited up. They are still awaiting clearance. They were joined on the sidelines by receiver Charles Dillon and running backs Dwight Tardy, both taking a day to heal nicks suffered against UCLA. Both are expected to start Saturday. … Reserve defensive linemen Toby Turpin and Asly Jean-Jacques, suspended a couple of weeks ago for violations of team rules, returned to practice. … Doba has watched a lot of film on Cal. “They don’t look like a 2-3 (in the Pac-10) team,” he said. “They look like a 4-1 or 5-0 team.”