The Commissioner has returned from a great time in Chicago and a tough loss at Notre Dame. It's now time for another edition of that column you love, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mike Walden.
Summaries
Notre Dame 41- USC 31: It was a chilly night in South Bend for this latest edition of the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. The teams traded blows all night long, but as has been the case this year, USC did not have enough in the tank for a strong fourth quarter and fell to the Fighting Irish. The Trojans did hold an early 10-7 lead, just to watch ND storm back to a 24-10 lead a shortly into the fourth quarter. However the Trojans got off the deck when WR Jalen Greene took a short backwards pass from USC QB Cody Kessler and threw a perfect strike to WR JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 75-yard touchdown. about a minute and a half later, Adoree Jackson took a short pass from Kessler and went 83-yards to the house for the game-tying score. USC came out after the half and took the lead on a 4-yard TD pass from Kessler to TE Taylor McNamara. Then, the fourth quarter happened. The defense that really had a hard time pressuring ND QB DeShone Kizer and stopping RB C.J. Prosise didn't stop them at all in the final period. The Irish scored 17 points on drives of 90, 91, and 52 yards while the defense shutout USC to notch the comeback win. Kier finished the game completing 15 of 24 passes for 227b yards and two TDs. Prosise gashed the Trojan defense for 143 yards on 19 carries and a pair of scores. As for USC, Kessler finished the game with 365 yards passing, two TDs and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: They couldn't finish; USC got outscored 17-0 by ND in the fourth quarter to lose this game. In USC's three losses in 2015, they have been outscored 34-9 in the fourth quarter.
Washington State 52- Oregon State 31: The Cougars took on the Beavers and their the #1 ranked passing defense the Pac 12. The Cougs put up 45 on that defense... in the first half. Yes, Wazzu put up 45 first half points, then took the second half off up in Pullman. Wazzu QB Luke Falk completed 39 of 50 passes for 407 yards and six TDs. WR Dom Williams was his favorite target. He caught 11 balls for 158 yards and two scores. The OSU defense did throw a second half shutout, as WSU's lone second half score was a pick six. However, the game was already firmly in the win column for the Cougars at the intermission. OSU true frosh QB Seth Collins continues had a solid game, throwing for 176 yards and a score and rushing for 124 yards and another TD. The win marked the first time in two years that Cougars won a home Pac 12 game and was also win 100 in the career of HC Mike Leach.
Telling Stat: 7 for 7; Wazzu scored on all seven first half drives to snuff out OSU's hopes of victory early in the Palouse.
Arizona 38- Colorado 31: It was another night of revolving quarterbacks as the Wildcats outlasted the Buffaloes in Boulder. UofA QB Anu Solomon staked the Cats to an early 17-7 lead after the first period. Then, he lost his rhythm in the middle two quarters. CU mounted a comeback while this was going on and held a 24-17 lead going into the final period. UofA HC Rich Rodriguez, sent in Jerrard Randall to sub for Solomon. He led the Cats on a 97-yard TD drive in six plays. The tying score on a 45-yard run by RB Jared Baker. The Cats defense held and Randall then led team for most of a 94 yard scoring drive. I say most because, Randall got the Cats all the way down to the CU 25 where he was injured on a 7-yard run. Solomon then came back in and threw a 25-yard strike to Baker for the go ahead score. Randall returned to the game after another stop by the Cats and led a short drive to score the game clinching TD with 4:40 to play. CU scored one final time, but thats was as close as they would get to sending the game to overtime. UFO's unsung offensive hero of the game was RB Jared Baker. Baker filled in well for the injured Nick Wilson by rushing for 207 yards on 23 carries with two TDs. CU QB Sefo Liufau had a big game, completing 28 of 43 aerials for 339 yards and two scores. WR Shay Fields was the Liufau's favorite target catching eight passes for 168 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 226+ (-2)= W; In an 11:14 span that covered the end of the third and most of the fourth quarter, Arizona outscored Colorado, 21-0 and out gained Colorado 226 yards to -2 to take control of the game.
Stanford 56- UCLA 35: Don't let the score in this one fool you, folks. Stanford was in complete control of their game with the bRuins from the opening kickoff. The Cardinal started the game with a pick six of UCLA QB and Hobey Baker Award winner Josh Rosen. Then, they let the their running game do the talking. Cardinal RB Christian McCaffrey could not be stopped by UCLA. He toted the rock 25 times for a school record 243 yards and four TDs before sitting out most of the fourth quarter. Kevin Hogan had another quietly efficient night too. He completed 8 of 15 passes for 131 yards and three TDs. One of this TDs was a catch for the ages as WR Francis Owusu caught the ball with a bRuin defender all over him like a cheap suit. Rosen did finish with 325 yards passing, three TDs and two interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: Way too little, too late; UCLA's final 15 points and 144 yards of offense came after Stanford had emptied the benches up 56-20.
Oregon 26- Washington 20: QB Vernon Adams returned from his broken finger and led the Quack Attack to their 12th straight win over the Huskies. Oregon never trailed in this one. Back form an NCAA drug suspension, UO WR Darrin Carrington put the Ducks up 6-0 when he hauled in a 35-yard TD pass from Adams. Throw in an 8-yard TD run from RB Bralon Addison and a 28-yard FG from Aidan Schneider and the Ducks held a commanding 16-3 lead at the break. UW never really got their offense untracked all night. True Frosh QB Jake Browning threw for 199 yards and a TD in the loss. As for the victorious Ducks, Adams completed 14 of 25 aerials for 272 yards and two TDs, while RB Royce Freeman lead all rushers with 138 yards on 27 carries.
Telling Stat: 1-0; That's the most I'm important stat for the Ducks with Vernon Adams return to the lineup.
Utah 34- Arizona State 18: While Washington couldn't break their 11-gaem losing streak to Oregon, Utah broke their 11-game losing streak to the Sun Devils. The defenses dominated the first part of this game with the Utes holding a 14-10 edge at the half. The third quarter wasn't much better as the Sun Devils took an 18-14 lead into the fourth quarter behind two field goals and a safety. The Utah offense woke up in the fourth quarter. Utah went on 20-0 run to finish the game thanks to RB Devontae Booker. 101 of his 118 yards rushing and both of his TDs came in the final period. His TD runs of 32 and 67 yards plus a pair of field goals by PK Andy Phillips secured the win for the undefeated Utes. As for the Utes aerial attack, QB Travis Wilson completed 26 of 36 passes for 297 yards and two scores. ASU QB Mike Bercovici threw for 242 yards and an interception in the defeat.
Telling Stat: Highway 101 went through Salt Lake; In a game where rushing yards came at a premium, Utah RB Devontae Booker's 101 yards rushing in the final period won the game for the Utes.
Observations
...USC X2; Who thought both USC's would lose both their HCs on the same day?
...Air appeal; Jalen Greene's trick pass TD to JuJu Smith-Schuster was the best looking ball thrown by a Trojan all year.
...Not impressed; Baylor is 6-0, but the combined record of their opponents thus far is 12-22. Oh, and three of those wins belong to Lamar, the FCS team the Bears whipped in week two.
...Gut punched; That's what every Michigan fan has to feel like after Saturday's final play.
...That was heart I saw; USC showed more heart and fire in the ND game than they showed in Steve Sarkisian's entire tenure.
...No front walls; USC's offensive and defensive lines are the worst they've been since He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was the HC of the Trojans.
...Funny how that happens; UCLA runs on a quarter system. That means the bRuins didn't start class until September 21st. Before class started, UCLA went 3-0. After classes have started the bRuins are 1-2. Funny how that happens.
...Just a rumor; Even thought their defenses preform the same, there is no truth to the rumor that USC DC Justin Wilcox is former USC DC Keith Burns' long lost twin brother.
...A tough dumpster fire; With all the players being arrested, the HC being suspended for three games and a number of other "character issues", Rutgers is 3-3 and could give TheeeOSU some real fits this week.
...And then there were four; There are four winless teams in the FBS. Central Florida, Kansas, North Texas and New Mexico State are all winless. Central Florida hit the 0-7 mark on Saturday making them the first team this season play their way out of bowl eligibility in 2015.
...Realization about what I saw; Heart and fire are great, but moral victories are for Vanderbilt.
...Chilly night; While bundled up well and siting in the stands at Notre Dame in the fourth quarter, I heard this and started laughing. A guy a couple of rows behind me said, " Dude it's freezing out here. No, really! It's 32 degrees!"
...Quick quiz time; Name the last UCLA QB to beat Stanford. It was Kevin Craft in 2008. I had to google it.
...Much too long; Wazzu's blowout of Oregon State was their first home Pac 12 win since they beat Utah, 49-37 back on November 23, 2013.
...Quick quiz time- part II; Name the last Washington HC to lead his team to a win over Oregon. It was Keith Gilbertson in 2003.
...Way Too Big Ten; With 14 teams in the Big Ten and only eight conference games, that means that Iowa can get away with a league schedule where they won't face Ohio State, Michigan, or Michigan State in the regular season. The Hawkeyes are 7-0 and will most likely roll in undefeated into the Big Ten title game. SMH.
...No reason to worry; Who cares who TheeeOSU's QB is? They just keep winning with whoever is under center.
...A rare happening; It was indeed a rare thing in Notre Dame Stadium to see the Cubs playoff score being flashed along with the college football results on the scoreboard. In fact, that was the only time in history those events have intersected.
...Pure Mike Leach; Wazzu's win over Oregon State this weekend was the 100th win as a HC for Mike Leach. Leach is always a bit off kilter and this quote sums up how he felt about his 100th win. "They dump water all over you and you have to change your shirt."
...Could be an Aztec sky; San Diego State is 3-0 in Mountain West play and has a two game lead in the their division. The Utah State- SDSU game this week could be well worth watching.
...Quietly undefeated; Temple is 6-0.
And now a PSA from The Commissioner: It has come to my attention that some members of the media have not been staying to the end of football games to file their postgame reports. Premature posting of postgame stories is a dangerous thing. You can control premature reporting if you stay until the end of the game. If you don't, this could happen to you.
Michigan Wins!
Conflicting Uniform of the Week: Ohio State's full black uniforms v. Penn State this week were troubling to me. I loved the design and hated the uniform. The uniform is a classic look. No Oregon craziness going here. However, the look isn't Ohio State. Ohio State isn't the Scarlet and Black. Ohio State is the Scarlet and Grey. They looked like Texas Tech. These killed their tradition with this uniform. Also, I think of all the money wasted on adding the Buckeye decals to these one use uniforms. The equipment guys at TheeeOSU had to apply 2,000 Buckeyes to the helmets for game day. SMH.
Departments
Blowout of the Week: Jacksonville, IL- On a crisp Illinois afternoon, the Illinois College Blueboys whipped the Grinnell College Pioneers, 83-10. The Blueboys ran up 903 yards of offense on the afternoon with QB Brady Huber connecting on 12 of 17 passes for 194 yards and one TD. Backup QB Blake Matson was a little more efficient completing 3 out 3 passes for 120 yards and two TDs. The Blueboys also ran the ball well too. RB's Greg Cross and Daniel Modelski combined to gain 231 yards on 15 carries and score four TDs. 10 different Blueboys carried the ball in this laugher.
Low Score Game of the Week: Indiana, PA- It was time for rivals to meet this week in western Pennsylvania. The Indiana (PA) Crimson Hawks defeated the California (PA) Vulcans, 20-15 in the Coal Bowl. Indiana was nursing a 13-9 lead late in the third quarter when RB Chris Temple found paydirt from a yard out to extend the Crimson Hawks lead to 20-9. Temple had a huge night, rushing for 255 yards on 37 carries and all three of his team's TDs. The Vulcans did make a late charge, to come within five points, but QB James Harris' fourth down pass fell incomplete from the Indiana 7-yard line. Harris completed 15 of 30 passes for 185 yards and an interception in the loss.
C.W. Post Press: Pleasantville, NY- After every game on their schedule being a nail-biter, the Pioneers enjoyed a breather. They beat the Pace Setters, 30-7. The Pioneers held a 30-7 lead after three quarters and emptied the benches in the final period. QB Jeff Kidd completed 12 of 27 tosses for 209 yards, two TDs and two picks for Post. The running game was high gear for the Pioneers with RB's David White and Malik Pierre combing to gain 227 yards on 40 carries and one TD. Up next for Post is a trip to West Haven, CT to take on the New Haven University Chargers.
And Now, Five Notes About Chicago...
Finally made it to the Twin Anchors on this ND trip. An order of ribs with zesty sauce, wings with good bleu cheese on the side, some fries and a Great Lakes Eliot Ness Amber is a pretty hard combination to beat.
Car horns are the unofficial second language in the Windy City.
Murphy's Bleachers is my favorite Wrigleyville hangout. It's the bleacher bum in me.
Eggsperience is a great breakfast place. Wait, let's make that an epic breakfast place. Why? because in addition to having pretty good food, the place is open on Fridays and Saturdays from midnight to 6 AM. For weary Trojans making their way back from a night game in South Bend, it was a great thing to behold.
The views of Lake Michigan from Navy Pier are awesome.
Until next time folks, remember that man-to-man coverage only works when you have a good pass rush.
-The Commissioner
