COLLEGE FOOTBALL ’89 : Pacific 10 Preview : Cal’s Taylor Will Headline Another Group of Top Quarterbacks

Troy Aikman, Rodney Peete, Timm Rosenbach and Erik Wilhelm have moved on to the National Football League, but the Pacific 10 Conference this season will again feature some of the nation’s outstanding quarterbacks.

Mel Kiper Jr., an NFL draft analyst, said that California’s Troy Taylor ranks No. 1 among the quarterbacks expected to be available in the draft next spring and that Paul Justin, a 6-foot-5 junior at Arizona State, is Taylor’s equal.

Washington’s Cary Conklin, thought by some to have as much pro potential as either Taylor or Justin, may have a better supporting cast than either of them.

And, although pro scouts do not consider Oregon’s Bill Musgrave to be especially gifted physically, the overachieving junior may be as valuable to his team as any other player in the conference.

“There may be as much quarterback talent in the Pac-10 as in any conference in the country,” said Joel Buchsbaum of Pro Football Weekly. “But when people look back at last year’s quarterback crop in the Pac-10, it may have been the greatest quarterback crop any conference ever had.”

So, while USC, UCLA and Washington State, the Pac-10’s bowl representatives last season, break in newcomers, and Oregon State looks for a replacement for Wilhelm, the conference’s all-time leading passer, several other teams will start the season with veteran quarterbacks.

At least there they’ll have one advantage over USC and UCLA, which are again given the best chance to represent the Pac-10 Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl, as they have all but four times in the last 16 seasons.

A look at the Pac-10, excluding USC and UCLA:

ARIZONA

1988 records: 7-4, 5-3.

1988 conference finish: Third (tie)

The Wildcats also have a returning starter at quarterback, Ronald Veal, who is 20 pounds lighter than he was a year ago and “a step or two quicker, (which) makes a big difference in running the option,” said Coach Dick Tomey.

Will the lost weight also improve Veal’s accuracy? Last season, the 5-10, 188-pounder completed only 38% of his passes.

Halfback David Eldridge is back at full speed after breaking an ankle in spring practice, but halfback Art Greathouse, still bothered by a heel injury, may miss the season.

Neither nose tackle Dana Wells, who was the Pac-10 defensive player of the year, nor linebacker Kevin Singleton, who was diagnosed last month as having leukemia, are among the seven returning defensive starters, but that unit has been augmented by the arrival of tackles Anthony Smith, a transfer from Alabama, and Reggie Gaddis, a fifth-year senior from Pomona High who dropped out of school last year after injuring a knee two years ago.

With home games against USC, UCLA, Washington and Stanford, the schedule is favorable.

ARIZONA STATE

1988 records: 6-5, 3-4.

1988 conference finish: Fifth.

Justin, who replaced Daniel Ford as the starter last season in the Sun Devils’ seventh game, threw for 1,063 yards and gave up only two interceptions in 150 attempts.

Kiper calls him “a great prospect, probably the best quarterback in the conference.” And Buchsbaum said: “He impressed me with his raw tools and his potential. He looks like the type of kid that’s only going to get better.”

Almost as interesting to watch, though, will be junior punter Brad Williams, a transfer from Arkansas who is attending ASU on a tennis scholarship. The native of Perth, Australia, grew up playing Australian rules football and often rolls out before he punts.

Among the defensive standouts are sophomore tackle Shane Collins, who hopes to qualify for the 1992 Olympics as a shotputter, and free safety Nathan LaDuke.

Also in the Sun Devils’ favor: They play eight of their games at home and USC is not on the schedule.

CALIFORNIA

1988 records: 5-5-1, 1-5-1.

1988 conference finish: 10th.

If the Bears can protect Taylor, who was sacked 42 times last season, he may be able to lift them out of the conference cellar.

“He’s a heck of a player,” Buchsbaum said of the 6-4, 185-pound senior, who probably will hold most of Cal’s passing records by the end of the season. “You just wish he wasn’t so skinny. He looks like he’s going to be broken in two any minute.

Defensively, the standout in fall practice has been tackle Joel Dickson, who was shot in the stomach last October and missed the Bears’ last seven games.

Junior Robbie Keen, a preseason All-American, was the Pac-10’s No. 1 kicker and punter last season.

OREGON

1988 records: 6-6, 3-5.

1988 conference finish: Sixth (tie).

The Ducks were 6-1 and ranked in the top 20 last season before Musgrave and linebacker Mark Kearns were injured in a 21-20 loss to Arizona State. The year before, they were 4-1, and had a victory over USC, before fading to 6-5.

“If Oregon can keep everyone healthy, it can be a very interesting team,” Buchsbaum said. “But they have no depth and they fade out.”

Musgrave will lead the Ducks.

“He’s similar in a lot of ways to Steve Walsh,” Kiper said. “Not a great arm, but a very good leader. A winner. He (instills) confidence in his teammates. He doesn’t have the great tools, but he’s a real smart, intelligent kid.”

Helping carry the offensive load will be running back Derek Loville, who ran for 1,202 yards last season.

OREGON STATE

1988 records: 4-6-1, 2-5-1.

1988 conference finish: Eighth.

With Wilhelm gone, the Beavers don’t have a lot going for them.

Even with Wilhelm, they weren’t able to reach .500. Still, their record last season was their best in nine seasons and equaled their best since 1971, when they were 5-6. And a season-ending 35-16 victory over Oregon was their first over the Ducks in 14 years.

Wilhelm’s replacement will be Nick Schichtle, a former UCLA walk-on, or Matt Booher, a junior college transfer from West St. Paul, Minn.

Oregon State’s best players are tight end Phil Ross, who needs 22 receptions to pass Reggie Brown as the Beavers’ all-time leader; defensive end Pellom McDaniels, who was among the Pac-10 leaders last season with 6 1/2 sacks, and fullback Pat Chaffey, who caught 45 passes last season and accounted for more than 1,000 all-purpose yards.

STANFORD

1988 records: 3-6-2, 1-5-2.

1988 conference finish: Ninth.

Last year’s disappointing season notwithstanding, optimism runs high among the Cardinal, which lost or tied six games last season that were decided by four points or fewer.

Fifteen starters return for new Coach Dennis Green.

“Stanford has an awful lot of talent,” Buchsbaum said. “People don’t realize it, but one thing (former coach) Jack Elway did was recruit well.

“On defense, they have an exceptional talent in Rob Hinckley at linebacker. His game against UCLA last year (when he had 20 tackles, including 4 1/2 sacks) was a highlight film. Alan Grant is one of the premier cornerbacks in the country and now that (tackle Lester) Archambeau has his legs taken care of (he had arthroscopic surgery on both knees last winter), maybe he’ll start playing up to his press clippings again.”

WASHINGTON

1988 records: 6-5, 3-5.

1988 conference finish: Sixth (tie).

Last year’s record was the Huskies’ worst since 1976 and they failed to land a bowl bid for the first time in 11 seasons, but four of the losses were by a total of eight points and the fifth was the result of a last-minute touchdown pass from Aikman to Reggie Moore that gave UCLA a 24-17 victory.

A schedule that includes two trips to Los Angeles--to play USC and UCLA--and a trip to Tucson to play Arizona could make things even more difficult this season.

Eight defensive starters return, including 6-4, 300-pound tackle Dennis Brown, but the Huskies last season ranked last in the Pac-10 against the run.

Quarterback Conklin needs to be more consistent.

At 6-4 and 220, and with a stronger arm, he may have more pro potential than Taylor.

WASHINGTON STATE

1988 records: 9-3, 5-3.

1988 conference finish: Tied for third.

At one point last winter, the Cougars talked of returning to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1931 and winning the Heisman Trophy for Rosenbach. The schedule was favorable, including a home game against USC and no game against UCLA.

But then Rosenbach made himself available for the NFL’s supplemental draft and former Coach Dennis Erickson left to replace Jimmy Johnson at Miami.

Brad Gossen will be the quarterback for new Coach Mike Price, whose offensive unit includes several key returnees, including 1,000-yard rushers Steve Broussard and Rich Swinton, both of whom were reinstated after having been convicted in the off-season on minor assault charges, and Tim Stallworth, who accumulated more than 1,000 yards receiving last season. Gone, though, is most of an outstanding offensive line, including All-American guard Mike Utley.