For Once, They Aren’t Out of Their League

As the most notable victim of the Pacific 10 Conference’s burning and pillaging march to the sea, Alabama Coach Mike DuBose had a pretty good sense of perspective when he got back to Tuscaloosa.

“I said going out to the West Coast, we’d learn a lot more about ourselves, and we do know a lot about ourselves,” DuBose said. “We don’t necessarily like what we know, but we do know more about ourselves.”

So, too, do Pac-10 coaches after a sweep of six nonconference games in their opening week, seven if you add USC’s victory over Penn State in the Trojans’ opener Aug. 27.

But, lest anybody start hiring a public relations firm to figure out how many ways to say “The Pac is Back,” understand that this is a road already traveled. For all of the arrows the conference has had to duck over the past few seasons, the Pac-10 was 8-0 on Sept. 19, 1998.

The victims: Oklahoma (defeated by California), North Carolina (Stanford), Iowa (Arizona), Brigham Young (Washington), Houston (UCLA), Idaho (Washington State), San Jose State (Oregon) and North Texas (Arizona State).

Like last week’s conquests--Nevada (vs. Oregon), Utah (Arizona), Idaho (Washington), San Diego State (Arizona State) and Division I-AA Eastern Washington (Oregon State)--it wasn’t exactly Murderers’ Row.

And yes, there was Alabama, which learned after its loss to UCLA how fast the fall is from the top 10.

Competition notwithstanding, it was a week in the lab for Pac-10 coaches, who learned a few things, whether they like them or not.

At Arizona, Coach Dick Tomey learned linebacker Adrian Koch can play on an injured leg.

Koch, 26, is the Wildcats’ elder statesman. A senior, he came out of Camp Cochise with a torn ligament in his right knee, but with a sense of purpose. Pain? With one season left, you play with pain.

Before coming home to Tucson, Koch was a Marine and his hitch included time in Somalia. How are you going to be intimidated by anything Utah throws at you, how are you going to be slowed because an injury when you’ve spent part of your life hunkered down in a foxhole?

Koch returned a fumble 10 yards for a third-quarter touchdown and a 7-3 Arizona lead Saturday against Utah.

“My knee’s going to give me some pain,” Koch said. “I’ll just live with that.”

When you’ve faced gunfire, it takes more than a knee to slow you. It probably takes Ohio State, Arizona’s next opponent.

The Oregon Ducks, after beating Nevada with a defense that held an opponent to a 38-year-low 103 yards, travel to No. 5 Wisconsin, where Coach Barry Alvarez is dealing with the NCAA suspensions of 26 players for unauthorized discounts at an apparel store.

It’s up to Alvarez to designate which players miss which games, and he’s holding out until kickoff Saturday.

Oregon State struggled to defeat Division I-AA Eastern Washington, 21-19, and travels to New Mexico for a family reunion. New Mexico Coach Rocky Long was once the Beavers’ defensive coordinator and, many figured, a good choice to be Oregon State’s coach.

At Washington, Coach Rick Neuheisel watched video of the Huskies’ 44-20 thumping of Idaho somewhat quizzically. Why was everything so slow?

Fatigue, he figured.

No, it’s the new playing surface, called FieldTurf. Washington defensive tackle Larry Triplett told the Seattle Times: “I think it’s faster than grass but slower than [Astro]turf. . . . Things weren’t happening as quickly. [Idaho] ran a couple of traps, but it seemed like it took all day for the guy to get here.”

Memo to Triplett: There will be no time for dawdling Saturday, because Miami’s Najeh Davenport, a 245-pounder who ran a 4.39-second 40 in the spring, will get to the hole quicker than Idaho’s Willie Alderson did.

Stanford learned senior quarterback Randy Fasani is unflappable, even after waiting for coaches to discover him.

He set up four second-quarter scores and completed 13 of 21 passes for 220 yards in the first half at Washington State, then threw only four in the second half of a 24-10 conference win.

Ahead are San Jose State and memories of an embarrassing loss last season on the road to the Rose Bowl.

Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser learned how to lose. He never had as a starting quarterback at any level, and it’s something he’s going to have to get used to in playing for a team that has only three victories in its last 21 games.

And what of the locals?

UCLA Coach Bob Toledo learned there is an offensive line to escort DeShaun Foster through holes. The Bruins were given until 3 p.m. Monday to celebrate beating Alabama, and ahead is Fresno State, which has never beaten UCLA.

USC Coach Paul Hackett liked much of what he saw in the victory against Penn State, but didn’t particularly like quarterback Carson Palmer’s play with hands in his face. Opponents are going to pound at Palmer until he demonstrates he can handle pressure, and Colorado gets the next chance.

And what of history?

Two years ago, the 8-0 Pac-10 Saturday was followed only seven days later by these gems: Florida State 30, USC 10.

Nebraska 55, Washington 7.

At season’s end, the league was 1-4 in bowl games.

Celebrate last week’s success, but hold off on the party, OK? We’ve only just begun.