PACIFIC 10 FOOTBALL / DAN HAFNER : Arizona Has a Formidable Test Before Next Week’s Showdown

Arizona, winner of its first six games for the first time, continues the drive toward its first appearance in the Rose Bowl game.

The unbeaten Wildcats are 3-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, the only team not to have lost, yet some don’t consider them the favorites. Surging UCLA, after its impressive victory over Washington, is 3-1 and considered by some to be the front-runner.

Before the showdown against UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 30, Arizona still has to face another hot team--Washington State at Tucson on Saturday.

After taking a 34-3 trouncing at USC on Sept. 25, the Cougars were pretty much given up for dead. But even the loss of quarterback Mike Pattinson for the season has not kept the Cougars from fighting back into contention.

When Pattinson broke his collarbone in the first quarter of last Saturday’s 34-7 victory over California, untried 6-foot-5 sophomore Shawn Deeds stepped right in and the Cougars scored their third consecutive victory.

Don’t look for running backs to sparkle at Tucson, where the conference’s two best running defenses will meet. The Wildcats have yielded 60.3 yards on the ground, the Cougars 61.4.

“It doesn’t figure, but who knows, it might wind up 50-49,” Washington State Coach Mike Price said with a laugh.

Deeds, who came in cold and completed 13 of 25 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown in the rout of Cal, knows what to expect from the Wildcats.

“They have so much faith in their front four (that) they don’t do much blitzing,” he said. “But with me starting for the first time, they’ll probably throw the whole school at me to see how I stand the pressure. It’s exciting.

“We have to run the ball so we can pass. Coach Price assured me all the pressure is not on me.”

Price praised the way Deeds stepped in but said the overall attitude of the Cougars accounted for what happened.

“Cal was faced with a similar situation (injury to quarterback Dave Barr in a loss to Washington),” he said. “Our loss brought us together and we went out and played our best. I think Barr’s misfortune hit the Bears hard.

“It helps when you rely so much on your defense as we do. You know you can stop the other team. That makes it a lot easier to bring in an untried quarterback.”

The Wildcats found Stanford’s young team all they could handle, falling behind, 17-0, before rallying for a 27-24 victory on Steve McLaughlin’s 27-yard field goal as time ran out.

Coach Dick Tomey said: “When we fell behind, 17-0, I told them it was no disgrace to fall behind, but the way they were reacting to it was. We were getting frustrated, doing dumb things and trying to make it all up at once. We finally settled down.

“Stanford played a very good game. Bill Walsh has a fine team and it keeps getting better. But we don’t expect to give up a 91-yard touchdown pass, nor do we expect to fumble on our own 14.

“Nobody said it would be easy. We play a tough one every week, and this is no exception. The Cougars are a solid team. I was impressed with the way Deeds came in and played.”

The Cougars caught the Wildcats early last season in Tucson and won on Aaron Price’s third field goal with 31 seconds left, 23-20.

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The NCAA Rules Committee added a 15-yard demonstration penalty to the unsportsmanlike conduct rule, and it caused considerable consternation the opening week of the season. The rule cost Cal a touchdown, but not the game, against UCLA and brought forth a suggestion from Coach John Robinson of USC that the penalty be cut to five yards.

According to Verle Sorgen, conference supervisor of football officials, since the wild first week, everything has subsided.

“Even though we sent out 24-minute videos to coaches and our officiating crews showing what were fouls, what weren’t and what were gray areas, there were problems,” Sorgen said.

“The players didn’t seem to understand, and there were a couple of calls that may have been a bit tight. Now, teammates put a stop to the individual demonstrations and it has settled down.

“The best way for Robinson to get the penalty lowered would be for him to go to the Football Coaches Assn. rules committee. I assure you, they are listened to.”

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It has been a tough season for Stanford, which is using 16 or more freshmen in most games. The Cardinal is 0-3 in the conference and 2-4 overall.

But, as Stanford prepares to play host to disappointing Arizona State, which has an identical record, Coach Bill Walsh said he sensed his team was coming together.

“The intensity has been there all along,” Walsh said. “The mistakes have just killed us. Last week we gained 350 yards against the best defense in the nation and self-destructed with seven turnovers.

“We are getting better, though, and will continue to do so. The freshmen have played a lot and will play even more the rest of the way.”

Pac-10 Notes

Once again the Pac-10, by a wide margin, has the most alumni playing in the NFL. There are 208 players from the conference to 178 from the Southeastern Conference, next best. . . . Oregon quarterback Danny O’Neil, No. 5 in the nation in total offense with an average of 305 yards per game, will try to help the Ducks end their six-game losing streak against Washington at Seattle on Saturday. It will be Coach Rich Brooks’ 125th Pac-10 game at Oregon.

O’Neil and Stanford’s Steve Stenstrom are on a passing pace to break John Elway’s 1982 conference record of 3,242 yards. Stenstrom has 1,876 yards and O’Neil 1,873 in six games, with five to play. Stenstrom’s favorite target, Justin Armour, who has 42 catches, six for touchdowns, will sit out this week because of an injury. . . . Flanker Brian Manning, who scored on a 91-yard pass play from Stenstrom against Arizona, is a freshman.

Rose Bowl Race

PACIFIC 10

Team Conf. Overall W L T W L T Arizona 3 0 0 6 0 0 USC 3 1 0 4 3 0 Washington St. 3 1 0 5 2 0 UCLA 2 1 0 4 2 0 Washington* 2 1 0 4 2 0 California 2 2 0 5 2 0 Oregon 1 2 0 4 2 0 Oregon State 1 3 0 3 4 0 Arizona State 0 3 0 2 4 0 Stanford 0 3 0 2 4 0

*--Ineligible for Rose Bowl

Saturday’s Games USC at Notre Dame UCLA at Oregon State Washington State at Arizona Arizona State at Stanford Oregon at Washington

BIG TEN

Team Conf. Overall W L T W L T Ohio State 3 0 0 6 0 0 Wisconsin 3 0 0 6 0 0 Indiana 2 1 0 5 1 0 Penn State 2 1 0 5 1 0 Michigan 2 1 0 4 2 0 Illinois 2 1 0 2 4 0 Minnesota 2 2 0 3 4 0 Michigan State 1 1 0 3 2 0 Northwestern 0 3 0 2 4 0 Purdue 0 3 0 1 5 0 Iowa 0 4 0 2 4 0

Saturday’s Games Illinois at Michigan Iowa at Michigan State Wisconsin at Minnesota Indiana at Northwestern Ohio State at Purdue