PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL : Respite Means a Restart for Arizona

Ordinarily, a week off in the middle of a tough football season is just what a college team needs.

But rest might not have come at the right time for Arizona.

After a strong performance in a one-point loss to top-ranked Miami, the Wildcats shut down UCLA and seemed to be in full stride.

It will be interesting to see what became of all that momentum when the Wildcats play Saturday at Stanford.

“All in all, I think the idle week could work to our benefit,” Arizona Coach Dick Tomey said. “After five tough games, we accumulated numerous bumps and bruises. We should be ready to regain our momentum Saturday.”

The problem, according to Tomey, is not so much an interruption as it is Stanford’s defense. The Cardinal, winner of five in a row since an opening-game defeat by Texas A&M;, boasts the fifth-best defensive team in the nation.

“We played two good defensive teams in Miami and UCLA,” Tomey said. “Stanford is a better defensive team than either one of them.”

The Cardinal has yielded one touchdown in more than six quarters since Notre Dame scored the first 16 points against them in the first half Oct. 3.

“They’re not the most talented defense in the world, but they play beautifully on the field,” Stanford Coach Bill Walsh said.

Stanford, which has not played in the Rose Bowl game since 1972, needs to beat Arizona and Oregon State before its showdown with Washington at Seattle on Oct. 31.

When a quarterback who has started in 17 consecutive victories is demoted, you could expect a major controversy.

But not at Washington. Coach Don James announced that Mark Brunell, who replaced Billy Joe Hobert and sparked the second-half spurt that gave the Huskies their victory over California last Saturday, would start against Oregon. In Seattle, where James reigns, there wasn’t a murmur.

“Any repercussions are the figment of the imagination of you media guys,” James said. “There is no problem.”

Brunell, the most valuable player in the 1991 Rose Bowl, suffered a knee injury a couple of months later, and it was feared he would never play again. Finally, he is again playing a prominent role.

Hobert, who started the next 17 games, had completed three of 12 passes for 36 yards when Brunell took over in a 7-7 tie last weekend and led the Huskies to a 35-16 victory.

“I felt that in the second half we finally came to life,” James said. “Naturally, when you keep winning you can’t complain. But I really felt good for the first time against California. I thought we came together.”

Hobert, who will be used in the second quarter, as was Brunell earlier this season, was upset, James said. “But mostly, he was upset by the way he played. He’ll get his chances.”

Rich Brooks of Oregon doesn’t have a quarterback problem. Sophomore Danny O’Neil, a former Mater Dei star, keeps improving.

Brooks says O’Neil will continue to get better, especially if he can overcome a tendency to hold the ball too long. The Trojans sacked him 13 times, and Brooks blames many of those sacks on his young quarterback.

“Danny has to learn that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor,” Brooks said. “He has to learn that it is better to throw the ball away in some of those situations.”

Brooks says Washington’s defense is similar to USC’s and will put heavy pressure on O’Neil.

“They are much alike, though the Huskies have better overall linebackers,” Brooks said. “They don’t have a Willie McGinest, but then nobody else does either. He is some football player.”

At the start of the season, Arizona State Coach Bruce Snyder was having problems at tailback, largely because of suspensions and inexperience.

When the season opened, he had Mario Bates, one of the finest in the Pac-10. But not for long. Bates was sidelined for the season because of a knee injury. Then last week, the Sun Devils lost backup George Montgomery to a knee injury in a 35-9 victory over Pacific.

Jerone Davison, the No. 3 man, took over and rushed for 136 yards in 22 carries. Although at 235 pounds he may be better suited for fullback, he figures to start against Oregon State Saturday night.

Washington State wanted to go 5-0 before meeting UCLA in the Cougars’ homecoming game.

“It was our plan,” Coach Mike Price said. “Now, it is up to us. Sometimes you reach your objective, then tend to back off. We won’t. The community is excited and we’re excited. People here aren’t laid back. They are very vocal.

“The next two games (the Cougars play USC at the Coliseum on Oct. 24) are our chance to move into the top ranks.”