Week 4

Hey All,

It's time for the column that makes Tuesdays a little more fun, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

Arizona State 43- USC 22: The Trojans went into Tempe and faced high heat, a first quarter monsoon and an ASU team on a mission. The Sun Devils made USC pay for every mistake, while QB Brock Osweiler completed passes at will on the Trojan defense. Osweiler completed 25 of 32 passes for 223 yards and 2 TDs, while RB Cameron Marshall provided great balance to the Sun Devil offense by rushing for 141 yards on 25 carries with 3 TDs. The Trojans did look like they were gonna win this one when they overcame a 21-9 halftime deficit to take a 22-21 lead in the third quarter. However, the Trojans two-point conversion attempt failed after the go-ahead score. Nothing went right for USC after that point. ASU went on to outscore USC, 15-0 in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. In defeat, Trojan QB Matt Barkley threw for 227 yards, and a TD. However, he also threw two interceptions, and fumbled once. All of those turnovers had disastrous results. His first interception led to an ASU TD drive, while his fumble killed a Trojan drive into the ASU red zone. Then, his last interception was returned for ASU's game sealing TD. Meanwhile, USC 's defense didn't have a clue all night as to what ASU's offense was doing.

Telling Stat: Tunrovers Kill; The old adage came through again. USC's four turnovers, three of them in the Red Zone, cost them the game.

Oregon 56- Arizona 31: It was the LaMichael James show in Tucson Saturday night. He ran through, around, and past the Arizona defense for 288 yards on 23 carries and scored 2 TDs. The 288 yards are a new Oregon single-game record. Thrown in 2 TDs through the air from QB Darron Thomas and you can see what kind of rout this turned into. The Ducks held a 35-9 halftime lead and kept the pressure on until the clock ran out. As for the Wildcats, QB Nick Foles connected on 37 of 54 aerials for 398 yards and 3 TDs while RB Keola Antolin chipped in with 55 yards and a TD of his own.

Telling Stat: Lightning fast drives; UO's average scoring drive in this game took only 2:52 and covered 63 yards in just 7 plays.

Washington 31- California 23: This game was a see-saw affair that saw both offenses shine, but it was the Husky defense that came up big for the Dawgs up in Seattle. The Dawgs made a goal line stand, forcing an incompletion by CAL QB Zach Maynard on 4th down with under a minute to play to secure the win. As for the Husky offense, QB Keith Price completed 19 of 25 passes for 292 yards and 3 TDs, while RB Chris Polk lugged the leather 20 times for 60 yards and a TD. As for the Golden Bears, Maynard completed 23 of 43 for 349 yards and one score.

Telling Stat: 2+2=0; In the fourth quarter the Husky defense forced CAL to punt twice and then held for downs twice, shutting the Golden Bears out in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State 37- Colorado 17: Buckeye QB Braxton Miller only completed 5 of 13 passes for 83 yards, but two of those completions were for TDs as Thee OSU rolled the Buffs in Columbus. This wasn't a great game by either team, but Thee OSU just kept grinding on the mistake-prone Buffs until they just wore down. CU QB Tyler Hansen did throw for 238 yards and 2 TDs, but most of it came after the game was out of hand.

Telling Stat: Not nearly as close as it looked; CU's last TD and final 91-yards of the game came late in fourth quarter against Thee OSU's second stringers.

UCLA 27- Oregon State 19: Richard Brehaut was UCLA's QB of choice this week and he led his team to a 21-3 second quarter lead. He would then engineer UCLA's game sealing drive in the fourth quarter to hold off a furious OSU comeback attempt. Brehaut finished the game completing 7 of 11 passes for 146 yards and a TD, but he did set up the UCLA rushing game that ran for 211 yards on the Beavers. The Beavers woke up in this game when WR Jordan Poyer broke off an 85-yard punt return for a TD to close the gap to 21-10 just before halftime. The third quarter belonged to OSU as they got within two of UCLA, trailing only 21-19 as the fourth quarter started. However, the bRuin defense did come alive again in the fourth quarter. They shutout OSU in the final period and salted the game away when RB Anthony Barr crossed the double stripe from one yard out.

Telling Stat: I above Team; UCLA RB Derrick Coleman ran for 100 yards in this game. OSU as a team rushed for only 88 yards.

Notre Dame 15- Pittsburgh 12: After breaking their maiden last week against Michigan State, the Fighting Irish got their second win of the year over the Panthers at Heinz Field. ND held a 7-6 lead at half thanks to a 79-yard TD scamper by RB Jonas Gray and a defense that held Pitt to just two field goals. Pitt QB Tino Sunseri then put his Panthers ahead 12-7 when he hit Hubie Graham with a 3-yard TD pass. However, their two point conversion attempt failed, (sound familiar?), which opened the door for an ND comeback. Midway through the fourth quarter, Irish QB Tommy Rees led his squad on a 11 play, 85 yard drive to win the game. Rees capped the drive by throwing a 6-yard TD pass to Tyler Elfert. Then, he also connected with Elfert for a successful two-point conversion to put ND up by three points. The ND defense held off Pitt the rest of the way to ensure the win.

Telling Stat: Great when he had to be; ND QB Tommy Rees didn't have a great day, but on that final scoring drive, he completed all nine of his passes for 77 yards, the game-winning TD and the two-point conversion.

Observations

...Hawaii QB Bryant Moniz completed 30 of 40 passes for 424 yards and 7 TDs against FCS foe UC Davis. So, why am I talking about this? Well, because Moniz only played the first half. Yup, just the first half.

...The first axe has fallen. New Mexico fired HC Mike Locksley on Sunday. To say Locksley was an embattled coach is putting it lightly . His teams were just 2-26 over his two plus years at the helm and there were several embarrassing off the field incidents. Those incidents included Locksley being suspended a game for punching one of his assistants and a sexual harassment lawsuit. The last straw came Saturday when the Lobos lost in overtime to FCS powerhouse, Sam Houston State, 48-45.

...Note to Monte Kiffin; Ditch the Tampa-2 defense. It's useless against spread offenses.

...Those Tigers need to travel. Clemson has been great at home, but they need a big road win to really impress the rest of the country.

...Nobody in the nation has had a tougher schedule to start the season than Arizona. The Wildcats may be just 1-3, but their losses are to #5 Oklahoma State, #6 Stanford, and #9 Oregon.

...And then there were seven; There are seven winless teams left in the FBS. The only winless team left in a BCS conference is Oregon State out of the Pac 12. The other six are UAB (C-USA), New Mexico (MWC), Miami OH (WAC) along with Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, and Middle Tennessee who all come from the Sun Belt Conference.

...Just how do you screw up a call on a PAT? Well, the Big East did it and their error cost Toledo a win over Syracuse. It was a double error as the refs on the field and in the booth both called a PAT kick good that wasn't. The Big East apologized, but really what does that do for Toledo?

...10-27-2007; That was the last time Colorado won a road game. That day, they beat Texas Tech 31-26. The Buffs have dropped 19 straight road games since then. The Buffs latest road loss at Thee Ohio State led to this great nugget of wisdom from their HC John Embree, "We have a long way to go as a program." Great stuff there, John.

...Toledo- Part II; The NCAA told Toledo there was no way to vacate Syracuse's win over them due to a blown call by the refs. Funny, I've seen the NCAA vacate a lot of wins lately.

...Baby, things change; The Big East voted Temple off their island a decade ago. Now, the Big East is on the brink of collapse and is looking at inviting Temple back. What goes around...

...After four games, it is quite clear that USC has no great players on the defensive side of the ball.

...Couture, yet no consistency; The Maryland Terrapins are grabbing headlines for their crazy uniforms, but their team stinks. the Terps were smashed at home by Temple, 38-7 and are now 1-2 on the season.

...How does Oklahoma win and get jumped by LSU in the polls? The Sooners won! That's no reason to drop down. Only a loss should knock a team out of the number one spot.

...Jake who? The Husky doesn't seem to be missing Jake Locker much. The Dawgs are averaging 32 points per game with new QB Keith Price at the helm.

...Don't overlook Wazzu's trip to Boulder this week. Even though they already faced California, this is Colorado's first true Pac 12 game. It's a historic moment for CU and should be a really good game.

...Trap game alert! ASU faces winless Oregon State this week. The Sun Devils have to concentrate on this game and not look ahead to their trip to Utah in two weeks.

...Dallas and Fort Worth clash again this week. SMU will travel to TCU for a tilt that evokes memories of the old Southwest Conference. I wish Dandy Don was around for this game.

...What's the over/under for passes attempted in this week's Air Force-Navy game? I'm thinking single digits here.

Until next week folks, remember that the corner has to turn the play back into the middle of the field when defending the quick screen.

-The Commissioner

Week 3

Hey All,

It's time for the column that make Tuesdays worthwhile, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

USC 38- Syracuse 17: It was the Orange's first visit to the Coliseum since 1924, and like in 1924, the Trojans whipped the Orange. USC QB Matt Barkley completed 26 of 39 passes for 324 yards and 5 TD passes. The Serra connection of WRs Robert Woods and Marqise Lee combined to catch 10 of Barkley's passes for 145 yards and 2 TDs. As for the Trojan defense, they dominated the Orange all evening, giving up only one real scoring drive. Syracuse's first TD came on a trick play.

Telling Stat: Moving chains; USC completed 10 of 14 third down conversions in the win.

San Diego State 42- Washington State 24: The Aztecs scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to send the Cougars to their first loss of the season. Things were looking good for the Cougars, up 24-14 with 12:03 left in the third quarter. However, the Aztec defense shut down the Wazzu offense the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Wazzu defense never stopped Aztec RB Ronnie Hillman. Hillman lugged the leather 32 times for 191 yards and 4 TDs. SDSU QB Ryan Lindley aided the cause by completing 21 of 37 passes for 273 yards and 2 TDs. WSU QB Marshall Lobbestael hit on 20 of 42 passes for 368 yards and 3 TDs, but his two interceptions and a fumble in the last 7:36 of the game spelled doom for the Cougs.

Telling Stat: No Red Zone; Wazzu's two TD in this game came on TD passes of 80 and 78 yards.

Colorado 28- Colorado State 14: CU QB Tyler Hansen continued his hot play from last week by accounting for all four of the Buffaloes scores in their rivalry game victory. Hansen only threw for 215 yards, but he did throw 2 TD passes that covered 24 and 44 yards. He also had a pair of two-yard TD runs. That was all the Buffs would need as their defense held CSU to 243 total yards with just 67 of those coming on the ground.

Telling Stat: 7 for 50; After giving up an early 80 yard touchdown drive, the Colorado defense held CSU to just 163 yards and one TD in the final 55:00 of the game.

Texas 49- UCLA 20: There wasn't much that went right in this one for the bRuins. bRuin QB Kevin Prince was pulled after throwing three interceptions in his team's first four drives. That put UCLA in an early 21-0 hole that they never could dig out from. Texas used their running game to just punish UCLA. Freshman RB Malcolm Brown rushed 22 times for 110 yards and 2 TDs

to lead the way for a Longhorn ground game that as a team ran for 284 yards and 4 TDs on the bRuins. Texas hurt UCLA through the air too. Colt McCoy's younger brother Case completed 12 of 15 passes for 168 yards and 2 TDs. The Texas defense held UCLA to just 12 first downs came up with ll the big plays when they needed them.

Telling Stat: The chains stood still. UCLA only converted 3 of 13 third downs in this loss.

Oregon 56- Missouri State 7: A glorified scrimmage was held up in Eugene as the Ducks whipped the FCS also-ran Bears, 56-7. The Ducks ran up 681 yards of offense. QB Darron Thomas threw for 206 yards and 3 TDs , while RB LaMichael James ran for 204 yard and 3 TDs of his own. The Ducks led 35-7 at the half, then emptied the benches the rest of the way.

Telling Stat: Lots of Defense. UO's offense scored so quickly and so often, that Missouri State actually had the ball for nearly 40 minutes of possession time.

California 63- Presbyterian 12: The Golden Bears held the other glorified scrimmage in the Pac 12 this week. They easily smashed the Presbyterian Blue Hose at AT&T Park. QB Zach Maynard threw for 215 yards and 3 TDs, while RB Isi Sofele ran for 105 yards and 2 TDs to lead the plethora of Bears who handled the ball for CAL.

Telling Stat: CAL's first scoring drive covered 50 yards. Presbyterian gained 48 yards total for the game.

Utah 54- BYU 10: The game known as "The Holy War" was played for the 93rd time and it was a banner day for the Utes. Utah took out all their frustrations from last week's loss to USC on BYU. The Utes defense forced seven Cougar turnovers, scored two defensive TDs and smacked BYU QB Jake Heaps on almost every play. As for the offensive side of things, Utah RB John White IV sliced through the BYU defense for 174 yards rushing and 3 TDs, while QB Jordan Wynn threw for 239 yards a pair of touchdowns.

Telling Stat: No room to run; Utah held BYU to 11 yards rushing on 22 carries. That's a cool 0.5 yards per carry.

Stanford 37- Arizona 10: In the second ever Pac 12 game, Stanford chipped away relentlessly until they wore down. No big plays for SU QB Andrew Luck who dined and dunked the Wildcat defense to death. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 325 yards and 2 TDs. Stanford's running game came alive too. RB Stepfan Taylor carried the ball 22 times for 153 yards on the night. The SU defense shined by once again shutting down an opponent in the second half. In fact, UofA only crossed the 50-yard line twice in the second half. Stanford now owns the nation's longest win streak at 11 games.

Telling Stat: 239 < 51; UofA QB Nick Foles completed his first 17 passes en route to 239 yards passing, but he couldn't make up for the 51 yards rushing his team was held to by a stout Stanford defense.

Illinois 17- Arizona State 14: It was the Illini defense that carried the day in this one. Illinois blitzed, pressured, hurried, and harassed ASU QB Brock Osweiler all game long. He was sacked six times and threw a pair of interceptions. Meanwhile, Illini QB Nathan Scheelhasse did just enough to get the win. He only threw for 135 yards, but he did complete 11 of 15 passes and threw for the winning touchdown with 9:59 left in the game. It was a 16 yarder to WR A.J. Jenkins.

Telling Stat: No Run= No Pass; Illinois held ASU to just 106 yards rushing, that allowed the Illini to concentrate on stopping ASU's passing attack.

Nebraska 51- Washington 38: These two teams combined for 884 yards of offense and 89 points, but it was the Cornhuskers dominance in the third quarter that mattered. NU shutout the Dawgs, 17-0 in the third quarter and that put them ahead 37-20. It was a lead they would never relinquish. QB Keith Price had a great day in defeat for the Huskies, completing 21 of 37 tosses for 274 yards and 4 TDs. RB Chris Polk didn't have a bad day either, rushing for 130 yards and 1 TD of his own. However, NU QB Taylor Martinez threw for only 155 yards and 2 TDs, but also ran for 83 yards and a TD en route to the win. Martinez kept the Huskers offense moving well all day.

Telling Stat: Big D in Lincoln; In that third quarter, the Husker defense stopped UW twice on downs in the Red Zone to end long drives.

Notre Dame 31- Michigan State 13: The Fighting Irish only committed three turnovers this week, but forced two Spartan turnovers and got a big 89 yard kickoff return from George Atkinson III to help knock off the Spartans in South Bend. The Irish didn't roll up much offense, only gaining 275 total yards, but their defense did shutout MSU for the final 26:57 of the game to pick up the win. ND QB Tommy Rees completed 18 of 26 passes for 161 yards and 1 TD to guide his team onward to victory.

Telling Stat: No ground assault; Notre Dame held MSU to 29 yards rushing in the game.

Observations

...I guess the reports of Wazzu's ressurection are greatly exaggerated.

...I predicted what? Well, my first bad pick of the season occurred as my tout for going 0-12, UNLV, stepped up and smacked Hawaii, 40-20. Thanks a lot, Rebels.

...After midnight, they let it all hang out. The game was a late start to begin with, but the Oklahoma State-Tulsa game was delayed for over three hours after Tulsa's Chapman Stadium was cleared due to monsoon rains, lightning, and tornado warnings. The game kicked off just after midnight, which led referee Randy Smith to ask the team captains during the coin toss, "Are you guys ready to finally play some football?" Okie State won, 59-33 and the game finished at 3:35 AM.

...And then there were 12. There are 12 winless teams left in FBS football. Five of them are in the Sun Belt Conference. Only two of those teams come from BCS conferences. Those two are Oregon State out of the Pac 12 and Boston College from the ACC.

...He was where? With all the Pac 12 expansion stories flying hard and heavy again this week, I understand why Pac 12 Commissioner Larry Scott was in attendance at the UCLA-Texas game. It sure as heck wasn't due to UCLA's stellar play.

...This victory had a price. Stanford lost stud linebacker Shayne Skov for the season with a knee injury in the second quarter of their rout of Arizona.

...My new best bet to go 0-12 this season is Akron. That would be zip for the Zips.

...Expensive Real Estate; Presbyterian College was paid $400,000 to take a beating from CAL. The Blue Hose gained only 48 yards in the game, so each yard was worth $8,333.33 to Presbyterian's athletic fund.

...Okie State-Tulsa Part II: Who in the heck agreed to play that game at midnight after the delay?

...You know this season is a strange one when three of the biggest stories on Saturday were that Syracuse and Pitt are looking to jump to the ACC, Iowa State and Baylor are looking to join the Big East and that Oregon got an official letter of inquiry into their recruiting practices by the NCAA.

...The start of the college football season has now truly arrived. All eight Ivy League teams hit the field last week. Here's a little nod the schools of the Ancient Eight that started all this way back when.

...Hey, BYU! How's that decision to go independent treating you?

...After another injury to QB Kevin Prince, I hear UCLA is opening a shelter for battered quarterbacks.

...He said what? The biggest crowd reactions at the USC-Syracuse game were large choruses of Boos leveled by the USC fans at the referee who referred to USC as South Carolina, twice.

...A game of very expensive musical chairs; If the current theory holds that there will be four, 16 team power conferences, 56 teams will be left out in the cold. Oh, and that cold will be very cold. The money and power difference between the schools be about as wide as the difference between the Major Leagues and Single A baseball, and like the old saying goes, There ain't nothin' major about the minor leagues.

...Lose to Vanderbilt, lose your job. I believe ole Houston Nutt's days are numbered at Ole Miss. When you get slapped around by Vandy, they put 'For Sale' signs on your lawn.

Until next week folks, remember that you need to throw into the blitz to beat the blitz.

-The Commissioner

Week 2

Hey All,

It's time for that column that makes Tuesdays fun, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

USC 23- Utah 14: It was the first Pac 12 conference game and it had everything from an RB looking for a shot at redemption to a new team trying to prove that they belong, to a wild and crazy ending. USC RB Marc Tyler found a little redemption by lugging the leather 24 times for 113 yards and a TD. The new member Utah Utes played their tails off for four quarters while USC did everything they could to hand them the win down the stretch. Well, and as for that wild and crazy finish, it was just that. The fact remains though that USC's Matt Kalil blocked Utah's game-tying field goal attempt. The blocked kick was returned for a TD as time ran out by DB Torin Harris. USC is 1-0 in league play, sitting atop the Pac 12 Southern Division.

Telling Stat: 3 in 2; USC special teams have blocked three field goal attempts in the first two games of 2011.

Arizona State 37- Missouri 30: 1 OT: With 17 seconds left, Mizzou was lined up to try for a 48-yard game-winning field goal. Mizzou HC Gary Pinkel called time out. Then, he did it again. After these two timeouts, his PK Grant Ressel missed the kick. Yes, Pinkel had iced his own kicker. The game would go on to OT where ASU QB Brick Osweiler would hook up with WR Jamal Miles for an 11-yard TD pass. The ASU defense came out and held for downs to ensure the win. Osweiler completed 24 of 32 passes for 353 yards and 3 TDs for ASU.

Telling Stat: It was a flag festival. The two squads committed 23 penalties for 214 yards in this very sloppy affair.

California 36- Colorado 33: 1 OT: In this game that won't count in the Pac 12 standings, Cal survived Colorado's offensive explosion in Boulder. CU QB Tyler Hansen torched the Cal defense. He completed 28 of 49 passes for 474 yards an 3 TDs. The Buffs ran up 582 total yards for the day. CAL QB Zach Maynard hit on 18 of 35 passes for 243 yards and 4 TDs of his own. This game saw both schools just trade punches back and forth all afternoon. CAL's defense held CU to a field goal in the OT. Then, Zach Maynard brought CAL back from a personal foul penalty by hitting his half-brother, Keenan Allen with a 32-yard strike for a first and goal on the CU 3-yard line. Two plays later the half-brothrs hooked up again for the game winner from 5-yards out.

Telling Stat: They only got threes. CAL's defense held once for downs and forced CU to kick three field goals on The Buffs four drives into the CAL Red Zone. CU's TDs were all big plays.

Oregon 69- Nevada 20: UO got over their loss to LSU last week by crushing the Nevada Wolfpack, in Eugene. UO QB Darron Thomas threw for 295 yards and 6 TDs in three quarters work. The Ducks running game got involved too as six backs handled the ball for a team rushing total of 272 yards and 2 TDs. The Ducks took a 41-7 lead into the half and emptied the benches the rest of the way.

Telling Stat: They bent, but didn't break. UO's defense only allowed 20 points, but did give up 516 yards to Nevada.

Washington State 59- UNLV 7: The Cougars lit up the old home scoreboard for the second straight week in their crushing of the Runnin' Rebels. The Wazzu faithful forgot all about QB Jeff Tuel's injury as backup Marshall Lobbastael completed 24 of 32 passes for 361 yards and 5 TDs. The Cougars as a whole ran up 610 yards of total offense on the boys from The Strip. Meanwhile, the Cougar defense didn't let the Rebels cross the street. They held 'em to 9 first downs and 158 total yards. In fact, the Rebels only score came on a 95-yard kickoff return after the Cougs had just gone up, 59-0 with 5:29 left in the game.

Telling Stat: The Cougars attacked by air. Wazzu QBs combined to complete 76.3 % of their passes, (29 of 38), and threw for 7 TDs on UNLV.

Wisconsin 35- Oregon State 0: The Badgers physically pounded the Beavers for four quarters at Camp Randall Stadium. OSU was looking to rebound after an embarrassing loss to Sacramento State last week. That didn't happen. Wisconsin's O-line that averages 6-5, 322 all the way across just abused the Beavers front seven. Badger RB Montee Ball ran for 118 yards and 2 TDs, while QB Russell Wilson threw for the there TDs of his own. As for OSU, QB Sean Mannion hit on 25 of 38 passes for 244 yards in a losing effort.

Telling Stat: Think they miss 'Quizz Rodgers? Wisconsin held OSU to 23 yards rushing on 24 carries. That's a paltry 0.95 had per carry average.

Oklahoma State 37- Arizona 14: This game was a rematch of last season's Alamo Bowl where UofA was smashed by Okie State, 36-10. Well, not much seems to have changed as the Pokes smashed the Wildcats for the second time in less than a year. OSU QB Brandon Weeden tore apart the UofA defense by completing 42 of 53 passes for 397 yards and 2 TDs. Oh, and for good measure OSU RB Joseph Randle ran for 121 yards and 2 TDs. The Wildcats fell behind 14-0 before they could blink. They never dug out of that early hole. UofA QB Nick Foles did throw for 398 yards and a TD. However, most of those yards came after the game was already decided.

Telling Stat: He's in the books. OSU QB Brandon Weeden's completions (42), and attempts (53) are new Okie State single game records.

Stanford 44- Duke 14: With 2:14 left in the second quarter, the Blue Devils trailed the Cardinal 10-7. Duke's Lee Butler had just intercepted an Andrew Luck pass and returned it for a 76-yard touchdown. Duke had visions of upset in their eyes. Then, Andrew Luck calmly led the Cardinal to five TD drives in their next six possessions and this game was over. Luck finished the day with 290 yards and 4 TDs. On the defensive side, the Cardinal defense held Duke to just 30 yards rushing and just 3 for 16 on third down conversions.

Telling Stat: They couldn't move the chains. Half of Duke's drives ended up being three-and-outs.

UCLA 27- San Jose State 17: The Spartans gave the bRuins all they could handle for a little over three quarters before falling to UCLA. SJSU RB Brandon Rutley busted a 65-yard TD run that tied the game at 17 all with 4:30 to play in the third quarter. Then, the teams went on a turnover binge, committing four turnovers in four possessions. UCLA benefitted from the miscues and got a Kip Smith 20-yard field goal to take the lead with 7:31 to play. The bRuin faithful was then able to finally rest easy when RB Derrick Coleman scored on a 24-yard run with 3:35 left to ice the game. Coleman would finish with 135 yards on 14 carries and a TD in the win.

Telling Stat: Why didn't he play earlier? All of UCLA RB Derrick Coleman's carries and yards came in the second half.

Washington 40- Hawaii 32: Sporting new white helmets with red, white, and blue W's on the side, the Huskies started fast and then held on for the win in Seattle. QB Keith Price completed his first eight passes in a first quarter that saw the Dawgs take a 21-0 lead. He would complete 18 of 25 passes for 315 yards and 4 big TDs. The Warriors got off the deck behind the arm of QB Bryant Moniz who threw for 333 yards and RB Sterling Jackson who ran for 2 TDs. Hawaii did close to within a few points of the Huskies several times in the second half, but couldn't put a game winning drive together.

Telling Stat: Not so special teams; Hawaii had 2 PATs blocked, a failed two-point conversion and had one of their blocked kicks returned for a defensive extra point.

Michigan 35- Notre Dame 31: All looked good for the Fighting Irish. QB Tommy Rees had just thrown his second TD pass. One that gave ND a 24-7 lead with 2:13 left in the third quarter at The Big House. Then, the Denard Robinson show started in Ann Arbor. He led the Wolverines to four fourth quarter TD drives to pull off an amazing come from behind win. The final TD came with just :02 left not he clock as he hit WR Roy Roundtree with a 16-yard strike. Robinson finished the game 338 yards passing and 4 TDs. He also ran for 108 yards and 1 TD as well.

Telling Stat: In their final five drives of the game, Michigan scored four TDs and gained 322 yards on Notre Dame.

Observations

...They must want to bolt now. After smacking Arizona around, Oklahoma State must be just dying to join the Pac 12.

...1+1+47=Penalty. Cal has two players that wear #1 on their roster. WR Marvin Jones and DB Steve Williams. Both play on Cal's Punt Return team. So, Jones puts a vest on over his jersey that changes his number to 47 for each punt return. He did it on the field at CU and Cal got penalized for it. They lost one of their time outs in the second half because of his number change.

...That warm, fuzzy feeling; Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson must have the most safe and secure feeling when he drops back to pass behind his massive O-line.

...Break up this Cougs! After two games this season, the Wazzu offense has scored 123 points. The Wazzu offense scored 144 points total in 2009.

...You again? Washington will travel to play Nebraska this week. It's the third game between the two schools in 13 months.

...He did what? Watching Missouri HC Gary Pinkel ice his own kicker v. ASU was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

...The final outcome of the USC-Utah game has created havoc in Las Vegas. The point spread which had started out with USC being held as a 10 point favorite, dropped by kickoff to 8.5 points. All the sports books held 17-14 as the final score and paid out a lot of money to those who took Utah +8.5. Then, roughly two hours after the game, the Pac 12 gave USC their final TD back and the final score was now 23-14. Now, all the people who had USC -8.5 came running demanding their money. As of today, some of the sports books paid out both sides, while most have denied payouts on the the final score of 23-14. It's a mess.

...A reversal of fortune; In week one, BYU overcame a 13-0 deficit to beat Ole Miss, 14-13. Last week, the Cougars were up 13-0 on Texas only to fall 17-16.

...10= (0-2). Notre Dame has turned the ball over 10 times this season. Now, that is a big 10.

...Get well, coach! I want to take a moment to wish Minnesota HC Jerry Kill a speedy recovery after collapsing on the field with a seizure in the final minute of his team's game with New Mexico State.

...A cool streak; Michigan has beaten Notre Dame three years in a row on TDs scored with under a minute to play.

...And then there were 24. 24 teams out of the 120 FBS schools haven't won a game yet. That's not a bad number just two games into 2011.

...Million dollar bodies and 10 cent heads; If ASU could eliminate the bonehead penalties and mental mistakes, they'd be a top 10 team.

...I heard the Rose Bowl unveiled some new improvements to the stadium at the SJSU-UCLA game. Unfortunately, nobody saw them. Most of the fans there were dressed up as seats.

...UNLV has my early vote to go 0-12 this year.

...After reviewing my game tape, the Refs never took the final TD off the board in the USC-Utah game. All Referee Jack Folliard said on the field after the play was "Unsportsmanlike conduct on the USC bench. By rule, we'll decline that penalty. The game is over." The scoreboard operator caused the confusion by taking the score off the board.

...Staying classy; I think the most fun part of watching the Alabama-Penn State game was watching two schools with great tradition play a game where they didn't let Nike destroy their uniforms.

Until next week folks, remember to cash in your bet quickly after a final score is posted in Las Vegas.

-The Commissioner