Hey All,
It must be Tuesday because here's another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 17- Utah State 14: The Trojan defense carried the day because they had to in this lackluster game at the Coliseum. They carried the day by shutting down explosive Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton limiting him to just 179 yards through the air and -15 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the USC offense still looks like it needs a GPS to find the endzone. RB Tre Madded remained an early season bright spot for USC by rushing for 93 yards and a TD. The rare sight of a USC TE catching a pass also occurred in the game when Xavier Grimble hauled in a 30-yard aerial form QB Cody Kessler for USC's other TD in the contest. The win makes the Trojans the most unimpressive 3-1 team in the nation.
Telling Stat: A doink = A W; Utah State PK Nick Diaz's first quarter, 37-yard field goal attempt banged off the right upright and that was the difference in the game.
Washington 56- Idaho State 0: It got late early at Husky Stadium as the Dawgs raced out to 42-0 halftime lead in this rout over the Bengals from the Big Sky Conference. QB Keith Price completed 16 of 21 passes for 213 yards and three TDs in the first half. He didn't play the second half and neither did most of the UW starters as it turned into everybody gets their letter day for the Huskies.
Telling Stat: Just 10; While the UW offense was running wild over the Bengals in the first half, the Husky defense held ISU to 10 total yards for the first 30 minutes.
Oregon State 34- San Diego State 30: Coming off last week's thrilling overtime win at Utah, the Beavers looked horrible for most of the game at SDSU. The Aztecs looked strong and held a 27-14 lead at the end of three quarters. Then the Beavers put together a great fourth quarter and escaped from Qualcomm Stadium with a victory. OSU QB Sean Mannnion got his team back in the game with two TD passes in the fourth quarter, but the real hero for the Beavers was CB Steve Nelson. He picked off SDSU QB Quinn Kaehler with 2:31 left to play and took it back 16 yards for the game-winning TD. Mannion finished the game hitting on 38 of 55 passes for 367 yards and 3 TDs, while Kaehler finished with 251 yards through the air, 2 TDs, and two big interceptions for the Aztecs.
Telling Stat: Good when they had to be; Over the last 9:45 of the game. the OSU defense held SDSU to nine total yards of offense and picked off two passes, returning the second one of those passes for the game-winning TD.
Stanford 42- Arizona State 28: When you look at the final score of this game, it looks like it was a pretty good battle up on The Farm. It wasn't. Stanford slapped ASU around for the first three quarters before the Sun Devils got up off the deck and made the game look like it was competitive in the final period. The Cardinal built up a 29-0 halftime lead behind 2 TD passes from QB Kevin Hogan, a pair of TD runs from RBs Anthony Wilkerson and Tyler Gaffney and a safety off a botched punt. ASU did manage to make some noise on the fourth quarter scoring 21 straight points before Stanford capped off the scoing for the day with a final field goal. RB Tyler Gaffney led all rushers with 87 yards on 18 carries and two TDs. ASU QB Taylor Kelly completed 30 of 55 tosses for 367 yards, 3 TDs and 2 picks.
Telling Stat: 30 minute defense; Stanford set the tone for the game early by holding ASU to 84 total yards and just 5 first downs while forcing one turnover and blocking a punt in a dominating first half defensive display.
Utah 20- BYU 13: They Call it the Holy War when these two get together and for the fourth straight year the Utes won the Holy War. The Utes built up a 13-0 halftime lead behind a strong effort from the Utah defense, two field goals from PK Andy Phillips and a 1-yard TD pass from QB Travis Wilson to WR Anthony Denham. BYU did rally in the second half, but CB Michael Walker sealed the game for the Utes when he picked off a pass from Cougar QB Taysom Hill on his own 17-yard line with 1:37 to play. Wilson finished with 273 yards passing and threw for both of Utah's TDs in the victory, Hill finished with 260 yards and one big interception for the Cougars.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill; BYU beat Utah in almost every statistical category except for one. BYU's 1-0 loss of the turnover battle cost the Cougars the game.
Washington State 42- Idaho 0; The Cougars came out and got a good workout in for the first half then cruised the rest of the way in this laugher in the Palouse. QB Connor Halliday led the Cougar attack completing 31 of 43 tosses for 346 yards and 4 TDs, torching the hapless Vandal defense. Meanwhile, the WSU defense easily kept the Vandals form getting nowhere near the endzone.
Telling Stat: No Vandalism in Pullman; While the Cougar offense built a 28-0 first half lead, the Cougar defense easily stopped Idaho holding the Vandals to 78 total first half yards, forcing 5 punts and two turnovers in the process.
UCLA 59- New Mexico State 13: The bRuins turned the ball over on their first two drives of the game, then they got it together and smashed the Aggies at the Rose Bowl. bRuin QB Brett Hundley turned in another great day, completing 23 of 35 aerials for 280 yards and 3 TDs. RB Jordan James led the UCLA ground attack by rushing 19 times for 164 yards and a pair of scores. NMSU QB Andrew McDonald threw for 98 yard and a TD in the losing effort.
Tellling Stat: They whipped 'em with chains; UCLA racked up 39 first downs and 692 yards of offense on the hapless Aggies.
Notre Dame 17- Michigan State 13: Thanks largely to some huge pass interference calls and one big interception, the Fighting Irish managed to hold on for a tight win over the Spartans. In fact, all three ND scoring drives in the game were aided by timely penalties against the MSU. Neither team lit up the stat sheet in this one as the two squads combined for just 474 total yards of offense. ND QB Tommy Rees completed only 14 of 34 passes for 142 yards and a TD on the afternoon.
Telling Stat: 18 flags over South Bend; The refs got a lot of face time in this snoozer flagging the two squads 18 total times for 201 yards.
Observations
...Clawless cats; If Kansas State hadn't played so incredibly ineptly down the stretch, Texas HC Mack Brown would be known as Former Texas HC Mack Brown today.
...A stark Trojan reality; An SC team with a good defense and no offense to speak of just screams Hackett era to me.
...Cardinal over Crimson; Stanford could easily hang with and most likely beat Alabama.
...State of Washington 98- State of Idaho 0; UW and Wazzu easily crushed their foes from Idaho and Idaho State this weekend.
...This week's sign of the coming NCAA apocalypse; Active Players from different schools are now banding together to voice their frustrations with the NCAA. Players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Northwestern took the field with APU written on parts of their uniforms. APU stands for All Players United. The players have a list of items that they are protesting that range from better concussion protocols to player compensation. It's looking like the NCAA is a dead organization walking.
...10-20 1/2; Oregon State beat San Diego State this past weekend despite running the ball 20 times for just 10 total rushing yards. That's a nifty 1/2 yard per arry average.
...Aggies go 0 for 2; USC and UCLA both beat teams that claim Aggies as their mascot last Saturday. Oh, and no, I haven't researched if USC and UCLA playing schools with the same mascot has happened before.
...Bookends in Pullman; Wazzu's 42-0 shutout of Idaho over the weekend was their first since 2003 when the Cougars shutout, (yup, you guessed it,) Idaho 25-0.
...How time goes by; Got to feel old twice while watching highlights of the New Mexico State- UCLA game. First time happened when I realized, New Mexico State QB Andrew McDonald is former Trojan QB Paul McDonald's youngest son. and then the second time happened when I saw Rick Neuheisel's son Jerry play QB in mop-up duty for the bRuins. Sigh.
...The last of the guests have arrived; The ancient eight teams of the Ivy League began their seasons last Saturday. So from Roar Lions, Roar to Old Nassau to Bulldog, Bulldog, Bow Wow Wow here's a small shoutout to the league that started this madness.
...A grounded Navy with no air support; The Naval Academy leads the nation in rushing yards per game with 398.0. while they rank 110th out of 123 teams in passing with a 154.0 yards per game through the air.
...The Trojan offense is really bad; How bad is it? The leading scorer on the team is PK Andre Heidari with 23 big points. Meanwhile Oregon's DeAnthony Thomas leads the Ducks with 36 points scored and he's played basically one half in each Oregon game.
...Seriously, dude, you're just a kicker; SJSU attempted an onside kick late in their 43-24 loss at Minnesota. The kicker, Harrison Waid didn't like the way he was knocked down on the play and got up swinging. He was called for a flagrant personal foul and ejected. It had to have happened before, but I can't remember the last time a kicker was ejected from a game.
...A noble gesture for their fallen teammate; UCLA honored recently deceased teammate Nick Pasquale by lining up for their first play v. New Mexico State last Saturday with only 10 men. The missing man form the formation was where Pasquale would have lined up at wideout.
...A major thought; What ever happened to Major Ogilvie? He was the fullback on the 1978 Alabama squad that USC beat in Birmingham, 24-14. I thought he had a great name when I was a kid. It ranks right up there with the name of Bama's QB at the time Steadman Shealy.
...Quietly making noise; Minnesota and Texas Tech are both 4-0.
...And then there were 13; There are currently 13 teams left in the FBS that are winless. They are Georgia State, SDSU, Hawaii, Western Michigan, Miami (OH), Massachusetts, Southern Mississippi, Idaho, New Mexico State, Iowa State, Connecticut, South Florida, and Temple.
...Another WTF moment for the NCAA; The powers that be at the bastion of hypocrisy known as the NCAA have decided to start handing scholarships back to Penn State. The NCAA says they are pleased with Penn State's progress in restoring the integrity to their athletics program. So, when does USC get some scholies back? Oh wait, never mind, the USC administration doesn't have the guts to fight back.
And now, this week's Three Notes About Nothing
A's Burgers rocks.
I'm totally looking forward to the season premiers of Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory this week.
I think I'm sinkin' down. Found a street named Carmelita last weekend.
Until next time folks, remember what Arizona State learned this last Saturday. They learned that everyone has a gameplan going into a fight until they get punched in the face.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Week 3, 2013
Hey All,
Here's the column that makes Tuesday a little bit better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 35- Boston College 7: The Trojans bounced back after being embarrassed at home last week by running over the outmanned BC Eagles. Cody Kessler showed what he can do when he's actually allowed to throw the ball downfield by completing 15 of 17 passes for 237 yards and a pair of scores. RBs Tre Madden and Justin Davis are becoming quite a 1-2 punch for SC. They combined for 198 yards on the ground and a pair of scores. Meanwhile, the Trojan defense shutdown the Eagles to the tune of allowing just 184 yards and 12 first downs for the afternoon.
Telling Stat: BC + D= W; The USC offense controlled the ball for 13 minutes more than Boston College, while the USC defense kept the Eagles offense grounded to get the win.
Stanford 34- Army 20: The Cardinal survived the noon eastern start time to grind out a win over the Black Knights of the Hudson. SU QB Kevin Hogan hit on 11 of 18 throws for 188 yards and three TDs. The Cardinal ground game was led by RB Tyler Gaffney who promenaded with the pigskin 20 times for 132 yards and one TD. On the other side of the ball, the Stanford defense took total control of the game in the second half, allowing just a cosmetic TD with :17 to play.
Telling Stat: B+E+D = W; I added D to Stanford's winning equation this week because not only did Stanford stay balanced (205 yards passing/ 203 yards rushing) and efficient (6 of 11 on third down), they were only penalized once, while Army was flagged twice. You get a D for discipline when you get flagged less than an academy team.
Washington 34- Illinois 24: The Huskies built up a 21 point lead through three quarters, then managed to hold off a late charge by the Illini for the victory. RB Bishop Sankey had a career high 208 yards rushing on 35 carries while QB Keith Price completed 28 of 35 passes for 342 yards and 2 TDs to lead the attack for the Dawgs. For the Illini QB Nathan Scheelhaase was the man, throwing for one TD and running for another to keep his squad in the game.
Telling Stat: Shouldn't have been close; Washington gained 300 more yards and 13 more first downs than Illiniois, but the Dawgs also were flagged 12 times for 104 yards and committed two turnovers which kept the Illini in the contest.
UCLA 38- Nebraska 21: Dealing with the death of a teammate and an early start time, the bRuins got off to a slow start. However after falling behind, 21-3 UCLA stormed back, scoring 38 unanswered points to shuck the Huskers. bRuin QB Brett Hundley had another good game, throwing for 294 yards and three TDs, while RB Jordan James led the UCLA ground assault with 105 yards and a TD on 22 carries. As for the Big Red, QB Taylor Martinez hit on 21 of 35 tosses for 203 yards and 3 TDs in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: bRuin shutdown; After giving up 185 yards and three TDs in the first 19:48 of the game, the UCLA defense shutdown Nebraska the rest of the way giving up only 152 yards and zero points over the last 40:12.
Arizona State 32- Wisconsin 30: So, lets see here. ASU RB Marion Grice crosses the double stripe four times and QB Taylor Kelly throws for 352 yards. Meanwhile, Badger RB Melvin Gordon racks up 193 yards and two TDs on just 15 carries, and nobody cares. The only thing anyone is talking about with regards to this game is how the refs got put in a strange situation and botched the end of the game. I'll talk about it further down in this blog, but remember that before the bizarre finish, this was one really good back-and-forth game.
Telling Stat: They ran out their clock; The refs let the clock run out on Wisconsin.
Arizona 38- UTSA 13: The Wildcats continued their early season cupcake feast with a win over BCS newbie, the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners. UofA QB B.J. Denker completed 14 of 21 passes for 158 yards and one TD, while rushing for 90 yards and two more scores to lead the Wildcat attack. Wildcat RB Ka'Deem Carey had a good night, leading all rushers with 128 yards on 27 carries and two TDs of his own. UTSA QB Eric Soza threw for 277 yards and an interception in a losing cause.
Telling Stat: A quiet second half; Up 24-6 at the half, UofA used RB Ka'Deem Carey to run clock. 16 of Carey's 27 rushes came in the second half.
Oregon 59- Tennessee 14: The Volunteers came to Autzen Stadium with the idea of stopping Duck QB Marcus Mariota from running all over them. Mariota just threw all over them instead. Mariota torched the Volunteer secondary completing 23 of 33 passes for 456 yards and four TDs. The rest of the offense was pretty good too. UO ran up 687 yards on the hapless Vols. As for Tennesee's offense, they had a bookend kind of game. It looked good with a TD to start the game and one to end the game with nothing in between.
Telling Stat: It could have been worse; Oregon called off the dogs up 59-7 at the end of the third quarter. The Ducks could have had 700 yards and 70 points.
Fresno State- Colorado PPD: Due to torrential rains hitting the Boulder area, the Colorado- Fresno State game was postponed. The flooding from the torrential rains was so bad that most of Boulder was evacuated and many residents had to be moved out of flood damaged homes. No makeup date has been scheduled.
Oregon State 51- Utah 48 OT: While, everyone was watching the ASU-Wisconsin game, the best game of the weekend was going on in Utah. Everyone also missed OSU QB Sean Mannion's clutch play down the stretch. He converted two fourth downs late and threw the game-winning TD pass in overtime. For the game, Mannion completed 27 of 44 passes for 443 yards and five TDs. Just as impressive on the other side of the ball was Utah QB Tyler Wilson. He threw for 279 yards and 2 TDs while running 13 times for 142 yards and three more TDs. Even though there wasn't much defense in the game, the Beaver defense did make the stop of the game when they held Utah to a field goal in overtime.
Telling Stat: 2 guys did the damage; Of the 1,030 yards and 99 points racked up by the two teams, the two QBs accounted for 852 total yards and 60 points.
Washington State 48- Southern Utah 10: The Cougars didn't suffer any hangover off their upset of USC and whipped the Thunderbirds up in Pullman. Wazzu QB Connor Halliday connected on 32 of 41 passes for 383 yards and five TDs. The Cougar defense picked off three SUU passes and held the Thunderbirds in check the whole game.
Telling Stat: 0 for 40:55; After giving up a TD with 10:55 in the second quarter, Wazzu shut Southern Utah out the rest of the way in this laugher.
Ohio State 52- California 34: Braxton who? The Buckeyes didn't miss injured QB Braxton Miller as they raced to an early 21-0 lead en route to a win over the Golden Bears. QB Kenny Guiton filled in well for Miller, connecting on 21 of 32 aerials for 276 yards and four TDs. RB Jordan Hall led the ground game for the boys from Columbus, toting the rock 30 times for 168 yards and three TDs. For Cal, QB Jeff Goff threw for 371 yards and three TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: Just too deep of a hole to crawl out of; After falling behind 21-0 in the first six minutes of the game, Cal outscored Thee OSU 34-31 the rest of the way, but they couldn't get back in the game.
Notre Dame 31- Purdue 24: The Fighting Irish got two huge plays as part of a 21 point fourth quarter to earn a win over the Boilermakers. With the game knotted at 17-17, QB Timmy Rees found WR DaVaris Daniels and 82 yards later, the Irish were up 24-17. Then a little over a minute later, LB Bennett Jackson picked off Purdue QB Rob Henry and took it 34 yards to the house to put ND up 31-17. The Boilermakers did make a game of it, cutting the ND lead to just seven points when Henry hooked up WR Justin Sinz from nine yards out. However, Purdue would never threaten again and ND came away with the win. For ND, QB Tommy Rees threw for 309 yards and 2 TDs.
Telling Stat: A big 10; Notre Dame ran the last 7:22 to win the game on the back of RB Cam McDaniel. He carried the ball on 10 out of NDs 13 plays to end the game.
Observations
...He is the Crescent City; I know I mentioned it in the departments section, but how cool is it that Tulane's starting running back has a first name of Orleans?
...Looking like a second half team; UCLA is 2-0. In the second half of those two wins, the bRuins have outscored their opponents 72-7. That stat is Pete Carroll-esque in the halftime adjustment department.
...Feels like Cuban baseball; Stanford's style of play reminds me of the motto of the Cienfuegos Elephantes of the old, Pre-Castro, Cuban Baseball league. Their motto was: The pace of the elephant is slow, yet crushing. The Cardinal have crushed a lot of people lately.
...They just didn't know; Rice didn't get the memo that Kansas had the schematic advantage. Because if they did, they would realize that they couldn't have beaten Kansas 23-14 like they did on Saturday.
...Not my team but; I really would have liked for Oregon to put up 80 on Tennessee.
...Three up, Three down; Northwestern, Baylor, and Ole Miss are in the the AP top 25 poll. USC, Texas, and Nebraska aren't.
...Not my team but- Part II; I'm really glad Alabama beat Texas A&M.
...They won, but lost; Iowa came way with a 27-21 over Iowa State to claim the Cy-Hawk rivalry trophy on Saturday, but some of the players and coaches couldn't tell anybody about it. Nine Iowa players and coaches had their cellphones and cash stolen form the visitor's locker room.
...This just in; Oregon State QB Sean Mannion is really, really good.
...One tough coach; Minnesota HC Jerry Kill left at halftime of his squad's 29-12 win over Western Illinois due to an epileptic seizure. This was the fourth time in three seasons he's had a seizure during a game. Running a major college program is tough enough without having to do it while dealing with epilepsy. Kill is one tough guy.
...That'll make 'em feel good; Does anyone think it makes Wisconsin feel any better at all that the Pac 12 has reprimanded the refs that screwed up the end of the ASU- Wisconsin game? I don't think so.
...Bears over Quacks; The Ducks have run 216 offensive plays in three games. That's pretty impressive, but California has run the most in the nation at 284 offensive plays. That's a cool 93 plays per game. Wow.
Anatomy of an Epic Fail: The ASU-Wisconsin Finish
1. The Wisconsin QB's kneel down was pretty bad. If he had just fallen down, this whole thing would have been avoided.
2. In that situation, the refs have to be ready for a kneel down to put the ball in the middle of the field for a placekick.
3. Even with the way the ASU defensive line reacted to the ball on the ground, the umpire acted like an idiot. He took a long time to get the ball spotted and then he lingered over it for a few seconds. If he'd gotten out of the way two seconds sooner, the Badgers still would have killed the clock and gotten their field goal attempt.
4. There is no way it should take 18 seconds to spot the football and mark it for play. Even with all the uproar over the kneel down, it shouldn't have happened. The spread teams all get the ball marked for play in an average of six seconds. This was a joke.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I love the Mosh Pit Mac'n Cheese at Rock & Brews
I actually spent some time cleaning windows last week.
Sometimes you can get some really good cheap sunglasses.
Until next time folks remember that good things can happen when you let your Tight Ends catch passes.
-The Commissioner
Here's the column that makes Tuesday a little bit better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 35- Boston College 7: The Trojans bounced back after being embarrassed at home last week by running over the outmanned BC Eagles. Cody Kessler showed what he can do when he's actually allowed to throw the ball downfield by completing 15 of 17 passes for 237 yards and a pair of scores. RBs Tre Madden and Justin Davis are becoming quite a 1-2 punch for SC. They combined for 198 yards on the ground and a pair of scores. Meanwhile, the Trojan defense shutdown the Eagles to the tune of allowing just 184 yards and 12 first downs for the afternoon.
Telling Stat: BC + D= W; The USC offense controlled the ball for 13 minutes more than Boston College, while the USC defense kept the Eagles offense grounded to get the win.
Stanford 34- Army 20: The Cardinal survived the noon eastern start time to grind out a win over the Black Knights of the Hudson. SU QB Kevin Hogan hit on 11 of 18 throws for 188 yards and three TDs. The Cardinal ground game was led by RB Tyler Gaffney who promenaded with the pigskin 20 times for 132 yards and one TD. On the other side of the ball, the Stanford defense took total control of the game in the second half, allowing just a cosmetic TD with :17 to play.
Telling Stat: B+E+D = W; I added D to Stanford's winning equation this week because not only did Stanford stay balanced (205 yards passing/ 203 yards rushing) and efficient (6 of 11 on third down), they were only penalized once, while Army was flagged twice. You get a D for discipline when you get flagged less than an academy team.
Washington 34- Illinois 24: The Huskies built up a 21 point lead through three quarters, then managed to hold off a late charge by the Illini for the victory. RB Bishop Sankey had a career high 208 yards rushing on 35 carries while QB Keith Price completed 28 of 35 passes for 342 yards and 2 TDs to lead the attack for the Dawgs. For the Illini QB Nathan Scheelhaase was the man, throwing for one TD and running for another to keep his squad in the game.
Telling Stat: Shouldn't have been close; Washington gained 300 more yards and 13 more first downs than Illiniois, but the Dawgs also were flagged 12 times for 104 yards and committed two turnovers which kept the Illini in the contest.
UCLA 38- Nebraska 21: Dealing with the death of a teammate and an early start time, the bRuins got off to a slow start. However after falling behind, 21-3 UCLA stormed back, scoring 38 unanswered points to shuck the Huskers. bRuin QB Brett Hundley had another good game, throwing for 294 yards and three TDs, while RB Jordan James led the UCLA ground assault with 105 yards and a TD on 22 carries. As for the Big Red, QB Taylor Martinez hit on 21 of 35 tosses for 203 yards and 3 TDs in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: bRuin shutdown; After giving up 185 yards and three TDs in the first 19:48 of the game, the UCLA defense shutdown Nebraska the rest of the way giving up only 152 yards and zero points over the last 40:12.
Arizona State 32- Wisconsin 30: So, lets see here. ASU RB Marion Grice crosses the double stripe four times and QB Taylor Kelly throws for 352 yards. Meanwhile, Badger RB Melvin Gordon racks up 193 yards and two TDs on just 15 carries, and nobody cares. The only thing anyone is talking about with regards to this game is how the refs got put in a strange situation and botched the end of the game. I'll talk about it further down in this blog, but remember that before the bizarre finish, this was one really good back-and-forth game.
Telling Stat: They ran out their clock; The refs let the clock run out on Wisconsin.
Arizona 38- UTSA 13: The Wildcats continued their early season cupcake feast with a win over BCS newbie, the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners. UofA QB B.J. Denker completed 14 of 21 passes for 158 yards and one TD, while rushing for 90 yards and two more scores to lead the Wildcat attack. Wildcat RB Ka'Deem Carey had a good night, leading all rushers with 128 yards on 27 carries and two TDs of his own. UTSA QB Eric Soza threw for 277 yards and an interception in a losing cause.
Telling Stat: A quiet second half; Up 24-6 at the half, UofA used RB Ka'Deem Carey to run clock. 16 of Carey's 27 rushes came in the second half.
Oregon 59- Tennessee 14: The Volunteers came to Autzen Stadium with the idea of stopping Duck QB Marcus Mariota from running all over them. Mariota just threw all over them instead. Mariota torched the Volunteer secondary completing 23 of 33 passes for 456 yards and four TDs. The rest of the offense was pretty good too. UO ran up 687 yards on the hapless Vols. As for Tennesee's offense, they had a bookend kind of game. It looked good with a TD to start the game and one to end the game with nothing in between.
Telling Stat: It could have been worse; Oregon called off the dogs up 59-7 at the end of the third quarter. The Ducks could have had 700 yards and 70 points.
Fresno State- Colorado PPD: Due to torrential rains hitting the Boulder area, the Colorado- Fresno State game was postponed. The flooding from the torrential rains was so bad that most of Boulder was evacuated and many residents had to be moved out of flood damaged homes. No makeup date has been scheduled.
Oregon State 51- Utah 48 OT: While, everyone was watching the ASU-Wisconsin game, the best game of the weekend was going on in Utah. Everyone also missed OSU QB Sean Mannion's clutch play down the stretch. He converted two fourth downs late and threw the game-winning TD pass in overtime. For the game, Mannion completed 27 of 44 passes for 443 yards and five TDs. Just as impressive on the other side of the ball was Utah QB Tyler Wilson. He threw for 279 yards and 2 TDs while running 13 times for 142 yards and three more TDs. Even though there wasn't much defense in the game, the Beaver defense did make the stop of the game when they held Utah to a field goal in overtime.
Telling Stat: 2 guys did the damage; Of the 1,030 yards and 99 points racked up by the two teams, the two QBs accounted for 852 total yards and 60 points.
Washington State 48- Southern Utah 10: The Cougars didn't suffer any hangover off their upset of USC and whipped the Thunderbirds up in Pullman. Wazzu QB Connor Halliday connected on 32 of 41 passes for 383 yards and five TDs. The Cougar defense picked off three SUU passes and held the Thunderbirds in check the whole game.
Telling Stat: 0 for 40:55; After giving up a TD with 10:55 in the second quarter, Wazzu shut Southern Utah out the rest of the way in this laugher.
Ohio State 52- California 34: Braxton who? The Buckeyes didn't miss injured QB Braxton Miller as they raced to an early 21-0 lead en route to a win over the Golden Bears. QB Kenny Guiton filled in well for Miller, connecting on 21 of 32 aerials for 276 yards and four TDs. RB Jordan Hall led the ground game for the boys from Columbus, toting the rock 30 times for 168 yards and three TDs. For Cal, QB Jeff Goff threw for 371 yards and three TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: Just too deep of a hole to crawl out of; After falling behind 21-0 in the first six minutes of the game, Cal outscored Thee OSU 34-31 the rest of the way, but they couldn't get back in the game.
Notre Dame 31- Purdue 24: The Fighting Irish got two huge plays as part of a 21 point fourth quarter to earn a win over the Boilermakers. With the game knotted at 17-17, QB Timmy Rees found WR DaVaris Daniels and 82 yards later, the Irish were up 24-17. Then a little over a minute later, LB Bennett Jackson picked off Purdue QB Rob Henry and took it 34 yards to the house to put ND up 31-17. The Boilermakers did make a game of it, cutting the ND lead to just seven points when Henry hooked up WR Justin Sinz from nine yards out. However, Purdue would never threaten again and ND came away with the win. For ND, QB Tommy Rees threw for 309 yards and 2 TDs.
Telling Stat: A big 10; Notre Dame ran the last 7:22 to win the game on the back of RB Cam McDaniel. He carried the ball on 10 out of NDs 13 plays to end the game.
Observations
...He is the Crescent City; I know I mentioned it in the departments section, but how cool is it that Tulane's starting running back has a first name of Orleans?
...Looking like a second half team; UCLA is 2-0. In the second half of those two wins, the bRuins have outscored their opponents 72-7. That stat is Pete Carroll-esque in the halftime adjustment department.
...Feels like Cuban baseball; Stanford's style of play reminds me of the motto of the Cienfuegos Elephantes of the old, Pre-Castro, Cuban Baseball league. Their motto was: The pace of the elephant is slow, yet crushing. The Cardinal have crushed a lot of people lately.
...They just didn't know; Rice didn't get the memo that Kansas had the schematic advantage. Because if they did, they would realize that they couldn't have beaten Kansas 23-14 like they did on Saturday.
...Not my team but; I really would have liked for Oregon to put up 80 on Tennessee.
...Three up, Three down; Northwestern, Baylor, and Ole Miss are in the the AP top 25 poll. USC, Texas, and Nebraska aren't.
...Not my team but- Part II; I'm really glad Alabama beat Texas A&M.
...They won, but lost; Iowa came way with a 27-21 over Iowa State to claim the Cy-Hawk rivalry trophy on Saturday, but some of the players and coaches couldn't tell anybody about it. Nine Iowa players and coaches had their cellphones and cash stolen form the visitor's locker room.
...This just in; Oregon State QB Sean Mannion is really, really good.
...One tough coach; Minnesota HC Jerry Kill left at halftime of his squad's 29-12 win over Western Illinois due to an epileptic seizure. This was the fourth time in three seasons he's had a seizure during a game. Running a major college program is tough enough without having to do it while dealing with epilepsy. Kill is one tough guy.
...That'll make 'em feel good; Does anyone think it makes Wisconsin feel any better at all that the Pac 12 has reprimanded the refs that screwed up the end of the ASU- Wisconsin game? I don't think so.
...Bears over Quacks; The Ducks have run 216 offensive plays in three games. That's pretty impressive, but California has run the most in the nation at 284 offensive plays. That's a cool 93 plays per game. Wow.
Anatomy of an Epic Fail: The ASU-Wisconsin Finish
1. The Wisconsin QB's kneel down was pretty bad. If he had just fallen down, this whole thing would have been avoided.
2. In that situation, the refs have to be ready for a kneel down to put the ball in the middle of the field for a placekick.
3. Even with the way the ASU defensive line reacted to the ball on the ground, the umpire acted like an idiot. He took a long time to get the ball spotted and then he lingered over it for a few seconds. If he'd gotten out of the way two seconds sooner, the Badgers still would have killed the clock and gotten their field goal attempt.
4. There is no way it should take 18 seconds to spot the football and mark it for play. Even with all the uproar over the kneel down, it shouldn't have happened. The spread teams all get the ball marked for play in an average of six seconds. This was a joke.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I love the Mosh Pit Mac'n Cheese at Rock & Brews
I actually spent some time cleaning windows last week.
Sometimes you can get some really good cheap sunglasses.
Until next time folks remember that good things can happen when you let your Tight Ends catch passes.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Week 2 2013
Hey All,
It is Tuesday!!!!!! That means it's time for another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Washington State 10- USC 7: Well, just what do I say about this debacle of a game? Just what everyone knows by now. The defense played well. SC's offense was so bad that they couldn't even manage to cross the street with help from a boy scout and the game plan was a abysmal. That is all.
Tellling Stat: 56/54; Wazzu WR Kristoff Williams caught 6 passes for 56 yards v. USC. USC as a team completed 11 passes for 54 yards for the entire game.
Arizona 58- UNLV 13: Ka'Deem Carey came off suspension for his first game of the 2013 campaign and turned in a nifty 171 yards rushing to go with two TDs as the Wildcats trounced the Rebels in Sin City. Wildcat QB Brian Denker only threw for 81 yards on the night, but he didn't really have to throw. He ran 63 yards and a pair of scores. The Rebels were overmatched on both sides of the ball. UofA built up a 45-6 halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way for the win.
Telling Stat: in Vegas, three pair beat UNLV; In the first half UofA got pair of TD runs from QB Brian Denker, another pair of TD runs from RB Ka'Deem Karey, and a pair of interception returns for TDs to end this one early.
California 37- Portland State 30: Behind 485 yards passing and two TD tosses by freshman QB Jeff Goff, the Golden Bears earned their first win of the Sonny Dykes era. The game looked to be in doubt for the Golden Bears after Vikings QB Kieran McDonagh scored on a one-yard run to put PSU you up 30-27 with 11:01 to play in the third quarter. Then Goff and WR Richard Rodgers hooked up for a 75-yard TD strike to put CAL back ahead to stay. Kieran McDonagh threw for 308 yards and a TD in the loss for the Vikings.
Telling Stat: They finally shut 'em down. After giving up 30 points in a little over 35 minutes, the Golden Bear defense shutout Portland State over the final 25 minutes to secure the victory.
Oregon State 33- Hawaii 14: The Beavers used a strong second half to hold off Hawaii and earn their first victory of the season. With the score knotted 14-14 at the half, OSU came out and owned the second half, shutting out the Warriors, 19-0 to claim victory. QB Sean Mannion connected on 31 of 43 aerials for 372 yards and 4 TDs to lead the charge for OSU. Meanwhile the Beaver defense held Hawaii to 239 total yards and to just 1 for 11 on third down conversions.
Telling Stat: A six pack for the D; OSU's defense forced three punts, scored a safety, picked off a pass, and held of Hawaii as the clock ran out to shutout the Warriors on their six second half possessions.
Utah 70- Weber State 7: Travis Wilson, the pride of San Clemente High School, worked over the hapless Wildcats in Utah's biggest rout since they beat UTEP, 82-6 back in 1973. Wilson calmly completed 14 of 19 tosses for 264 yards and three TDs. He also ran the ball three times, yes just three times, for 93 yards and two additional TDs. Meanwhile, the Utah defense forced eight three-and-outs, and 12 Weber State punts on the afternoon while allowing only two drives to cross the 50-yard line in the contest.
Telling Stat: The 30 minute workout; Utah QB Travis Wilson did all his damage to Weber State in the first half. With game well in hand, he sat out the second half.
Oregon 59- Virginia 10: Another week, another blowout by the Ducks. Ho-hum. QB Marcus Mariota threw for 199 and 2 TDs while running for 122 yards on a scant four carries for another score. Meanwhile, RB De'Anthony Thomas played too. He lugged the leather 11 times for 124 yards and three TDs of his own. As for the Wahoos, QB David Watford racked up 161 yards passing but also threw three costly picks to hurt his team's cause.
Telling Stat: Quick Quacks; The Ducks got another fast start, building up a 21-7 first quarter lead, holding the ball for all of 3:12 on scoring drives of 89, 14, and 40 yards.
Colorado 38- Central Arkansas 24: With UCA up 24-17 to start the fourth quarter, it looked like Colorado was going to lose, and FCS power Central Arkansas was going to get the upset they didn't get last year at Ole Miss. Then, lightning struck. The lightning strike came in the form of a 79-yard interception return for a TD by CU CB Derek Bell. That TD tied the game and the fired up Buffaloes who got two TD passes from QB Connor Wood to end the Bears upset bid. Wood finished the game with 341 yards through the air and three TDs to go with two interceptions. As for the Bears, QB Wynrick Smothers completed 33 of 55 aerials for 280 yards, two TDs, and 3 picks.
Telling Stat: They won the last 10:43; after the pick six, Colorado outscored UCA 14-0 and out gained the Bears 113 yards to 61 to claim the victory.
Arizona State- 55- Sacramento State 0: The Sun Devils joined the party for the 2013 season by dismantling the Hornets from the Big Sky Conference. For ASU it was the Taylor Kelly show. The QB found his target 23 of 31 times for 300 yards and five TDs. Kelly took the second half off as it became everyone gets their letter night in the desert. As for the rushing game, RBs Marion Grice and Michael Eubank each found paydirt to help ASU's cause.
Telling Stat: No threat to get stung; ASU's defense shutdown Sac State so completely that the Hornets average drive lasted just 4 plays and covered 11 yards.
Stanford 34- San Jose State 13: Oregon has speed and flash, Stanford has unrelenting power. Stanford used that power to run over San Jose State on Saturday. Stanford wasn't flashy, just efficient. The Cardinal racked up only 404 yards of offense, but controlled the game from the first snap. Back for the Cardinal after playing minor league baseball for a year, RB Tyler Gaffney looked like he never left the program, rushing for 104 yards and 2 TDs. QB Kevin Hogan threw for 207 yards and two TDs to aid the Cardinal cause. SJSU QB David Fales threw for 216 yards and a TD in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: B+E = W; Stanford's balance and efficiency equaled a win here as the Cardinal threw for 207 yards ran for 197 yards, converted 12 of 15 third downs, and never punted in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates.
Observations
Just a rumor folks; After a bit of investigation, it has been discovered that in fact no Amber Alerts were issued in Los Angeles or Provo this week after the USC offense and the Texas defense both went missing just after kickoff in their respective games last weekend.
It's over for now; TCU's QB controversy is over for now as senior QB Casey Pachall broke his non-throwing arm in TCU's 38-17 win over SE Louisiana. That leaves sophomore sensation Trevone Boykin as the big man under center for the Frogs for what may be the remainder of the season.
679/550= fired; Texas DC Manny Diaz was "reassigned" from being the Longhorns DC after his defense gave up 679 total yards and an abysmal 550 yards rushing in a 40-21 loss at BYU. Folks, those numbers could have been worse. BYU called off the dogs in the fourth quarter.
This just in; Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton is really really good. The Senior QB bombed Air Force with 360 yards passing and 5 TDs in a 52-20 blowout of the Falcons. Keeton is 63 of 80 passing in two games this season for 674 yards and seven TDs. Wow.
It lives; Southern Mississippi's losing streak now stands at 14 games after the Eagles were pasted by Nebraska, 56-13 last Saturday. Take heart though Eagle fans, you've got a long way to go to match the all-time FBS record of 34 straight losses by Northwestern from 1979-1982.
A big four with the Big Ten; Four Pac 12 teams take on Big Ten teams this week. CAL hosts Ohio State, ASU welcomes in Wisconsin, UCLA travels to Nebraska, and Washington takes on Illinois at Soldier Field.
Picturing it now; Might be a little early for the leaves to be turning, but just thinking it would be cool to be at West Point for the Stanford-Army game this week. I have visions of fall leaves, football, and academy tradition running through my head. On, Brave old Army team!
USC-Wazzu oddball fact; of USC has now a 58-9-4 record v. Wazzu. Five of USC's nine losses to the Cougars have been at the Coliseum. they were in 1925, 1934, 1957, 1997, and 2013.
A great name out; Cincinnati QB Munchie Legaux is out for the season after suffering a brutal knee injury in a 45-17 loss to Illinois. I'll miss reading his cool name in the boxscores for the rest of the season.
Chicken bleep Irish; When Notre Dame opted to end the football series with Michigan after the 2014 season, UM HC Brady Hoke said that ND was "chickening out" of the series. So, how did UM celebrate their 41-30 win over the Fighting Irish? The Chicken Dance was played over the loudspeakers at the Big House.
Thank you, Chris; Chris Dufresne of the LA Times used this stat in an article on early losses by bigtime programs... USC, Notre Dame, Florida, and Texas all losing on the same day is a rare thing. It hasn't happened since September 11, 1976. Now, I had to research the losses. Texas lost to Boston College 14-13, Florida lost 24-21 to North Carolina, Notre Dame lost 31-10 to Pitt, and USC lost 46-25 to Missouri.
Roll Tide?; Yes, Roll Tide! I know I can't be the only one hoping Alabama knocks the snot out of Johnny Manziel this week.
A memo to Lane Kiffin; The forward pass is legal in college football. You are allowed to throw the ball past the line of scrimmage in an attempt to gain yards and reach the end zone.
Pouring the salt; If Cal puts Michigan, Iowa and Georgia Tech on their schedule next season, the Golden Bears could face each team they lost to in their last five Rose Bowl appearances.
Even the bands hate each other; During halftime of their home opener two weeks ago, the Michigan band mocked the script Ohio, by making a script OhNo on the field. To retaliate, Ohio State did a full halftime show last weekend mocking Michigan with game show skits and finished the show by paraphrasing Bob Barker's old line. They reminded Buckeye fans to control the pet population by "having their wolverines spayed or neutered."
Special Report: The Boos, the Chants and the Apathy
In my 40 years of going to USC games, I have never seen a USC home crowd lose it the way they did v. Wazzu. I've seen anger, disappointment and frustration before. Heck, I survived Larry Smith, JR II and He Who Shall Not Be Named. However, this was different. The crowd had no hope from the start. Here's the bullet points on the night.
...The booing of Kiffin started in pregame warmups.
...As soon as the first bubble screen was thrown, boos and jeers rained down from the stands.
...When the pick six was thrown, the chants of Fire Kiffin began.
...The team ran into the tunnel at the half, but Kiffin had to stay an do that in-game interview you all see on every game. That left him as a lone and visible target to get up the tunnel to the locker room. Fans were running from a couple of sections over to scream at him.
...At the end of the game, the Fire Kiffin chant was so loud it drowned out the USC band and was clearly heard on the Fox Sports 1 feed of the game.
...With the game tied 7-7 in the third quarter, the fans that moved on from anger to apathy started leaving. Yes, they left a game in which the outcome was still in doubt. They left the home and conference opener they had been waiting to attend for months.
...The fans cleared out because they didn't see any chance of winning a game with Wazzu, yes FREAKING WAZZU!
...It is obvious, the whole Trojan fan base and alumni has declared Kiffin a fired coach walking, when will the team do so? That's the burning question.
And now back for this year is Three Notes About Nothing
I thank God at this time each year for the NFL Redzone channel
Very soon, everything will be pumpkin or egg nog flavored for the rest of the year.
The chicken and shrimp pasta at Tearranea's Catalina Kitchen is really good.
Until next time folks, remember that the forward pass is your friend.
-The Commissioner
It is Tuesday!!!!!! That means it's time for another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Washington State 10- USC 7: Well, just what do I say about this debacle of a game? Just what everyone knows by now. The defense played well. SC's offense was so bad that they couldn't even manage to cross the street with help from a boy scout and the game plan was a abysmal. That is all.
Tellling Stat: 56/54; Wazzu WR Kristoff Williams caught 6 passes for 56 yards v. USC. USC as a team completed 11 passes for 54 yards for the entire game.
Arizona 58- UNLV 13: Ka'Deem Carey came off suspension for his first game of the 2013 campaign and turned in a nifty 171 yards rushing to go with two TDs as the Wildcats trounced the Rebels in Sin City. Wildcat QB Brian Denker only threw for 81 yards on the night, but he didn't really have to throw. He ran 63 yards and a pair of scores. The Rebels were overmatched on both sides of the ball. UofA built up a 45-6 halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way for the win.
Telling Stat: in Vegas, three pair beat UNLV; In the first half UofA got pair of TD runs from QB Brian Denker, another pair of TD runs from RB Ka'Deem Karey, and a pair of interception returns for TDs to end this one early.
California 37- Portland State 30: Behind 485 yards passing and two TD tosses by freshman QB Jeff Goff, the Golden Bears earned their first win of the Sonny Dykes era. The game looked to be in doubt for the Golden Bears after Vikings QB Kieran McDonagh scored on a one-yard run to put PSU you up 30-27 with 11:01 to play in the third quarter. Then Goff and WR Richard Rodgers hooked up for a 75-yard TD strike to put CAL back ahead to stay. Kieran McDonagh threw for 308 yards and a TD in the loss for the Vikings.
Telling Stat: They finally shut 'em down. After giving up 30 points in a little over 35 minutes, the Golden Bear defense shutout Portland State over the final 25 minutes to secure the victory.
Oregon State 33- Hawaii 14: The Beavers used a strong second half to hold off Hawaii and earn their first victory of the season. With the score knotted 14-14 at the half, OSU came out and owned the second half, shutting out the Warriors, 19-0 to claim victory. QB Sean Mannion connected on 31 of 43 aerials for 372 yards and 4 TDs to lead the charge for OSU. Meanwhile the Beaver defense held Hawaii to 239 total yards and to just 1 for 11 on third down conversions.
Telling Stat: A six pack for the D; OSU's defense forced three punts, scored a safety, picked off a pass, and held of Hawaii as the clock ran out to shutout the Warriors on their six second half possessions.
Utah 70- Weber State 7: Travis Wilson, the pride of San Clemente High School, worked over the hapless Wildcats in Utah's biggest rout since they beat UTEP, 82-6 back in 1973. Wilson calmly completed 14 of 19 tosses for 264 yards and three TDs. He also ran the ball three times, yes just three times, for 93 yards and two additional TDs. Meanwhile, the Utah defense forced eight three-and-outs, and 12 Weber State punts on the afternoon while allowing only two drives to cross the 50-yard line in the contest.
Telling Stat: The 30 minute workout; Utah QB Travis Wilson did all his damage to Weber State in the first half. With game well in hand, he sat out the second half.
Oregon 59- Virginia 10: Another week, another blowout by the Ducks. Ho-hum. QB Marcus Mariota threw for 199 and 2 TDs while running for 122 yards on a scant four carries for another score. Meanwhile, RB De'Anthony Thomas played too. He lugged the leather 11 times for 124 yards and three TDs of his own. As for the Wahoos, QB David Watford racked up 161 yards passing but also threw three costly picks to hurt his team's cause.
Telling Stat: Quick Quacks; The Ducks got another fast start, building up a 21-7 first quarter lead, holding the ball for all of 3:12 on scoring drives of 89, 14, and 40 yards.
Colorado 38- Central Arkansas 24: With UCA up 24-17 to start the fourth quarter, it looked like Colorado was going to lose, and FCS power Central Arkansas was going to get the upset they didn't get last year at Ole Miss. Then, lightning struck. The lightning strike came in the form of a 79-yard interception return for a TD by CU CB Derek Bell. That TD tied the game and the fired up Buffaloes who got two TD passes from QB Connor Wood to end the Bears upset bid. Wood finished the game with 341 yards through the air and three TDs to go with two interceptions. As for the Bears, QB Wynrick Smothers completed 33 of 55 aerials for 280 yards, two TDs, and 3 picks.
Telling Stat: They won the last 10:43; after the pick six, Colorado outscored UCA 14-0 and out gained the Bears 113 yards to 61 to claim the victory.
Arizona State- 55- Sacramento State 0: The Sun Devils joined the party for the 2013 season by dismantling the Hornets from the Big Sky Conference. For ASU it was the Taylor Kelly show. The QB found his target 23 of 31 times for 300 yards and five TDs. Kelly took the second half off as it became everyone gets their letter night in the desert. As for the rushing game, RBs Marion Grice and Michael Eubank each found paydirt to help ASU's cause.
Telling Stat: No threat to get stung; ASU's defense shutdown Sac State so completely that the Hornets average drive lasted just 4 plays and covered 11 yards.
Stanford 34- San Jose State 13: Oregon has speed and flash, Stanford has unrelenting power. Stanford used that power to run over San Jose State on Saturday. Stanford wasn't flashy, just efficient. The Cardinal racked up only 404 yards of offense, but controlled the game from the first snap. Back for the Cardinal after playing minor league baseball for a year, RB Tyler Gaffney looked like he never left the program, rushing for 104 yards and 2 TDs. QB Kevin Hogan threw for 207 yards and two TDs to aid the Cardinal cause. SJSU QB David Fales threw for 216 yards and a TD in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: B+E = W; Stanford's balance and efficiency equaled a win here as the Cardinal threw for 207 yards ran for 197 yards, converted 12 of 15 third downs, and never punted in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates.
Observations
Just a rumor folks; After a bit of investigation, it has been discovered that in fact no Amber Alerts were issued in Los Angeles or Provo this week after the USC offense and the Texas defense both went missing just after kickoff in their respective games last weekend.
It's over for now; TCU's QB controversy is over for now as senior QB Casey Pachall broke his non-throwing arm in TCU's 38-17 win over SE Louisiana. That leaves sophomore sensation Trevone Boykin as the big man under center for the Frogs for what may be the remainder of the season.
679/550= fired; Texas DC Manny Diaz was "reassigned" from being the Longhorns DC after his defense gave up 679 total yards and an abysmal 550 yards rushing in a 40-21 loss at BYU. Folks, those numbers could have been worse. BYU called off the dogs in the fourth quarter.
This just in; Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton is really really good. The Senior QB bombed Air Force with 360 yards passing and 5 TDs in a 52-20 blowout of the Falcons. Keeton is 63 of 80 passing in two games this season for 674 yards and seven TDs. Wow.
It lives; Southern Mississippi's losing streak now stands at 14 games after the Eagles were pasted by Nebraska, 56-13 last Saturday. Take heart though Eagle fans, you've got a long way to go to match the all-time FBS record of 34 straight losses by Northwestern from 1979-1982.
A big four with the Big Ten; Four Pac 12 teams take on Big Ten teams this week. CAL hosts Ohio State, ASU welcomes in Wisconsin, UCLA travels to Nebraska, and Washington takes on Illinois at Soldier Field.
Picturing it now; Might be a little early for the leaves to be turning, but just thinking it would be cool to be at West Point for the Stanford-Army game this week. I have visions of fall leaves, football, and academy tradition running through my head. On, Brave old Army team!
USC-Wazzu oddball fact; of USC has now a 58-9-4 record v. Wazzu. Five of USC's nine losses to the Cougars have been at the Coliseum. they were in 1925, 1934, 1957, 1997, and 2013.
A great name out; Cincinnati QB Munchie Legaux is out for the season after suffering a brutal knee injury in a 45-17 loss to Illinois. I'll miss reading his cool name in the boxscores for the rest of the season.
Chicken bleep Irish; When Notre Dame opted to end the football series with Michigan after the 2014 season, UM HC Brady Hoke said that ND was "chickening out" of the series. So, how did UM celebrate their 41-30 win over the Fighting Irish? The Chicken Dance was played over the loudspeakers at the Big House.
Thank you, Chris; Chris Dufresne of the LA Times used this stat in an article on early losses by bigtime programs... USC, Notre Dame, Florida, and Texas all losing on the same day is a rare thing. It hasn't happened since September 11, 1976. Now, I had to research the losses. Texas lost to Boston College 14-13, Florida lost 24-21 to North Carolina, Notre Dame lost 31-10 to Pitt, and USC lost 46-25 to Missouri.
Roll Tide?; Yes, Roll Tide! I know I can't be the only one hoping Alabama knocks the snot out of Johnny Manziel this week.
A memo to Lane Kiffin; The forward pass is legal in college football. You are allowed to throw the ball past the line of scrimmage in an attempt to gain yards and reach the end zone.
Pouring the salt; If Cal puts Michigan, Iowa and Georgia Tech on their schedule next season, the Golden Bears could face each team they lost to in their last five Rose Bowl appearances.
Even the bands hate each other; During halftime of their home opener two weeks ago, the Michigan band mocked the script Ohio, by making a script OhNo on the field. To retaliate, Ohio State did a full halftime show last weekend mocking Michigan with game show skits and finished the show by paraphrasing Bob Barker's old line. They reminded Buckeye fans to control the pet population by "having their wolverines spayed or neutered."
Special Report: The Boos, the Chants and the Apathy
In my 40 years of going to USC games, I have never seen a USC home crowd lose it the way they did v. Wazzu. I've seen anger, disappointment and frustration before. Heck, I survived Larry Smith, JR II and He Who Shall Not Be Named. However, this was different. The crowd had no hope from the start. Here's the bullet points on the night.
...The booing of Kiffin started in pregame warmups.
...As soon as the first bubble screen was thrown, boos and jeers rained down from the stands.
...When the pick six was thrown, the chants of Fire Kiffin began.
...The team ran into the tunnel at the half, but Kiffin had to stay an do that in-game interview you all see on every game. That left him as a lone and visible target to get up the tunnel to the locker room. Fans were running from a couple of sections over to scream at him.
...At the end of the game, the Fire Kiffin chant was so loud it drowned out the USC band and was clearly heard on the Fox Sports 1 feed of the game.
...With the game tied 7-7 in the third quarter, the fans that moved on from anger to apathy started leaving. Yes, they left a game in which the outcome was still in doubt. They left the home and conference opener they had been waiting to attend for months.
...The fans cleared out because they didn't see any chance of winning a game with Wazzu, yes FREAKING WAZZU!
...It is obvious, the whole Trojan fan base and alumni has declared Kiffin a fired coach walking, when will the team do so? That's the burning question.
And now back for this year is Three Notes About Nothing
I thank God at this time each year for the NFL Redzone channel
Very soon, everything will be pumpkin or egg nog flavored for the rest of the year.
The chicken and shrimp pasta at Tearranea's Catalina Kitchen is really good.
Until next time folks, remember that the forward pass is your friend.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Week 1 2013
Hey All!!!!!
It is back for 2013! Yes, the column that makes Tuesdays a little better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 30- Hawaii 13: The buzz leading into this game was about who would start at QB for the Trojans. It turns out, it didn't matter much because both Cody Kessler and Max Wittek turned in lackluster efforts. The two combined to throw for 172 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. They didn't get much help form the wideouts who dropped several passes and an O-line that looked overmatched for most of the game. What carried the day for SC was the new 5-2 heavy pressure defense that recorded seven sacks and forced four turnovers.
Telling Stat: No chains, but a win; USC managed to win this game despite converting on only 3 of 18 third downs.
Washington 38- Boise State 6: The Huskies new up tempo offense was eating up yards in chunks against the Broncos, but the Dawgs only had a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter. Then the UW Offfense really clicked in and they buried Boise in the first game at the newly renovated Husky Stadium. UW QB Keith Price looked better than he ever has completing 23 of 31 passes for 324 yards and a pair of TDs. As for the Husky ground game, RB Bishop Sankey toted the rock 25 times for 161 yards and two TDs of his own. Meanwhile, the UW defense did the proverbial bend-but-don't-break routine giving up 346 yards, but only two field goals on the night.
Telling Stat: Dawgs unleashed; With the score sitting at 10-6 in after Boise's FG in the third quarter, the UW offense scored four straight TDs on drives of 61, 64, 77, and 51 yards to put the game away.
Oregon 66- Nicholls State 3: The glorified scrimmage that was the Ducks home opener showed that there won't be much dropoff between the Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich eras in Eugene. Marcus Mariota broke a sweat in this one throwing for 234 yards, running for 113 more and tallying 3 TDs in the process. De'Anthony Thomas also got some work in rushing 18 times for 128 yards and two TDs. that's a nifty 7.1 YPC for the afternoon.
Telling Stat; they ran up Playstation numbers; The Quack attack tallied 772 yards of total offense in this laugher with exactly 500 yards coming on the ground.
Utah 30- Utah State 26: It wasn't pretty or anywhere near easy, but the Utes did get revenge for last year's loss to the Aggies. Trailing by two with just 10:39 to play, Utah QB Travis Wilson led drives for field goals that put the game in the win column. Wilson completed 17 of 28 passes on the night for 302 yards and two TDs. as for the Utah defense they had their hands full with Aggie QB Chuckie Keeton who completed 31 of 40 aerials for 314 yards and two TDs while running for 85 yards and another score in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Almost did it by himself; Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton accounted for 399 of USU's 487 total yards and all three TDs in this narrow loss to the Utes.
Arizona 35- Northern Arizona 0: On a rainy desert night, the Wildcats powered past the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. With RB Ka'Deem Carey serving a one game suspension "per team policy" that stemmed from an arrest in the offseason, Backup RB Daniel Jenkins got the start. He did a fine job, rushing for 139 yards and a TD. As for the UofA defense, they easily shutdown the Lumberjacks rendering their offense no threat.
Telling Stat: They didn't need it much; UofA only had the ball for a total of 19:44, but rolled up 35 points and 393 total yards in the contest.
Colorado 41- Colorado State 27: The Buffs got a good looking win for new HC Mike MacIntyre over their rivals from Fort Collins. CU QB Connor Wood had a big day completing 33 of 46 passes for 400 yards and 3 TDs. The main recipient of Wood's tosses was WR Paul Richardson who hauled in 10 passes for 208 yards and two TDs. CSU QB Garrett Grayson threw for 201 yards in the losing effort for the Rams.
Telling Stat; They shut 'em down in the fourth; The Colorado defense held for downs twice, forced a punt, and returned a fumble for a TD to seal the game for the Buffaloes.
Eastern Washington 49- Oregon State 46: This game should now be known as "The Cataclysm in Corvalis." The squads combined for 95 points and 1,152 yards of offense, but it was the fact that the Beavers couldn't stop EWU QB Vernon Adams that changed this game. Adams torched the Beavers for 411 yards passing and four TDs, He also ran the ball too. He lugged the leather for 107 yards and two more TDs. As for the stunned Beavers, QB Sean Mannion had a big day as well, throwing for 422 yards and three TDs in the loss.
Telling stat; No cheapies here; Neither team turned the ball over and the shortest scoring drive was 49 yards.
Northwestern 44- California 30: The new "Bear-Raid" offense looks to be a hit in up in Strawberry Canyon. However, a couple of key mistakes in that offense cost the Golden Bears an upset over the Wildcats. Northwestern LB Collin Ellis had the game of his life, turning two interceptions thrown by Cal QB Jared Goff into TDs and that turned the game in favor of the purple. Northwestern RB Treyvon Green provided a good chunk of offense for his squad with 129 yards rushing on 16 carries and two TDs on the night. New Cal QB Jeff Goff threw for 445 yards, 2 TDs and three hurtful interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: 3>2; Cal QB Jeff Goff's three interceptions overshadowed his two TD passes in this contest.
Auburn 31- Washington State 24: Well, the Cougars looked better than last year and hung tough, but in the end, the game just turned out to be another stop on the Wazzu moral victory tour. The Cougars out gained and out first downed Auburn, but couldn't put enough together to pull it out. Wazzu QB Connor Halliday threw for 344 yards and a TD, but he threw three big interceptions that kept the game going Auburn's way. Having no rushing game hurt as well. Auburn out rushed WSU 295 to 120.
Telling Stat: lots of noise, little points; In the fourth quarter, the two teams combined to gain 200 yards, but the only points were a 42-yad field goal by Auburn.
UCLA 58- Nevada 20: For thirty minutes, Nevada was strong, quick and hanging every step of the way with the bRuins trailing just 17-13 at the half . Then the second thirty minutes happened. The bRuins outscored the Wolfpack 41-7 and turned the close game into a big rout. UCLA QB Brett Hundley completed 22 of 33 passes for 274 yards and 2 TDs while running for 63 yards and two more scores. bRuin RB Jordan James led all rushers with 155 yards on 21 carries and a TD.
Telling stat: second half beatdown; UCLA's offense racked up 41 points and 326 yards while their defense rendered the Nevada offense inert in the second half.
Notre Dame 28- Temple 6: With Everett Golson gone for the season, Tommy Rees stepped back in as ND's QB and had a good game against the Owls. Rees lit up the birds by completing 16 of 23 passes for 346 yards and three TDs. The Fighting Irish took a stranglehold on the game in the first quarter when Rees connected with WR DaVaris Daniels for a pair of 32-yard TD strikes. The ND defense gave up some yards, but only allowed one Owl drive to reach paydirt. Also of note was that USC transfer Amir Carlisle gained 68 yards on seven carries to aid ND's cause.
Telling stat: They took the air out of the ball; Up late with a 28-6 lead, ND ran the ball 17 of their final 21 plays to kill the clock.
Observations
He has become a trivia question; Tulane CB Lorenzo Doss became the first player ejected from a game for violating the new targeting rule. He leveled Jackson State QB LaMontiez Ivy in the first quarter of Tulane's 34-7 win over JSU.
The Too Early Tammy Wynette Award ; It goes to USC AD Pat Haden for issuing an "I support Lane Kiffin" video to the Trojan faithful in the middle of July. I wonder how Pat feels after the Hawaii game?
Happy returns for the Gophers; Minnesota scored TDs on a 98-yard kickoff return, a 51-yard blocked field goal return and an 89-yard interception return in their 51-23 beatdown of UNLV.
A magnificent seven for the FCS; Seven FCS teams upset FBS teams over the weekend. The most significant is Eastern Washington's 49-46 win over #24 ranked Oregon State. The most embarrassing has to be McNeese State's destruction of South Florida. The 53-21 romp by the Cowboys was so complete that only thing they didn't do was take USF's post game meal from the stadium as they left town.
A memo to OSU; Hey, Beavers! Thanks for embarrassing Pac 12!
Talk about a penalty for celebrating; While joining in to help celebrate teammate Todd Gurley's 75-yard TD run v. Clemson, Georgia WR Malcolm Mitchell torn his ACL. He's out for the season.
Painful realizaton; There are some awesome QBs in the Pac 12 this season and USC doesn't have one of 'em.
It stands at 13; Southern Mississippi went 0-12 last season and now owns a 13-game losing streak after being embarrassed at home by FBS newbie Texas State, 22-15.
The line is lacking; USC's offensive line was so lackluster v. Hawaii, that they could have replaced the line with a set of revolving doors and the doors would have been just as effective in protecting the quarterback.
Feels like a bad romance; The seven FBS schools that were upset over the weekend paid their FCS opponents a total of 2.375 million dollars in appearance fees. That's a lot of dough to be humiliated.
This just in; UCLA QB Brett Hundley is really, really, good.
Off the hook for a week; Kansas HC Charlie Weiss isn't the worst coach in Kansas for at least a week. KSU HC Bill Snyder holds that distinction after his Wildcats were upset by FCS power North Dakota State on Thursday.
Holding the beef; With almost everyone running an up tempo offense this year, it's interesting to see how the O-lines that run this offense are getting lighter. Quickness is key in these offenses. Power size, and strength become secondary qualities on the line.
Special Section
Requiem For a Trojan- Bill Seixas: (1921-2013) USC OL 1940-41-42
A True Trojan was lost on July 1st. "Wild Bill" Seixas treated me like a son from the first time I ever set foot in his house back in 1985. Meaning, I got lectured about how I was playing at the time, questioned about my schoolwork and told about his Trojan life. One of my new and soon to be best friends was his youngest son, John. I still remember being told to "act like Trojans and not some bRuin dumbasses" one time after one of our epic adventures. While spending a lot of time at their house, I used to bug the old coach to tell me about his USC playing days. Here's some of the highlights.
...He was an All-State player coming out of San Diego Union High School. In fact, when he played in the Shrine California All-State Game, 93,000 filled the Rose Bowl to watch.
...After a good year on the USC freshman squad, he found out going into his sophomore year that he hadn't made the Trojan varsity. The next practice, he was on the scout team and knocked the starting fullback out cold with a devastating tackle. That got the attention of HC Howard Jones. Who, according to the Bill, told one of the assistant coaches, "Get that kid a varsity jersey!"
...In 1942, Bill stood up the Ohio State fullback just before halftime to finish off a goal line stand at The Horseshoe, in Columbus. His teammates told him a few minutes later that he made the stop. He knocked himself out on the play and woke up in the locker room.
...Also in 1942, he leveled a block so huge on some poor guy from St. Mary's Pre-Flight that it was a part of big cartoon in the LA Times sports page celebrating the football season.
...Lastly in 1942, Bill was named All- Pacific Coast Conference 1st Team. He's in the record books as the smallest All-Conference lineman in USC history. He was tough for being just 5'8" 160 lbs.
There were many more highlights for the old coach. He told great stories of a life when playing on the road at Notre Dame and Ohio State meant several days on trains in sleeper cars and getting off the train to practice in empty fields across the country. He also lost a lot of meal money playing poker on those trains too.
There was so much more to Bill's long and storied life, but the stories of playing at USC were my favorites. I hope now that the coach is where I'd like to think all old Trojan football players go. Which is the Coliseum when it is bathed in fall sun and the stands are packed. I bet the right now, Bill is laying a huge block on some guy from Notre Dame and hearing the cheers again. Fight On, Coach. Fight On!
Until next week folks, remember that when your team has two QBs, it really has none.
-The Commissioner
It is back for 2013! Yes, the column that makes Tuesdays a little better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 30- Hawaii 13: The buzz leading into this game was about who would start at QB for the Trojans. It turns out, it didn't matter much because both Cody Kessler and Max Wittek turned in lackluster efforts. The two combined to throw for 172 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. They didn't get much help form the wideouts who dropped several passes and an O-line that looked overmatched for most of the game. What carried the day for SC was the new 5-2 heavy pressure defense that recorded seven sacks and forced four turnovers.
Telling Stat: No chains, but a win; USC managed to win this game despite converting on only 3 of 18 third downs.
Washington 38- Boise State 6: The Huskies new up tempo offense was eating up yards in chunks against the Broncos, but the Dawgs only had a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter. Then the UW Offfense really clicked in and they buried Boise in the first game at the newly renovated Husky Stadium. UW QB Keith Price looked better than he ever has completing 23 of 31 passes for 324 yards and a pair of TDs. As for the Husky ground game, RB Bishop Sankey toted the rock 25 times for 161 yards and two TDs of his own. Meanwhile, the UW defense did the proverbial bend-but-don't-break routine giving up 346 yards, but only two field goals on the night.
Telling Stat: Dawgs unleashed; With the score sitting at 10-6 in after Boise's FG in the third quarter, the UW offense scored four straight TDs on drives of 61, 64, 77, and 51 yards to put the game away.
Oregon 66- Nicholls State 3: The glorified scrimmage that was the Ducks home opener showed that there won't be much dropoff between the Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich eras in Eugene. Marcus Mariota broke a sweat in this one throwing for 234 yards, running for 113 more and tallying 3 TDs in the process. De'Anthony Thomas also got some work in rushing 18 times for 128 yards and two TDs. that's a nifty 7.1 YPC for the afternoon.
Telling Stat; they ran up Playstation numbers; The Quack attack tallied 772 yards of total offense in this laugher with exactly 500 yards coming on the ground.
Utah 30- Utah State 26: It wasn't pretty or anywhere near easy, but the Utes did get revenge for last year's loss to the Aggies. Trailing by two with just 10:39 to play, Utah QB Travis Wilson led drives for field goals that put the game in the win column. Wilson completed 17 of 28 passes on the night for 302 yards and two TDs. as for the Utah defense they had their hands full with Aggie QB Chuckie Keeton who completed 31 of 40 aerials for 314 yards and two TDs while running for 85 yards and another score in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Almost did it by himself; Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton accounted for 399 of USU's 487 total yards and all three TDs in this narrow loss to the Utes.
Arizona 35- Northern Arizona 0: On a rainy desert night, the Wildcats powered past the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. With RB Ka'Deem Carey serving a one game suspension "per team policy" that stemmed from an arrest in the offseason, Backup RB Daniel Jenkins got the start. He did a fine job, rushing for 139 yards and a TD. As for the UofA defense, they easily shutdown the Lumberjacks rendering their offense no threat.
Telling Stat: They didn't need it much; UofA only had the ball for a total of 19:44, but rolled up 35 points and 393 total yards in the contest.
Colorado 41- Colorado State 27: The Buffs got a good looking win for new HC Mike MacIntyre over their rivals from Fort Collins. CU QB Connor Wood had a big day completing 33 of 46 passes for 400 yards and 3 TDs. The main recipient of Wood's tosses was WR Paul Richardson who hauled in 10 passes for 208 yards and two TDs. CSU QB Garrett Grayson threw for 201 yards in the losing effort for the Rams.
Telling Stat; They shut 'em down in the fourth; The Colorado defense held for downs twice, forced a punt, and returned a fumble for a TD to seal the game for the Buffaloes.
Eastern Washington 49- Oregon State 46: This game should now be known as "The Cataclysm in Corvalis." The squads combined for 95 points and 1,152 yards of offense, but it was the fact that the Beavers couldn't stop EWU QB Vernon Adams that changed this game. Adams torched the Beavers for 411 yards passing and four TDs, He also ran the ball too. He lugged the leather for 107 yards and two more TDs. As for the stunned Beavers, QB Sean Mannion had a big day as well, throwing for 422 yards and three TDs in the loss.
Telling stat; No cheapies here; Neither team turned the ball over and the shortest scoring drive was 49 yards.
Northwestern 44- California 30: The new "Bear-Raid" offense looks to be a hit in up in Strawberry Canyon. However, a couple of key mistakes in that offense cost the Golden Bears an upset over the Wildcats. Northwestern LB Collin Ellis had the game of his life, turning two interceptions thrown by Cal QB Jared Goff into TDs and that turned the game in favor of the purple. Northwestern RB Treyvon Green provided a good chunk of offense for his squad with 129 yards rushing on 16 carries and two TDs on the night. New Cal QB Jeff Goff threw for 445 yards, 2 TDs and three hurtful interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: 3>2; Cal QB Jeff Goff's three interceptions overshadowed his two TD passes in this contest.
Auburn 31- Washington State 24: Well, the Cougars looked better than last year and hung tough, but in the end, the game just turned out to be another stop on the Wazzu moral victory tour. The Cougars out gained and out first downed Auburn, but couldn't put enough together to pull it out. Wazzu QB Connor Halliday threw for 344 yards and a TD, but he threw three big interceptions that kept the game going Auburn's way. Having no rushing game hurt as well. Auburn out rushed WSU 295 to 120.
Telling Stat: lots of noise, little points; In the fourth quarter, the two teams combined to gain 200 yards, but the only points were a 42-yad field goal by Auburn.
UCLA 58- Nevada 20: For thirty minutes, Nevada was strong, quick and hanging every step of the way with the bRuins trailing just 17-13 at the half . Then the second thirty minutes happened. The bRuins outscored the Wolfpack 41-7 and turned the close game into a big rout. UCLA QB Brett Hundley completed 22 of 33 passes for 274 yards and 2 TDs while running for 63 yards and two more scores. bRuin RB Jordan James led all rushers with 155 yards on 21 carries and a TD.
Telling stat: second half beatdown; UCLA's offense racked up 41 points and 326 yards while their defense rendered the Nevada offense inert in the second half.
Notre Dame 28- Temple 6: With Everett Golson gone for the season, Tommy Rees stepped back in as ND's QB and had a good game against the Owls. Rees lit up the birds by completing 16 of 23 passes for 346 yards and three TDs. The Fighting Irish took a stranglehold on the game in the first quarter when Rees connected with WR DaVaris Daniels for a pair of 32-yard TD strikes. The ND defense gave up some yards, but only allowed one Owl drive to reach paydirt. Also of note was that USC transfer Amir Carlisle gained 68 yards on seven carries to aid ND's cause.
Telling stat: They took the air out of the ball; Up late with a 28-6 lead, ND ran the ball 17 of their final 21 plays to kill the clock.
Observations
He has become a trivia question; Tulane CB Lorenzo Doss became the first player ejected from a game for violating the new targeting rule. He leveled Jackson State QB LaMontiez Ivy in the first quarter of Tulane's 34-7 win over JSU.
The Too Early Tammy Wynette Award ; It goes to USC AD Pat Haden for issuing an "I support Lane Kiffin" video to the Trojan faithful in the middle of July. I wonder how Pat feels after the Hawaii game?
Happy returns for the Gophers; Minnesota scored TDs on a 98-yard kickoff return, a 51-yard blocked field goal return and an 89-yard interception return in their 51-23 beatdown of UNLV.
A magnificent seven for the FCS; Seven FCS teams upset FBS teams over the weekend. The most significant is Eastern Washington's 49-46 win over #24 ranked Oregon State. The most embarrassing has to be McNeese State's destruction of South Florida. The 53-21 romp by the Cowboys was so complete that only thing they didn't do was take USF's post game meal from the stadium as they left town.
A memo to OSU; Hey, Beavers! Thanks for embarrassing Pac 12!
Talk about a penalty for celebrating; While joining in to help celebrate teammate Todd Gurley's 75-yard TD run v. Clemson, Georgia WR Malcolm Mitchell torn his ACL. He's out for the season.
Painful realizaton; There are some awesome QBs in the Pac 12 this season and USC doesn't have one of 'em.
It stands at 13; Southern Mississippi went 0-12 last season and now owns a 13-game losing streak after being embarrassed at home by FBS newbie Texas State, 22-15.
The line is lacking; USC's offensive line was so lackluster v. Hawaii, that they could have replaced the line with a set of revolving doors and the doors would have been just as effective in protecting the quarterback.
Feels like a bad romance; The seven FBS schools that were upset over the weekend paid their FCS opponents a total of 2.375 million dollars in appearance fees. That's a lot of dough to be humiliated.
This just in; UCLA QB Brett Hundley is really, really, good.
Off the hook for a week; Kansas HC Charlie Weiss isn't the worst coach in Kansas for at least a week. KSU HC Bill Snyder holds that distinction after his Wildcats were upset by FCS power North Dakota State on Thursday.
Holding the beef; With almost everyone running an up tempo offense this year, it's interesting to see how the O-lines that run this offense are getting lighter. Quickness is key in these offenses. Power size, and strength become secondary qualities on the line.
Special Section
Requiem For a Trojan- Bill Seixas: (1921-2013) USC OL 1940-41-42
A True Trojan was lost on July 1st. "Wild Bill" Seixas treated me like a son from the first time I ever set foot in his house back in 1985. Meaning, I got lectured about how I was playing at the time, questioned about my schoolwork and told about his Trojan life. One of my new and soon to be best friends was his youngest son, John. I still remember being told to "act like Trojans and not some bRuin dumbasses" one time after one of our epic adventures. While spending a lot of time at their house, I used to bug the old coach to tell me about his USC playing days. Here's some of the highlights.
...He was an All-State player coming out of San Diego Union High School. In fact, when he played in the Shrine California All-State Game, 93,000 filled the Rose Bowl to watch.
...After a good year on the USC freshman squad, he found out going into his sophomore year that he hadn't made the Trojan varsity. The next practice, he was on the scout team and knocked the starting fullback out cold with a devastating tackle. That got the attention of HC Howard Jones. Who, according to the Bill, told one of the assistant coaches, "Get that kid a varsity jersey!"
...In 1942, Bill stood up the Ohio State fullback just before halftime to finish off a goal line stand at The Horseshoe, in Columbus. His teammates told him a few minutes later that he made the stop. He knocked himself out on the play and woke up in the locker room.
...Also in 1942, he leveled a block so huge on some poor guy from St. Mary's Pre-Flight that it was a part of big cartoon in the LA Times sports page celebrating the football season.
...Lastly in 1942, Bill was named All- Pacific Coast Conference 1st Team. He's in the record books as the smallest All-Conference lineman in USC history. He was tough for being just 5'8" 160 lbs.
There were many more highlights for the old coach. He told great stories of a life when playing on the road at Notre Dame and Ohio State meant several days on trains in sleeper cars and getting off the train to practice in empty fields across the country. He also lost a lot of meal money playing poker on those trains too.
There was so much more to Bill's long and storied life, but the stories of playing at USC were my favorites. I hope now that the coach is where I'd like to think all old Trojan football players go. Which is the Coliseum when it is bathed in fall sun and the stands are packed. I bet the right now, Bill is laying a huge block on some guy from Notre Dame and hearing the cheers again. Fight On, Coach. Fight On!
 |
| Bill Seixas in his Trojan Prime |
-The Commissioner
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