By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Boller coming into own at Cal
USC
Just when things couldn't look any worse for the Trojans, Southern California managed to fall to 0-4 last week with a last-second loss to Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.
Cardinal quarterback Chris Lewis connected with wide receiver Jamien McCullum on a last-second post-corner route to defeat the Trojans, 32-30.
However, beleaguered USC coach Paul Hackett is optimistic that sophomore quarterback Carson Palmer can become more accurate at throwing deep passes to his favorite target, wide receiver Kareem Kelly.
"I think our inability to practice and prepare for (long ball) has hurt us," Hackett said. "We struggled when we lost Kareem Kelly after the Oregon State game.
Both Kelly - who runs track in the spring - and Palmer, who was sidelined with a collarbone injury last year, seem to finally be connecting despite the team's 0-4 conference record.
"Now Kareem is healthy, Carson is healthy, and we're going to use it to elevate our game."
The Trojans will play host to California Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
California
Remember Kyle Boller's name.
A week after nearly upsetting Washington in Seattle, California's sophomore quarterback was lauded by head coach Tom Holmoe for his maturation so far this season.
"It all starts with Kyle," Holmoe said. "He took a lot of heat early on, but he's starting to get the praise now that things are looking better."
After starting slowly with losses to Fresno State and Washington State, the Golden Bears (2-5 overall, 1-3 Pacific 10 Conference) - and Boller - seem to be playing with more poise.
"As Kyle has gotten better, the people around him have gotten better," Holmoe said. "In the locker room after (Saturday's 36-24 loss to UW), there was not disappointment, sadness or despair. They were mad because they outplayed that team. That's a good thing."
This weekend, the Golden Bears will travel to the Los Angeles to take on USC, who is 0-4 in Pac-10 play for the first time in school history.
"The team's more secure in what they can do in this conference," Holmoe said.
Oregon
Of the country's top-10 teams, one name seems to stick out: Oregon. The No. 7 Ducks have emerged as one of the country's top teams after victories against USC, UCLA and Arizona.
UO head coach Mike Bellotti is quick to downplay the importance of the polls at this point in the 2000 season.
"It's gratifying for our players and our program to get exposure and acknowledgment," Bellotti said. "But the polls are more of a midterm grade report. Every game now becomes more important."
The Ducks (6-1, 4-0) will travel to Tempe this weekend to face Arizona State, a team that has mustered a 5-2 overall record despite losing its starting quarterback (Ryan Kealy) and tailback (Delvon Flowers) indefinitely at the beginning of the season.
"They've changed what they're doing offensively," Bellotti said. "I see them getting better every week, and I'm very impressed."
Conceivably, a Nov. 18 game between Oregon and Oregon State could have Rose Bowl implications if both teams win their remaining games.
This rivalry game, called the "Civil War," will be held in Corvallis, Ore., this season.
"Hopefully, we can both keep taking care of business so the 'Civil War' has more value," Bellotti said.
UCLA
A week after a loss to Oregon State, 44-38, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., which rendered the Bruins to seventh place in the conference, the Bruins will try to climb back into the Pac-10 race with a win against Arizona in Tucson.
The last time the two teams met in Tucson, UCLA rattled off 23 points in the fourth quarter alone to defeat UA, 52-28.
The Bruins eventually went to the Rose Bowl, while the Wildcats settled for the 1998 Holiday Bowl as the second-place Pac-10 team. The loss to UCLA was the only blemish on Arizona's near-perfect record.
"We went in at halftime and it was a heck of a football game," Toledo said. "We had a long pass to (former Bruins wide receiver Danny) Farmer that beat (ex-UA cornerback Chris) McAlister. We made some big plays, that kind of blew that game open. We ran a trick play for a touchdown."
Nobody - especially UCLA head coach Bob Toledo - knew that the game would decide the conference.
"We've had some games when we've been really hot and done those things," he said. "At that point, we felt that every game was crucial. I've been involved in those games. They happen."
With UCLA out of the championship hunt and Arizona in second place in the conference, this year's game won't have the luster of the 1998 matchup.
"It's not a game for the championship," Toledo said. "We've got a lot of respect for Arizona. We're out of the championship race."
Arizona
UA head coach Dick Tomey is convinced that last Saturday's loss to Oregon in Eugene, Ore., hasn't devastated the team's Rose Bowl hopes.
"We're in this for the long-haul," Tomey said. "There's going to be ups and downs."
Tomey was confident that his team - a nine-point underdog heading into the game - could upset the Ducks at UO's Autzen Stadium.
The Wildcats almost pulled it off, missing three "Hail Mary" passes in the game's waning moments.
"I had lot of confidence," Tomey said. "We were very disappointed that we didn't get it done. On Sunday, (the team) came in with a determined look on their face to get better."
The Wildcats will have little time to sulk.
UCLA, a team that has defeated both Michigan and Alabama this season, comes to town Saturday.
"We have a lot of respect for UCLA," Tomey said. "Coach Toledo has done a great job. They're just like any other team in our conference - (the Pac-10) is full of teams that can all beat each other."
