The Week

Arizona State controlled the ball for only 20 of the 60 minutes but dominated the scoring in a 42-14 win over Oregon State. The Sun Devil offense made quick work of it, putting together brisk scoring drives of 80, 69, and 71 yards. Mike Pagel completed 12 of 20 passes for 134 yards, including a scoring pass to John Mistier, while Willie Gittens, with three touchdowns, and Gerald Riggs, who ran 87 yards, kept the ground game going. But it was a stalwart defense that had Arizona State Coach Darryl Rogers gloating. Led by Linebacker Vernon Maxwell, who ran an interception back 58 yards for a TD, the defenders bottled up OSU's veer. Only Tony Robinson, who rushed for his weight (168) in yards, made much headway for the Beavers. "A classic example of bend but don't break," said Rogers.

Freshman Jon Poole kicked a 29-yard field goal with six seconds left to give 14-point underdog Colorado State a 15-13 victory over Arizona and spoil Coach Larry Smith's home debut. Trailing 13-6 with 2:41 left, the Rams' national passing leader, Steve Fairchild, who hit 30 of 50 throws for 330 yards in the evening, engineered a 49-yard scoring drive, which took 1:38, but State missed a two-point conversion and trailed 13-12. So the Rams successfully executed an onside kick and recovered at the Wildcats' 48. Fairchild moved Colorado State to the Arizona 13 on three plays, setting up Poole's third field goal.

"Our defense did a great job in stopping George Rogers," said Southern Cal Coach John Robinson. Stopping George Rogers? The South Carolina back had his 13th consecutive 100-yard game, gaining 141 yards in 26 carries. But Robinson wasn't kidding. Using as many as eight men on the line, the Trojans had held Rogers to 65 yards after three periods. By that time, capitalizing on Dennis Edwards' fumble recovery and Dennis Smith's interception, Southern Cal had built up a 23-6 lead. So Rogers' fourth-quarter stats and touchdown meant little as the Trojans went on to win 23-13. Another misleading statistic was Marcus Allen's 107 yards on 31 carries. Before proclaiming him the Trojans' latest Heisman candidate, consider that the longest run from scrimmage by a USC tailback this season has been 13 yards.

Among the five Pac-10 teams eligible for the Rose Bowl, unbeaten Washington looks the strongest. The Huskies routed Northwestern 45-7 as Toussaint Tyler scored three times and Quarterback Tom Flick completed seven of 10 for 189 yards and one TD—in little more than a quarter. Led by an offensive line that goes 255 pounds per man, Washington scored on its first seven possessions.

USC (2-0) UCLA (2-0) WASHINGTON (2-0)

SOUTHWEST

For the second straight week Houston outgained an opponent, but lost. The Cougars, who had more total offensive yardage, 352-280, than Miami of Florida, were upset 14-7 on a freak play. With Miami leading 7-0 in the second quarter, a Hurricane punt hit Houston Defensive Back Donnie Love in the back and was recovered at the 14 by Miami Center Don Bailey. Jim Joiner then ran six yards for the clinching score.

Two other Southwestern Conference powers, Texas and Arkansas, also had scares. However, the breaks went their way, and they won. Trailing Utah State 17-7 late in the first half, the Longhorns ran off four long drives to win 35-17. Jam Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown on a one-yard run following a pass-interference penalty. Tied at the half 7-7 with Oklahoma State, Arkansas went ahead 10-7 when Thomas Brown fielded the second-half kickoff five yards in the end zone and, instead of downing the ball, ran it back 53 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal by Ish Ordonez. The Razorbacks went on to win 33-20. SMU won its ninth straight over TCU, but barely. In fact, if Mike Ford hadn't taken the Mustangs the length of the field, scoring the winning TD on a one-yard dive at 0:55, SMU would have lost 14-10 instead of winning 17-14. Earlier, Cornerback John Simmons had kept the Mustangs in the game by blocking two TCU field-goal attempts, intercepting a pass and setting up a field goal with an 18-yard punt return.

Penn State was on hand for the dedication of Texas A&M's renovated Kyle Field, but the Nittany Lions were hardly polite guests, winning 25-9 in a game in which the Aggies crossed the 50-yard line only twice. The opening kickoff had to be replayed because a television network taping the game wasn't ready when the first whistle was blown. Texas A&M, suggested a press-box wit, should have asked for a replay of the entire game.

TEXAS (2-0) ARKANSAS (1-1) SMU (2-0)