Week 12

 Hey All,

It's time again for the column that you love to read that isn't behind a paywall, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Bud Furillo.

Summaries

USC 33- Utah 17: Salt Lake City, UT- The Trojans were facing their third straight team that hadn't played a game yet when they took on the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium.  Utah's lack of a deep threat on offense helped the Trojans defense concentrate on shutting down the Utes rushing attack. USC held Utah to just 111 yards rushing, but the Utes held USC to just 93 yards on the ground. So, it came down to who had the best passing attack to decide the game. That the Trojans had, even with QB Kedon Slovis still looking off all game which only fueled the rumors that he is injured in some way but still playing. Slovis completed 24 of 35 aerials for 264 yards and a pair of TDs.  The Trojans forced four Utah turnovers and shut them out in the second half.  Ute QB Jake Bentley  completed 16 of 28 passes for 171 yards, A TD and two huge interceptions in the losing effort. 

Telling Stat: A leg up in Salt Lake; USC Freshman PK Parker Lewis had an outstanding game in the cold Utah night.  He was perfect on all his kicks including a 47-yarder to ice the game with 1:03 to play. That last kick would have been good from 57 yards as it was still rising as it passed over the crossbar.  

Oregon State 31- California 27: Corvalis, OR- This game featured two squads looking for their first win to make a needed step forward with their respective programs. The teams traded punches from the opening kickoff with he Beavers having just a little bit more in the tank than the Golden Bears.  OSU found the end zone on the first play form scrimmage when RB Jermar Jefferson ran through a hole in the Cal defense the size of Strawberry Canyon and sprinted 75-yards for a touchdown. OSU would tally another score and take a 14-7 lead at the end of the first period. The second stanza belonged to Cal.  A 21-yard TD toss from QB Chase Garbers to WR Kekoa Crawford and a pair of FGs from PK Dario Longhetto put the Berkley Boys up 20-17 at the intermission. The third quarter saw both defenses assert themselves with the only score being a 35-yard FG by OSU PK Everett Hayes. The fourth quarter saw the teams trade TDs with Cal holding a 27-24 lead with 5:26 to play. That's when the Beavers special teams made the play of the game when they blocked Cal's punt to set up the offense with a first and ten at the Golden Bears 14-yard line. two plays later Jefferson knifed into the end zone form seven yards out and OSU led, 31-27.  Cal then mounted one last drive to try and win the game.  They drove the ball from their own 21 to the OSU 10-yard line only to have Garbers' 1st and Goal pass tipped high into the air and intercepted by OSU. The Beavers then ran out the clock and picked up their first win of the year. Big stat games for both teams here with Jefferson carrying the ball 18 times for 196 yards and two TDs. As for the now 0-2 Bears, Garbers compete 28 of 42 passes for 315 yards and three TDs.

Telling Stat: Red Zone picks for the win; Cal statistically won this game, but Oregon State picked off two Cal passes inside their own 10-yard line to hold on for the win. 

Washington 44- Arizona 27: Seattle, WA- The Huskies used a 17-point first quarter en route to a 24-0 half-time lead over the Wildcats.  They then extended that lead to 37-0 through three quarters. The Dawgs then held a 44-6 lead with 11:34 left play before taking the rest of the game off while Arizona put up a lot of garbage time yards and points in game that truly was nowhere near as close as the final score indicates. The UW Offense routinely drove for long scores in the game while the Husky defense kept he Wildcats bottled up for the first three plus quarters.  In fact, UofA had been held to 46 total yards until :58 were left in the third quarter. The Husky offense buried the Wildcats with a balanced attack that threw for 239 yards and rushed for 233.  QB Dylan Morris completed 15 of 25 passes for 230 yards and two TDs while backfield mate RB Richard Newton led all rushers with 81 yards on eight carries and a pair of TDs of his own. TE Cade Otton (Brad's nephew) was the game's top receiver with seven catches for 100 yards and a score.  As for the Wildcats, QB Grant Gunnell threw for 259 yards and three scores long after the game was firmly in the W column for the Dawgs.

Telling Stat;  Positive Negatives; The Washington defense held three Arizona drives for negative yards while also forcing a fumble, a turnover on downs and five punts which allowed the Huskies offense build up a 44-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. 

Oregon State 38- UCLA 35: Eugene, OR- The bRuins  came prepared for a duck hunt.  Even with their starting QB out due to COVID tracing, the offense still clicked with backup Chase Griffin at the controls. However, the turnover bug and one real bad play call kept the bRuins form leaving Eugene with a huge upset in HC Chip Kelly's return to the land of Phil Knight.  UCLA turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and that staked the Ducks to a quick 14-0 lead. UCLA fought the Quacks tough the rest of the half.  UCLA led 21-17 thanks to a one-yard run by RB Demetric Felton, a fumble return for a TD by DB Qwuantrezz Knight and a 32-yard TD reception by TE Greg Dulcich.  Then, with :06 left in the half the bRuins eschewed the idea of falling on the ball and taking a lead into the break.  They threw one last pass and it was picked off by UO's Jordan Happle who took the rock back 58-yards for a TD.  The Bruins would never hold the lead again.  It was a back and forth affair in the second half, but UO maintained their lead with strong scoring drives and key defensive stops. The Ducks were finally able to claim the victory when Griffin's fourth down pass with :19 left fell harmlessly to the Autzen Stadium turf. For the Ducks, QB Tyler Shough completed 19 of 34 tosses for 334 yards and there TDs.  For the hard luck bRuins, Griffin threw for 195 yards and a TD while Felton tore up the Ducks defense for 167 yards on 34 carries with two TDs.

Telling Stat:  -3=L; Once again turnovers killed the UCLA.  No other stat matters in this game.

Observations

...CBS even said no; How unattractive of a matchup did the Missouri-South Carolina game have to be in order for CBS to choose to televise San Diego State at Nevada instead?  Yes, CBS did originally have Ole Miss at Texas A&M lined up for that the slot, but when the game got cancelled, the execs at the Columbia Broadcasting System looked at Mizzou and SoCar and said, "Yeah, we'll pass."  Hmmmmmmm

...A tool, and bragging rights;  This Friday after Thanksgiving features two Pac 12 rivalry games. Stanford travels to Cal to try and win the Axe back while Oregon and Oregon State will face-off in another edition of The Civil War. 

...Cowboys blues;  Yeah, they are singing the blues in Stillwater after Okie State was crushed by OU... again. I say again, because it is just par for the course in this series.  I call this matchup a series instead of a rivalry because Oklahoma owns a 89-18-7 series edge.  

...Ducking with Dabo; After FSU called off their game with Clemson due to a Clemson player testing positive for COVID who made the trip and had practiced with the team all week, Tigers HC Dabo Swinney accused FSU of ducking out of the game.  FSU HC Mike Norvell denied the accusation in what has become a war of words between the two coaches. Swinney comes off looking like a bigger tool than we already thought he was. Duck Duck Tiger

...We miss 'em too; UCLA HC Chip Kelly remarked on how weird it was to be at Autzen Stadium and not see Puddles, the Duck mascot.  A lot of us Pac 12 fans are missing our mascots too.  SC games just ain't the same without Traveller. 

...Defense there's a defense;  Pretty cool to see Northwestern winning with defense in this era of overblown offenses. 

...Hit by a Cyclone;  This intrepid reporter would love to see Iowa State work over Texas this week in the same say way they blew K-State off the field last Saturday. 

...Third and Perfection; Last Tuesday, Kent State ran up 750 yards in a 69-35 rout of Akron. What's more impressive is that the Golden Flashes went a perfect 11 for 11 on third down conversions.  That makes the Golden Flashes the only FBS team in the last 25 years to be perfect on third downs.

...Somewhere Ara Parseghian is smiling; Northwestern's upset win over Wisconsin marked the Wildcats first double digit win over a Top Ten team since 1959 when Parseghian's Wildcats blasted #2 Oklahoma, 45-13 to open the season.

...Pac 12 After Dark done; With the curfew restrictions in California, universities are not going to seek a special waiver for late kickoffs. That means for the most part that those dreaded 7:30 and later Pac 12 kickoff are mostly out for the rest of the season. 

...A sad cancellation; This year's Thanksgiving battle between the Tough Turkeys and the Cranberry Crushers has been cancelled due to COVID social distancing concerns.  

...3 OT;  Don't know what's worse, is it the fact that Rutgers blew a lead to Michigan and lost in triple OT or the fact that Michigan had to go to triple OT to beat the State College of New Jersey?

...A stolen trophy;  Here's a good story of how The Axe was stolen in the Stanford -Cal rivalry 60 years ago. The Axe is Missing!

...This just in;  Penn State still stinks.  The Nittany Lions are generationally bad at 0-5 for the first time in program history.  What's really staggering is PSU's lack of team speed.  Their games always look like someone put the video feed on Slo-Mo. 

...Another only in 2020 moment; In the third quarter of USC's win over Utah, all of ESPN's camera feeds went out.  That caused quite a stir because the announcers for the game were calling the game from their respective homes. That meant that nobody was able to describe the action.  That sent many of us scrambling for our radios to listen to the game until the camera feeds returned.  Part of me wanted to flip on the radio and hear Tom Kelly's voice calling the acton for the Trojans. 

...Fun Fact; Arizona HC Kevin Sumlin's Wildcats are a dismal, 2-10 in road games since he took over the program in 2018. 

...Be careful what you wish for;  The folks at Nebraska whined, cajoled, protested and otherwise threw a hissy fit to play football this year.  Well, they got to play. The Huskers are 1-3 and are a late defensive stop against Penn State from being the true laughing stock of the Big Ten. Maybe their zeal was a little shortsighted or as this lovely meme says about their desire to play...

Pac 12 Overreactions 

• Colorado loves having an extra week to get ready for USC.
• Oregon got exposed last week.
• USC still has no O-line.
• Stanford will go 2-3.
• Washington will beat Oregon.
• Arizona State just hopes to play again this season.
• UCLA will have a letdown this week.
• Arizona will go 0-6.
• Oregon State will go 3-3
• Wazzu might play this week.
• Cal will beat Stanford.
• Utah may go 0-4. 

The BYU-Washington Conundrum

BYU is 9-0 with a couple of weeks off coming up and declared that they would like to take on a Pac 12 team to fill one of the holes in their schedule. The Cougars want a Pac 12 scalp to pad their resume in hopes of landing a New Year's Six game.  Washington stepped up and said bring it on because the Huskies Apple Cup game with Wazzu has already been cancelled this week.  The Pac 12 and the Huskies though are waiting to see if Utah at ASU gets cancelled.  If that happens then the league will most likely set up the Huskies to play the Utes.  Learning of this, BYU has thrown a little temper tantrum demanding that Washington sign a contract and commit to a game with them right now. This looks like a bunch of bluster coming from BYU, but it seems to be a bit more than that.  BYU thinks that their 9-0 record gives them the power to dictate terms to the Pac 12. Sorry Cougars, while you may be having your best season since 1984, the Pac 12 doesn't care.  Your wannabe power play reeks of desperation; the desperation of knowing that even if you go undefeated, you're still very insecure about your chances of making a New Year's Six bowl. 

Update: SDSU has jumped in and said they will travel to Seattle to take on the Huskies. This is not a surprise, have you ever a bunch of Aztec students pass up a good boat party?  

Ugly Uniform of the Week

This week's honor goes to the Los Angeles Rams.  Their all bone colored ensemble just looks like dingy tighty-whities before you toss them to go get real underwear.  Also, the Rams pretentious names for team colors are awful .  Forever the LA Rams wore Royal Blue, Athletic Gold and White.  Now they wear  Royal, Sol, and Bone. Facepalm.

Heck, I'd take these old Billy Wade era Ram uniforms over their new ones anytime.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Evanston, IL- In the lowest scoring game in college football last week, the Northwestern Wildcats shutdown the Wisconsin Badgers 17-7, to go 5-0 and claim the inside track to the Big Ten West title and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Wildcats did it with defense. They took the vaunted Badgers rushing attack and held it to 136 yards. Meanwhile, NU's pass defense picked off Wisconsin QB Greg Mertz three times and sacked him three times as well. For the Wildcats offense QB Peyton Ramsey complete 23 of 44 passes for 203 yards and two TDs.  PK Charlie Kuhbander put the game out of reach for NU when he tacked on a 32-yard field goal with 11:35 to play. 

Blowout Game of the Week: Sioux City, IA- Well folks, the Defenders from Dordt University grace this section once again. This time they walloped the Briar Cliff Chargers, 64-0.  Then Defenders racked up 711 yards of offense in this laugher. 437 of their 711 yards came on the ground with RB Jake Carroll amassing 170 yards on just nine carries with two TDs. QB Noah Clayburg thew for 199 yards an three TDs to lead the Defenders aerial attack. 

Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- The Hogs came into their game with LSU down to just a handful of defensive linemen thanks to COVID and put up a valiant effort in a 27-24 loss to the Bayou Bengals. Despite the defense being worn down and just unable to get off the field, the Razorbacks still held a 24-20 lead deep into the fourth quarter.  The dead-tired Hogs defense just could not keep LSU out of the end zone on their final drive and suffered a tough loss.  

This Week's One Note About Thanksgiving...

This will be a strange one, with gatherings small and many loved ones scattered about the land. However, we must thankful we still have them around, even if at a distance.  Many families have empty spots at their tables that will never be filled again. Stay safe folks, and hopefully we see a better Thanksgiving next year.

Until next time folks, remember that just you still have to be able to run the ball when it counts to win games.

-The Commissioner 

Week 11

Hey All,

It's time once again for the column that makes you wish it was Saturday, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Jim Murray. 

Summaries

USC 34- Arizona 30: Tucson, AZ.- For the second straight week the Trojans pulled a game out in the final minute for another win that felt like a loss in the Clay Helton era. The Helton era at SC has been defined by underachieving teams that lack discipline and toughness.  Those qualities were on full display v. the Wildcats.  The Trojans OL had trouble keeping what was a three-man and sometimes four man rush from forcing QB Kedon Slovis to scramble to find room to throw the ball.  They also had a trouble opening up holes in the run game, (especially in short yardage), against an Arizona squad that was picked to finish dead last in the Pac 12 South.  The defense was no better either, letting UofA QB Graham Gunnell have the time to complete 24 of 36 passes for 286 yards and three TDs.  Still, after a late Wildcat TD to take the lead at 30-27, the Trojans found a way to comeback.  The Trojans got the ball back with 1:35 left on the clock. They then drove 75 yards in 1:10 and then scored the game-wining TD when RB Vavae Malepeai sliced into the end zone from eight yards out.  Slovis finished the game with 325 yards and a TD while RBs Malepeai, Markese Stepp and Stephen Carr combined for 170 yards rushing and three TDs.  

Telling Stat: When they needed it; QB Kedon Slovis completed all five passes he attempted for 67 of the 75 yards the Trojans gained on the game-winning drive. 

Washington 27- Oregon State 21: Seattle, WA-  This game started out like it would be a shootout with the Huskies holding a 24-21 half-time edge despite very iffy play in their kicking game due to some airmailed deep snaps. Both teams decide they were gonna run the ball in the steady Seattle rain and they did it.  The Dawgs crossed the double stripe three times on the ground with a 21-yard and 15-yard TD runs by RB's Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant and a 2-yard TD dive by QB Dylan Morris.  OSU's Three first half TDs came via a blocked punt, and a pair of short TD runs by RBs BJ Baylor and Jermar Jefferson.  Then, the second half started and the teams battled to a stalemate.  The defenses adjusted and yards became hard  to come by.  Oregon State's best chance to win the game was to be taken away by a pair of bad spots by the refs in the start of the fourth quarter.  On two straight plunges into the line on third and fourth and short from the UW 5-yard line, Jefferson appeared to make the first down only to have the ball spotted significantly short of where he gained. We all know that spotting the football is an inexact science.  However, the fact that the Pac 12 had to issue a statement defending the bad spots speaks volumes.  Out Damn Bad Spots! The Beavers would never get that close to scoring again.  The teams traded possessions the rest of the game. UW was handed another gift by the Pac 12 refs when they were awarded a very iffy targeting call on the Beavers deep in OSU territory.  The first and goal the Huskies picked allowed them run another 1:30 or so off the clock. That left OSU with very little time and no timeouts to try and mount one final drive.  For the victorious Huskies, McGrew and Pleasant led a rushing attack that racked up 267 yards on the Beavers and three TDs.  As for OSU, Jefferson had himself a good game, carrying the ball 23 times for 133 yards and a touchdown. 

Telling Stat: Refs 3-0= 0-2;  The Pac 12 officials three suspect calls seemed to tip the game to the Huskies in this tight contest which leaves the Beavers at 0-2.

Colorado 35- Stanford 32: Palo Alto, CA- Cardinal QB Davis Mills returned to the field following his false positive COVID test the held him out of SU's opening loss at Oregon.  Mills looked very rusty in the first half. Couple that with Stanford's inability to run the ball and that led to Colorado holding a 28-9 lead with 8:55 left in the third quarter. Oh, and Colorado QB Sam Noyer having a great game for the Buffs had a little to do with that too.  Noyer made all the key plays to lead the Buffs attack.  He only completed 15 of 24 passes on the day for 255 yards, but he hit all the passes he needed in order to frustrate the Cardinal defense. CU frosh sensation RB Jarek Broussard had a great game too.  He didn't find the end zone, but he toted the rock 27 times for 121 yards which is 51 more yards than Stanford ran for as a team. Stanford had to air the ball out after falling behind 19 points and they did it well. Mills threw for one TD and ran for another  while RB Austin Jones chipped in with a two-yard TD run of his own to cut CU's lead to 35-32 with 2:34 to play.  However, SU's last chance to win fell by the wayside when Colorado burned all but the last 10 seconds off the clock on their ensuing possession.  After his slow start Mills ended up completing 35 of 56 passes for 327 yards and a TD through the air and one on the ground. 

Telling Stat: No legs= L; Stanford can't run the ball anymore. They amassed just 70 yards on 21 carries v. Colorado. In two games this year, they've amassed just 267 rushing yards and have been out rushed by their opponents in both games. 

Oregon 43- Washington State 29: Pullman, WA- HC Nick Rolovich's Cougars came out and dominated most of the first half against the Ducks.  The Cougs built up a 16-7 lead over the Quacks with a quick-hitting passing attack.  However, with just :24 left in the first half, the Ducks climbed back into the game.  A 39-yard kickoff return, a 57-yard pass form QB Tyler Shough and 3-yard TD run by RB C.J. Verdell cut the Cougars lead to 19-14 at the half.  Oregon's defense asserted itself in the second half because they remembered that they are Oregon and that Wazzu is well, Wazzu.  The Ducks racked up four more TDs in the second half to run away from the Cougars, 43-29. Shough had a great game for the Webfoots, completing 21 of 30 passes for 312 yard and four touchdowns.  He also ran for 81 yards on nine carries.  Verdell paced all rushers with 118 yards on 18 carries and a score. Freshman QB Jayden de Laura completed 25 of 39 passes for 321 yard and two TDs in the loss for the Cougs.

Telling Stat: The defense came through;  After allowing several long drives in the first half, the Oregon defense allowed only two long drives, forced two punts and held for downs once to allow their offense there time to take control fo the game.

UCLA 34- California 10: Pasadena, CA- The Golden Bears and the bRuins got together for a Sunday meeting after scrambling to find a game after their scheduled games v. ASU and Utah were canceled due to COVID. The game for UCLA  started in the same nightmare fashion that their opener at Colorado did last week.  Cal blocked a bRuins punt and turned that into a 3-0 lead.  UCLA QB Dorian Thompson Robinson then was intercepted on the next UCLA possession and bRuins fans could be heard screaming at their TVs, "Not again!"  However, the UCLA defense forced a Cal punt. After that, it became clear who was the team that had played in the same offense for several years and who was the team that was running a new offense that was installed mostly by Zoom meetings and individual workouts.  Thompson-Robinson simply could not be stopped by the Cal defense.  He ran for one TD, then threw for three others in a first half that saw Thompson-Robinson expose every weakness in the Cal defense.  The bRuins took a 27-10 lead into the intermission.  The second half bogged down as the Golden Bears managed to slow down the bRuins offensive attack, but it didn't do much good as their offense couldn't muster a single score.  UCLA put the exclamation point on their victory when RB Brittain Brown scampered 31 yards through the worn down Cal defense for a final touchdown. Thompson-Robinson completed 14 of 26 passes for 196 yards and three TDs while rushing for 71 yards on 12 carries and another score in the victory.  RB Demetric Felton cracked the century mark for UCLA carrying the ball 25 times for 107 yards.  As for the Golden Bears, QB Chase Garbers produced his team's only real measurable offense by throwing for 122 yard and rushing for six yards and a TD.

Telling Stat: One and done;  Take away Cal's lone TD drive of in the first quarter and UCLA held the Golden Bears to just 13 yards on 20 plays for the rest of the half which gave their offense the opportunity to take control of the game. 

Observations

...Two gone; South Carolina parted ways with HC Will Muschamp on Sunday.  That makes him the second FBS coach to get the ax this season. The first was last week when Utah State parted ways with Gary Andersen.

...De facto Semi Finals;  The Big XII sees Kansas State travel to Iowa State and Oklahoma State travel to Oklahoma this week. The winners of these games would have the inside track to the Big XII Championship game. 

...Recap-less; ESPNs layoff of hundreds of employees can be seen in a lots of little ways.  For instance, along with the box score and other statistical data on every FBS game there used to be an accompanying story on each game.  Not anymore and that's a bad thing. 

...Fun Fact; Michigan's 28-0 halftime deficit to Wisconsin was the largest halftime deficit a Wolverine team faced at home since Michigan Stadium opened way back in 1927.

...Do you know the way to 4-0?; San Jose State is 4-0 and tied with Nevada atop the Mountain West Conference standings.

...Ugly stories in the Bayou; Reports are circling around that LSU ignored multiple sexual complaints against football players. Here's ESPN's story...  No place for this

...2 tarmacs to 1;  After Ole Miss beat South Carolina, 59-42 last Saturday, Gamecocks HC Will Muschamp was fired.  That gives Lane Kiffin an edge in coaching firings after a game.  Lane was famously tarmac'd after SC was embarrassed by ASU in 2013, but Kiffin's 2011 SC squad had already gotten UCLA HC Rick Neuheisal fired after a 50-0 beatdown of the bRuins. 

...No buzz; Funny how with Oklahoma and Texas just about out of the race for the Big XII title, the league hasn't generated any playoff buzz at all lately. Hmmmmmmmmm.

...Delay of Playoff; With the SEC now suffering a rash of postponements and cancellations due to COIVD, look for the College Football Playoff to be moved back.  If it was any other league than the SEC, the CFP wouldn't care. 

...It's gets cold in Iowa; While his Hawkeyes were on their way to a 35-7 win at Minnesota and retaining  possession for the sixth straight year of the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy, Hawkeyes HC Kirk Ferentz called all three of his timeouts in response to Gopher HC PJ Fleck calling a timeout with :19 left.  When questioned why he did that postgame, Ferentz threw some shade at Fleck, "Figured we'd take Floyd with us and leave the timeouts here." 

...D-III finale;  With not many lower division game being played at all this year, the battle for the Secretaries Cup marked the last D-III game to played this season. The Merchant Marine Academy downed the Coast Guard Academy, 24-14 to retain possession of the cup.   

...It's good to be a roommate; UCLA TE Greg Dulcich's roommate is QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He already has seven catches for 206 yards and TD in two games.

...Scary trivia;  The plane crash that killed 75 members of the Marshall football team and staff happened 50 years ago this week. The plane involved in the crash was also scheduled that day to make a charter run to fly the Mississippi State football team home from a game at LSU. 

...Crappy Valley;  Penn State is 0-4 after losing to lowly Nebraska. If the Fightin' Nittanys are gonna get a win this year, any one of their final four opponents could supply it.  Iowa may be playing well the last two weeks, but Michigan, Rutgers and Michigan State provide ample opportunities for a win. 

...The man knows his priorities;  5-0 Coastal Carolina HC Jamey Chadwell was contacted about the South Carolina job opening up on Sunday by a local reporter.  His response was priceless. "Right now my wife's van has a brake light out. I'm focused on trying to fix it without getting her upset. I've got bigger issues to worry about. :)"

...A Top Ten Tilt; With a boost in the latest poll, #9 Indiana will face off at #3 Ohio State this Saturday.  A win by the Hoosiers would give them a real shot at their first outright Big Ten title since 1945.

...Memo to USC OC Graham Harrell;  Please quit calling the exact same running play on every third down or fourth down and short.  Everyone knows it is coming. It gets stuffed every time.  It's slow developing, unimaginative and embarrassing to watch. 

...Pain for a parent;  Indiana HC Tom Allen watched his son, Thomas get carted off the field after a season ending injury v. Michigan State.  Sigh.  A hug from Dad

...This just in; USC's offensive line stinks; 

...When the one win guys don't want you back, it's bad;  While reading the Michigan message boards over the weekend it's clear that even the fans of the 1-3 Wolverines don't want former OL Coach Tim Drevno back.  Drevno is currently USC's OL coach. Sigh. 

...Intellectual without the brutality;  Stanford has lost their identity.  They can't run the ball anymore. Seeing that they threw the ball 56 times last Saturday is bad sign for The Farm.

Pac 12 Overreactions 

• Stanford will go 2-4.
• UCLA can beat USC this year.
• Colorado can win the Pac 12 South.
• Wazzu will be this year's almost team.
• Oregon will win the Pac 12 and won't get a sniff of the playoff. 
• Washington will go 3-3.
• Utah might play a game this season.
• USC's OL will get Kedon Slovis hurt.
• Cal won't play a home game the year.
• ASU won't play a game for the rest of the month.
• Oregon State will get all the bad calls this year. 
• Arizona now thinks they are better than really are. 

Ugly Uniform of the Week 

This week's winner is Boise State.  Their blue field is bad enough, but this all-orange uniform is pretty ugly. 

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Madison, SD- Valley City State University QB Jalen Pfeifer threw an eight-yard TD pass in the first quarter and a seven-yard TD pass in the second quarter to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead over the Dakota State Trojans.  The Vikings defense would make those scores hold up for a 14-6 victory. This North Star Athletic Conference game was a defensive struggle with the teams combining for just 18 first downs and 369 total yards. In fact, the Vikings came within one play of a shutout as the Trojans scored on the final play of the game.  No PAT was attempted as both teams decided to forgo the try for point.  That may have had to do with the fact it was 35 degrees, snowing and windy at the time.

Blowout Game of the Week:  Hastings, NE-  Arguably the most notable alum of Hastings University is former Nebraska HC legend Tom Osborne.  Osborne is not proud of his alma after after they were trounced, 65-0 by Dordt University.  The Dordt Defenders did very well defending their end zone v. the Broncos.  They allowed just eight eight first downs and 199 total yards on the afternoon. Meanwhile the Dordt offense found the end zone nine times with QB Noah Clayberg throwing for two TDs and rushing for a third.  Dordt rushed for 420 yards as team and 14 different players handled the ball for the Defenders  in this laugher.

Razorback Report: The week didn't start out well for Arkansas as their HC Sam Pittman was announced to  have tested positive for COVID and it got worse when he Hogs took the field at Florida.  The Gators passed and ran all over Arkansas in a 63-35 Gators rout.  Up next for the Razorbacks is a home game with suddenly beatable LSU.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

 Of course after the beautiful fall weather last week, the Santa Ana Winds returned this week.

Pandemic hobby; I've gotten into tracking my packages that come through FedEx to see what route the drivers have taken across the country.  

You just can't beat homemade biscuits and gravy. 

Until next time folks, remember that if you can't run the ball in short yardage, you really can't win a title.

-The Commissioner 

Week 10

 Hey All,

It is now time for the yet another edition of the column that makes your Tuesdays better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud

Summaries (Oh yes, there are summaries finally!)

USC 28- Arizona State 27- It was Pac 12 After Dawn as the Trojans took on the Sun Devils at 9:00 AM. The unusually early kickoff was accompanied by an unusually early November rainstorm and 20-30 MPH winds.  The storm passed and the winds died down as the sun broke through to shine down on the empty Coliseum.  The bright sunlight also shone down to expose a USC team that played without any real physicality on both sides of the ball.  With there minutes to play, the Men of Troy trailed, 27-14 with little chance to make a comeback. Four turnovers and three failed fourth down conversions by the Trojan offense were the byproducts of the ASU defense that gave up a ton of yards, but shutdown SC in the red zone. USC did manage to get up off the deck and make a miracle comeback thanks to some lucky bounces. With 2:52 left, SC QB Kedon Slovis threw a 26-yard pass into the Sun Devil end zone that was tipped by WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and grabbed by WR Bru McCoy to cut ASU's lead to 27-21.  SC then lined up for an onside kick. PK Parker Lewis' kick bounced perfectly and off an ASU player, It was recovered by McCoy.  McCoy told reporters in the post game press conference that SC hadn't practiced and onside kick and told him to line up on the outside and go after the ball, (Insert eye roll here).  Six plays later, Slovis threaded the needle to WR Drake London for a 21-yard TD strike to tie the game,  Lewis' PAT gave SC a 28-27 lead. Then, the USC defense held the Sun Devils for downs and the miracle comeback was complete. ASU was shell shocked. They shut SC down for 56 minutes and lost. In the victory, Slovis completed 40 of 55 passes for 381 yard and two TDs.  London grabbed eight of Slovis' passes for 125 yards and game-winning score. On the ASU stat chart, Daniels completed just 11 of 23 passes for  134 yards and a TD to go with  111 yards rushing. Frosh RB Deamonte Trayanum ran for 84 yards on 12 carries and two TDs. 

Telling Stat: The No-Hands team;  ASU lost their top receiver, Frank Darby early in the game and the inexperienced players that filled out the receiving corps dropped at least five balls and couldn't stretch the SC secondary. That led the USC hanging around long enough in the game to get a puncher's chance at the win. 

Washington State 38- Oregon State 28: Corvalis, OR- Wazzu came into this game missing RB Max Borghi due to injury and as we would find out later, a whole host of others for unspecified reasons (cough, cough, COVID) They also hadn't had a lot of practice time at all under new HC Nick Rolovich yet still managed to pull out the win over the Beavers last Saturday. The Cougars built up a 28-7 midway through the third period thanks to a pair of TD throws from QB Jayden de Laura to  WR Travell Harris, a five-yard TD scamper by de Laura and three-yard TD burst by RB Deon McIntosh. The Beavers then managed to mount a comeback over the final 18 minutes of the game.  They even closed to within three points of the Cougars, trailing 31-28 with just 2:39 to play.  However, their onside kick attempt failed and then on the very next play Harris went basically untouched through the Beaver defense 44 yards for the game clinching score.  OSU did mount one final attempt at a comeback, but their field goal attempt that would have cut Wazzu's had to seven points with :27 left sailed wide.  Wazzu took a knee to kill the clock and claim the victory on the next play.  Jayden de Laura completed 18 of 33 passes for 227 yards with 2 TDs to go along with his one on the ground to lead the Cougs offense.  OSU piled up some good stats in the loss.  QB Tristan Gebbia completed 34 of 48 passes for 329 yards and score while RB Jermar Jefferson toted the rock 21 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns. 

Telling Stat: They had a running game;  In a fact not witnessed in some time in a Wazzu game, their rushing attack led the way to victory. The Cougars rushed for 229 yards, which kept the Beavers defense guessing most of the night.

Colorado 48- UCLA 42: Bolder, CO- Nobody knew what kind of team would take the field for the Buffaloes on Saturday night.  Turns out the Buffs under new HC Karl Dorrell were an opportunistic one.  They took advantage of just about every mistake made by a bRuins squad that gave the ball away like door prizes at little league banquet.  The bRuins turned the ball over four times in the first half and the CU turned those gifts into a 35-14 halftime lead.  Frosh RB Jarek Broussard slashed through Chip Kelly's defense for three first half TDs.  QB Sam Noyer showed poise while running the CU offense. Noyer had played games on both side so the ball for CU, but had never played QB since high school. His legs and his arm kept UCLA off balance all night.  The bRuins did make quite game of it n the second half, ripping off 14 straight points to trail 35-28 with 10:10 left in the third period. However, that would be as close as the bRuins would get.  CU scored just enough down the stretch to keep the bRuins at bay while their defense picked up two huge fourth down stops.  The game did come down to an onside kick, but UCLA couldn't pull off the recovery and the Buffs took a couple of knees to hand Karl Dorrell his first win at CU, which just happened to come against his alma mater and former employer. For the Buffaloes, Broussard carried the ball 31 times for 187 yards and three TDs to lead all rushers while Noyer hit on 20 of 31 passes for 257 yards and a TD. He also ran for 64 yards on 13 carries and another score. For the turnover happy  bRuins, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 20 of 40 passes for 303 yards with four TDs and an interception. He also ran for 109 yards on nine carries with a another TD

Telling Stat: -4 = L;  UCLA's four turnovers cost them the game.

Oregon 35- Stanford 14: Eugene, OR- In the least competitive game on the Pac 12 slate, the Ducks ground out a win over the overmatched Cardinal.  The Cardinal came into this game as double digit underdogs and their slim chances of upset were reduced to none when starting QB Davis Mills was held out of the game due to COVID contact tracing.  Stanford did hang tough with the Quacks for a half.  The game was tied at 7-7 until UO QB Tyler Shough put his squad ahead for good with a 5-yard TD pass to TE DJ Johnson.  UO started the second half with two more TDs drives wrapped around one of Stanford PK Jet Toner's four missed field goals to give the Ducks a 28-7 lead. The fourth quarter saw the teams trade their final scores.  Slough led the Ducks offense with 227 yards and a score through the air to go with 85 on the ground and another TD.  Stanford RB Austin Jones was the offensive brought spot for the Cardinal, rushing for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Telling Stat: They did it the long way; Oregon's five TD drives covered 87, 96, 75. 80, and 83 yards.

Observations

...Hoosier state happiness; With the big wins by Notre Dame and Indiana on Saturday, Indiana, ND and Purdue are a combined 12-0. 

...Schedule change; Utah's visit to UCLA was changed from this Friday night to Saturday to give Utah an extra day to possibly reach the 53 minimum players needed to play a game.  Don't be surprised if this game is canceled. The state of Utah is a COVID hot mess right now. 

...This just in; Penn State stinks. The 0-3 Nittany Lions have to be one of the slowest teams ever. Speed is just an old Keanu Reeves flick in Happy Valley this year.

...As the COVID turns; The SEC's COVID news this week is that Auburn and Mississippi State have been postponed due to positive tests in Starkville. Arkansas HC Sam Pittman has tested positive for the virus and Alabama-LSU may be also be postponed because of a wave of positive tests at LSU.  

...Bears on the move; Cal is considering moving their practice and games to a new location to create a bubble so they can play games this season.

...Clash of the Titans; Undefeated Northwestern plays at undefeated Purdue this week. The winner has the inside track to the Big Ten West title. 

...Self-icing fail; VaTEch's attempt to ice the PK from Liberty cost them the game and helped Liberty stay undefeated.  The Hokies blocked and returned Liberty's game-wining field goal attempt for a TD only to have to have it called back because the Hokies called atimeout just before the snap.  On the next try, the field goal was good and the Hokies had lost, 38-35.  Ice-Ice-Loser

...Between Tuscaloosa and a hard place;  Texas A&M is 5-1 with their only loss being a pasting by Bama and they already beat SEC East frontrunner Florida. The Aggies could win out, go 9-1 and sit home watching the SEC title game between the Gators and the Crimson Tide.

...Sparty can play;  San Jose State hung in there for a win over SDSU and sits at 3-0 in the Mountain West.

...Out at 33; Colorado PK James Stefanou, the oldest player in college football at age 33, announced his retirement from the game. If he decides to comeback, I'm sure he'd fit right in as a redshirt freshman at BYU. 

...Snyder paying off;  New USC special teams coach Sean Snyder has improved the unit dramatically. The Trojans actually had 11 men on the field for every special teams play.  

...You didn't call it; If you tell me you knew Liberty, Coastal Carolina and BYU would all be undefeated right now, you're lying. 

...Not a good look;  The crowd at Notre Dame stormed the field after their double OT win over Clemson last Saturday. The field filled with ND students and players caused a lot of concern of COVOD spreading in the crowd.  The ND admin has now released a new set of protocols in the face of this potential super spreader event.  ND didn't beat the spread?

...Something's gotta give; Winless Penn State takes on winless Nebraska this week. 

...They need to be told; 8-0 BYU is great, but they aren't getting to the College Football Playoff. They're the rebound relationship of college football. 

...Announcing its' presence with authority; Pac 12 after dark returns with a vengeance this week as three of the six scheduled Pac 12 games start at 7:30 PM or later.  

...Just a rumor; UCLA RB Demetric Felton does not have a brother named DeEnglish Measure Felton.

...Memo to USC OC Graham Harrell;  Running the read option only works if your QB actually can run the ball.

...Fun stat;  With a 7-18 record, Chip Kelly is now just the second UCLA HC to have a record of 11 games under .500.  The first was Henry Trotter back in 1922 who went 2-13-1.  How far back was that really?  Well, UCLA was still, known as the Southern Branch of the University of California then and was seven years away from their first game ever v. USC.

...Shocking realization; I bet nobody thought that Clay Helton would last longer at SC than Jim Harbaugh would at Michigan.  

...Toner out of ink; I stole this headline from ESPN, but how else do you describe Stanford PK Jet Toner missing all four of his field goal attempts v. Oregon? O-fer

...Familiar feeling;  It was another SC win that felt like a loss. Only Clay Helton can take the fun out of winning. 

Pac 12 Overreactions

• USC is still sloppy enough to lose two games.
• Stanford will go 1-5.
• Oregon will win all their games with defense. 
• UCLA will go 2-4.
• Utah may never play a game this year.
• Colorado will go 3-3.
• Cal will play their home games in Fresno.
• Oregon State will go winless.
• Wazzu will ruin somebody's year.
• ASU will lose two games by a total of 4 points.
• Arizona will play a game this year.
• Washington will play a game this year.

Ugly Uniform of the Week That Thankfully Wasn't Worn

Indiana had announced a a few weeks back that these horrendous Camouflage uniforms were going to be worn v. Michigan this past weekend as a part of their "Salute to Service." 

The Hoosier athletic braintrust chose not to wear this ensemble, releasing a statement that they would be worn later in the year. I really think Hoosier fans saw this picture and bombarded the athletic department with a collective "NO!"  Another popular theory is that wearing their standard red home jerseys were just fine because Michigan's defense couldn't find them no matter what they were wearing.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Boca Raton, Fl- Lower division schools from the FCS to the NAIA usually fill this space, but the easy winner of this week's award are the Florida Atlantic Owls. They scored late to down the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 10-6. The game started thirty minutes late due to a weather delay and neither offense seemed to emerge from the delay. The game stood scoreless at the half. The offenses did generate some yardage in the third quarter which led to to a pair of field goals and a 3-3 tie to enter the final period. WKU looked like they salted the game away when PK Brayden Narverson made his second field goal, a 49-yarder, with 8:09 left to play. The Owls then woke up on the ensuing possession. They drove 75 yards in 12 plays with the game's only TD coming on an 11-yard scramble by QB Javion Posey. The FAU defense then stopped the Hilltoppers on their final drive to secure the win. 

Blowout Game of the Week: Hastings, NE- The Northwestern University (IA) Red Raiders were very rude guests as they broke the Hastings College Broncos, 62-10. QB Tyson Koomia completed 18 of 26 passes for 221 yards and three TDs to go along with 79 yards and another score on the ground in a little over two quarters worth of work. Nothing went right for Hastings as even when they stopped the Red Raiders once deep in their own territory, NU Punter Jaden Smith nailed a wind-aided 84-yard punt to flip the field. 

Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- Something good is starting to build on the hill.  The Razorbacks came back from a 13-0 deficit to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers.  The Hogs trailed 13-0 at the half. They then came out and put up 24 big third quarter points.  That was enough as the teams fought to a scoreless stalemate in the final period.  QB Felipe Franks completed 13 of 24 passes with three TDs to lead the Hogs Offense. The Hogs defense held Tennessee to just 292 total yards with only 107 yards coming through the air. Arkansas is now 3-3 in the SEC West and they have a big trip to Gainesville this week to take on the Florida Gators. 

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Found a Fun Size Milk Duds pack in the breadbox on Sunday that was left over form Halloween. Score!

The rare November thunderstorm on Saturday led to a beautiful windswept Sunday. A walk around the neighborhood was chilly, fun, and full of fall colors from fallen leaves and the decorations on the nearby homes. 

Even in this weird year, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. 

Until next week folks, remember that being 1-0 doesn't mean you're good.

-The Commissioner 

Week 9

 Hey All,

Here we go with the first Pacfiic Standard Time edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard for 2020. We still miss you, Tom Kelly.

Observations

...Four ways to a loss;  This one escaped me, but was brought to my attention by our field agent in Huntington Beach, CA. Back on the 10/24 Rice lost in 2 OT, 40-34 to Middle Tennessee State.  Rice had a chance to win in the first OT, but PK Collin Riccitelli missed the game-winning kick.  He didn't just miss the kick, he pulled off something maybe nobody has ever seen before.  His missed kick bounced off the uprights and crossbar four times before falling to the end zone turf. Doink to the 4th Power

...1 up, 2 gone; Wisconsin just announced that their game with Purdue is cancelled this week due to 27 active COVID cases in the program. The Badgers are one more cancellation away from being ineligible to compete for the Big Ten title. 

...The stark lens of hindsight;  Mississippi State's upset of LSU a few weeks ago sure doesn't mean much now.

...Quietly making noise; It's way early but, San Diego State and San Jose State are both 2-0.

...Media gives the bird; The Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina are 6-0, dominating the Sun Belt and are quickly becoming the media's darling for a New Year's Six game.   

...The stark lens of hindsight- Part II; Michigan's win over Minnesota has proved to be a false positive for the Wolverines and just the tip of the negative iceberg for Minnesota.

...And the big gun will be blue;  Nevada beat UNLV, 37-19 to go 2-0 on the season and take back the Fremont Cannon from the Rebels.  The 545 pound cannon is one of the largest rivalry trophies in college football.  

...Memo to Mississippi State;  You know, there's a reason why Wazzu let Mike Leach go.

...Pop Quiz; Name the Big Ten's four 2-0 teams.

...Gators, Tigers and a brawl, Oh my!; The Florida-Missouri game last week descended into a brawl that was incited by Florida HC and total jerk, Dan Mullen.  Following a late hit that wasn't called on his QB late on the second period, Mullen went running out to confront the lead official as the clock hit 0:00 to end the first half.  He then starting yelling at players form Mizzou as well. The Mizzou players started yelling back at him and then Florida players jumped in and a brawl commenced.  The game did go on after the halftime brawl and multiple ejections of players. Funny thing is, the guy who incited the brawl, Mullen wasn't ejected.  A tepid joint statement from the schools on how awful the fight was and is not acceptable behavior followed the game and the SEC made a similar one Monday with a couple extra suspensions announced and a $25,000 fine levied against Mullen. This link shows most of the fight and the tail end of Mullen being an idiot.  Mullen Started It

...Luck of the Irish;  Only Notre Dame could join a conference for the pandemic then have the QB of the one school blocking their path to getting to the College Football Playoff not take the field against them due to contracting COVID-19.

...They have a trophy;  Wyoming beat Hawaii, 31-7 last Friday. What also came with the win was the Paniolo Trophy.  Due to the cattle ranching in Hawaii, Hawaiian cowboys do exist. That led to the Paniolo Trophy being created as a traveling trophy between the two schools.  Oh and Paniolo in Hawaiian means cowboy. This old haole thinks this is pretty cool.

...Pop Quiz Answer; The Big Ten's four 2-0 teams are Ohio State, Indiana, Northwestern and Purdue.

... There is no D in Minnesota; The Golden Gophers have given up 94 points and 1,156 yards of offense in just two games. 

...One out of three is pathetic; The American Athletic Conference admitted to a costly error that led East Carolina's loss at Tulsa last week. There were also a couple of other key missed calls as well. Pirates Stranded in Tulsa

...Square wheels; Penn State' s plodding offense just emphasizes their lack of speed.  

Only One Path 

So, the Pac 12 starts play this week. That puts the Pac 12 behind the eight ball for even hoping to get a sniff of the College Football Playoff.  However, this intrepid reporter believes that there really is a way to get a Pac 12 team to the playoff. This way though only exists for one league member that fits the criteria that would make a playoff appearance this year possible. Here's the criteria:

1. Pac 12 team must be undefeated.

2. Prospect of facing an old rival that was dropped form this year's schedule due to COVID.

3. The old rival is also undefeated or a one-loss league champ with a national following.

4. The matchup of the two teams would draw incredible ratings as the teams face off in the most classic of college football venues in the semi-final.

Who is the only Pac 12 team that fits that criteria? USC.  Let's say USC goes undefeated in this shortened season, which is a huge stretch considering the Trojan HC Clay Helton can lose three games all by himself.  USC will not face ND this year due to COVID rescheduling.  ND also has a very good chance of being the  ACC champ.  So if SC and ND both become their conference champions, a CFP semi-final game at the Rose Bowl would be an epic rivalry matchup and TV ratings winner.  Can you see the hype to be generated with the Trojans facing their ancient rival for a shot to pay for it all? Oh and the game is held at the Rose Bowl, USC's second historical second home and where ND hasn't played a bowl game since 1925 where Knute Rockne's Four Horsemen defeated Pop Warner's Stanford squad that featured Ernie Nevers.  Could be a classic.  

Cool Uniform of the Week

Hawaii over the last couple years has rocked just about the coolest looking away uniform in college football.  The colors are a great combo and having the Hawaiian islands chain on the helmet makes it that much better.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Aberdeen, SD- Our friends in the NAIA provided this week's low score thriller.  Trailing 6-0 with just 5:00 left in regulation, the Waldorf University Warriors pulled off a dramatic comeback to earn a 13-6 road victory over the Presentation College Saints. With 4:19 left to play, Warrior RB Jatoviay Hill busted through the Saints defense and raced 67 yards for the tying score. The PAT failed and the game stood tied at 6-6. The Waldorf defense forced a Presentation punt on their next possession.  The punt was shanked and the Warriors started their game-winning drive on the Waldorf 40-yard line with 2:10 play.  The Warriors drove down the field and notched the winning score with :29 left. QB Tyler O'Hara threw four-yard TD strike to WR Sam Huntley.  O'Hara only completed 11 passes all game, but he completed all three of his passes on the game-winning drive. 

Blowout Game of the Week: Des Moines, IA- Continuing our NAIA theme, it was Senior Day at Grand View University and the seniors along with all the underclassmen had a great day in a 70-0 rout of the Graceland University.  The Grand View Vikings split their points up evenly with 35 in each half. The Vikings ruled up 423 rushing yards on the day with RBs DeVon Pressly and Tre Coleman combining for 259 yards on just 23 carries with five TDs. QB Johnny Sullivan only threw the ball 19 times, but completed 15 of those throws for 195 yards and three TDs.  

Razorback Report: College Station, TX-  The Hogs fought hard, but did not have enough in the tank to keep up with Texas A&M in a 42-31 loss that real wasn't as close as the score indicated.  Arkansas got a couple of late TDs after the game was well in hand for the Aggies. Up next for the Razorbacks is a home date with Tennessee.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Handed out candy to my next door neighbors' daughter and her pack of friends on Halloween. It was one of the most normal feeling things I've done in a long time. 

Rolo is another underrated candy treat.

The fact that winter will be here, or at least the Souther California version of it, hit me as we fell back to Pacific Standard Time.  That means there won't be a sunset here after 5 PM until January 10th. Sigh.

Until next week folks, remember that winning game ugly or pretty is still winning and it sure as hell beats losing. 

-The Commissioner