COLLEGE FOOTBALL ’93 : PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE PREVIEW : Penalties Against Huskies Give Title Hopes to Others

The rest of the Pacific 10 Conference couldn’t stop the Washington Huskies’ drive to the championship the last three years, but the Huskies won’t win a fourth consecutive title.

The penalties handed down by the conference last Sunday, taking Washington out of the title picture, have made the race a free-for-all.

After the Huskies were banned from the Rose Bowl, Coach Don James resigned in disgust and was replaced by a 25-year assistant, Jim Lambright.

So while Stanford, Arizona and USC find themselves battling for the favorite’s role, California, Oregon, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State suddenly have Rose Bowl aspirations.

It seems likely, though, that the Huskies will have something to say about the eventual winner.

Mike Price, Washington State Coach, had this observation: “Ordinarily, under these circumstances, you could look for the Huskies to be down at the start. But not this time. When he made his remarks last spring, Bill Walsh made sure the Huskies had all the incentive they could possibly need.”

Walsh accused Washington of running a dirty program, then recanted and apologized. But the Huskies and Stanford still will square off Sept. 4, the first week of the season.

Two other teams with renewed title hopes, UCLA and California, meet at the Rose Bowl to open the season. Except for Washington State, which visits Rose Bowl winner Michigan, and USC, which opens against North Carolina on Sunday, other Pac-10 teams start with relatively easy opponents.

A look at the Pac-10, except for USC and UCLA with last year’s overall and conference records:

ARIZONA WILDCATS

Last season: 6-5-1, 4-3-1

The Wildcats are still upset about their late-season stumble, when, after winning five in a row, including victories over Stanford and Washington, they lost their last three.

The rock-solid defense, second-best in the country last year--one good enough to hold Miami to a net two yards rushing--was mainly composed of underclassmen. The line is anchored by just about everyone’s preseason All-American, senior nose tackle Rob Waldrop. Defense is not the problem.

But an offense that failed to reach double figures in three games may be. Coach Dick Tomey, rumored to be on his way out after the Wildcats lost to Washington State and were tied by Oregon State early, is revamping his passing game. He will go with a drop-back passer for the first time in years. Dan White, a transfer from Penn State, is the new quarterback.

The Wildcats, third in rushing in the conference, have last season’s three top runners, Ontiwaun Carter, who gained 739 yards, Billy Johnson (524) and Chuck Levy (421).

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS

Last season: 6-5, 4-4

That the Sun Devils survived last season is noteworthy in itself. The preseason problems with the law for several players gave new Coach Bruce Snyder unexpected headaches. The former California coach called it his toughest ordeal. The 7-6 upset of archrival Arizona climaxed a surprising season.

Snyder went into last season not knowing who his quarterback would be. That is no longer a problem. Grady Benton emerged as the most efficient passer in the Pac-10, completing 66.2%, an NCAA freshman record, as he passed for 1,707 yards and eight touchdowns. All that after having missed training camp and the opener because of an injury.

“Grady never had a chance to learn our system, but he had a remarkable season,” Snyder said. “He’s a tough competitor. He took every snap in spring practice and now he knows our offense. He has the confidence.”

If running back Mario Bates stays uninjured, the Sun Devils, despite the loss of five starters, figure to be strong. Bates, in the first three games last season, rushed for 441 yards and scored four touchdowns. Then, he underwent knee surgery.

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS

Last season: 4-7, 2-6

The Bears, in their first season under Keith Gilbertson, a former Washington assistant, were a major disappointment. After the 10-2 record in 1992, the Bears, despite the departure of Snyder, were expecting another big year. But they beat only Oregon State and UCLA in the conference and finished with three consecutive defeats.

“We are looking to make amends,” Gilbertson said. “To begin with, we have to do a better job of holding onto the football. We were minus-12 in turnovers.”

The Bears’ lost top runner Russell White and their best receiver, All-American Sean Dawkins, but their replacements, running back Lindsay Chapman and wide receiver Mike Caldwell, have experience and ability.

If the Bears can get past UCLA in the opener, they should have smooth sailing into October.

OREGON DUCKS

Last season: 6-6, 4-4

Rich Brooks, who begins his 17th season and surpasses the revered --in Eugene, at least--Len Casanova for longevity, brought his team back after the Ducks had lost the last six games in 1991 and the first two last season.

The Ducks won six of their last 10 games, among them convincing decisions over Washington State and California.

Headed by nose tackle Romeo Bandison, the Ducks figure to have another solid defense. Bandison, a soccer player from the Netherlands, has developed into All-American material in the U.S.

The offense will again depend largely on quarterback Danny O’Neill, a junior. The Newport Beach native was named the team’s most valuable player and for the second consecutive season passed for more than 2,000 yards.

OREGON STATE BEAVERS

Last season: 1-9-1, 0-7-1

This is the one team that doesn’t figure to content for the championship, but Coach Jerry Pettibone, in his third season with the Beavers, has 18 starters back from the team that shocked Arizona early last season in a 14-14 tie.

The Beavers, who will settle for a couple of upsets, led the Pac-10 in rushing with 223 yards a game. Last year’s quarterback, Mark Olford, has been moved to wide receiver. Junior Ian Shields moves in as the No. 1 passer.

STANFORD CARDINAL

Last season: 10-3-1, 6-2

The Cardinal climaxed a successful welcome-back season for Walsh by tying Washington for the conference championship and soundly whipping Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl.

Although Walsh lost 11 starters, including his fine running back and receiver, Glyn Milburn, he recruited a group of freshmen ranked among the top five in the country. He still has his quarterback, Steve Stenstrom, who passed for almost 2,400 yards.

Walsh, however, must rebuild a defense that lost two outstanding defensive backs, John Lynch and Darien Gordon.

WASHINGTON HUSKIES

Last season: 9-3, 6-2

The loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl was merely the beginning of the Huskies’ problems. They might have the best team in the conference, but it will be interesting to see how they respond to Lambright.

The Huskies, who play Ohio State the week after their opener with Stanford, have 15 starters back, eight of them on offense. But they lost both quarterbacks, Billy Joe Hobert even before last season was over, then Mark Brunell to graduation. The loss of leading receiver Joe Kralik, running back Beno Bryant and middle guard D’Marco Farr, as part of the penalties, is also a blow.

The Huskies figure that either Damon Huard or Eric Bjornson will be adequate at quarterback and with explosive tailback Napoleon Kaufman keeping defenses alert, the offense will do the job.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

Last season: 9-3, 5-3

Nobody can lose a quarterback like Drew Bledsoe and not feel it. But Price is changing the offense behind his new quarterback, Mike Pattinson. Bledsoe passed for 2,770 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.

“I think we’ll be improved overall on defense,” Price said. “We are in a league where defenses excel and I feel we fit right in.