By MATT BECKER
STATS Senior Writer

Washington State (1-7) at No. 18 Arizona (5-2), 3:30 p.m. EDT

A win this week would make Arizona bowl-eligible in consecutive
seasons for the first time in a decade.

While earning a bowl berth was cause for celebration a year ago,
this team has much larger goals.

Playing their first game as a ranked team in nine years, the
21st-ranked Wildcats look to stay in the hunt for a Pac-10 title
and move closer to a premier bowl game Saturday when they host
lowly Washington State.

Arizona (5-2, 3-1) was picked to finish eighth in the conference
preseason poll, but enters November in second place. The
Wildcats are the only Pac-10 or Big Ten member that has not
played in the Rose Bowl - but that will change if they can win
their last five games.

However, first things first for Arizona - in the Top 25 for the
first time since Oct. 22, 2000 - and that is winning one more
game to become bowl-eligible.

The Wildcats defeated then-No. 17 Brigham Young in last
December's Las Vegas Bowl but haven't won at least six games -
the minimum to receive a bowl invitation - in back-to-back
seasons since doing it three years in a row from 1997-99.

"We don't want to just be bowl-eligible and not win out,"
Arizona free safety Cam Nelson said. "As far as a specific bowl,
we haven't talked about any one. We want to go somewhere big,
I'll just put it like that."

For the Wildcats to remain in contention for its first Pac-10
title since 1993, quarterback Nick Foles needs to bounce back
from his worst performance of the season.

While battling the flu in a 27-13 victory over UCLA on Oct. 24,
Foles threw three interceptions, had a fumble returned for a
touchdown and botched a handoff that led to a fumble. It was an
uncharacteristic performance for Foles, who completed 73.9
percent of his passes for 1,152 yards, nine touchdowns and two
interceptions in his first five games.

"I don't think there's anything to be alarmed about," coach Mike
Stoops said of the sophomore.

Foles will likely be without two of team's top running backs for
this game, but it might not make much difference against an
abysmal Washington State defense.

Starting tailback Nic Grigsby, who is averaging 7.5 yards on his
71 carries, injured his right shoulder against Oregon State on
Sept. 26 and was limited in each of the next two games before
re-injuring the shoulder against the Bruins. He rushed for 189
yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in a 59-28 win over the
Cougars (1-7, 0-5) last season

Greg Nwoko, who has rushed for 190 yards on 43 attempts, also
injured his left shoulder against UCLA.

If Grigsby and Nwoko can't play, much of the rushing load would
fall to sophomore backup Keola Antolin, who has 49 carries for
255 yards.

Whoever lines up in the backfield for the Wildcats should have
plenty of running room against a Washington State team that
ranks 114th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams against
the run, allowing 220.4 yards per game. The Cougars are 114th in
scoring defense (37.4) and 119th in total defense (511.1).

Washington State hasn't been any better offensively, ranking
116th in scoring (15.0) and are 114th in total offense (282.8).

The Cougars are coming off last Saturday's 40-14 loss to
then-No. 25 Notre Dame at the Alamodome in San Antonio, their
fifth straight defeat since a 30-27 victory over SMU on Sept.
19.

Washington State, which has been outscored by an average of 26.0
points in its seven losses, once again couldn't slow down its
opponent as the Fighting Irish racked up 592 total yards.

"It was a lot of missed opportunities...missed tackles,"
defensive end Casey Hamlett said. "There was a lot we have to
fix."

Washington State has lost eight straight and 17 of 18 to Top 25
opponents, and has lost three in a row to the Wildcats since a
20-19 win Sept. 25, 2004.

After this game, the schedule is going to get much tougher for
Arizona, which still visits California, hosts Pac-10 leader
Oregon and closes the regular season with games at archrival
Arizona State and USC.

"Hopefully our best football's in front of us," Stoops said.
"It's going to need to be."