The time has rolled around once again for the column that makes your Tuesdays better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
USC 55- Arkansas State 6: The Trojans opened up their season with a sloppy rout of the Red Wolves. The Trojans were especially sloppy on the offensive line where QB Cody Kessler was sacked four times in the first half which forced USC to run most of its' passing plays on rollouts the rest of the game. The Trojans also lost All-Everything CB Adoree Jackson early in the game with a hip flexor strain, but didn 't need him in this rout. Kessler completed 19 of 26 for 236 yards and four TDs to lead the Trojan aerial assault. Tre Madden led the USC ground attack with 106 yards on 12 carries and a TD. Speedy Arky State QB Fredi Knighten was limited by the Trojan defense to just 86 yards passing and was picked off twice in the loss.
Telling Stat: Couldn't tell the players without a scorecard; With 23 Trojans making their debut in this game, it was a pleasant site for USC fans to see the depth they've been missing for the last few years.
Hawaii 28- Colorado 20: Take a nightmare of a start, add in a great deal of sloppy play and top that with Pac 12 refs at the finish finding the worst time to have problems spotting the ball and what you get is an embarrassing loss for Colorado. The nightmare start for the Buffs was going three and out then having their first punt of the year blocked which Hawaii turned into an early 8-0 lead. The sloppy play was throughout the game where CU outgained the Warriors, yet critical penalties, dropped balls and a poor O-line led to the loss. While running for his life all night. CU QB Sefo Liufau completed 23 of 40 passes for 158 yards and an Interception. His teammate, RB Michael Adkins II rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries and both the Buffs TDs. As for Hawaii, it was QB Max Wittek, yes that Max Wittek, who completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards and three TDs. His main target was WR Marcus Kemp who hauled in six passes for 116 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: A bad six pack; In their first six possessions, Colorado had a punt blocked, punted three times, threw an interception, and fumbled which put the Buffs in a hole that they never could dig out of.
Oregon State 26- Weber State 7: The Beavers ground out a solid win for HC Gary Andersen in his debut on the OSU sideline. While it became clear early on that the OSU defense would easily keep the Wildcat offense in check, it wasn't so clear as to who would emerge as the Beavers starting QB from here on out. True freshman Seth Collins stepped up and won the job over Marcus McMaryion. Collins completed 10 of 18 tosses for 92 yards and a pair of scores, but his big numbers were in the running game where he carried the ball 17 times for 152 yards. As a team, OSU lived up to the buzz that their new offense is a run first spread attack by rushing the ball 56 times for 281 yards on the day. OSU's new offense did struggle at times which led to PK Garrett Owens connecting on all four of his field goal attempts with his longest coming from 45 yards out. As for the Wildcats, their lone highlight of the day came when DB Josh Burton picked off an errant OSU toss and returned it eight yards for a TD.
Telling Stat: 0 for 14; The OSU defense didn't allow Weber State to convert a single third or fourth down in the game which gave their offense the platform to find their way in this win.
California 73- Grambling 14: It was evident quite early that Cal was on their game v. the woeful Tigers of the FCS. The Golden Bears got two TD passes from QB Jared Goff, a TD run by RB Daniel Lasco and returned a pair of interceptions for TDs to build up a 35-0 lead after 15 minutes of play. Cal built up a 52-0 lead at the half and then emptied the benches in this glorified scrimmage at Strawberry Canyon. Goff completed 24 of 32 passes for 309 yards and 3 TDs in one half's worth of play.
Telling Stat: 3 feet= a laugher; You know it's a blowout when three different Cal kickers converted PATs in the game.
Texas A&M 38- Arizona State 17: It was big Pac 12-SEC showcase game at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, and the SEC came out on top as ASU choked in another neutral site game. The Sun Devils were beaten by a pair of players that played their high school ball in Scottsdale. Aggie QB Kyle Allen Threw an early TD and ran for the game sealing TD despite being benched for most of the third and fourth quarters. Allen finished his truncated night with 198 yards passing and 2 TDs to go with his one rushing TD. Meanwhile, one of Allen's prime targets was his old Scottsdale buddy WR Christian Kirk who grabbed six aerials for 106 yards and a TD. The tough Aggie defense made sure that ASU's offense never got untracked. ASU QB Mike Bercovici complete 25 of 41 tosses for 199 yards and a TD in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: 1 less, 1 more, 1/2 as long; It's easy to see that the TAMU defense had shutdown the ASU offense when you realize that TAMU's Kyle Allen threw for only one less yard than ASU's Mike Bercovici and scored one more TD in half the playing time.
Northwestern 16- Stanford 6: If I told you that one of the teams in this game used a good power running game and combined that with a strong, stingy defense and good special teams to grind out a hard fought victory, you would think that I'm describing a typical Stanford victory. No so fast, my friend! (Sorry, had to go Corso there.) Northwestern flipped the script on the Cardinal and manhandled them in Evanston. NU Fr. QB Clayton Thorson was efficient if not flashy, completing 12 of 24 passes for 105 yards and rushing for 68 yards. 42 of those 68 yards came when he raced 42 yards for the game's only TD in the second quarter. Justin Jackson also kept the chains moving for the Wildcats by gaining 134 yards on 28 carries. The Northwestern defense shut down Stanford's rushing attack, holding the Cardinal to just 85 yards. SU QB Kevin Hogan didn't fare much better against NU. He complete 20 of 35 passes for just 155 yards and the interception that killed his team's final drive.
Telling Stat: They did it up front; Northwestern's O and D lines dominated in this game. The Wildcats 140 yard edge in the rushing game is a testament to that fact.
Oregon 61- Eastern Washington 42: The big story all week was about QB Vernon Adams being named starter for the Ducks and having to face his old EWU squad in the season opener. Maybe the story should have been about Oregon's sieve of a defense that gave up 549 yards and 42 points to an FCS school. For the Ducks, Adams did a pretty decent Marcus Mariota impression throwing for 246 yards and two TDs while rushing for 94 yards. RB Royce freeman was Ducks best running back gaining 180 yards on 21 carries and three TDs. As for the EWU offense, QBs Jordan West and Reilly Hennessey combined to complete 37 of 55 aerials for 438 yards and 5 TDs. The prime target of those aerials was WR Cooper Kupp who caught 15 balls for 246 yards and three TDs. The UO faithful couldn't breathe easy until EWU's pooch kickoff was fair caught 2:35 to go.
Telling Stat: 246/94/2, 200/24/3; The first set of numbers are QB Vernon Adams' yards passing, rushing and TDs in his first start for UO. The second set are Marcus Mariota's from his first start for the Ducks back in 2012. It was a good debut for Adams.
Portland State 24- Washington State 17: The Cougars were 31 point favorites coming into this contest with the Vikings from the Big Sky Conference of the FCS. The game was played in a cold driving rain storm, but the Cougars seemed to work through the rain and build up a 10-0 halftime lead thanks to a 21-yard field goal by PK Erik Powell and a 24-yard TD pass from QB Luke Falk to WR Keith Harrington. PSU came out in the second with a bend-almost-to-the-point-of-breaking-but-don't-break defense and an offense that fed off that defense. After fighting back to tie the game at 10 behind a four yard TD run by RB Paris Penn and 42-yard field goal by PK Jonathan Gonzales, the Vikings defense came up with a huge stop. They swatted away Wazzu's fourth down pass on their own 27-yard line. Momentum had shifted PSU's way. After trading TDs, The Vikings went ahead for good on a 1-yard TD run by RB Steven Long, to lead 24-17 with just over two minutes to play. Wazzu's last drive died when PSU's Peyton Bender intercepted QB Alana Sibley's pass deep in Viking territory.
Telling Stat: All but the big one; WSU beat PSU in every phase of this game except the scoreboard.
UCLA 34- Virginia 16: True Frosh QB Josh Rosen's debut couldn't have gone any better for he and the rest of the bRuins as they whipped the Wahoos. Rosen looked cool and calm as he completed 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards and three TDs . His performance paired well with a good game from the UCLA defense that allowed some yards, but held UVa to just 4 of 14 on third down conversions. Myles Jack had another good game for the bRuins on defense as well as rushing for a TD to the aid the offense. For The Wahoos, QB Matt Johns completed 21 of 35 tosses for 238 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: Not even that close; Viginia's lone TD came late in garbage time well after the bRuins had the game in hand.
Boise State 16- Washington 13: The big story line in this one was how would UW HC Chris Petersen's Huskies fare against the the school he built into a power before he took the job at UW. By halftime, the story turned into wondering if the Huskies could avoid a total humiliation by the Broncos. At Halftime the Dawgs trailed 16-0 and hadn't shown any signs of life on offense. The UW defense got fired up and shutout the Broncos the rest of the way while the offense kept finding ways to keep drives alive and score. True Frosh QB Jake Browning made up for a non-existent rushing game by leading the Dawgs to 13 unanswered points. He then guided the team to a chance to send the game into overtime. However, it wouldn't go to OT as PK Cameron Van Winkle's 46-yard field goal attempt slid wide right and the Dawgs lost.
Telling Stat: Second half shutdown; UW's defense held BSU to just 98 yards in the second half which allowed the Huskies offense a chance to comeback in the game.
Utah 24- Michigan 17: The M on his cap looked like Bo's. His swagger on the sideline and his offensive and defensive schemes looked like what he used to forge a winner at Stanford. However, the talent level wasn't there and HC Jim Harbaugh's debut as HC of Michigan ended in defeat. The Wolverines did hang tough with the Utes, but turnovers and the one-two punch from Utah's backfield were the difference in this game. Ute RB Devontae Booker gained 124 all-purpose yards and scored a TD while QB Travis Wilson, the pride of San Clemente High, completed 27 of 43 passes for 279 yards on the night. Iowa transfer Jake Rudock didn't have a good night for the Maize and blue as he did throw for 279 yards and a pair of scores. However, he threw three big interceptions, with the last one being returned 55 yards for a TD by DB Justin Thomas to seal the win for the Utes.
Telling Stat: A big, bad 3; Even with Michigan's talent gap, this game was essentially an even contest, but UM's three turnovers handed the game to Utah.
Arizona 42- UTSA 32: Last year, the Wildcats struggled with the Texas- San antonio Roadrunners and this year's game was no different. However, UofA also lost All-American LB Scooby Wright early to a torn meniscus in his knee. With Wright out, The Roadrunners picked apart the Wildcats secondary. QB Blake Bogenschultz hit on 25 of 43 passes for 332 yards and a pair of TDs. he also ran for another score. His top receiving target was WR David Morgan II who had nine catches for 109 yards and a score. The UofA offense struggled a little less than the defense with QB Anu Solomon throwing for 229 yards and four TDs. Wildcat fans didn't get a chance to celebrate this should-have-been-easy win until just over a minute left when the Bogenschultz's 4th down pass fell incomplete.
Telling Stat: When they needed it; UofA's struggling offense put together a 12-play, 69 yard drive that took over five minutes off the clock late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
Notre Dame 38- Texas 3: Fighting Irish QB Malik Zaire threw for 313 yards and three TDs to lead the Domers to a rout over a hapless Texas squad. While Zaire and his offense were having their way with the Longhorns defense, the ND defense penned in the Longhorn offense. Texas was held to 163 total yards with QB Tyrone Swoopes completing just 7 of 22 passes for just 93 yards. Meanwhile, the UT ground game was worse with RB Johnathan Gray gaining 40 of the team's 60 rushing yards.
Telling Stat: A total dome-ination; ND gained almost 400 more yards, held an almost 20 minute T.O.P. edge and made 22 more first downs than Texas in this rout.
Observations
...Embarrassed for the big uglies; The offensive line play in Pac 12 was pretty offensive this past weekend. ASU, USC and Stanford's lines were especially poor.
...Yes, they went there; Is the big story about Okie State's unimpressive win over Central Michigan the fact that Cowboys looked pretty bad in the win or is it that Okie State actually played a road game at Central Michigan?
...The pressure is off in Boulder; Looks like Colorado fans won't need to save any money for bowl game tickets after their opening loss at Hawaii.
...Blue and White flood gate; Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg was sacked 10 times in the Nittany Lions embarrassing, 27-10 loss to Temple. The worst sack however was when Temple rushed only two players and dropped nine back in coverage. Yes, he was sacked by a two man rush.
...This just in; Wazzu's season ended on Saturday. It's a bulletin because nobody really watched their loss to Portland State because it was on the Pac 12 Network.
...Hold that Heisman; Let's just turn down the hype on UCLA QB Josh Rosen. He's surrounded by 18 returning starters.
...It's the moral victory tour and it's coming to take you away; Michigan and Washington had their tickets punched for the tour in week one. Translation: it's gonna be a long year in Ann Arbor and Seattle.
...Six packs under wraps; Anybody notice that? One of the new NCAA rules for this year is that nobody can tuck their jersey under the pads, or cut them off short and play.
...Not Jim's kids; Funny how Stanford has slipped a couple of notches after the last of the kids recruited by Harbaugh have graduated. Hmmmmm.
...No memo sent; with Charlie Weis gone as the HC at Kansas, South Dakota State didn't get any memo explaining the Jayhawks schematic advantage. The uninformed Jackrabbits beat KU, 41-38. Can a school drop football in the middle of a season?
...Adding insult to defeat; After watching their New Mexico State Aggies get pummeled 61-13 by Florida, members of the NMSU athletic department staff returned to their bus only to find it had been burglarized. Sigh.
...Young pups; Washington has the fewest number of returning starters in the Pac 12 with nine. Wow.
...Like Bo; In addition to wearing all-white road uniforms like in the early days of Michigan football under Bo Schembechler, HC Jim Harbaugh will also hand out award stickers to the Wolverines.
...38/71; The first number is how many Trojans played in the Holiday Bowl last year. The second number is how many played in USC's opener v. Arkansas State last week. What difference a year and a few scholarships makes.
...Stay classy Salt Lake City; After the powers that be in SLC got felony aggravated robbery charges dropped against Utah starting CB Dominique Hatfield, he was readmitted to the school and is now back on the team. According to Utah HC Kyle Whittingham, Hatfield had suffered "enough punishment." Funny how "enough punishment" coincided with his Hatfield's backup being beaten like a drum by Michigan wideouts last week.
...Must be the first game; you know it's the first game of the season for Ohio State because none of the helmets have Buckeyes on them.
...10/18/1941; That was the date the last time Temple beat Penn State before their 27-10 win over the Nittany Lions last Saturday. How long ago really was that game? Well, it was played 10 years before facemarks were allowed on helmets.
...Getting warm in Lincoln; Is it too early to say that Nebraska HC Mike Riley is on the hot seat?
Special Section: Targeting in Texas
Marble Falls, TX- In case you haven't heard, a referee was targeted and leveled by a pair of players from John Jay High School at end of that school's 15-9 loss to Marble Falls High School, The video here is pretty hard to watch. This kind of thing can't happen in football on any level. My feelings run right along with Austin Football Officials Secretary Wayne Elliot who told the Associated Press, "The first thing we want is that those two kids never play football again."
Ugly Uniform of the Week: Louisville wins for this horrible ensemble. One, the huge Cardinal head on one side of the helmet is creepy. Two, the Old English L on the other side of the helmet is just unreadable. Three, the old English font used for the names on the back is plain ugly. It looks like someone was having fun with the fonts on their new label maker. Epic fail, Louisville, epic fail.
Departments
Blowout of the Week: Silver City, NM- The season opener was a grand one for the Western New Mexico Mustangs who trounced the Arizona Christian Firestorm, 70-14. The Mustangs ran up 685 yards of offense and scored 10 TDs in the game. The big offensive star for WNMU was QB Mitch Glasman who connected on 26 of 34 passes for 416 yards and six TDs.
Low Score Game of the Week: Hillsboro, KS- Northwestern (IA) went on the road and kicked their way to a 9-7 victory over the Tabor College Blue Jays. PK Justin Dittman booted three field goals covering 36, 20, and 19 yards in the first half to lift his team to victory. This game was a battle of strong defenses or inept offenses as the two teams combined to convert on 2 of 29 third downs in the contest.
C.W. Post Press: East Stroudsburg, PA- When QB Steve Laurino and his big arm graduated from Post, the search was on for who would step into his shoes. The Pioneers look to be just fine with Jr. QB Jeff Kidd stepping in those shoes. Kidd earned the nickname "Comeback Kidd" Saturday by throwing for two TDs in last 6:36 to lead the Pioneers to a 41-40 victory over East Stroudsburg. Kidd completed 29 of 45 passes for 381 yards and three TDs. Post RB Malik Pierre gained 117 yards on just 11 carries with a TD of his own to lead all rushers. Up next for the Pioneers is their home opener vs. the Assumption College Greyhounds.
This Week's Three Notes About Something
...It's good to be breathing.
...It's good to be walking.
...It's good to be writing.
Until next week folks, remember that a good offensive line is worth its' weight in gold.
-The Commissioner
