THE PACIFIC 10 : It’s a Long Way From Parity to Corvallis

Pacific 10 football coaches constantly talk about parity, saying that the conference is relatively strong from top to bottom.

Not quite, if early-season results are any indication.

The league apparently has a doormat in Oregon State. The Beavers have already played the two weakest teams on their schedule, losing to Montana, 22-15, and to Kansas, 38-12. If Oregon State can’t beat Nevada Las Vegas Saturday, it figures to be a long season for Coach Dave Kragthorpe’s team in Corvallis.

Nebraska lies ahead, and so do seven Pac-10 teams--Stanford, Arizona, Washington State, UCLA, Arizona State, USC and Oregon.

Kansas, coming off a 59-10 rout by Virginia, recorded eight sacks for 70 yards in losses while building a 31-0 halftime lead.

The Jayhawks, a perennial second division team in the Big Eight, aren’t accustomed to routing anybody. The Jayhawks haven’t had such an easy time since they beat Kansas State, 38-7, in 1985.

It’s the oldest ruse in any playbook, but it still works.

We’re referring to the gimmick play, the fumblerooskie.

It worked for Air Force against Notre Dame last year, and it worked again for Arizona against Illinois Saturday night in Tucson.

Guard Rick Martin ran 24 yards for a touchdown around the right side with a purposely fumbled handoff as his teammates--and Illinois players--dashed off in the opposite direction.

The ploy gave Arizona a 21-3 lead on its way to a 28-16 victory over the previously 11th-ranked Illini.

Quick Quiz: California’s John Hardy ran 100 yards to a touchdown with an intercepted pass against Wisconsin, tying a Pac-10 record held by five other players, three from UCLA. Can you name them?

Glyn Milburn originally wanted to attend Stanford and signed a letter of intent to that effect. It was invalid, however, because it wasn’t signed by a parent and Milburn was 17 at the time.

So the former Santa Monica High star enrolled at Oklahoma, the school his stepfather favored.

Milburn played as a true freshman under Barry Switzer in 1988, gaining 124 yards in eight carries, and scoring a touchdown.

As soon as he turned 18 and no longer needed his parents’ approval of his choice of schools, he transferred to Stanford.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Milburn sat out the 1989 season but is now a multipurpose threat as a ballcarrier or kick return specialist for the Cardinal.

Milburn is a cousin of Rod Milburn, the 1972 Olympic gold medalist in the 110-meter high hurdles.

“We couldn’t have beaten USC today,” said Washington center Ed Cunningham after the Huskies had hung on to beat San Jose State, 20-17, Saturday.

Two years ago, San Jose State also extended Washington before losing, 35-31.

In barely getting by the Spartans, the Huskies maintained a recent trend, as noted by guard Dean Kirkland.

“Ever since I’ve been here, this team plays to its level of competition,” he said. “Every game is close. For some reason, we rise (or fall) to the level of the opponent, whether it’s the No. 1 or No. 100 team.”

Quiz answer: California’s Jim Jurkovich against USC, 1940; UCLA’s Jimmy Allen against Cal, 1973; UCLA’s Alan Dial against Oregon State, 1986; Arizona’s Chuck Cecil against Arizona State, 1986, and UCLA’s Dennis Price against California, 1987.

Cal Coach Bruce Snyder said he has a physical football team after the Bears’ 28-12 victory over Wisconsin Saturday.

Cal had 38 running plays and threw 22 passes. Last year, the Bears passed on seven out of 10 plays with quarterback Troy Taylor.

Wisconsin, though, may not be an accurate gauge of Cal’s new prowess. The Badgers were 2-9 last season. More will be known about Cal after it plays Miami Saturday at Berkeley.