More Cal trouble: receiver Allen out

BERKELEY – The Cal football team has enough problems, and now comes more bad news.

The Bears will be without star wide receiver Keenan Allen when they host Washington in the first-ever Friday night game at Memorial Stadium. Game time is 6 p.m. (ESPN2).

Cal announced Thursday that Allen has a left knee injury, believed to be a posterior cruciate ligament issue. It's not known how long Allen will be sidelined.

More injuries are the last thing Cal (3-6, 2-4 Pacific-12 Conference) can afford. Lose to the Huskies (4-4, 2-3), and the Bears' quest to reach a bowl game is over. They would be 3-7 overall with two games left, leaving them at least one short of the minimum number of victories to qualify for a bowl.

Furthermore, a loss to the Huskies would put Jeff Tedford's 11-year tenure as coach under still greater scrutiny. He's already on the hot seat with his team seemingly headed toward a second sub-.500 season in three years.

"This game is about doing the things we need to do to win a football game," said Tedford.

Cal has dropped its past two games by a combined 40 points – with Allen in the lineup. And he isn't the only Bear hobbled by injury.

Six players, including four defensive starters, were considered questionable to play when the week began.

In addition to the injuries and the disappointing results, the Washington game features an interesting subplot: the return of once-favorite son Tosh Lupoi.

A former player, assistant coach and recruiter extraordinaire for the Bears, Lupoi bolted to Washington last January, taking with him top safety recruit Shaq Thompson (Grant High School), who previously had committed to Cal.

Notre Dame – Some BCS officials are almost as giddy about the prospect of Notre Dame playing in one of their bowl games as Fighting Irish fans are.

"I tend to think right now – there's a lot to be played – but I don't see how they could avoid being in a BCS game somewhere," Fiesta Bowl executive director Robert Shelton said. "They have four games left. Anything can happen, but they're looking so strong. Even if they only win two of those – certainly if they win three or four – they will be in a BCS game."

The fourth-ranked Fighting Irish (8-0) are third in the BCS standings entering Saturday's game against Pittsburgh (4-4), in which they are 17-point favorites. They likely will be favored against Boston College (2-6) and Wake Forest (4-4) before the season finale at USC (6-2).

Miami 30, Virginia Tech 12 in Miami – Stephen Morris threw for two early touchdowns, both set up by Virginia Tech special-teams miscues, and the Hurricanes (5-4, 4-2) took a step forward in the chase for the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division title by beating the Hokies (4-5, 2-3).

Ohio 45, Eastern Michigan 14 in Athens, Ohio – Ryan Boykin ran for 128 yards, Tyler Tettleton threw three touchdown passes, and the Bobcats (8-1, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) beat the RedHawks (1-8, 0-5).

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