Overall, Pac-10 makes national show, takes five of top 25 spots

Wednesday, October 1, 1997

Wednesday, October 1, 1997

Overall, Pac-10 makes national show, takes five of top 25 spots

PAC10: Washington State takes spotlight as a contender for Rose Bowl

By Tim Yun

Daily Bruin Contributor

Pac-10 game of the week:

Arizona St. (3-1) at Washington (3-1):

After a close win against the lowly Oregon State Beavers, the Sun Devils will once again have to dispel any doubt they deserve a spot in the top 25. They face a monumental task in trying to upset the University of Washington at Husky Stadium. The Huskies, who have yet to play a conference game, will try to rebound from their loss against University of Nebraska and take a step in the right direction - toward the Rose Bowl.

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Pac-10 player of the week:

Stanford Quarterback Chad Hutchinson garnered player of the week honors for his performance in Stanford's 58-49 victory against the Oregon Ducks. He finished the day completing 21 of 31 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions.

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Pac-10 Heisman watch:

In the first few weeks in the season, a handful of Pac-10 players have played their way into contention for the Heisman trophy. Here is the short list of players who hope to win the award:

UCLA tailback Skip Hicks: Last Saturday against the Arizona Wildcats, Hicks found the end-zone four times (a school record), giving him a total of 13 touchdowns for the season. The total puts him well within reach of the single-season touchdown record of 23 shared by former Husky Corey Dillion and former Trojan Marcus Allen. Hicks is among the NCAA leaders in several categories. Currently, Hicks is tied with Iowa running back Tavian Banks for the NCAA lead-in score with 19.5 points per game. He is also in the top 15 in rushing, averaging 121 yards per game.

Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf: The 6'4" Leaf has been torturing opposing defensive backs on a regular basis. Last week against Boise State, Leaf peppered the defense, passing for 289 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in only three quarters of work.

Leaf is the top quarterback in the Pac-10 and among the elite in the NCAA. He is currently the eighth highest-rated quarterback in the nation with a 162 pass-efficiency rating. He is also fourth in total offense.

California receiver Bobby Shaw: Already the recipient of two Pac-10 offensive player-of-week awards, Shaw is a force to be reckoned with on the field. Second in the nation in receiving at 9.0 receptions per game and third in receiving yards with 153.3 yards per game, he is cornerstone of the Golden Bear offense.

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Notes:

The most intriguing story from the Pac-10 is how the Washington State Cougars are playing. Their best start since they went 6-0 to open the 1992 season, the Cougars are making a serious charge toward their first trip to the Rose Bowl in 45 years. Quarterback Ryan Leaf has passed for over 1300 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. In addition to the arm of Leaf, the Cougars feature a revamped running attack that has rushed for 407 yards in their last two games.

Although it is still early in the season, the Pac-10 has made a significant national showing. Currently the league has five teams ranked in the top 25 with the University of Washington leading the way at No. 11, Washington State at No. 15, Stanford at No. 21, UCLA at No. 22 and Arizona State at No. 25.