Hey all,
Here's your Tuesday dose of the Pac 12, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
USC 40 - Washington 17: The Trojans had lost two straight to the Huskies on the final play of the game. This year, the Trojans made sure it wasn't that close. The Trojan defense really led the charge in this game, holding the Huskies to just 244 total yards, and a meager 2 of 13 on third downs. The USC defense even registered a safety that broke the Huskies spirit in the second quarter. As for the Trojan offense, RB Curtis McNeal was the man with 148 yards on 18 carries and 1 big TD that came on a 79-yard scamper in the third quarter. USC QB Matt Barkley had an off day, but did complete 18 of 28 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. To cap it off for USC, the special teams wear great with a well executed fake punt, a kickoff return for a touchdown, and great kick coverage.
Telling Stat: Nowhere to run; The USC defense held UW star RB Chris Polk to 36 yards rushing, just one yard more than USC punter Kyle Negrete gained in the game.
California 23- Oregon State 6: The Golden Bears became bowl eligible and snapped a four-game losing streak to OSU with the win at AT&T Park. Cal RB Isi Sofele ran all over the Beavers, gaining 190 yards on 23 carries with a TD. Cal QB Zach Maynard overcame a shaky start to complete 13 of 19 passes for 128 yards and a TD. He also ran for another score. The Cal defense really controlled this game, holding the Beavers to just 27 yards rushing, and forced three turnovers. The Bear defense shutout OSU in the second half. Oh, and Cal managed to dominate this game despite racking up 15 penalties in the game. OSU QB Sean Mannion grew for 247 yards in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: Not as close as it seems; Cal had three TDs negated due to penalties. The score of this one could have been much more lopsided.
Colorado 48- Arizona 29: The Buffaloes got their first official Pac 12 win on a very windy day in Boulder. How windy? Try sustained 45 MPH winds with gusts up to 71 MPH during the game. That didn't stop both squads from throwing the ball though. CU QB Tyler Hansen completed 16 of 26 passes for 213 yards and a pair of TDs, while UofA QB Nick Foles completed 33 of 53 passes for 352 yards and 1 TD. However, this game was won on the ground as CU RB Rodney Stewart carried the ball 24 times for 181 yards and 3 TDs. The CU defense held the Wildcats to just 60 yards rushing total as a team and forced 4 turnovers make the victory possible.
Telling Stat: Wind-aided offenses; CU and UofA combined for 912 yards of offense and 50 first downs while running off 162 total plays.
Utah 31- UCLA 3: Up in Salt Lake City there was plenty of white stuff on the ground, a guy named White in the Utah backfield, and in the end, it was UCLA waving the white flag after being smacked around by the Utes. Utah RB John White IV gashed the bRuin defense for 167 yards rushing on 33 carries and 2 TDs. He also caught a TD pass to aid the Utah cause. As for UCLA, QB Kevin Prince was contained by the Ute defense all day and threw a pick-six that sealed the game for Utah midway through the fourth quarter. With the win, the Utes have climbed bad into the Pac 12 South race.
Telling Stat: Off to a bad start; UCLA punted four times, made one field goal and missed another in their six first half drives.
Washington State 37- Arizona State 27: The story wasn't the mix of rain and snow in the cold Pullman night. The story of this game was the freshman that lit up the Sun Devils. Freshman WSU QB Connor Halliday completed 27 of 36 passes for 494 yards and 4 TDs without an interception to lead Wazzu to victory. His favorite target was WR Marquess Wilson who caught eight passes for 223 yards and three TDs. Meanwhile, the Wazzu defense managed to keep the potent ASU offense corralled just enough for the win despite ASU having prime starting field position for most of the game due to Wazzu's lack of a healthy placekicker. As for ASU, QB Brock Osweiler completed 28 of 44 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown on the night.
Telling Stat: A grand fourth; Wazzu owned the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sun Devils 14-0 to get the win.
Oregon 53- Stanford 30: This was the big game of the year in the Pac 12. Heck, Even College Gameday showed up in Palo Alto for the first time ever, and the Cardinal self-destructed. They committed 5 turnovers, dropped numerous passes and just couldn't get used to Oregon's speed. The Ducks were in control of this game from the start. Despite converting on only 1 of 9 third downs, they still managed to put up 53 points on the Cardinal. UO RB LaMichael James ran for 146 yards and 3 TDs on the vaunted Cardinal defense. SU QB Andrew Luck threw for 256 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: Stats don't matter; SU held the edge over UO in almost every offensive category and lost by 23 points.
Observations
...A note for Nick; UofA QB Nick Foles needs to watch himself in these next two games, avoid injury and then concentrate on the combine.
...Road weary; ASU is a Jekyll and Hyde team. 5-0 at home, 1-4 on the road.
...And then there was one; New Mexico RB Demarcus Rogers crossed the double stripe from one-yard out with 1:15 left to give the Lobos their fist win of the year, a 21-14 decision over UNLV. That leaves just Florida Atlantic as the only winless team in the FBS.
...Pac 12 nightmare scenario; It is possible that UCLA could make it to the Pac 12 championship game with a 5-7 record. Thanks, NCAA.
...Bowling Teams; As of this week, there are 53 bowl eligible teams for this year's 70 bowl slots.
...Truly poor kicks; Boise State's missed field goals v. Nevada last year and TCU this year will end up costing the school over 20 million dollars in bowl money. Ouch.
...Head scratcher; Just how did Texas Tech beat Oklahoma this year? That has to be the strangest upset of the season.
...Waiting in the wings; If Arkansas can get by Missisippi State this week, they will get a shot at LSU with a possible National Title shot on the table. Wooo Pig!! Sooiiiee!!
...Throw for almost 500 yards, get a start; Wazzu QB Connor Halliday threw for 494 yards and 4 TDs coming off the bench v. ASUlast week. Now, he'll get to start v. Utah this week. Makes sense.
...Rivalry stat to consider; Cal has won 7 of their last 9 v. Stanford. It could be a tight battle for The Axe this week.
...Finishing strong; I think UofA Qb Nick Foles will torch the ASU secondary this week.
Looking around the BCS conference races...
ACC: Clemson and VaTech look to be headed for the conference title game. Clemson spanked VaTech earlier in the year at VaTech, 23-3.
Big 12: There's no title game here. Okie State control it's fate. They win out, they have a shot to play for it all.
Big East: It's Cincinnati in control here. The Bearcats need to win out to win the league. if they lose one, West Virginia will most likely claim the crown.
Big Ten: Michigan State and Penn State still ride atop the divisions, but a loss by each would throw the league into tie-breaker chaos.
Pac 12: Oregon is all but in as the host of the inaugural Pac 12 title tilt, but the South division is a mess. USC's ineligibility could mean a sub .500 team could play for the league title. What a mess.
SEC: A win by Georgia over Kentucky this week and the Bulldogs will be SEC East champs. A loss will give South Carolina the nod. If the Hogs beat Miss St. this week, their tilt at LSU will be for the SEC West title.
Until next week folks, remember that the key to a great Tampa 2 defensive scheme is athletic, quick linebackers.
-The Commissioner
