Week 13, 2013

Hey All,

It must be Tuesday and that means another fine edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Joe Jares.

Summaries

USC 47- Colorado 29: The Trojans survived a sluggish start and the cold of Boulder to come away with a workmanlike win over the Buffaloes.  It was another good day for RB Buck Allen who carried the ball 21 times for 145 yards and 3TDs. It was also a pretty good day for FB Soma Vainuku who blocked a punt for safety and finished off the scoring for the night by rumbling 52 yards to paydirt.  The USC defense basically put any thought of Colorado having a chance in this game through three quarters.  Then, the subs came in and gave up a couple of TDs while getting valuable playing experience.
Telling Stat: Buck Allen > Colorado;  Buck Allen rushed for 145 yards, Colorado as team rushed for just 124. 

Arizona 42- Oregon 16: It was Senior Day in Tucson and boy do these Wildcat seniors have something to remember after plucking the Ducks.  Arizona came out sharp on offense and mean on defense.  UofA QB B.J. Denker completed an impressive 19 of 22 passes for 178 yards and two TDs, but the heart of the offense was RB Ka'Deem Carey.  All he did behind his O-line that physically dominated the Duck defense was tote the rock 48 times for 206 yards and four TDs. Yes folks, 48 times.  That's three games worth of carries for most backs nowadays.  Meanwhile, the UofA defense smacked the Ducks around too.  They played physical and anybody who touched the ball got hit by the Wildcats.  That hitting helped force three big turnovers to tip the scales in UofA's favor.
Telling Stat; You can't stop yourself.  Oregon turned the ball over three times and failed on fourth and goal once to open the door for the Wildcats to seize the victory.

Washington 69- Oregon State 27: The Dawgs literally ran over the Beavers in Corvalis. As a team, Washington rushed the ball 58 times for 530 yards on the hapless Beavers. That's a nifty 9.7 yards per carry average for the game.  In fact. three UW RBs  eclipsed the 100 yard mark with Bishop Sankey tallying 179 yards and 3 TDs on 23 carries to lead the group. Deontae Cooper, and Dwayne Washington rounded out the trio by rushing for 166 and 141 yards with two TDs a piece. As for the Beavers, Nothing really went right all night until this game was well into garbage time.
Telling Stat: Ending with a bang; UW had put this game away with a 48-0 lead after three quarters.  However, the fourth quarter belonged to the subs.  The subs had a shootout putting up 48 total points and about 400 yards of offense in the final stanza. 

Stanford 63- California 13: Hogan to Montgomery  was the combo that beat the Golden Bears on The Farm.  SU QB Kevin Hogan threw for five TDs with four of those going to WR Ty Montgomery. Montgomery also ran for a TD too.  When it was over, Stanford would be crowned Pac 12 North Champs after Oregon's collapse and Cal would finish the season winless in the Pac 12. For the Bears, QBs Jeff Goff and ash Kline combined to throw for 309 yards and one TD.
Telling Stat: Cardinal air; The usually ground minded Cardinal beat the Bears passing.  SU threw for 417 yards and ran for 186 in their rout of the boys from Berkley.

Washington State 49- Utah 37: The Cougars started strong, then finished strong to put away the Utes and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2006.  It was the Cougar defense that set the tone early returning two interceptions for TDs in a two-minute span of the first quarter.  Those pick-sixes along with a 5-yard TD pass from QB Connor Halliday to WR Dom Williams gave the Cougs a quick 21-0 lead. The Utes didn't roll over and die after getting down, they hung in there.  QB Andy Schulz did manage to throw for three TD passes on the day to go with RB Kelvin York's 2 TDs.  In fact, the Utes were within just six points of Wazzu, down 43-37 with 12:28 to play. Then at the 4:42 mark, Wazzu put the game away when Halliday found Williams again.  This time it was a 71-yard TD to send Wazzu Bowling. Halliday finished the game hitting on 39 of 62 passes for 488 yards and four TDs. Williams finished with five receptions for 154 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 2x6=W;  Wazzu's two interception returns for touchdowns were the difference in the game.

Arizona State 38- UCLA 33: For the first thirty minutes it looked like the Sun Devils might hang 70 on the bRuins.  The Sun Devils made UCLA look very weak while building up a 35-13 halftime advantage behind their quick strike offense and opportunistic defense. Then the bRuins made a game of it, by scoring on their first two drives of the third quarter to cut ASU's lead to 35-27.  ASU then got a 28-yard field goal to go up 38-27 to start the final period.  The bRuins did make it real tight when QB Brett Bundley hit WR Shaquelle Evans with a 27-yard scoring strike to cut ASU's lead to 38-33.  However, that would be as close as the bRuins would get.  ASU survived to win the game and the Pac 12 South title.  For ASU, QB Taylor Kelly hit on 20 of 27 aerials for 225 yards and a TD, while rushing for 99 yards and another score. UCLA was led by Hundley who threw for 253 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 2 big flags, 2 misses and a sack: UCLA still had a good shot to win this game at the end, but on their final drive they got called for holding on two consecutive plays, misfired on two straight passes, then took a sack to set up their final gasp on a 4th and 35.  ASU just played prevent and held on that 4th down easily to claim the win.

Notre Dame 23- BYU 13: Touchdown Jesus beat Joseph Smith in the cold and snow in South Bend. ND achieved true balance in this game as they threw for 235 yards and rushed for 235 yards.  QB Tommy Rees connected on 15 of 28 passes for those 235 passing yards and one TD on the day.  However, the big star in the game was ND PK Kyle Brindza. He kicked three field goals, including a 51-yarder with 6:53 left to seal the win. As for BYU, QB Taysom Hill threw for 168 yards and aTD in the loss.
Telling Stat: I got nothing. Seriously, this game was a yawner with no true telling stat.  

Observations

…Bragging rights;  It is rivalry week!  it's time to play the games that have names like the Civil War and the Iron Bowl.  Trophies like the Old Oaken Bucket and the Territorial cup are at stake.  Big rivalries with old fashioned hatred are here too.  Nobody knows football hatred like the Ohio State-Michigan, USC-UCLA, or Clemson-South Carolina.  Feel that excitement and energy folks, the games you tell stories about to your grandkids occur this week.  Feel that energy and revel in it.  It is the best week of the football year.  Damn, I gave myself goosebumps.

...The fallacy of transitivity; Here are two instances that prove that the transitive theory does not work well in college football.  Washington State beat USC who beat Utah who beat Stanford.  So theoretically, Wazzu > Stanford.  Ummm, no. Stanford beat Wazzu this year, 55-17.  It doesn't even work when flipped around a bit. USC beat Utah who beat Stanford who beat Wazzu.  Therefore, USC > Wazzu.  Nope, Wazzu beat USC, 10-7.  Hmmmm.

…And then there were four; Connecticut beat Temple Saturday, so that leaves just four winless teams in the FBS.  The four left are Miami (OH), Hawaii, Georgia State, and Southern Mississippi who is riding a 23-game losing streak.  The Eagles haven't won since beating Nevada in the 2011 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

…DumbAnthonyThomas; The Oregon all-purpose back was quoted this past week as saying, "It's not a big deal at all…We already won a Rose Bowl, so I feel like it's whatever." He won't have to worry about such mundane things as getting to play in "The Grandaddy of Them All" anymore this season after Arizona crushed the Ducks over the weekend.  DAT's stupidity should serve as an object lesson for everyone here;  do not evoke the wrath of the Rose Bowl Gods. Your team will pay.

…Maybe the best four-loss team in the nation;  Iowa is 7-4 this season and will got to decent second-tier bowl game.  There's no real shame in their four losses though.  The Hawkeyes have lost to Northern Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.  The combined record of those opponents is 41-3.

…Just made their Christmas card list;  If Stanford doesn't send at least a christmas card to Arizona as a thank you for the Wildcats handing them the Pac 12 North title, the Cardinal should all get lumps of coal in their stockings.

…Could be fun;  I think a Baylor-Oregon Alamo Bowl would be a pretty good game to watch.

…Cheer cheer for Old Nassau;  The Princeton Tigers are the Ivy League Champs!  They stumbled into the title by losing over the weekend, but the team whose helmets inspired the Michigan wing are on top once again.

…Enjoying their pain;  Who among us out there, didn't enjoy a big belly laugh when FCS school Georgia Southern beat Florida?  I  sure did.  The true humiliation is that Florida gave up 429 yards rushing to a team that doesn't pass the ball.  GSU went 0-3 passing in the game. Wow.

…A big battle on Tobacco Road;  Duke can claim a spot in the ACC Title game with a win at North Carolina this week.  It's got to be the most meaningful game played between these two schools that doesn't involve a 94x50 piece of wood and some guy with a K in his name in a long time.

Great Photo Break

Great to watch Georgia Southern celebrate after beating Florida and…

That is one cool looking eagle!


It's time for this year's second edition of Bowl Math!

35 Bowls = 70 slots, let's see who will go bowling.

There are 46 bowl eligible teams in six BCS conferences and independents with four teams still on the bubble.

There are 22 bowl eligible teams with seven teams on the bubble in the Non-BCS conferences.

That means it's possible to have 79 bowl eligible teams for the 70 slots in two weeks.

Ugly Uniform of the Week: Oregon gets the nod yet again.

This uniform is dull and devoid of any color, which reflected just the way Oregon played on Saturday. 

Departments

Blowouts of the Week: Well, the ACC sure took the cake this week with their lineup of cupcakes this past week.  The worst of these cupcake games involved Florida State and North Carolina who both hung an 80 on the board.  UNC crushed FBS newbie Old Dominion, while Florida State smashed perennial FBS doormat, Idaho.

Close Game of the Week: Baldwin City, KS- In the first round of the NAIA playoffs, the Baker University Wildcats got an 18-yard field goal from WR-PK Clarence Clark on the final play of the game to defeat the Sterling College Warriors.  Clark was the main man for Baker as he also hauled in an 89-yard TD pass for his squad's only other points in the game.

Razorback Report: The Hogs lost their seventh straight game and now remain winless in the SEC after dropping a 24-17 overtime decision to Mississippi State.  Three turnovers did not help the Hogs cause in this one,  but QB Brandon Allen threw for 114 yards in the loss.  Up next for the Hogs is their season finally at LSU on Friday.

Tulane Times: The Green Wave improved to 7-4 on the season with a 45-3 rout of UTEP. Green Wave QB Nick Montana threw for 171 yards and three TDs in the last ever game to be played by Tulane at the Superdome. The Green Wave will move into a new on campus facility in 2014. Up next for the Green Wave is a trip to Rice.

Horned Frog Headlines: The Horned Frogs had this past weekend off and will host Baylor this Saturday.

C.W. Post Press: The Pioneers finished the season at 5-6 and did not make the D-II playoffs.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing

Cinepolis in Laguna Niguel has ruined me for all other movie theaters.

Whether you call 'em Buckeyes, Duckeyes, or Buffalo Chips, this great chocolate/peanut butter concoction is always great.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Until next week folks, remember it doesn't pay to evoke the wrath of the Rose Bowl Gods.

-The Commissioner

Week 12, 2013

Hey All,

It's Tuesday and that means another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Mal Florence.

Summaries

USC 20- Stanford 17: The Cardinal came to the Coliseum as the #4 team in the nation.  They left as the #2 team in the Pac 12 North.  The Trojans played tough, physical football and beat the Cardinal at their own game.  Stanford RB Tyler Gaffney had another great game, rushing for 158 yards on 24 carries and found the end zone twice. However, SU QB Kevin Hogan did not.  He hit on 14 of 25 passes for 127 yards, 0 TDs and two huge interceptions.  The first interception came with game tied at 17-17 and the Cardinal facing a 3rd and goal at the USC 10-yard line. Hogan's pass was intercepted by USC Safety Dion Bailey who jumped the route and made a great play.  Hogan's second interception came with a little over three minutes to play and the Cardinal facing a 2nd and 3 at their own 40-yard line.  Hogan was heavily pressured and let go an ill-advised pass that was batted around and then intercepted by USC Safety Su'a Cravens.  That pick set up USC's game-winning drive that featured a great fourth down conversion pass from QB Cody Kessler to WR Marqise Lee. Then the Trojans got the game-winning 47-yard field goal from PK Andre Heidari.   When the clock 0:00 after The Trojans stopped Stanford's last gasp, the Coliseum erupted with the fans rushing the field. What a sight it was.
Telling Stat: Truly Special Teams;  The USC special teams blocked a Stanford field goal attempt, got a 47-yard game-winning field goal, and held the nation's leading kick returner, SU's Ty Montgomery in check all night.

Washington State 24- Arizona 17: UofA RB Ka'Deem Carey racked up yet another 100 yard game by rushing for 132 yards and a TD on 26 carries, but it wasn't enough as Wazzu got the upset in Tucson. The Cougar defense had been torched lately, giving up 162 points in their three previous games.  However, they stepped up and kept the Wildcats in check on Saturday. As for the Wazzu offense, QB Connor Halliday completed 39 of 53 passes for 319 yards and 2 TDs.  The Wildacts did have one last shot to send the game to overtime, but QB B.J. Denker's fourth down pass from the Wazzu 13-yard line fell incomplete.
Telling Stat: They bent, but didn't break; The Wazzu defense gave up 142 yards in the fourth quarter v. UofA, but forced a punt, got a missed field goal and held for downs to hold on for the victory.

Oregon 44- Utah 21: The Ducks hangover from their loss to Stanford lasted 34:51 v. the Utes.  At the 10:09 mark of the third quarter the quacks looked sluggish, having just given up a TD to have their lead cut to just 17-14 over the Utes.  UO KR De'Anthony Thomas gave his squad a wake up call by taking the ensuing kickoff back 86 yards for a TD.  Then, as they say, the rout was on.  The Ducks went on to score 27 straight points to put away the Utes.  QB Marcus Mariota led the quack attack with 288 yards through the air and three TDs while playing on an injured knee.  QB Adam Schultz threw for 181 yards and a TD in the loss for Utah.
Telling Stat: 27/12;  In just over 12 minutes, the Ducks went on a 27-0 run to put this game firmly in the win column.

Colorado 41- California 24: Something had to give. someone had to finally get a Pac 12 win and the home team got it last Saturday. The Buffaloes had lost 14 straight conference games coming into the this contest, but QB Sefo Liufau turned in his best effort of the season. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 364 yards and three TDs to lead CU to victory.  The Golden Bears still had a chance to get back in this game down 34-17 with 6:15 to play, but their onside kick was returned 46 yards for a TD by CU's Nelson Spruce.  Cal QB Jeff Goff threw for 173 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: There is no D in Berkeley; Through 11 games Cal has given up an average of 44 points per game. 

UCLA 41- Washington 31: The legend of Myles Jack continues to grow in bRuinland as the LB/RB scored four more TDs in UCLA's win over the Dawgs. The other big story in this game was the injury to UW QB Keith Price.  He injured his throwing shoulder just before the half.  Price did not answer the bell for the second half and the Dawgs couldn't muster enough offense to mount a serious threat.  bRuin QB Brett Hundley threw for 159 yards and two TDs on the night, while his counterpart, Price threw for 181 yards and one TD in one half worth of work.
Telling Stat: 2=14; Washington turned the ball over twice in the first three minutes.  That led to 14 quick points for the bRuins which put the Dawgs in a hole that they never could climb out of. 

Arizona State 30- Oregon State 17: A strong first half by the Sun Devils propelled them to the victory over the Beavers in Tempe. A pair of TD runs from RB Marion Grice went with a TD jaunt by RB D.J. Foster gave ASU to a 20-3 halftime lead.  The Beavers fought back a bit when QB Sean Mannion hit WR Caleb Smith with a 6-yard scoring strike to cut ASU's lead to 20-10 to start the fourth quarter.  The Sun Devils then put the game out of reach with a 18-yard field goal by PK Zane Gonzalez and a 23-yard pick-six by DB Robert Nelson.  Grice carried the ASU offense rushing for 118 and those two TDs.  As for OSU, QB Sean Mannion threw for 320 yards and two scores, but he also threw four costly interceptions.
Telling Stat: The D did it; The ASU defense set the tone in this game holding OSU to just three points, while forcing three punts and two turnovers in the first half. 

 Observations

...A princely sum of yards; Heidelberg University's mascot is the Student Prince. Heidelberg has a football player on campus too.  RB Cartel Brooks set a new NCAA all-division single game rushing record by toting the rock 38 times for 465 yards to lead The 'Berg to a 42-14 win over Baldwin Wallace. Way to go, kid.

…Two wins away; Duke is two wins away from going 10-2 and meeting Florida State in the ACC title game.  If the Blue Devils end up shocking the world and making a BCS bowl, it would be their first trip to a major bowl since beating Arkansas, 7-6 in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.

…13 Iron Trojans; USC used just 13 total players on defense in their upset of Stanford last week.

…Quietly making noise; Colorado State is a win away from being bowl-eligible. That's pretty good for a team that's gone 13-35 over the last four seasons.

…And then there were five; There are still five winless teams in the FBS.  They are Connecticut, Southern Mississippi, Miami (OH), Hawaii, and Georgia State.

…This air-raid is gonna last awhile; Wazzu HC Mike Leach was given a contract extension through the 2018 season on Monday.

…They got the memo; West Virginia must have actually got the memo that Kansas had the schematic advantage over them.  The Jayhawks stopped their 27-game conference losing streak with a 31-19 win over the Mountaineers. That wins shows that every so often even a blind squirrel can find an acorn.

…Ahhh, The exuberance of youth;  As the final seconds were counting down in Duke's 48-30 pasting of Miami, the Blue Devil student section started chanting, "We want 'Bama!"

…From our field office in Gridley, CA; One of The Commissioner's field reporters had this comment after Kansas students tore down the goalposts and threw into the lake near campus after KU finally won last Saturday, "The lake should now be called Lake Schematic."

…Their menu options have changed; Stanford went from the Rose or Fiesta Bowl to the Alamo or Holliday Bowl in a little over three hours last Saturday.

…0 for the FBS;  Cal is 1-10 this season and the Golden Bears only win is a 37-30 decision over FCS foe Portland State.  The Golden Bears have not beaten an FBS foe since last October 13th when they beat Wazzu, 31-17.

…From our field office in Arlington, TX; One of The Commissioner's field reporters in attendance at the Baylor-Texas Tech game texted about how the stadium erupted when USC's upset of Stanford was announced over the PA.  These are some fun times going on with the Bears nowadays.

…The Whiner speaks; With Thee Ohio State looking at being hosed by the BCS computer this season, Buckeye HC Urban Meyer is whining about how the BCS is a "flawed" system.  Funny, he never said much when he was coaching at Florida. Hmmmmmm.

...Well said, Ted; ESPN Pac 12 blogger Ted Miller said this in his article about Coach O that came out on Monday, "At this point, however, Orgeron is not only getting his guys to run though those brick walls, he's also getting them to hit the wall in the right spot and use good technique while doing so."

Sad Photo Break 
You know Your team has lost the fan base when…

You don't have enough students show up to do a decent card stunt.  Yes, they have given up at Illinois.

It's time for this year's first edition of Bowl Math!

There are 35 bowl games for the 2013 football season.  That means 70 teams will go bowling. Here's the list of bowl eilgible teams as of this week.

There are 42 teams bowl-eligible in the BCS conferences, here's the breakdown:

AAC- 4 (UCF, Louisville, Cincinnati, Houston)
ACC- 8 (Florida State, Clemson, BC, Maryland, Duke, Ga. Tech, Va. Tech, Miami)
Big XII- 6 (Baylor, Okie St. Texas, OU, Kansas State, Texas Tech)
Big 10- 7 (Michigan St., Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio St., Wisconsin)
Pac 12-8 (Oregon, Stanford, Oregon St., Washington, ASU, USC, UCLA, Arizona)
SEC 9- (Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia, Vandy, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Ole MIss, LSU)

There are three FBS independent teams that are bowl eligible:

Notre Dame, Navy, BYU

There are 20 bowl eligible teams from the Non-BCS conferences:
Conference USA- 6 (East Carolina, Marshall, MTSU, North Texas, Rice, Tulane)
MAC- 6 (Bowling Green, Buffalo, Ohio, Northern Illinois, Ball St., Toledo)
Mountain West- 4 (Fresno St., SDSU, Boise, Utah St.)
Sun Belt- 4 (Louisiana- Lafayette, Arkansas St., Texas St., Western Kentucky)

That means there are a total of 65 teams eligible to fill the 70 available slots.  HOWEVER,
There are teams 18 teams on the bowl eligibility bubble.  That means there could be a bunch of bowl eligible teams that won't get a bowl bid this season.

Ugly Uniform of The Week

This week's winner is our old friends, the Oregon Ducks.

This olive colored uniform is just horrible. Period.

Departments

Close Game of the Week: San Antonio, TX- With 4:40 to go in the third quarter, Angelo State QB Kyle Washington teamed up with WR Quinn Reels for an 85-yard TD strike.  That would be all the Rams would need for a 7-0 win over the Incarnate Word Cardinals.

Blowout of the Week: Livingston, AL- The West Alabama Tigers racked up 13 TDs in a 91-28 rout of the Central State Marauders.  The Tigers rushed for 444 yards on 41 carries.  That's a nifty 10.8 yards per carry.  Gotta give credit to West Albama's PK for going 13 for 13 on PATs.

Razorback Report: The Hogs were off this past week. They will host Mississippi State on Saturday.

Tulane Times: The Green Wave took this last week off.  They will host UTEP this coming Saturday.

Horned Frog Headlines: The Frogs fell on a last-second, 41-yard field goal by PK Jack Cantele to Kansas State, 33-31. QB Casey Pachall threw for 248 yards and one TD in the loss. Up next for the Frogs is a bye, then they'll host the Baylor Bears on November 30th to finish the season.

C.W. Post Press: The Pioneers finished the 2013 season by whipping the Pace Setters, 62-28.  Post QB Matt Brennan completed 16 of 27 passes for 222 yards and 4 TDs playing in place of the injured Steve Laurino. The Pioneers finish the season at 5-6 and will not be going to the Division II playoffs.

This Week's Three Notes about Nothing

Butterscotch brownies rock.

Pacific Standard Time sucks.

I still miss the old Prudential College Scoreboard.

Until next time folks, remember that Our 75 was better than their 85.
-The Commissioner

Week 11, 2013

Hey All,

It's time for the column you love on Tuesdays, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Herb Caen.

Summaries

USC 62- California 28: It was a beautiful, classic fall day up in Strawberry Canyon and the Trojans went on a Golden Bear hunt.  Trojan WR Nelson Agholor got things started for USC by returning a punt by Cal's Cole Leininger 75 yards to the house just 1:55 left into the first quarter.  Throw in a 12-yard TD reception from RB Silas Redd and a 43-yard jaunt to paydirt by RB Buck Allen and the Trojans led 21-0 after one quarter of play.  USC never looked back, building a 41-14 halftime lead and 55-14 lead deep in the third quarter before emptying the benches for an extended stretch of garbage time. Agholor finished the day with two punt returns for TDs, while Allen tallied 135 yards rushing and 2 TDs to go with 57 yards receiving and another score.  USC QB Cody Kessler went 14 of 17 on the day for 170 yards and 2 TDs to also help lead the Trojan charge.  As for the Bears, true freshman sensation, QB Jeff Goff complered 34 of 48 passes for 255 yards and 3 TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: Dialing long distance; the Trojans nine TDs on the day came on plays covering a total of 414 yards, that's a nifty 46 yards per scoring play.

Stanford 26- Oregon 20: For 50 minutes, the Cardinal manhandled the Ducks. Then, they held on for dear life for the final 10 minutes to get the win. Stanford built up a 26-0 lead through tough defense and the running of RB Tyler Gaffney.  Gaffney toted the rock 45 times for 157 yards and one TD. PK Jordan Williamson wasn't too bad either, he hit on four of five field goal attempts. However, that fifth one was blocked and returned 65 yards for a TD by UO DB Rodney Hardrick.  Then, the Ducks recovered the onside kick and the ballgame got real exciting.  UO QB Marcus Mariota drove his squad down the field and threw a TD pass to WR Pharaoh Brown to cut the Stanford lead to just 26-20 with 2:12 to play.  With the once jubilant Stanford Stadium crowd now on edge, the Cardinal recovered the ensuing onside kick and were able to run out the clock to escape with the victory.  
Telling Stat: They controlled the line of scrimmage and the game; Stanford dominated the line of scrimmage on Oregon. They held the ball for 42:32 by rushing 66 times for 274 yards and converting 14 of 21 third downs in the contest.

Washington 59- Colorado 7: The Huskies took a season's worth frustration out on the hapless Buffaloes. UW QB Keith Price had a great night, completing 22 of 29 aerials for 312 yards and two TDs, while also running for 29 yards and another two scores. RB Bishop Sankey was his usual strong self, toting the rock 23 times for 143 yards and a TD. Colorado QB Sefo Liufau threw for 160 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat:  49 for 45; After leaving the first quarter with a 10-7 lead, the Huskies blanked the boys from Boulder, 49-0 over the last 45:00 to secure an easy win.

Arizona State 20- Utah 19: For three quarters it looked like Utah would pull off their second big home upset of the year as they held a 19-7 lead over the Fighting Sparkies. Then, the wheels fell off and the Sun Devils dominated the fourth quarter to get a big road win.  ASU QB Taylor Kelly had a miserable day throwing for just 144 yards, But he did run for a TD and throw for the game-winning score with just 2:37 to play when he hooked up with WR Richard Smith from 14 yards out. Meanwhile, the ASU defense stepped it up in the fourth quarter allowing only 26 yards, forcing three punts and picking off two passes to secure the victory.  For the Utes, QB Tyler Wilson only threw for 121 yards, but did throw for his squad's only two TDs on the day.
Telling Stat: When they needed it; While the ASU defense dominated, the ASU offense gained 176 of their 293 total yards and scored 14 of their 20 points in the final stanza.

UCLA 31- Arizona 26:  So, the bRuins take LB Myles Jack and try him out on offense too. All the kid does is rush for 120 yards on six carries and a TD while also racking up eight tackles and recovering UofA RB Ka'Deem Carey's fumble in the UCLA end zone to preserve the win.  Not a bad night for a freshman.  Not a bad night for the bRuins as a whole as they came away with their first win in Tucson since 2003.  bRuin QB Brett Hundley was sharp, completing 18 of 25 passes for 227 yards and two TDs, while running for 56 yards and another score. As for UofA, Carey ran for 149 yards on 28 carries in the loss.
Telling Stat: 1 big mistake; UofA RB Ka'Deem Carey's fumble on the goal line cost the Wildcats the upset.

Pittsburgh 28- Notre Dame 21: It looked like the Fighting Irish were on their way to another one of their close victories this year, but the Panthers had other ideas.  Pitt shutout ND in the fourth quarter, while tallying the game-winning score on a 1-yard run by RB James Connor with 9:36 to play. The loss seriously damaged any hopes of ND landing a BCS bid.  ND QB Tommy Rees threw for 318 yards and two TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: 3; three losses doesn't get you a BCS berth.

Observations

...?????; What was Lane Kiffin's reason for keeping Buck Allen in his doghouse?  CLK should have been fired for that bit of stupidity alone.

...The blueprint still works: The way to beat Oregon was shown yet again by Stanford. Finesse teams hate getting hit. Stanford hits hard, very hard.

...Golden Roses; Minnesota is 8-2, with the upside being that two more wins puts the Golden Gophers in the Big Ten Championship Game.  Downside is that those two games are against Wisconsin and Michigan State.

...Obviously not Tommy's brother; Stanford has a wide receiver named Jeff Trojan.

...Get that kid a leather helmet; UCLA RB Myles Jack deserves one after playing both ways at RB and LB to lead the bRuins to their win at UofA.

...Another memo not read;  I think it's time that maybe Charlie Weis starts sending text messages instead of memos.  Okie State sure didn't get the message on how KU had the schematic advantage.  The Cowboys whipped the Jayhawks, 42-6. Old Chuckles shouldn't worry though.  After all, basketball season has started at KU.

...And then there were five; There are still five winless teams in the FBS.  They are Connecticut, Southern  Mississippi, Hawaii, Georgia State, and Miami (OH).  Southern Miss is riding a 21-game losing streak.

...First the winged helmet, now this;  Princeton has a great thing going this season with their three QB Offense.  The Tigers lineup in the spread with three QBs in the formation.  One in the shotgun set, and the other two split on opposite sides of the formation.  All three can run and throw the ball on any given  play.  The Tiger offense has been giving their Ivy League opponents fits this season.

...A tale told by an idiot;  Thee Ohio State WR Evan Spencer said of Florida State and Alabama that Thee OSU "would wipe the field with both of them."  Really, dude?  I guess there is no drug testing at Thee OSU.

...Thinking ahead;  I would really, really like the Baylor-Texas game on December 7th to be for all the marbles in the Big XII.

...Too much testosterone; In their early warmups, the Texas O-line and D-line decided to show how tough they were in the 30 degree temperature at West Virginia by going shirtless.  That's nuts.  I just would have proclaimed myself tough on the inside and left it at that.

...Pretty bad in Gatorland; Florida dropped a 34-17 decision at home to Vanderbilt last weekend.  The Gators haven't lost to Vandy at home since 1945.

...8 maybe 10;  Currently 8 Pac 12 teams are bowl-eligible. That number could increase to 10 if Wazzu and Utah each win two of their final three games.

...Something's got to give; Cal plays at Colorado this week.  Somebody is gonna get their first Pac 12 win.

...Quietly making noise; Duke is 7-2.  The Blue Devils are going bowling.  Wow.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

This week's winner is Nevada for taking a good concept and blowing it.

The grey uniform is a good fit for Nevada as it is one of their school colors.  This one is ugly because they didn't pull it off right. Wearing their blue helmets and using full blue stripes down the pants would have made this a really good uniform.

Departments

Close Game of the Week:  Kirksville, MO- The Pumas of St. Jospeh's (IN) got a pair of fourth quarter field goals to defeat the Truman State Tigers, 6-3.  This was a defensive battle where the teams combined to convert only 11 of 36 third downs and turned the ball over six times.  

Blowout of the Week: Cleveland, MS- The Delta State Statesmen dismantled the Concordia College Clippers, 77-0.  The Statesmen picked up chunks of yards at will in this one, facing only five third downs in the game while racking up 11 TDs.  The DSU defense held the Clippers to just 142 yards of offense and seven first downs in the rout.

Razorback Report: It was another loss for the Hogs as they had no answer for Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace.  Wallace torched the Hogs for 416 yards passing and three TDs.  In the loss, QB Brandon Allen threw for 193 yards and two TDs. Up next for the Hogs is a home game with Mississippi State.

Horned Frog Headlines:  With just :38 left, QB Trevone Boykin crossed the double stripe from one-yard out and the Horned Frogs came away with a 21-17 win over Iowa State. Boykin only rushed for 29 yards in the game, but scored all three TCU TDs. Up next for the Frogs is a trip to Kansas State.  

Tulane Times: The Green Wave's chances of getting to the C-USA title game took a big hit when they were upset, 10-7 by the UTSA Roadrunners over the weekend.  RB Orelans Darkwa rushed for 103 yards and a TD on 20 carries for Tulane in defeat.  With the game tied at 7-7, the Roadrunners went on a 10 play, 63-yard drive that culminated with PK Sean Ianno hitting from 34-yards out for the victory.  up next for Tulane is a home date with UTEP.

C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- No correct assumptions were made by the Pioneers as they lost to Assumption College, 37-27.  Post Qb Steve Laurino threw for 164 yards and three TDs in the loss. 

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing

The 17 mile drive on the Monterrey Peninsula and having lunch at Pebble Beach is flat out awesome.

Harris Ranch rocks.

Memorial Stadium at Cal on a perfect fall day, is one of the best venues in all of college football.

Until next week folks, remember that special teams can truly be special.

The Commissioner

Week 10, 2013

Hey All,

It's Tuesday!  Time for the column you all love, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

USC 31- Oregon State 14: The Trojans hadn't won up in Corvalis since the "fog game" of 2004.  So, you can imagine all Trojan fans surprise and glee when USC held 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Then, the Beavers came roaring back in the second quarter on the strength of a 27-yard TD pass form QB Sean Mannion to WR Brandin Cooks and a 41-yard pick-six from CB Ryan Murphy. It looked like USC, as it has in the last couple of seasons, would collapse and OSU would take the game.  However, the Trojans put together an answering drive of 10 plays, 75 yards that was capped off by an 18-yard TD run by RB Buck Allen to go up 21-14 at the half.  The second half was all USC as the Trojan offense chipped in 10 more points and the defense shutout the Beavers the rest of the way to get the win. For USC, it was the Buck Allen and Silas Redd show as the pair of RBs rushed for 133 and 140 yards respectively with Allen scoring three TDs.  USC QB Cody Kessler completed 17 of 21 passes for 247 yards and a 75-yard TD strike to Marqise Lee to aid the wining cause. As for the Beavers, QB Sean Mannion Threw for 377 yards, a TD and three interceptions.
Telling Stat: 0 for 3= W; The Trojan defense held the Beavers scoreless on their three trips inside the Red Zone to ensure the win. 

Arizona State 55- Washington State 21: It was a Thursday night up in the Palouse, the Wazzu crowd was roaring and upset thoughts filled the air. Then the game kicked off and ASU skinned the Cougars. Sun Devils QB Taylor Kelly did a Marcus Mariota impression lighting up the Wazzu defense.  He threw for 275 yards and five scores, while running for 66 yards and two more scores. ASU RB Marion Grice chipped in with 125 yards total yards form scrimmage as well. On the Wazzu side of things, QB Connor Halliday completed 29 of 54 passes for 300 yards and a pair of TDs.
Telling Stat: 1st round KO; ASU rolled up 149 yards of offense and 21 points, while holding Wazzu to 53 yards and 0 points to take control of this game after one quarter of play. 

Arizona 33- California 28: It was a tight one in Strawberry Canyon, but the Wildcats managed to hold on for the win over the Golden Bears. UofA QB B.J. Denker threw for 261 yards and one TD, but he really hurt the Bears with his legs.  Denker only rushed for 44 yards, but racked up TD runs of 9,1, and 14 yards to stymie the Cal defense. Cal couldn't stop RB Ka'Deem Carey either, who rushed for 152 yards on 32 carries.  Meanwhile, Cal QB Jeff Goff was his now expected blend of great numbers and bad mistakes. Goff completed 34 of 56 aerials for 289 yards and four TDs.  He also threw two costly interceptions.  WR Kenny Lawler was Goff's favorite target, catching six passes for 72 yards and three TDs in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Waiting to exhale until 1:35; The Wildcats didn't get to breathe easy in this one until Ka'Deem Carey broke off a 17-yard run with 1:35 to play to seal the win.

UCLA 45- Colorado 23: After getting worked over by Stanford and Oregon the last two weeks, UCLA welcomed Colorado came to Pasadena the help the bRuins get back in the win column. It wasn't easy though, as UCLA held just a 21-13 lead at the half, then managed to pull away in the third quarter to ensure the win. bRuin QB Brett Hundley completed 19 of 24 tosses for 273 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 72 yards and two more TDs. For CU, QB Sefo Liufau threw for 247 yards and one TD to lead the Buffs offensive attack.
Telling Stat: 14-0. After grinding to a 21-13 halftime lead, the bRuins put away the hapless Buffaloes by dominating the third quarter, outscoring CU 14-0. 

Notre Dame 38- Navy 34: The Irish had trouble with the pesky Midshipmen all day.  The Middies ran the ball 70 times for 331 yards and 4 TDs on the Irish.  However, the Navy defense couldn't stop ND either. ND QB Tommy Rees tallied 242 yards through the air and two TDs, while RB Tarean Folston toted the rock 18 times for 140 yards and one TD on the cold grey afternoon in South Bend. However, it wasn't until ND stopped WR Shawn Lynch on fourth down for no gain with 2:39 left to put this game firmly in the win column for the Irish.
Telling Stat: Yards in chunks;  Notre Dame faced only five third down conversions all game long and averaged 9.03 yards per play v. Navy. 

Observations

...Necessary evils;  It's widely becoming the belief amongst Trojan fans that the embarrassing losses to Wazzu and ASU were necessary things.

...Dullsville; This past weekend of college football was one of the dullest in recent memory. Only one real big national matchup and not many big conference games.  It was really dull if you're a Pac 12 fan. There were only four Pac 12 games this week and two of them were played before Saturday.

...A donnybrook on The Farm; Yes, for some dumb reason it's being played on Thursday night, but who isn't stoked about the Oregon-Stanford game this week?  I've had it circled on my calendar for about a year.

...A twit on twitter; Former Miami Hurricane player and radio personality Dan Sileo posted a bounty on Florida State DT Timmy Jernigan.  Sileo posted a picture of Jernigan and offered a $1,000 to anyone who "takes this kid out." Needles to say Sileo was fired by his radio station WMEN 640-AM.  Sileo said he is shocked by the backlash over the incident.  What an idiot.

...And then there were four; There are four winless teams left in the FBS. They are Southern Mississippi, Miami (OH), Hawaii, Georgia State.  Southern Mississippi is riding a 20-game losing streak.

...We're with stupid;  The Pac 12 extended commissioner Larry Scott's contract through the 2017-18 academic year. By then, Scott may have his goal realized of every Pac 12 game being played at 7:30 PM with no games being played on Saturday.

...Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing; That sums up Ohio State's season.  The Buckeyes are undefeated and the national opinion of the Big Ten is so low that nobody cares outside of Columbus.

...A really Big 10;  With three weeks left in season, Minnesota has a chance at 10 wins.  It's a slim chance. but if the Golden Gophers pull it off, it would be the first 10 win season for the Gophers since 2003 and the second double-digit win season in school history.

...The gift that keeps on giving; Texas worked over Kansas last week, 35-13.  Poor Charlie Weis. Yeah right. Feel free to insert your own joke about schematic advantage. I'm really gonna miss Chuckles when he gets fired.

...Quietly making noise; Fresno State is 8-0 with a three game lead in their division of the Mountain West Conference.

...Just an idea;  Wouldn't an Oregon-Baylor game be the closes thing to a real-life version of NCAA Football on Playstation?

 Ugly Uniform of The Week

Oregon State is this week's winner for this all-orange ensemble they wore v. USC last Friday.

Call 'em pumpkins, CalTrans uniforms or prison jumpsuits, these things are U-G-L-Y. This picture is hurting my eyes right now, yuk.

Departments

Close Game of The Week: Pittsburgh, PA- Well, The Washington University (MO) Bears make this department with a second straight close victory.  The Bears got a 45-yard field goal from PK Alex Hallwachs with eight seconds left to eek out a 9-7 win over the Carnegie Mellon Tartans.  Hallwachs kick made up for the PAT he missed in the first quarter or else this game may have gone to OT at 7-7.  the announced attendance that witnessed Hallwachs big kick was just 572 fans.

Blowout of the Week: Belton, TX- The Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders swatted the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets, 80-0.  Nine different Crusaders combined to rush the ball 51 times for 323 yards and 5 TDs on the day, while QBs Zach anderson and Brian Gallagher combined for four TDs in the rout.  The Crusader defense got in the act too.  They scored two defensive touchdowns and held the Yellow Jackets to just 144 total yards and seven first downs.

Razorback Report: Another week, another loss for the Razorbacks.  This tine it was a 35-17 loss to Auburn. The Razorback defense had no answer for Auburn RB Tre Mason.  Mason racked up 168 yards rushing on 32 carries and found the endzone four times.  Hog QB Brandon Allen threw for 112 yards and a TD in the loss. Up next for the Hogs is a trip to Ole Miss.

Horned Frog Headlines:  West Virginia came to Ft. Worth and escaped with a 27-24 OT win over the Frogs.  This see-saw affair saw the Frogs hold a 17-3 lead, then find themselves down 27-17 with 7:11 to play.  The Hogs then got a 3-yard TD pass from QB Casey Pachall to WR David Porter to cut the deficit to three points.  The Hogs then  got the ball back and sent the game to overtime when PK Jaden Oberkrom nailed a 45-yard FG with :19 left.  In overtime, the Hogs went in reverse.  A six yard loss, a omne-yard pass, and a 15-yard penalty all led to Oberkrom trying a 62-yard field goal.  He missed and West Virginia moved the ball down to the TCU 17, where PK Josh Lamberet nailed a 34-yarder =to hand the Mountaineers the victory. Up next for the Frogs is a trip to Iowa State.

Tulane Times: The Green Wave couldn't withstand a big fourth quarter form Florida Atlantic and fell 34-17 to pick up their first C-USA loss of the season.  It was a miserable day on offense for Tulane as they racked up only 167 total yards. QB Nick Montana had an awful game, completing just seven of 22 passes for 71 yards and three interceptions. Up next for the Green Wave is a trip to UTSA.

C.W. Post Press: Manchester, NH- The Pioneers came away with a thrilling 41-40 victory over Saint Anselm.  Post surged ahead for good when QB Steve Laurino hit TE Sean Binckes with a 10-yard TD strike with just 24 seconds left.  Binckes had a career game nine passes for 99 yards and four TDs. Laurino had a great as well, throwing for 429 yards and those four TDs. Up next for the Pioneers is a home game with Assumption College.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing

Just not a fan of falling back to Pacific Standard Time.

The Lafayette Park Hotel is an awesome place.

Harris Ranch breakfasts rock.

Until next week folks, remember that you always remember the games played in November.

-The Commissioner