This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
BIG GAME OF THE WEEK
So when is The Big Game not The Big Game?
When No. 18 USC is playing No. 4 Oregon.
The 8-2 Trojans will visit Autzen Stadium on Saturday hoping to become the first team since No. 1 LSU in the season-opener to beat the 9-1 Ducks, who ravaged previously unbeaten Stanford on the road last weekend. (The Cardinal play rival Cal in the annual "Big Game" on Saturday.) And though the Trojans have been rolling pretty good, winning five of their last six games and averaging nearly 40 points in that span, they're 15 1/2-point underdogs.
Still, Oregon's Chip Kelly says the Trojans are better than they were when his Ducks beat them 53-32 on the road last season, en route to the Bowl Championship Series title game.
After all, quarterback Matt Barkley is playing at "another level," Kelly said, and receiver Marquis Lee has expanded the Trojans' offensive arsenal. The defense is better, too, Kelly said, ranking second in the league (ominously, perhaps) behind Stanford, which allowed the Ducks 232 yards last weekend.
While everybody marvels at the lightning-fast Oregon offense, USC's Lane Kiffin said the Ducks comprise the best defense his team will have faced, too. Kiffin is especially impressed because of how much the Ducks ask that defense to do.
"Whether their offense is doing well or not, they're doing it fast," Kiffin said, meaning the defense is always back out on the field "within a minute or two."
The Ducks have won 19 straight league games, and 21 in a row at home. A victory will ensure they will represent the North Division in the inaugural league championship game on Dec. 2.
SWITCH IN SEATTLE?
The Washington Huskies are waiting to see whether freshman quarterback Nick Montana - yep, (begin itals)that(end itals) Montana - will make his first start at Oregon State on Saturday.
Regular starter Keith Price suffered another knee injury in a loss at USC last weekend, and coach Steve Sarkisian said that while tests showed no "structural damage," he's not sure whether the swelling will subside enough for Price to play.
Montana, of course, is the son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.
He's a redshirt freshman who lost the battle for the starting job to Price during spring drills. He has played in spots this season, completing 13 of 20 passes for 147 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
MAKING GOOD
Cal's Isi Sofele is probably the Utah player having the most success elsewhere in the Pac-12 this season.
The junior running back became the Golden Bears' ninth 1,000-yard rusher in the last 10 seasons last weekend, when he piled up 190 yards in a win over Oregon State. A Cottonwood High product, Sofele has 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns, and ranks fourth in the league in rushing.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I'm just tired of being in this situation time and time again. It's been like this for the past three or four years, and it's getting old."
Arizona State's Gerell Robinson, after the Sun Devils lost for the third time in four games.
FRESH FACES
Quarterback Connor Halliday of Washington State made a huge impression by throwing for 494 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Arizona State last weekend, in the first game of his career.
But he's not the only freshman who has turned heads in the Pac-12 this season:
DeAnthony Thomas, Oregon - If there's anybody faster than LaMichael James, it's Thomas, the running back has blazed through defenses in every aspect of the game - rushing, receiving, returning - to rank fifth in the league with 149.7 all-purpose yards per game.
Marqise Lee, USC - The receiver would be a star if not for teammate Robert Woods, his former high school teammate as well. Still, Lee has caught 52 passes for 732 yards and eight touchdowns, and scorched Washington with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week.
Sean Mannion, Oregon State - It took a minute for him to seize the quarterback job, but Mannion has shown flashes, leading the Beavers to their only two wins and ranking behind only Stanford's Andrew Luck, Arizona's Nick Foles and ASU's Brock Osweiler in most statistical passing categories.
Ty Montgomery, Stanford - The receiver has caught only a few passes, but has blossomed into one of the best kick returners in the league. Montgomery ranks third with a 25.9 return average, and took one back 96 yards for a touchdown against Washington State last month.
Dion Bailey, USC - The outside linebacker ranks among the league's top tacklers by averaging 7.7 per game despite missing a game with a concussion, and has contributed with some big plays, too, including two interceptions and fumble recovery in a victory over Cal.
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