PACIFIC 10 FOOTBALL / DAN HAFNER : Suddenly, Cardinal’s Goal Not So Lofty

It was Bill Walsh’s contention that by midseason, his young, talented, but inexperienced Stanford Cardinal would be a pretty good football team.

When the Cardinal forced unbeaten Arizona to kick the winning field goal with time running out two weeks ago, it appeared that Walsh’s team was right on schedule.

But then, last week’s stunning defeat against lowly Arizona State put the Cardinal in a desperate fight to stay out of the cellar. Going from a team that tied Washington for the Pacific 10 Conference title last year to a team trying to escape last place is not what is expected of Walsh.

Unless Stanford can beat visiting Oregon State on Saturday, Walsh’s team may go from first to last, despite boasting one of the nation’s best passers. Steve Stenstrom, with 2,204 yards passing in seven games, is on a pace to break John Elway’s school record of 3,254 yards set in 1982.

Stanford, in the second season of Walsh’s return, was coming off a recruiting year rated among the best in the country. Walsh said that a number of his freshmen figured to play prominent roles. It was why he projected midseason for his team to arrive.

The defense, especially against the run, never showed up. Trying to stop Oregon State’s option attack could be extremely difficult. Against UCLA, a sound defensive team, the Beavers rolled up 338 yards on the ground.

Walsh said that except for the defeats--the Cardinal is 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Pac-10--his team has progressed about as he expected.

“We are somewhat disappointed in the defense,” he said. “But injuries have had something to do with that.

“We are playing with the same enthusiasm, the same excitement we have all along. We knew it would be a learning process, and it has been. Except for the losses, we’ve done about as we expected.”

There will be, he said, a different kind of learning this week.

“Because the Beavers use a different style, the wishbone, it will be something new,” Walsh said. “We hope to be able to stop their running. Even though they seldom throw the ball, the threat of the pass is always there and nobody’s done a great job of stopping the run.”

Stenstrom passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns against the Sun Devils. It was the sixth consecutive game in which he has thrown for more than 300 yards. But the Cardinal won only the first two, beating San Jose State before upsetting Colorado. The collapsing defense has led to four consecutive defeats.

The Beavers (3-5, 1-4) rose up last week at home and threw a big scare into the Bruins’ Rose Bowl hopes. When the Beavers missed what would have been the tying field goal late in the game, the stage was set for Arizona and UCLA to battle for the probable Rose Bowl berth.

Last season, when the Cardinal had a strong defense, it managed only a 27-21 victory at Corvallis and the Beavers ran for 262 yards.

The Beavers are No. 2 in the country in rushing, behind Army, with a 305.1 average. In the last four games, they have averaged 411.8.

The key to victory for the Beavers, until last week, had been to come up with a 100-yard rusher. Against UCLA, J.J. Young gained 101 but Oregon State lost for only the second time since 1985 when a runner gained at least 100 yards.

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Arizona State was an 18-point underdog against Stanford, and the victory had the Sun Devils talking about winning the rest of their games. Mario Bates ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, leading the comeback victory.

The Sun Devils (3-4, 1-3) must not have looked at the remaining schedule. Beginning with Saturday’s game at home against Washington (5-2, 3-1), they meet the best in the conference. They close out at UCLA and at home against archrival Arizona.

Washington, ineligible for the Rose Bowl, ruined Oregon’s hopes last week and has shown little mercy to the rest of its opponents.

In Napoleon Kaufman, who needs only 202 yards rushing in the last four games to break 1,000 again, the Huskies have their best running back since Hugh McElhenny.

“Kaufman is a great back,” Oregon Coach Rich Brooks said after the Lompoc speedster had scored twice against the Ducks. “He can break a long one or run through you.”

Despite his speed, Kaufman, 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds, would rather talk about his toughness.

“I like the tough yards,” he said. “Being small, I like to get inside and prove I can mix it up in there.”

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Although both have been knocked out of the Rose Bowl race, the game at Eugene between Washington State and Oregon is a big one. Both hope to solidify chances of going to another bowl game.

The Cougars barely missed tying Arizona last week when Aaron Price, Coach Mike Price’s son, missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt that would have tied the score with two seconds to play.

“It was a great game and a super effort from our guys,” Coach Price said. “I commend both teams. Our guys played with a lot of heart. I really want to emphasize that both teams played well.”

The Cougars (5-3, 3-2) have a score to settle. Last season they had a 6-1 record and were very much in the Rose Bowl race when Oregon went into Pullman and routed them, 34-17. In fact, the Ducks have won six of the last seven meetings.

Pac-10 Notes

After watching the brilliant pass receivers, Johnnie Morton of USC and J.J. Stokes of UCLA the last two weeks, Oregon State Coach Jerry Pettibone was asked the difference between the two. “Stokes is taller,” he said. . . . Pettibone said Rahim Muhammad, the freshman from Fairfax High, has progressed well in the last two weeks and will start against Stanford.