Hey All,
It must be Tuesday. It's time for Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 50- Colorado 6: The Trojans set a couple records during their Buffalo hunt at the Coliseum. USC QB Matt Barkley completed 19 of 20 passes for 298 yards and six TDs on this day where he broke the Pac 12 career record for TD passes held by former USC QB Matt Leinart. It's interesting to note that on the very same play, WR Robert Woods broke the USC career record for receptions. As for the game itself, USC jumped out to an early 19-0 lead over the outclassed Buffaloes and never looked back in this rout. The Trojan defense forced six CU turnovers and snuffed out any serious scoring threats.
Telling Stat: Yards in chunks; USC faced only six third down conversion attempts all game. Three of those came in the fourth quarter after the game was well in hand.
Stanford 21- California 3: It was the 115th Big Game and the first one ever played in October. The deciding factor in this game was the ability to run the ball. Stanford did, and won. Cardinal RB Stepfan Taylor toted the rock 38 times for 189 yards and a TD as the major part of his team's 252 total rushing yards. Cal's offense wasn't so productive. The Golden Bears managed to gain a total of three yards on the ground. Cal QB Zach Maynard threw for 219 yards, but couldn't get the Golden Bears offense untracked. Meanwhile, SU QB Josh Nunes hit on 16 of 31 passes for 214 yards and a TD to compliment the Cardinal's strong running game.
Telling Stat: Nowhere to run; California racked up more penalties (5), than rushing yards (3), in this game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates.
Oregon 43- Arizona State 21: It was over early in Tempe as a raucous Sun Devil Stadium was put to sleep by Oregon's high-powered offense. After turning the ball over and falling behind 7-0 to start the game, The Ducks scored 43 points in a little over 17 minutes to dispel any notions of a an ASU upset. Duck RB Kenjon Barner amassed 143 yards rushing on just 16 carries and with three TDs, while his QB, Marcus Mariota, ran for 135yards and TD to go with 46 passing yards and another score. ASU managed to put up a pair of cosmetic fourth quarter scores long after Oregon emptied their benches.
Telling Stat: The D in the O; While the Oregon offense was lighting up the scoreboard during their 43 point run, the Duck defense held ASU to 90 total yards and three first downs.
Arizona 52- Washington 17: The always tough-at-home Huskies reverted to their road selves in this laugher at Tucson. The Wildcats scored 24 straight points after falling behind 3-0 to put this game away quickly. UofA QB Matt Scott completed 14 of 22 passes for 256 yards and 4 TDs, while RB Ka'Deem Carey gashed the Huskies for 172 yards rushing on 29 carries and a TD of his own. Also helping the Wildcat cause was WR Austin Hill who caught only two passes on the day, but both were for TDs. As for the Huskies, QB Keith Price completed 29 of 52 passes for 256 yards and one TD. UW RB Bishop Sankey had 87 yards rushing and one TD in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: A big five; Arizona took control of this game early by scoring on their first five possessions.
Oregon State 21- Utah 7: The Beavers looked sluggish against a Utah squad determined to upset them in Corvalis. However, a late fourth quarter penalty opened the door for OSU to put the game away. The game stood 14-7 Beavers with under 10 minutes to play when Utah CB Brian Blechen stopped OSU WR Kevin Cummings short of a first down, making a solid open field tackle. However, a late flag came in and Blechen was given a 15-yard penalty for helmet-to-helmet contact. The somewhat questionable call set OSU up with a first down on the Utah 26-yard line. Two plays later, Beaver RB Storm Woods knifed into the end zone from two yards out to put the game out of reach. Woods was the go-to-guy in this one, scoring all three Beaver TDs on short bursts of 1, 3, and 2 yards. As for the Utes, QB Travis Wilson threw for 172 yards and his team 's lone score.
Telling Stat: One long one; OSU's penalty-aided, game-sealing drive covered 67 yards. OSU's other 12 drives covered a total of 160 yards combined.
Notre Dame 17-BYU 14: The Fighting Irish almost got caught looking ahead to Oklahoma, but managed to pull out the a late win in South Bend. ND's running was what kept them in the game as the Irish piled up 270 yards on the ground against the Cougars. RBs Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood both rushed for over 100 yards to keep the chains moving for the ND offense. Still, they trailed 14-10 until the 12:52 mark of the fourth quarter when another RB, George Arkinson III crossed the double stripe from 2 yards out to put his team ahead to stay. The solid ND defense held BYU in check, shutting out the Cougars in the second half to secure the win. BYU QB Riley Nelson threw for 177 yards and 2 TDs in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: Grounded; Notre Dame kept to the ground in this one, only attempting 17 pases in the contest.
Observations
...They didn't know; Oklahoma crushed Kansas, 52-7. I guess Oklahoma wasn't informed of how Jayhawk HC Charlie Weis had the schematic advantage over them.
...Lets's check in on those WNBA playoffs; The ESPN crew at the Oregon-Arizona State game learned last week just how hard it is to call a game where garbage time starts with 11:33 left in the second quarter.
...Not a shock; Out of 120 FBS schools, Navy and Air Force are 1-2 in fewest yards penalized per game with both schools hovering around the 25 yards mark.
...Don't cry for me, West Virginia; You were told in this column last week that teams need defenses too.
...Beating the Christmas rush; Idaho fired HC Robb Akey last Sunday after his Vandals squad got humiliated by Louisiana Tech, 70-28. Idaho is off to a 1-7 start. Akey went 20-50 in his tenure in Moscow.
...They need more lightbulbs; Oregon just might blow out their scoreboard when they host Colorado this week.
...A good feeling; It hasn't been written in this blog for a long time, but USC's win over Colorado makes the Trojans bowl-eligible.
...And then there were two; With Eastern Michigan's 48-38 win over Army, only Southern Mississippi and Massachusetts remain winless in the FBS.
...A last hurrah; This is the WAC's last season as a football conference. The last WAC football champion will most likely be decided when Utah State travels to Louisiana Tech on 10/17. I will miss the WAC. The old WAC that is. The old WAC where 62-55 games were being played long before anyone ran an up-tempo offense. That was a fun league.
...A postseason that doesn't involve Coach K; By coming back to beat North Carolina, 33-30, the Duke Blue Devils are bowl-eligible. Duke hasn't been to a bowl since the 1994 season. Duke hasn't won a bowl game since they beat Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl, 7-6.
...Sins of Cam's father; Auburn is 1-6 and coming off a 17-14 loss to Vanderbilt. Auburn HC Gene Chizik must be wondering if there are any more Newtons for sale.
...Ancient eight news; Princeton scored 29 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 39-34 win over Harvard. The win snapped Harvard's 14-game winning streak. The Tigers now have the inside track to the Ivy League title. Three cheers for old Nassau.
...Just the big boys; This looks like the first season in recent memory that a BCS-buster school from a Non-Automatic Qualifier Conference won't be in the mix for a BCS bowl. That'll teach Boise State not to lose to a Big Ten school.
...Buffaloed; Colorado wanted to use their game against USC in Los Angeles to showcase their program for recruiting purposes. Well, a lot kids should feel like they can play for CU now.
...Innocent wonder; Sitting in my seat at the Coliseum last week, I saw a little boy of about five or six emerge from old Tunnel 19 holding his mother's hand. He said, "Mom! what a big stadium! What a great stadium!" I know exactly how he feels.
And now, Three Notes About Nothing
I thought I'd be pretty stoked that my friend's team made it to the World Series, but I'm really just mad at my team instead.
I wish the city would actually repave all the lanes on a given street after they tear it up.
The weather here has just been weird lately. I'm tired of my air-conditioner and my heater coming on each day.
Until next week folks, remember that the new touchback rule only applies to kickoffs
-The Commissioner
