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

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.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.