Inside the Pac-10: Stanford's Gerhart Mows Down UW's Defense

One week after gaining national attention with an upset victory over USC, the Washington Huskies crashed back to the Pac-10 middle of the pack with a disappointing 34-14 loss to Stanford at The Farm on Saturday.

The defeat gave Washington a 1-1 record in the competitive, wacky Pac-10 standings, which looks headed for the final weeks of the season before any bowl bids are determined.

That shouldn't be unexpected In a conference that features true round-robin play where every team plays each other during the season. Currently, Stanford sits alone in first place with a 2-0 in-conference record followed by 1-0 Oregon and 1-0 Arizona. UCLA (3-0 overall) and Arizona State (2-1 overall) have yet to play a conference game.

Preseason conference favorites USC and Cal are tied with Washington at 1-1, while Oregon State (0-1} and Washington State (0-2) are still seeking their first conference win.

"You never have a gimme in this conference,"' said Washington quarterback Jake Locker, a hero in the Huskies' win over the Trojans last week but completed only 16-for-31 passes for 190 yards with three turnovers against Stanford. "You can't sleep on anybody. We had a good week of practice and I felt good about where we were. We just couldn't get it done."

That was not a problem for Stanford power back Toby Gerhart, who dominated the Huskies' overmatched run defense with 27 careers for a career-high 200 yards and a touchdown.

Gerhart's physical style carried Stanford's offense from the start. He had rushed for 89 yards in six carries by the end of the first quarter and had 156 yards in 12 carries by halftime. By the time Stanford had opened up a 27-14 third quarter lead, Gerhart had 171 yards in 19 carries.

"It's just a mindset,'' Gerhart said when asked about how easy Stanford controlled the line of scrimmage against the Huskies, the same defense that effectively shut down USC for stretches a week earlier. "Watching on film, teams got some yards on them. We felt we could do the same thing if we went straight downhill on them. It worked out."

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team would be undefeated if not for a fourth quarter collapse in Wake Forest, said Stanford has played well enough to be ranked this season.

"When I vote tomorrow, I'll put us in the Top 25," Harbaugh said after Stanford's win over the Huskies on Saturday.

Next up for Stanford? Undefeated UCLA, which had the week off and could have true freshman quarterback Kevin Prince back in the lineup for Saturday's game at The Farm.

For Oregon, this weekend's 42-3 beat down over Cal sent a major message throughout the conference.

The Ducks, who wore retro green and yellow uniforms for the game, not only showed that they will be a force in conference play, but also found their offensive rhythm under veteran quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who passed for over 350 yards and completed three touchdown passes to tight end Ed Dickson, who had been a forgotten target in the Ducks' offense.

"There's always critics -- and it always falls on the quarterback," Masoli said after his breakout game against Cal. "You try not to think about it, because nobody on the outside really has anything to do with it."

The Ducks' defense also stepped up with a solid performance against Cal's Jahvid Best, who ran for just 55 yards after rushing for more than 200 yards and five touchdowns in the Bears' win at Minnesota last week.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly could not have asked for a better turnaround after the Ducks' dismal start to the season. Oregon lost at Boise State in a game that featured a high-publicized, post-game punch by LeGarrette Blount, who was suspended for the remainder of the season.

"For us to win in this league, our best players have to have good games," Kelly said about the Ducks, who will host Washington State next week. "The rankings don't matter to us. We knew we were going to win this game, we just made it happen. It's all about preparation."

Getting his team ready to play next week will be a high priority for Cal's Jeff Tedford, who suffered the most lopsided defeat since he took over as Bears' coach in 2002.

With USC coming to town, it will be interesting to see how Cal bounces back. Either the Bears rally back into the Pac-10 race or lose ground to up and coming programs like Stanford UCLA and Arizona. It's up to them.

"A couple years ago, we were No. 2, and when we lost, in the locker room it felt like the end of the world," Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed said. "... The Pac-10 is still wide open."

And only time will tell if the Bears have what it takes to make a serious run for the conference title this season.