Hey all,
It's time for the column that makes Tuesdays more fun, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Stanford 27- UCLA 24: With a strong fourth quarter, the Cardinal overcame a great effort by UCLA to claim the 2012 Pac 12 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. UCLA looked to be in command of the game up, 24-17 as the fourth quarter got under way. The usually stingy Stanford defense couldn't contain bRuin RB Johnathan Franklin or QB Brett Hundley. The Stanford offense didn't look so hot either as their o-line couldn't stop UCLA's pass rush. Then, the Cardinal found their groove. SU tied the game on 63-yard 10 play drive that was capped off by 26-yard TD pass from QB Kevin Hogan to WR Drew Terrell. Then, after the Cardinal came up with a 25-yard drive that ended with PK Jordan Williamson connecting from 36 yards out to give Stanford a 27-24 lead. The Cardinal held on for the win after watching UCLA PK Ka'Imi Fairbairn's 52-yard field goal attempt that would have sent the game into overtime sail wide left. Franklin finished the game with 194 yards and two TDs in the loss for the bRuins.
Telling Stat: All but the scoreboard; UCLA beat Stanford in almost every statistical category in this game except for the final score.
Oregon State 77- Nicholls State 3: This game was originally scheduled to be played on September 1st in Corvalis, but was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac making it impossible for Nicholls State to travel that weekend. They should have stayed home all together as they were dismantled in what looked like nothing more than a light workout for the Beavers. OSU racked up 42 first downs and 683 total yards while scoring a school record 77 points. QB Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz combined to throw for 401 yards and five TDs, while WR Marcus Wheaton hauled in 12 receptions for 123 yards and a TD for OSU.
Telling Stat: 17; Sets of hands that is. 17 different Beavers handled the ball in the rout of this one win FCS school.
Observations
...A busted BCS; Come on, folks. We all know that Northern Illinois doesn't belong in the Orange Bowl. However, don't hate the Huskies for getting there. Hate the Big (L)East Conference for being just an epic failure of a league.
...A good one; Best line I read describing Wisconsin's 70-31 beatdown of Nebraska in the Big Ten title game, "They did everything to Nebraska except flatten the tires on the team bus."
...Fun Bowl Fact; Only two bowl games are not going to be televised by the ESPN/ABC juggernaut. They are the Sun Bowl (CBS) and the Cotton Bowl (FOX).
...Love for the big uglies; Watching the Alabama and Wisconsin offensive lines dominate in their respective championship games got this old O-lineman's heart all a flutter.
...They just weren't told; Evidently nobody told West Virginia that Kansas had the schematic advantage over them last week. Just how did the Mountaineers squeak by, 59-10?
...No love in Eugene; I wonder how Oregon fans feel watching Lache Seastrunk gashing defenses for big yards for Baylor in the Big XII knowing he'll most likely to go by the name Student Athlete A in the upcoming NCAA report of violations by the Ducks.
...Fun Bowl Fact; No team that lost its' conference championship game got an at large BCS bid.
..A small reprieve for the Trojan Family; Stanford's win over UCLA in the Pac XII title game kept all Trojans fans from suffering through the nightmare of watching both Notre Dame in the National Championship game and UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
...That explains it; A couple of years ago USC DC Monte Kiffin visited with Nebraska HC Bo Pellini on how to stop the run and spread offenses. No punch line here folks. This actually happened.
...Creampuffs all around; For the Big XII. there's no way you can have nine bowl-eligible teams in a ten team league without some really weak scheduling.
...Feeling Fayetteville; Arkansas has lured Wisconsin HC Bret Bielma away from Madison. They better get some more food for their training table because Bielma is gonna recruit some big kids.
...Fun Bowl Fact; 14 teams with 7-5 records got bowl bids this season.
...Note to Louisiana Tech AD Bruce Van De Velde; You are a WAC team, take any bowl you can get! With an Independence Bowl bid in hand, Van De Velde stalled in accepting that bid because he felt there were "other opportunities that we (La Tech) felt good about." The Independence Bowl organizers didn't care for this and filled their slot with Ohio University. Those other opportunities dried up and now La Tech is home for the holidays with a 9-3 record.
...No win situation; There are several bowl matchups that provide no-win scenarios for bigtime teams. The Florida State-Northern Illinois Orange Bowl matchup has to be the worst. If FSU wins big, it was expected. If the game is close or FSU gets upset, the 'Noles look bad in front of the whole nation.
...Bad Badgers; With an 8-5 overall record, the Wisconsin Badgers have the worst record of any Big Ten team to ever appear in the Grandaddy of Them All.
...Not feeling El Paso; The Tweets coming from some of USC's players make me think the 2012 Sun Bowl will go down in the same category as the 1992 freedom bowl and the 1998 Sun Bowl. Tha's just not good.
...Fun Bowl Fact; The Vanderbilt Commodores are going to their third bowl in the last five seasons.
...Always worth a look; The last regular season game of the FBS season is this Saturday as Army will take on Navy at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This game is special game. Yeah, the level of play isn't great at times. However, remember that playing football is the easiest thing these kids do all week. So tune in and enjoy a little of the spectacle this week.
One Final Note
Well folks, that brings me to the end of the blogs for this season. Just remember that football seasons don't always go the way we'd like, but it's the people you share the seasons with that always make the season fun with memories that last a lifetime. So, until 2013 rolls around I wish everyone a great holiday season!
-The Commissioner
