Remember what it was like to jump from algebra to calculus in
high school? For me, it felt like finding out Santa Claus, the
Easter Bunny and Britney Spears all weren’t real.
Things had been so much easier before reality, derivatives and
integrals hit the fan, and now, all of a sudden, we weren’t
the “ish,” as the kids are saying these days. Facing an
entirely new paradigm, we were forced to take our games to another
level.
So goes the predicament for 3-1 Cal, which hasn’t had a
winning season since 1993. Having already tripled its win total
from a year ago with a favorable nonconference schedule, the Bears
host Washington State Saturday in what could be the first in a long
and arduous line of wake-up calls, Pac-10-style.
After playing the conference favorite Cougars, Cal must go to
Washington and USC and then come home to take on UCLA. That pretty
little 3-1 mark could very well be 3-5 in the matter of four weeks,
and Cal might be feeling like a newlywed who gets dumped a week
after the honeymoon.
Thus far, though, the Bears have made their livings off of
thievery, averaging three and a half takeaways per game while
giving up the ball only three times. Compare that to the minus-17
snow job they put up during last year’s abysmal 1-10
performance, and it’s no surprise that even sober faces are
smiling over Memorial Stadium.
We’ll be sure to let you know what those expressions look
like in late October.
To Live and Die in Corvallis
Thought you were rid of Dennis Erickson and his chest-thumping,
opponent-taunting, penalty-happy Oregon State Beavers? Don’t
jubilate just yet, folks.
Fresh off a disappointing 2001 campaign, the dam edifiers are,
at 4-0, one of only two undefeated teams in the conference.
Erickson’s bunch drew national head shakes when it
paradoxically managed to rack up both 41 points and an astonishing
18 penalties for 174 yards in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, but the Beavers
fell off the map last season when they struggled to 5-6.
“It hurt because we lost six games; if I had to count from
every one of those games, that’s all I’d do ““ be
counting,” Erickson said to the media this week.
If Erickson is leaving the counting to everyone else, he better
offer free abacuses to the first 10,000. Once again, his team is
back to its thugtastic ways, ruling the Pac-10 Sin Bin with 10.75
penalties and 119.5 penalty yards per game.
But just like Erickson’s Miami teams of old, the Beavers
counter their penalty losses with the best scoring offense and
scoring defense in the conference.
They’ve done it mostly by beating up on the likes of
Eastern Kentucky (49-10) and Temple (35-3), but last week’s
59-19 win over legitimate foe Fresno State was especially important
in erasing the memory of 2001, when they lost to the Bulldogs
44-24.
Speaking of Teams People Don’t Like”¦
Our game of the week: No. 23 Oregon State (4-0) at No. 18 USC
(2-1), 3:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net (national). The first day of
calculus for two teams with legitimate shots at the Rose Bowl.
Elsewhere in the Pac-10
No. 16 Washington State (3-1) at Cal (3-1), 2:00 p.m.
Stanford (1-1) at Arizona State (3-1), 11:30 p.m., ABC
(regional)
UCLA (2-1) at San Diego State (0-4), 11:00 p.m., ESPN2
(national)
North Texas (1-3) at Arizona (2-1), 5:00 p.m.
Idaho (1-3) at No. 13 Washington (2-1), 12:30 p.m.
Idle: No. 9 Oregon
Wait, One Last Thing
Wazzu tight end Mark Ahlberg’s name is so eerily close to
that of ““ well, you can figure it out ““ that my buddy
Mike and I took turns filling in the rest of the hypothetical
All-One-Letter-Missing-From-Actors
You’ve-Made-Fun-Of-Team.
Top billing went to “Quarterback Scott Aio,” while
“Strong Safety Corey Eldman,” “Linebacker Patrick
Uffy,” and “Punter Dustin Iamond” all received
honorable mention.
This actually made us laugh. I know, it’s hard to
believe.
But I also know you’ve got an even better one. Until next
week, send in what you’ve got to jagase@media.ucla.edu and
I’ll print the best on Wednesday.