Pac-10 recap: Huskies fall on questionable call

With two seconds left, Washington quarterback Jake Locker tumbled into the end zone against BYU for an apparent tying and overtime-forcing touchdown, sending the Husky Stadium of 64,611 into a deafening roar with his determined 3-yard run.

Without thinking, Locker leaped to his feet, flipped the ball over his back and started celebrating with teammates. Without warning, an unimaginable flag was thrown, changing everything.

On a Saturday in which points were produced in free-wheeling bunches for Pac-10 football teams – California and Oregon each rolled up 66 – Locker’s Huskies were denied an all important one largely because a point spelled out in the rulebook had to be made. The sophomore quarterback incredibly was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and as a result Washington was forced to attempt a 35-yard extra-point kick, had it blocked and was left with a bitter 28-27 defeat.

The controversial officiating call not only will be debated for years to come in Seattle, it puts added strain on Huskies coach Ty Willingham, now 0-2 in his fourth season in charge in which the mandate is abundantly clear: Start winning or move on. It won’t get any easier next weekend with Washington hosting Oklahoma.

Momentarily, Locker’s touchdown had given Willingham a reprieve, if not positioned the Huskies for a notable breakthrough, against a ranked team with the nation’s longest winning streak (12 and counting). It was all for naught as BYU’s Jan Jorgensen swatted down Ryan Perkins’ conversion attempt, bringing a cascades of boos echoing through the once euphoric stadium

“I wasn’t trying to show anybody up,” said Locker, who rushed for two scores and passed for another. “That’s not what I’m about. I have too much respect for the guys that we played. I was just excited. I like to play the game with emotion, and it got the best of me.”

Pac-10 officiating crews have had their well-publicized problems before, drawing punishment in recent seasons by the league office for game-altering calls that were flat out wrong, specifically one costing Oklahoma a game at Oregon. This time, Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano reportedly screamed his displeasure at the officials while following through out the stadium tunnel that exits the playing field.
 
Asked for a post-game explanation on this crucial decision, officiating crew chief Larry Farina offered the following: “After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air and we are required by rule to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty. It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call.”

That was of no help to the embattled Willingham, who said, “It should really be a no-call.”

While the Huskies fell one point short and league teams elsewhere couldn’t stop scoring, USC and UCLA took the week off. The Trojans should be well rested as they prepare for Saturday’s much-anticipated showdown in Los Angeles with Ohio State, two BCS teams capable of meeting again with everything on the line in January.

Scoreboard:

BYU 28, Washington 27
California 66, Washington State 3
Oregon 66, Utah State 24
Penn State 45, Oregon State 14
Arizona State 41, Stanford 17
Arizona 41, Toledo 16

Team of the Week: Arizona State

Trailing early against a much-improved Stanford team, the pass-minded Sun Devils quickly turned this one into a rout, relying on the potent right arm and pocket resiliency of senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter. The Cardinal repeatedly hit this guy with a fierce rush, but couldn’t stop him with its veteran secondary. Carpenter completed 27 of 36 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the wealth to nine different receivers. The quarterback set a school record with 733 yards passing in consecutive games. He also moved into ninth place in Pac-10 history with 69 career TD passes
   
“Rudy was very impressive,” Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I gained a lot more respect for him.”

Disappointment of the Week: Washington State

The totally inept Cougars coughed up an 80-yard touchdown run to California on the first play from scrimmage and the game went downhill from there, leading to their worst loss in school history. The Golden Bears had a 14-0 lead just two minutes and 31 seconds into the game. They led 42-3 at halftime.

Washington State, drubbed 39-13 by Oklahoma State the weekend before in new coach Paul Wulff’s debut, yanked fifth-year senior quarterback Gary Rogers at halftime, later citing “his carelessness with the football” for the change.

“I don’t think I’ve ever got my butt kicked this bad.” Wulff allowed.

Player of the Week: Jahvid Best, California

The electric sophomore speedster snapped off scoring runs of 80 and 86 yards against overly generous Washington State, finishing with a career-best 200 yards rushing on 14 carries while drawing his first starting assignment. Cal hadn’t had a running back come up with two 80-plus runs in a season before, let alone one game.

Freshman of the Week: Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State

On an otherwise miserable day at Penn State, this true freshman made his first collegiate start for the Beavers at Beaver Stadium and led his team with 99 yards rushing and two scores on 22 carries. Rodgers scored on runs of 12 and 4.

Ducks QBs all in a row

Oregon continues to demonstrate unmatched offensive firepower with its intricate spread offense, putting 66 points on Utah State a week after scoring 44 against Washington, all while tapping unlimited personnel at quarterback. For the second consecutive week, the Ducks used three of them, with sophomore starter Justin Roper healthy again after a first-week concussion. Roper completed 13 of 18 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown and ran for another.

Roper’s replacements, sophomore junior-college transfer Jeremiah Masoli and true freshman Chris Harper, were equally effective. Masoli was good on 7 of 11 passes for 67 yards. Harper hit on 4 of 6 attempts for 40 yards and a TD. Everyone walked away feeling giddy after contributing to a school-record 688 yards of total offense.

“It felt like high school all over again,” said Harper, who comes to the Ducks from Northwest High in Wichita, Kan. “That’s not downgrading Utah State, but we were pushing the gas.”

Cardinal snap count

Stanford remains highly unsettled at quarterback, even after junior Tavita Pritchard emerged from training camp as the No. 1 guy and led his team to a season-opening victory over Oregon State. The Cardinal came into the Arizona State game planning to use three different guys behind center, and did. Pritchard was replaced first by one-time Michigan transfer Jason Forcier and then sophomore Alex Loukas.
   
Forcier, who started six games for his Big Ten team, made his first Stanford appearance and the junior completed 2 of 6 passes for 18 yards against a Sun Devils team that could have been a landing place for him. Forcier originally gave an oral recruiting commitment to Arizona State before changing his mind and deciding on Michigan. Don’t be surprised if he’s pulling Stanford starting duty behind center next weekend on the road against TCU.

Wildcats gone wild

Keeping its stat-keepers extremely busy for a second consecutive game, Arizona rang up 41 points on Toledo after posting 70 against Idaho, totaling 100 or more in back to back games for the first time in 54 years. Senior quarterback Willie Tuitama completed 25 of 33 passes for 292 yards and two scores. In just a half, sophomore tailback Nic Grigsby generated 135 yards and three touchdowns. Grigsby now has 304 yards rushing while basically playing just two halves.

“He has got that Reggie Bush in him,” Wildcats coach Mike Stoops said, comparing Grigsby to the former USC tailback. “He’s got that instinct to cut back and make people miss.

Cash and no carry

Oregon State, with eight new defensive starters this season, couldn’t stop Penn State, serving up 454 yards of total offense. All those young, new players wilted in the face of an enthusiastic crowd of 108,159 in State College. At least the Beavers were paid handsomely for the extensive punishment, pocketing $1.1 million for making the trip back East. The OSU athletic department received $800,000 in gate receipts and the rest for appearing on an ABC-TV national broadcast.

Human resources dept.

Washington safety Darrin Harris landed awkwardly on his head on a pass play against BYU, didn’t get up and had to be taken from the field to a hospital by an ambulance, quieting Husky Stadium. He later was diagnosed with a concussion and nothing worse. … Wide receiver Richard Sherman, Stanford’s top deep threat, was helped from the field in the fourth quarter at Arizona State after reaggravating a knee injury. … Huskies starting tailback Chris Polk had to leave the BYU game with a shoulder injury and is questionable for the next outing against Oklahoma. … Oregon starting tailback Jeremiah Johnson dislocated his shoulder on the first series against Utah State and didn’t play again, though he was willing after trainers popped it back into the joint. He watched his replacement, junior-college transfer LeGarrette Blount, rush for 132 yards and two scores. … Arizona State tailback Keegan Herring, after sitting out the opener against Northern Arizona, rushed for 59 yards on 12 carries against Stanford, but re-aggravated a hamstring injury. …Arizona starting wideout Terrell Reese already was suspended from the Toledo game for missing classes, but a driving while under the influence arrest has him out indefinitely. … Wildcats tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was listed as a possible participant, missed his second game with strep throat and possible mononucleosis.

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