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Pac-10

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005

MATT HAYES' TAKES

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I can't wait to see Cal QB Joseph Ayoob run Jeff Tedford's offense. Anyone called the White Michael Vick has to be one heck of a player.... There's no better blitzing linebacker than Washington State's Will Derting. He's fast, athletic and one bad dude. And, by the way, he played half of last season with a broken wrist--an injury a trainer once told me was the most painful to play with.... Let's hope UCLA gets its quarterback situation straightened out, if for no other reason than to get TE Marcedes Lewis more involved in the offense. Nothing quite like a tight end with speed who can stretch the field.... New offensive coordinator Gary Crowton has completely changed the Oregen scheme. The Ducks will be primarily a one-back, three-wide offense. And if that one back is talented freshman Jonathan Stewart (see: Peterson, Adrian), USC is going to have problems in the Autzen Zoo on September 24.... Check out Arizona State TE Zach Miller: fearless, fantastic hands and a solid blocker-the best tight end in the Pac-10. And that's saying plenty, considering Lewis and USC's Dominique Byrd will be first-round picks in the next NFL draft.... Someone please tell me how star freshman WR Patrick Turner is going to play ahead of WRs Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett at USC--and potential stud Whitney Lewis, if he's academically eligible. Yet, coach Pete Carroll has been raving about Turner. This embarrassment of riches is really sick.... Oregon State WR Mike Hass isn't a burner, but he gets open and catches the ball--a simple yet vastly overlooked combination.... This isn't the year Arizona makes a move under coach Mike Stoops--not with road games against Utah, USC, Cal and Arizona State. But Stoops already has proved he can bring blue-chip recruits to Tucson (QB Willie Tuitama), which is the start of the turnaround.... Washington will be among the top half of Pac-10 defenses (DT Manase Hopoi is a beast), which will lead to the Huskies' winning games the way new coach Ty Willingham did in his first season at Notre Dame: by playing physically on defense, protecting the ball on offense and getting a few breaks. The Huskies led the nation with 42 giveaways last year; they'll be under 20 this season.

SCOUTS VIEWS

Observations from Pac-10 coaches

Arizona is heading in the right direction. They have a pretty decent base of players, and they keep adding pieces.... Arizona State QB Sam Keller is not Andrew Walter yet, but he's a good quarterback. He's young, but give him time and he'll do well.... Cal's defense is not very aggressive, but it is fundamentally sound. They zone blitz when they have to. If you have to fade back and use five- and seven-step drops, they'll kill you.... Oregon has always been one of the most talented teams in the league. Why they never perform the way they should is left up to speculation.... For some reason, Oregon State can always rise up and play solid. You can never discount them. They do a good job recruiting junior college players, and once the season starts, they come together.... UCLA has a wealth of talent, but they have to get it done. TE Marcedes Lewis is hard to deal with because he's a big target who can work inside or outside.... I don't think losing Norm Chow is going to hurt USC much. He's a great coach, but the guys underneath him are good coaches, too. Lane Kiffin, their new guy, has grown up a lot.... Stanford has a lot of young talent, at least offensively. I thought they would be better than they were last year. I think Trent Edwards has a chance to be a really good quarterback. He has all the tools.... Washington has a poor level of talent. They're a long way from being competitive. It's going to take a lot of time to turn it around there.... Washington State will be pretty solid across the front seven after being so young last year, but it will be thin in the defensive backfield. Josh Swogger got some experience last year at quarterback, but they have some other people to push him now. They'll surprise some people if they stay healthy.

MATCH GAME

By Michael Bradley

1. Welcomes back eight offensive starters from a team that averaged 14.0 points per game in 2004.

2. Four of its conference wins in 2004 came by eight or fewer points.

3. Only one Pac-10 program has a better overall record than this one during the past four seasons.

4. Will play only two games in September, followed by nine straight weeks of action.

5. Led the league in fumbles recovered, fewest sacks allowed and fewest penalties in 2004.

6. Has had three straight winning seasons for the first time since a six-season run from 1947-52.

7. Hasn't had an All-Pac-10 defensive lineman since 1991.

8. Will start a new quarterback but has its top six receivers from 2004 back.

9. Five of its first seven opponents played in bowl games last season.

10. Will try to regain its 2003 form, when it was second in the league in defense, after finishing 10th last year.

A. Arizona

B. Arizona State

C. California

Pac-10

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005

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