Huskies and their wild finishes

The weird endings are piling up for Washington.

Last Saturday Washington was on the losing end of a last-minute, game-changing play. Arizona State's Chris McGaha broke open with 50 seconds left for a 50-yard touchdown catch and the Sun Devils beat the Huskies 24-17.

The week before, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles' threw a short pass under duress that bounced off Delashaun Dean's shoe and was caught by Washington's Mason Foster, who ran 37 yards with 2:37 left for what proved to be the winning touchdown in the Huskies' 36-33 victory.

That finish was so unbelievable that Oregon coach Chip Kelly used it as a teaching moment for the No. 12 Ducks.

"It's just another example of the old cliche," Kelly said. "It isn't over until it's over."

Oregon (5-1, 3-0 Pac-10) visits Washington (3-4, 2-2) this weekend.

Huskies first-year coach Steve Sarkisian says his team is learning from the close finishes, too.

"Well, I think we continue to get stronger, from a standpoint of, our kids believe that games are never over," Sarkisian said.

On Oct. 3, Washington lost to Notre Dame 37-30 in overtime. And not to be forgotten was the Huskies' defeat of then-No. 3 USC 16-13 back on Sept 19 on Erik Folk's 22-yard field goal with seconds left.

In all, five of Washington's games this season have been decided by eight points or less. Four of the last five games have been decided in the final minutes.

"I feel like in seven weeks our kids have been through more this year than they're going to be in again the rest of their career or the NFL or anywhere else," Sarkisian said. "The stuff these guys have experienced, that we've experienced, you can't write a book better than this."

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GETTIN' A SKULL: California quarterback Kevin Riley is the pround owner of his own skull and crossbones sticker.

The Golden Bears get the stickers for their play binders when they make blocks. And Riley got his last Saturday when running back Jahvid Best ran 93 yards for a touchdown in Cal's 45-26 victory over UCLA.

Riley took out UCLA's Sheldon Price at midfield. After his block, Riley hinted he felt he deserved the sticker by crossing his arms as he came off the field.

"That was my favorite play of my life so far," Riley said. "It's a category where you get a cut block and you get something on your binder. It's a little sticker. I think I'm just going to post it up in our meeting room. I don't know if I'll get many more."

Cal offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig passes the stickers out. Riley boasted that he might be the first quarterback ever to get one.

The Golden Bears (4-2, 1-2) host Washington State (1-5, 0-4) on Saturday.

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AYLES APOLOGY: USC tight end Blake Ayles apologized for making an obscene gesture in the background of a photo of two fans on the field at Notre Dame Stadium before last Saturday's game between the Trojans and the Fighting Irish.

The picture - Surprise! - made the rounds on the internet.

"It was all my fault, so I just want to say that I'm sorry," Ayles told The Los Angeles Times. "I didn't mean to disrespect the school or anyone. I was just being stupid."

Coach Pete Carroll addressed the team about appropriate behavior said Ayles would do community service as punishment.

"They have to understand the magnitude of gesturing and making statements," Carroll said. "They are always representing this university and our program and they have to act in accordance with that."

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POET, TOO: James Rodgers is not just a flanker for Oregon State, or running back Jacquizz Rodgers' older brother.

He's also a published poet.

The Gazette-Times of Corvallis reports that Rodgers recently had a haiku published in the book "Haiku for Sociologists," a project by associate sociology professor Kristin Barker. The collection features haiku by 100 Oregon State students.

Rodgers' submission reads:

The veil unleashes

"The Souls of Black Folk" like me

I'm NOT a problem!

Rodgers leads the Pac-10 and ranks eighth in the nation with an average of 180.2 all-purpose yards a game. He and his brother Jacquizz have scored 17 of the Beavers' 21 touchdowns.

Oregon State (4-2, 2-1) visits No. 4 USC (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday.

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HONORS: Nick Foles, who threw for a career-high 415 yards and three touchdowns in Arizona's 43-38 victory over Stanford last Saturday, was named the Pac-10's offensive player of the week.

Foles' 78.4 percent completion rate (40 of 51 passes) set a school single-game record for quarterbacks who completed at least 20 passes, and his 40 completions rank second in school history, behind Willie Tuitama's 42 against California in 2007.

"It's all neat, but I'm just trying to stay focused on the next game," said Foles, who only became the Wildcats' starter after Matt Scott struggled.

Foles leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency. He has thrown for 1,152 yards in five games, with nine touchdown passes.

Only one Wildcats passer has led the Pac-10 - Alfred Jenkins in 1984, and he had more interceptions (17) than touchdown passes (11).

Arizona (4-2, 2-1) visits UCLA (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday.

USC nose tackle Jurrell Casey also won Pac-10 honors for a game-high 10 tackles in the Trojans' 34-27 victory over Notre Dame.

Cal punter Brian Anger was recognized by the league for special teams play, after averaging 50 yards on seven punt in the Golden Bears' 45-26 victory at UCLA.