Pacific-10 football teams fail extension course
PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE NOTES
Mistake proves costly to Oregon State when Darrell Catchings loses the ball.
Two players who extended the football toward the goal line. Two players who got it slapped away for a fumble.
In last weekend's opening games, two Pacific 10 Conference teams were reminded of the thin line between aggressive and reckless.
Oregon State's last-second comeback against Stanford fell short when Darrell Catchings fumbled through the end zone for a touchback. Coach Mike Riley called it "a very hard lesson to learn."
A similar mistake by Arizona State's Michael Jones proved less costly in a 30-13 victory over Northern Arizona.
"You don't want to stop them from competing," Arizona State Coach Dennis Erickson said. "But then again, you've got to be smart with the football."
Poker face
In addition to the last-second fumble, Stanford's victory featured two qualities Cardinal Coach Jim Harbaugh wants to see more of: toughness and passion.
Harbaugh referred to the university's elite academic status but vowed the Cardinal wants to be a "blue-collar" team. As for emotion, he said: "I don't think any of our players or coaches would have a real good chance on the World Poker Tour . . . they're about as transparent as a baggie."
When in doubt . . .
Special teams are anything but at Washington State, where punter Reid Forrest stepped in a hole and broke his ankle this summer.
The Cougars turned to fourth-string quarterback Dan Wagner, who averaged 23.5 net yards in a 39-13 loss to Oklahoma State.
The Cougars also missed an extra-point attempt. Coach Paul Wulff vowed to stick with kicker Wade Penner. Sort of.
"Hey," he said, "it could change in the middle of the game."
Déjà vu
Oregon found itself in familiar territory when quarterback Justin Roper suffered a first-half concussion against Washington. The Ducks lost star Dennis Dixon late last season and replacement Nate Costa in training camp.
Apparently practice makes perfect because reserve Jeremiah Masoli secured a 44-10 victory. Roper is expected to return against Utah State on Saturday.
Tough road
On the flip side of that game, Washington's loss could signal the start of a rocky season for a team whose schedule is loaded with ranked opponents.
No avoiding the Pac-10 matchups -- Oregon, USC, Arizona State and UCLA. But Washington also faces 15th-ranked Brigham Young and fourth-ranked Oklahoma.
Coach Tyrone Willingham, on the hot seat in Seattle, said he welcomes tough opponents -- to a point.
"What you always say as a coach, you don't want to have them all in the same year," Willingham said. "You kind of want to space them out a little bit."
david.wharton@latimes.com
