Decades of travel result in a climactic weekend for the Odyssey. By attending tonight’s game at Utah State and then traveling to the Palouse tomorrow, the Odyssey will have attended at least one game at each venue in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
Wednesday, we previewed Fresno State’s visit to Logan. The outcome of Saturday’s visit by Arizona to the Palouse may well be determined by which team can best get over bitter disappointments in Los Angeles last weekend.
Washington State brought an undefeated team into the Rose Bowl , featuring Cameron Ward who had been as hot as Pasadena’s midday sunshine proved to be. The Cougars could not hang on to a 17-12 4th quarter lead and succumbed to UCLA, 25-17. The story of the game was how UCLA’s ferocious defensive line kept Ward in check. His stats: 19/39/2/197 with a quarterback rating of a paltry 32.8. Utah was considered to have the Pac 12’s best defensive line by the pre-season talking heads but UCLA’s front may well be the equal of the Utes.
Arizona gave USC fans heart failure Saturday night. The Wildcats grabbed an early 17-0 lead as Caleb Williams actually looked mortal in the first quarter. One cannot keep Superman down forever as Williams led back the Trojans for an apparent game winning, chip shot field goal at the end of the game. OOPS! An errant snap meant overtime. Predictably, Williams led USC to a score, putting the Trojans in front 35-28. When Arizona scored a touchdown, the Odyssey felt that Jedd Fisch had an easy decision. Go for 2! What right-thinking human being would want a tiring defense to be tormented by the Heisman Trophy winner in subsequent overtimes? Fisch kicked the extra point and the inevitable befell the Wildcats in the third overtime (Rece Davis also screamed at his TV when seeing Fisch’s fatal flaw).
Who will have the worse hangover in Pullman? The Odyssey believes that UA’s migraine will be worse. Not only will Washington State have the home crowd, Arizona has 37 Southern Californians on its roster who may not be fully over massive heartbreak against USC.
The Cameron Ward factor will be everpresent in a second sense. Jayden De Laura was voted the Freshman of the Year in 2021 at Wazzu. Why did De Laura subsequently enter the transfer portal in January 2022? New coach, Jake Dickert, may not have been enamored with de Laura, unquestionably talented but also with erratic, off script tendencies. When Ward announced his transfer from Incarnate Ward, De Laura said goodbye to the Palouse. De Laura’s September injury has opened the door for Wildcat backup, Noah Fifita, to play. Fifita, while not having as high a ceiling as De Laura, has efficiently operated the UA offense with its cadre of ultra-talented receivers.
If De Laura does play, an extra layer of intrigue will be present! Some homecomings are just more bittersweet than others.