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
