Tuesday, September 27, 2016

2016 Week 4

Hey All,

Its time for that column that makes Tuesdays feel like game days, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

Utah 31- USC 27: The good news is that USC found their QB for the foreseeable future in Sam Darnold.  Darnold made some freshman mistakes, but the San Clemente High surfer kid showed that he has a cannon arm and the running ability to lead the SC offense.  If only the coaches were as good.  The Trojans looked unprepared yet again and were outplayed and outwitted by the Utes when it counted down the stretch.  Despite all that, the Trojans still held a 27-24 lead with 5:30 to play.  However, when faced with a fourth-and-3 at the Utah 37, USC punted instead of going for the first down that would have enabled USC to run the clock and force Utah to burn their time outs. Utah took the ball at their own seven-yard line and thanks to a poor timed interference call on SC marched down the field, converting two fourth downs in the process, to score the game-winning TD. Many things in this game showed how HC Clay Helton is in over his head at HC.  The most glaring was  that the team had no full pad practices heading into this game.  That might have had a little to do with SC fumbling on three drives to open the game.
Telling Stat: 1 Not ready for prime time = L; USC HC Clay Helton is the one not ready for prime time. That will lead to many losses and a new HC for SC next year.  

Stanford 22- UCLA 13: When you want to beat the champ, you have to knock him out.  UCLA did everything but throw the knockout blow in yet another loss to The Farm. The bRuin defense had done well, they bottled up ALL-Everything RB Christian McCaffrey.  He did gain 138 yards rushing, but he did not score a TD, only grabbed 13 yards receiving and had just one kick return for 14 yards.  However, the bRuin offense was held in check by the Stanford defense and themselves.  Numerous drops from the wideouts kept Stanford in this game and QB Josh Rosen from having a great night.  As it was, he completed 18 of 27 tosses for 248 yards and a TD, but he would have been near perfect without the drops.  The Cardinal stayed close and went ahead for good when they marched 70 yards in 10 plays that was capped off with a TD pass when QB Ryan Burns completed an eight yard fade route to TE JJ Arcega-Whiteside with :24 left.  Then in a move to cement the win, SU DT Joey Alfieri Sacked and stripped Rosen of the football. the fumble was picked up by DT Solomon Thomas and he raced 42 yards for a TD as time ran out.
Telling Stat: Ryan Air Flight 6-66;  Stanford QB Ryan Burns completed 6 passes for 66 yards with a TD on The Cardinal's final drive to beat the bRuins.

Washington 35- Arizona 28 OT: The Huskies made the trip to UofA to face a real opponent after three cupcakes to start the season.  A pair of missed field goals from PK Cameron Van Winkle, a failed fourth-and-1, dropped passes and an inability to stop Arizona's fourth string RB almost cost the Huskies this game.  It looked like the Dawgs would hold on to this win in regulation, but they allowed UofA to march down the field and score the game-tying TD with :17 left.  However, the OT belonged to UW. They had the ball first and scored on a four yard TD pass from QB Jake Browning to WR Dante Pettis. Then they held UofA on the ensuing possession claiming the win when QB Brandon Dawkins' pass fell incomplete on 4th down from the Huskies 11-yard line. UofA QB Brandon Dawkins was the offensive star of this game, throwing for 167 yards and a TD and rushing for 176 yards and two more score.
Telling Stat: -1 for the win;  The UW defense had given up 476 yards in this game, but it was the -1 yards they gave up on Arizona's final four plays in OT that made the difference in this game. 

Boise State 38- Oregon State 24: The Broncos went to Corvallis and dammed up the Beavers.  It was the Jeremy McNichols show in the first half as the BSU RB ran for TDs of 5, 6 and 70 yards and caught a TD pass that covered six yards to shred the Beaver defense. Thanks to McNichols, BSU went up 31-7 at the break and held off a mild OSU second half comeback to take home the win.  For the hapless Beavers, RB Ryan Nall only gain 66 yards rushing but did score two of the Beavers three TDs on the day.  BSU QB Brett Rypien completed 19 of the 36 passes for 215 yards and a TD in the win.
Telling Stat: Boatraced Beavers; Boise jumped on OSU from the opening kickoff and didn't let up for the half, building up a 31-7 halftime edge while holding the Beavers to just 77 total first half yards.

Arizona State 51- California 41: This game was billed as a meeting of two powerful offenses with little defense and it lived up to the billing.  Cal had the control of this game going into the final period, holding a 27-20 lead.  ASU then put up a quarter for the ages, putting 31 points on the board to get the win.  Sun Devil PK Zane Gonzalez gave ASU their first lead of the day when he connected on a 23-yard field goal to go up 37-34 with 3:17 to play.  ASU then looked liked they had put the game away when DB Viliami Moeakiola picked off Cal QB Davis Webb and took it 28 yards to the house to put ASU up 44-34.  However Cal drove right back down the field and closed the gap to 44-41on a 26-yard TD pass from Webb to WR Demetris Robinson. ASU had to put this game away again and they did with :48 left.  Cal attempted an onside kick after their last TD, but Freshman LB DJ Calhoun showed why he was on the hands team for ASU by fielding the onside kick and taking it back 42 yards for a TD to really put the game away for the Sun Devils.  Wilkins had a huge night for the Sun Devils, completing 21 of 30 passes for 290 yards and a TD while also rushing the ball 23 times for 72 yards and three more scores.  Cal's Webb ended the game with 478 yards passing, five TDs and two costly interceptions.
Telling Stat: 3 into 4 =W; ASU won this game with TDs from offense defense and special teams in the fourth quarter. 

Colorado 41- Oregon 38: The Buffaloes rose to the occasion and told Oregon, "Not this time.  Not here. Not today."  Colorado played their best fourth quarter in a long time. The defense that looked so bad in the third quarter, shut down the Ducks in the fourth.  The offense behind QB Steven Montez and an amazing catch by WR Bryce Bobo scored the winning TD with 8:43 to play to send Phil Knight and the rest of a very subdued Oregon crowd home with a loss.  Montez who played in place of injured starter Sefo Liufau completed 23 of 32 passes for 333 yards and three TDs.  He also ran for 135 yards and a TD too. Without injured RB Royce Freeman in the lineup, the Ducks fortunes rested on QB Dakota Prukop.  He played well with 293 yards in the air and two TDs, but his inability to run on the Buffs hurt the Oregon offense. He also threw his only interception of the day with just 1:43 to go in the Colorado end zone to end UO's last chance to win.
Telling Stat: 3 knees for CU;  The best three plays Colorado HC Mike Mike MacIntyre called all day were the three victory formation kneel downs to kill the clock and finish off Oregon.

Observations

...The future is here;  USC QB Sam Darnold has the potential for a great career with good coaching.  I hope he receives some soon.

...No guts on the call;  Both the on-field officials and the replay refs missed what should have been a targeting call and ejection on UCLA DB Ismael Adams for his head hunter hit on Stanford WR Francis Owusu.

...Hold all tickets until results are final; That's a law to live by for those who play the ponies, but it came into play in the Stanford-UCLA game.  Stanford was either a 3 or 3.5 point favorite when the game kicked off depending which sports book you follow .  The Cardinal held a 16-13 lead when on the final play, the Cardinal executed a sack, strip and fumble return for a score to end the game at 22-13.  It was estimated the Las Vegas sports books took a several hundred thousand dollar hit with that late TD.

...As exciting as creamed corn; Iowa has to be the most boring team in America.

...Odd but true;  Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey hasn't scored a TD in a true road game in his Stanford career.

...Memo to Fresno State;  I hear Pat Hill is well rested and ready to run a program again.

...Point on top;  There are four FBS independent teams.  At 3-1, Army has the best record of the group which includes Notre Dame, Massachusetts and BYU who are all 1-3.

...A one handed Buff; Check out this catch from CU WR Bryce Bobo



...Knowledge is power;  UCLA wanted to beat Stanford. Stanford knew they would beat UCLA.

...Nobody;  If anybody tells you that they knew the Lousiville-Houston game on 11/17 could have college football playoff implications before the season started, they are lying.

...Special Teams coaching failure;  Florida PR Antonio Callaway had one of the worst games a punt returner could ever have.  He fair caught several punts inside his own 10-yard line and fumbled one of those. Once can be excused as a mental error. However, after the kid did it twice, why was he fielding any punts for the rest of the game?

...SMH or WTF, take your pick;  In USC HC Clay Helton's conference call Saturday night he didn't challenge the bad spot on JuJu Smith's fourth quarter catch that gave USC a 4th and 3 instead of a 4th and 1 because "it was on the other side of the field" and he "trusted the Pac 12 officials to get it right."

...He survived the coup but not the clock; Les Miles is out as LSU HC.  The Mad Hatter survived last year's coup attempt by the administration, but this season's losses, including Saturday's loss that ended with the Tigers' winning score being taken off the board on the game's final play because time had run out before the snap. Miles won't stay unemployed for long unless his buyout is really really sweet.

...She won't make the hands team;  Check out this poor photographer's full facial when she missed catching this kickoff


...They chanted, he listened; ND fans were chanting for the firing of DC BrianVanGorder on Saturday. On Sunday they got their wish. ND HC Brian Kelly let him go. The Irish had given up miles of yardage and became the last FBS team to register a sack this season when they got one against Duke.  Hope the fans like the replacement or BK may be chanted to again.

...O-nce more into the breach again my friends; Ed Orgeron, beloved former coach from USC who served as the interim HC at Troy when Lane Kiffin got tarmacked at LAX a few years back is now the interim HC at LSU after they fired HC Les Miles Sunday.  Here's hoping Coach O does well and gets another chance to be the HC somewhere soon.

...Page-Turned at FIU;  Florida Internatonal University axed HC Ron Turner Sunday. He was 10-30 in parts of four seasons with the Panthers.  Another team learned that Ron Turner like his brother Norv is a great coordinator and a bad HC.

...Lost in the Les;  LSU OC Cam Cameron got the axe too.  Coach O did it when he took over. That should make Miami Dolphin and San Diego Charger fans happy.  

...Note to Oregon DC Brady Hoke;  Welcome to the Pac 12, we have real offenses here.

...An embarrassing pair;  Boise State has two Pac 12 wins which will be more than at least two Pac 12 teams this season.

...Try sitting there;  It was fun to see Kirk Herbstreit talk about how the Rose Bowl is his favorite stadium.  Odds are that Herbie never has had to watch a game there from a seat in the stands.

...Thanks again, Larry; What might be the one of the best games of the weekend won't be seen by many folks this week as Stanford at Washington will air on Friday night at 6 PM PDT.  Leisure Suit Larry strike again.

...This week's most exciting game nobody saw; The Tulane Defense made one play.  They stopped Louisiana-Lafayette's two-point conversion attempt to walk away with a 41-39 win in quadruple overtime. The game went to OT tied up at 16-16 at the end of regulation.

...Seconds count; If LSU had one more second on the clock, would Les Miles still be employed?

...Not the worst;  USC's 1-3 record feels like the worst start ever for a USC team.  It's not, the 1957 Trojans started 0-5 and finished 1-9.

...Dont' ask 'em;  Nobody in Arkansas is happy with Louisville's success right now.

...Bowled over;  Bowling Green is 1-3 on the year.  In their three losses they have given up an average of 65 points per game. Yes, 65.

...Frustration thy name is Helton;  USC RB Justin Davis was averaging 12.6 yards per carry in the first three quarters v Utah, yet when the Trojans needed a strong back to run time of the clock while holding a lead, Davis didn't get a single carry in the fourth period. Hmmmmmmm.

...Not upsetting;  With Cal's defense, the Golden Bears losing a shootout to anybody should never be though of as an upset.

One Degree of Vin Scully

I hope you all can indulge me a bit here as I talk a little baseball.  This coming October 2nd will find Vin Scully calling the last game of his announcing career.  With all I have read and listened to about Vin Scully there was a simple mention of how one degree of separation connects Scully with basically the entire history of Major League Baseball.  That connection is Connie Mack.  When Scully started broadcasting Dodger games back in 1950, Connie Mack was still managing the Philadelphia A's.  I understand that Scully did meet Mr. Mack at one time.  The pairing of these two covers baseball from 1886 to the present day.  Mack was born in 1862 and debuted for the Washington Nationals of the National League in 1886.  To put this in perspective, when Connie Mack started his MLB playing career, Pitchers were now allowed to pitch overhand and still pitched from a box, not a mound and he got to use a new piece of equipment as he played catcher.  The chest protector was approved for umpires and catchers to use the previous season. The history geek that I am wonders just what it would be like to sit in a room with those two and discuss the history of the game.  Together they just about saw it all.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

Oregon was in the running for their "let's look like Pudddles" uniforms, but since that's the closest the Quacks have looked to their real colors in a long tine, they get a reprieve.  This week's winner is Tennessee for their Smokey Gray ensemble.  The uniform takes away from the Volunteers signature orange.  It's just ugly.




Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: With :04 left on the clock, PK John Baron kicked a 19-yard field goal to lift the Colby College Mules to a 9-7 win over the Williams College Ephs.  Colby had taken the early lead in the game way back in the first period when RB John Hurdle-Price scampered into the end zone from three yards out.  The Mules then failed on a two-point conversion and it looked like that failed attempt would be their down fall as Wiliams took a 7-6 lead with just 1:46 to play on a seven yard TD pass from SB Joh  Dillon to WR James Durham.  However, Colby shined under pressure and drove 54 yards in 10 plays to set up the winning kick.

Blowout of the Week: Columbia, KY- We go to the NAIA ranks where the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College crushed the Cincinnati Christian Eagles, 84-0.  The win was the first shutout win in the history of the Blue Raiders.  Lindsey Wilson College resurrected their football program in 2010 after dropping the sport back in 1935.  The Blue Raider defense held the Eagles to just six first downs, 1 for 13 on third downs and 133 total yards.  The Wilson offense rushed for 347 yards with RB haven Jones leading all rushers with 168 yards on 12 carries and three TDs.  QB Dylan Beasley completed 13 of 20 passes for 141 yards and three TDs as well.

C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- It was a real barnburner on Long Island. Post PK Joey Tolgyesi nailed a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Pioneers to a 27-24 win over the Bentley College Falcons.  This was a back and forth game with the Post holding 24-17 lead late.  However Bentley tied the game on a 50-yard TD pass from QB Drew Mahoney to WR CJ scarps with 2:16 to play.  Post QB Jeff Kidd then came out and calmly led the Pioneers on an 11-plat 58 yard rive for the winning points.  Kidd finished the day with 377 yards passing and three TDs, He also ran for 81 yards and a two-point conversion.  Post is now 4-0 on the season and 3-0 in Atlantic 10 conference play.. Up next for Post is a trip to Assumption College.

Georgetown Gridiron News: The Hoyas remained perfect no the young season moving to 3-0 with a 17-14 win over the fighting Blue Lions of Columbia.  The Hoyas jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead behind a 44-yard TD pass from QB Tim Barnes to WR Dereus Michael, a 47-yard field goal form Hank Darmstadter and 9-yard TD run from Barnes.  The Hoyas offense went dormant in the second half, but after Columbia closed to within three pints early in the final period, the Georgetown defense held the lead to ensure the win.  Up next for the Hoyas is the second stop on their three game Ivy Legaue swing with a trip to Harvard.

Razorback Report:  Well, the Hogs looked like they were gonna take control of their game with Texas A&M.  Arkansas went for a fourth-and-goal and a lead over the Aggies.  The play was stopped by a stout Aggie defense and then the roof fell in on the Hogs.  A 17-17 game then turned into a 45-24 Aggie rout.  Hogs QB Austin Allen throw for 371 yards and two TDs in the loss.  Up next for Arkansas is home date with Alcorn State from the FCS ranks.


This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Friends that can do plumbing are worth their weight in gold.

I need a good flashlight.

Don't ride the Blue Line... ever. 

Until next time, remember that playing not lose usually results in a loss.

-The Commissioner

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Week 3

Hey All,

The Commissioner is back from Palo Alto with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Mel Durslag.

Summaries

Stanford 27- USC 10: The rookie coaching staff of USC got another lesson in football this season. This time, it was from the superior staff of the Stanford Cardinal.  While Stanford ran a coordinated offense, USC looked like it was running plays that were drawn in the dirt.  While Stanford's players played focused and the coaches made good adjustments,  USC committed six false starts and didn't address that situation until the half.  Stanford came out in the second half and basically played their game by killing the clock and limiting their opponent's possessions.  USC didn't realize this and punted with a 4th and 6 at the Stanford 44, down three scores with nine minutes to play.  Stanford put their players in position to win with scheme and adjustments.  For the second of three weeks, USC failed to get the ball to its' best receiver. They also failed to stick to a running game that was working.
Telling Stat: 1-4;  Since having the interim tag taken off after beating UCLA last year, HC Clay Helton is 1-4 with the Trojans not being competitive in any of those losses. 

Nebraska 35- Oregon 32: The Ducks built up a 20-7 second quarter lead,  but injuries and a determined Nebraska squad turned the tide win this one.  Star UO RB Royce Freeman exited the game after the second series with a "right leg injury."  Later in the game Olympian Devon Allen was lost for the year with a knee injury.  Meanwhile, the Huskers ran well on the Ducks,  QB Tommy Armstrong, Jr. Ran for 85 yards and a TD while throwing for 200 yards and three more scores to lead the Huskers offense.  Oregon Still managed to run the ball well, but 13 penalties and a non-existent passing game did in the Ducks.  QB Dakota Prukop completed only 14 of 23 passes for 146 yards.  Despite this, Oregon still held a 32-28 lead with 2:29 to play.  It was then that Armstrong, Jr. raced 34 yards for the game-winning TD for the Big Red.
Telling Stat: No air- No victory: Oregon's lack of a passing game cost them this win.  Oregon didn't throw a TD pass, snapping a streak of 82 games with an aerial TD. 

Arizona State 32- Texas San Antonio 28: Through three quarters, UTSA had held their Pac 12 foe in check as they had to other Pac 12 schools over the last couple of seasons.  Then, just as in those past games, UTSA fell in the final period allowing ASU to escape with a win.  The Sun Devils stayed within striking distance of the Roadrunners thanks to the leg of PK Zane Gonzalez who hit a pair of 54-yard field goals, a 45-yarder and a 26-yarder. The Sun Devils scored the game-winning TD with only 3:15 left on a 2-yard TD run by Kalen Ballage.   In the loss, QB Dalton Sturm completed 19 of 37 passes for 229 yards and three TDs.
Telling Stat: They finished strong;  ASU owned the fourth quarter shutting out UTSA 17-0 to pull out the victory.

Washington State 56- Idaho 6: The Pac 12's vendetta against the Vandals continued this week when the Cougars wiped out their neighbors from a few miles down the road.  The Cougs scored on the ground (3 TDs), through the air (3 TDs), on defense (1TD) and on special teams (1TD) in this laugher.  Wazzu QB Luke Falk had a light work day, completing 21 of 36 passes for 226 yards and three scores. RB James Williams ran for 126 yards in 14 carries and a TD for WSU to lead all rushers. For the soon to drop back to the FCS Vandals, QB Matt Linehan threw for 172 yards on the day.
Telling Stat: 76, now that's the spirit;  Wazzu held Idaho to 76 total yards in the second half, 61 of those coming on one drive in this mismatch.

California 50- Texas 43: The Longhorns came to Berkeley and lost a shootout that ended with a bit of controversy in Strawberry Canyon.  Cal QB Davis Webb is looking like the transfer of the year as the former Texas Tech Red Raider lit up Texas for 396 yards passing, four TDs and no interceptions. The Longhorn offense looked pretty good too with RBs D'Onta Foreman and Chris Warren III both rushing for 100 yards and scoring two TDs each.  This game stood tied at 43-43 with 5:29 to play, then Cal's offense and the Big XII refs took control in the end.  The Golden Bears had scored a TD to go ahead, 50-43 when Webb hit WR Chad Hansen with a 12-yard strike.  Cal's defense held UT on the their next possession forcing a punt.  The Golden Bears looked like they had put the game away when RB Vic Enwere broke through the line and raced 55 yards for an apparent TD.  However, Enwere in his eagerness to celebrate, dripped the ball on the 1-yard line. After a few moments, a Texas player did pick up the ball in the end zone.  With the play under review, many thought the play would be ruled a fumble with Texas recovering in the end zone,.  That would set up Texas with one last chance to tie the game with a little over a  minute to play.  However, the officiating crew ruled that Texas did not recover the ball in a timely manner and that Cal would retain possession at the Texas 1-yard line.  Call then just took a couple of kneel downs and left with the win.
Telling Stat: When they needed it;  The much maligned Cal defense held Texas to a 3-and-out on their final drive which proved to be the difference in this crazy game.

Washington 41- Portland State 3: The Huskies continued their three games of comfort to start the season with an easy win over Portland State,  The Vikings had no answer for Husky QB Jake Browning who completed 12 of 19 passes for 163 yards and four TDs before taking the rest of the game off.  RB Myles Gaskin got in some light work for the Dawgs as well, rushing for 93 yards on 13 carries and a TD.    
Telling Stat: On them early;  Washington took the ball to start the game, went down the field quickly to go up, 7-0. Then the Dawgs forced a Portland State fumble on the ensuing kickoff. They turned that mistake into another quick TD and were up 14-0 with 12:12 left in the first quarter.  Portland State never recovered.

Oregon State 37- Idaho State 7:  The Beavers picked up their first win of the season with a workmanlike win over a pesky Idaho State squad.  Behind three field goals from PK Garrett Owens and a pair of TDs runs from QB Darell Garretson and RB Ryan Nall, the Beavers built up a 23-0 halftime lead.  Idaho State did show some signs of life when Jakori Ford raced 75 yards to cut the Beavers lead to 23-7.  However, OSU answered with a 92-yardTD jaunt by RB Victor Bolden, Jr. that snuffed out any hope that Idaho State would really maker a game of it in Corvallis.  Garrison finished with 172 yards passing, 46 rushing and that one TD to lead the Beaver offense.
Telling Stat: Bad aerials;  Idaho State did move the ball on Oregon State, but the Beavers forced five turnovers, four of those being interceptions, to turn what could have been a close game into a closer than it looks win.

UCLA 17- BYU 14: In a game carried by the defenses, UCLA's was better and the bRuins walked out of Provo with a tough win.  UCLA built up a 10-0 lead at the half behind a 6-yard pass from QB Josh Rosen to FB Cameron Griffin and a 24-tyard field goal by J.J. Molson. The bRuins then added a second TD pass from Rosen. This one was to WR Darren Andrews and UCLA took a 17-0 lead over the Cougars.  BYU;s offense finally showed some signs of life when RV Jamaal Williams hit paydirt from one yard out late in the third quarter, but the Cougars never seriously threatened again until very late in the contest.  Rosen finished the game with 26 completions in 40 attempts for 307 yards and a pair of TDs.  BYU QB Taysom Hill threw for 250 yards and a score in the defeat.
Telling Stat:  91 too late;  UCLA held BYU to 273 total yards with 91 of those coming on the Cougars final drive which made this game look a lot closer than it really was.

Utah 34- San Jose State 17: It's safe to say this year that Utah's defense has carried the load, while the offense has done just enough to win.  Saturday night was no exception. The Ute defense sacked SJSU QBs 10 times and forced three turnovers to set the stage for the offense to do enough to win.  The RB tandem of Zack Moss and Armans Shyne each carried the ball 12 times and each scored a TD while rushing for 95 and 92 yards respectively to spearhead the Utah attack.  Meanwhile the Spartans offense never got untracked. QBs Josh Love and Kenny Potter combined to throw for 249 yards and two TDs, but the SJSU running game was non-existent, gaining just 56 yards on 32 carries of the game.
Telling Stat: Just keep grinding;  While the Utah defense held San Jose State in check, Utah offense just kept grinding and gradually pulled away, out scoring the Spartans 28-14 over the final three quarters to earn the win.

Arizona 47- Hawaii 28:  After coming out slow in their first two games, the Wildcats started fast and never looked back as they whipped the Warriors. UofA scored the first three times they had the ball to jump out to an early 20-0 lead on the strength of two TDs runs by by QB Brandon Dawkins and RB Tyrell Johnson.  Hawaii did finally answer with a score of their own, a 15-yard TD pass from QB Ikaika Woolsley to WR John Ursua, but UofA put two more TDs on the board and took a 34-7 lead into the half.  Hawaii did mount a second half comeback with the offense scoring three straight TDs, but the Warriors couldn't dig out of the hole they were in as UofA traded scores with Hawaii to keep them at bay.  Dawkins finished the game with 235 yards passing and a TD to go with 118 yards rushing on 15 carriers and three big TDs for the Wildcats.  RB Steven Lakalaka crossed the double stripe twice for the Warriors in the loss.
Telling Stat: 3L's= $$$;  Hawaii has taken beatings from Cal in Australia, Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Arizona in Tuscon for three fat paychecks for the athletic department.

Michigan 45- Colorado 28:  A determined bunch of Buffaloes owned the first quarter, jumping out to a 21-7 lead over the Wolverines at the Big House in Ann Arbor.  However, a game has four quarters and Michigan won the final three quarters and the game.  CU QB Sefo Liufau torched the Wolverine defense with 16 of 25 passing for 246 yards and three TDs.  The Buffs did hold a 28-24 lead over UM early in the third quarter, but the Michigan defense shutout CU the rest of the way.  Up 38-28. UM put this game way when their All-Everything player, Jabrill Peppers returned a punt 54 yards for a TD.  UM QB Wilton Speight had a typical day for a Harbaugh offense, completing 16 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: Bottled up after 1;  Michigan allowed Colorado to score 21 points and 200 yards of offense in the first period.  In the final three periods, The Wolverines allowed only 125 total yards and one TD to give their offense a chance to win the game.

Observations

...Plays from a hat;  The USC offense looks like random plays are drawn from a hat and they run them no matter what.

...Smiling for Riley;  it was fun to watch Mike Riley finally get a win over Oregon.

...The caissons are rolling along; Army just smashed UTEP, 66-14 to go 3-0 on the season.

...Classy Ducks; Oregon placed a bouquet of green and gold flowers on the 27-yard line on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln to pay respects to Cornhusker Punter Sam Foltz who died in a car crash this summer.  He wore number 27.

...1-2 punchless; I don't think anybody expected USC, ND, and Oklahoma to all be 1-2 right now.

...Just no excuse; USC blamed their multiple false starts on Stanford's D-line mimicking their snap cadence. That's poor mental discipline on SC's part.  Even in my meager athletic career, every scouting report I ever received told us what the opposing team's cadence was and our defense would always try to disrupt it.  What's worse is that it took SC's brilliant coaching staff an entire half to switch to a silent count.    

...Upside/Downside;  Upside for Colorado is that they showed the nation how much better a team they are with the way they played at Michigan Saturday.  Downside for Colorado is that they showed the nation how much better a team they are with the way they played at Michigan Saturday.

...Sure BK, whatever you say;  ND HC Brian Kelly said that a staffer that runs his official twitter account made an error and accidentally liked a tweet form a fan calling for his DC to be fired after the Irish lost to Michigan State.

...Long-horned by the refs;  Let me get this straight.  Cal's RB fumbles going into the end zone, the refs call it a TD.  Texas was still the first team to pick up the fumbled ball in the end zone after the supposed TD. However, they didn't pick it up in a "timely manner" according to the Big XII officiating crew and Cal keeps the ball at the Texas one-yard line.   SMH.

...Eight man football;  Just how bad has USC football become?  After Stanford's Christian McCaffrey torched the Trojans on a 54-yard TD reception, USC managed to only send out eight players for the PAT that followed.  Go ahead, take a look, USCfootball.com's Shotgun Spratling numbered them for us to see.



...Not the man;  UQ QB Dakota Prukop does not have the talent to put the team on his back and carry them to a win.

...Defense wins games;  Just ask Utah and UCLA, their defenses have carried them this year.

...Not a surprise;  Nobody should be surprised that Iowa got beat by North Dakota State. It shouldn't  even called an upset.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

This week Syracuse wins for just not getting Orange and Blue right.  I remember when Syracuse had good uniforms.


Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Springfield, MA- PK Chris Boetler connected on a 21-yard field goal attempt with 9:23 to play in the first quarter and that would be all the American International College Yellow Jackets needed in a 3-0 defeat of the Pace College Setters.  AIC blocked a Pace FG attempt in the first half to snuff out the Setters only scoring threat of the day. AIC held pace to 133 total yards with just 47 of those yards coming through the air.

Blowout of the Week: Martin, TN- The Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks lit up the scoreboard in an 84-6 rout of the Bacone College Warriors.  The Skyhawks scored 12 TDs despite gaining only 347 total yards.  Field position dictated by the Skyhawks defense and incredibly poor punting by Bacone meant that UT-M statred most of their drives in Bacone territory.  Skyhawk QB Troy Cook completed 10 of 12 passes for 167 yards and four TDs in the rout.

C.W. Post Press: Easton, MA- The Post Pioneers moved to 2-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play with a 51-20 beating of the Stonehill Skyhawks.  Post owned the second half in this game, out scoring Stonehill 28-3 to turn a close game at the half into a rout. Post QB Joe Kidd had a great day.  He completed 21 of 26 passes for 309 yards and a three TDs. He also ran for 102 yards on eight carries and another score. Post's defense really shutdown Stonewall down the stretch allowing only 67 total yards in the final 25 minutes of the game.  Up next for Post is a home game with Bentley University.

Georgetown Gridiron News: The Hoyas were off this week, but will host the Fighting Blue Lions of Columbia as their homecoming opponent this Saturday.

Razorback Report:  The Hogs came home after their exciting win over TCU and easily dispatched the Texas State Bobcats, Arkansas raced out to 35-0 halftime lead and turned the final 30 minutes into a glorified scrimmage. QB Brandon Allen completed 16 of 21 tosses for 241 yards and two TDs in a little over one half's work for Arkansas.  Things get serious again for the Hogs this week as they take on Texas A&M at the Death Star in Dallas.

This Week's Five Notes about driving the 5 and other highways in California

Drove by a roadside brush fire that has just started on highway 152 near Gilroy.  Pretty scary.

Didn't know there were so many oil wells in the state until I drove the 33.

Drove through Taft.  Didn't find Reno Hightower or Jack Dundee, but did see couple of guys that looked like Arthur and Earl.

The Harris Ranch house rub is still the best as far as I am concerned.

Yes, I did eat at a place called Jose's Country Kitchen on the 101.  It was pretty darn good.

Until next time, remember that the game is played with 11 men on a side.
-The Commissioner

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

2016 Week 2

Hey All,

It's time again to rehash this past weekend on the college gridiron, with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Tom Kelly.


Summaries

USC 45- Utah State 7:  After The Debacle at the Death Star, USC needed to bounce back in their home opener v. the Aggies of Utah State. Bounce back they did with a solid if not confidence inspiring effort before a sparse Coliseum crowd. Special teams got the Trojans off to a fast start when DB Michael Pittman Jr. blocked Aaron Dalton's punt which set up USC at the USU 6-yard line.  Three plays later QB Max Browne found WR JuJu Smith for a three-yard TD pass and USC had a lead they would never relinquish.  Browne finished the day completing 23 of 30 passes for 182 yards and two TDs.  USC also threw two other QBs into the mix with Sam Darnold completing five of seven passes mostly in short yardage packages that accounted for 62 yards and his first two TD passes as a Trojan. The Trojan defense kept the Aggies in check all day allowing only 49 yards rushing and 253 yards total.
Telling Stat: Only by air;  USC's defense held Utah State to just 1.9 yards per carry to take away any chance for the Aggies to win this game.

San Diego State 45- California 40: This battle at The Murph featured Cal's air assault v. SDSU's rushing game and defense.  The rushing game and defense won.  SDSU's Donnel Pumphrey toted the rock 29 times for 281 yards and three TDs. With those 281 yards, Pumphrey surpassed Marshall Faulk as SDSU's all-time rushing leader. SDSU's defense did get torched by Cal QB Davis Webb for 522 yards and five TDs, but they also picked off three of his passes, one which they returned for a TD and the final one which killed Cal's last chance at the win with :23 left on their own 17-yard line.
Telling Stat: -2 = L;  Turnovers kill and Cal's -2 in the turnover battle did just that. 

Washington 59- Idaho 14: Washington easily disposed of the second of their three creampuffs to start the 2016 campaign.  The now FBS, but soon to be FCS Vandals were no match for the Dawgs.  On the opening kickoff, KR Tristan Vizcaino fumbled and set up UW on the Vandals 21-yard line. One play later, QB Jake Browning found WR Dante Pettis in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. That TD marked the official end of the competitive portion of this game at the 14:44 mark of the first period.  The Dawgs rolled to a 35-0 halftime advantage behind three more TD passes from Browning and a 7-yard TD run from RB Myles Gaskin. Browning completed 23 of 28 passes for 294 yards and 5 TDs in just over 30 minutes worth of work.  For the Vandals, QB Matt Linehan threw for 187 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: Idaho 2.0;  While UW's offense was gashing the Vandals at will, Idaho averaged a nifty 2.0 yards per play as they fell behind 35-0 in the first half. Thats what happens when you gain 66 yards on 33 plays.

Arizona State 68- Texas Tech 55: Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomet torched the ASU defense for 540 yards passing and five TDs. He also ran for one.  His team also lost the game and his great stats were lost in the eight TD barrage by ASU's Kalen Bellage.  Bellage rushed for seven TDs on just 13 carries and caught one additional score to tie the NCAA record of most TDs scored in a single game. Obviously, this was not a defensive struggle as the teams combined for 62 first downs and 1,264 yards of offense. ASU held serve and won the match.
Telling Stat: Just enough 2nd half defense;  ASU picked off two passes and forced two Texas Tech punts which enabled their offense to comeback from a 41-37 halftime deficit to win this shootout.

Utah 20- BYU 19: This year's edition of the Holy War between BYU and Utah has Utah fans thanking a higher power for their providence in the face of adversity while the BYU fans are now taking their HC's name in vain. The Utes stumbled, bumbled, and gave the football away like a door prize at a Tupperware party, yet miraculously found themselves ahead 20-13 with 2:47 to play after a 29-yard field goal by PK Andy Phillips.  BYU then took the ball on their own 25-yard line after a touchback and proceeded to drive down the length of the field.  With :18 to play, Cougar QB Taysom Hill scrambled into the end zone from seven yards out and the Cougars looked to be a PAT away from overtime. However, BYU HC Kalani Sitake decided that a two-point conversion was in order.  Hill tried to give BYU the win on a QB draw but the Utes stuffed the play and after a bad onside kick by the Cougars, escaped with the victory.   Neither team was impressive as mistakes filled the air in Salt Lake, but Utah QB Troy Williams did manage to throw a TD pass to with his three interceptions.  While Hill did throw three picks, he did rush for 87 yards and two TDs for the Cougars.
Telling Stat: 6 + (-3) = W;  In this most unlikely of equations, Utah turned the ball over six times, had -3 turnover margin for the game and won.  How rare is that feat?  Well, you have a better chance of finding an unmarried senior at BYU.

Colorado 56- Idaho State 7: CU QB Sefi Liufau completed 15 of 18 passes for 204 yards and two TDs in less than two quarters as the Buffaloes caged the Idaho State Bengals.  Everyone played but the trainer in this one.  Colorado built up a 49-0 lead and just scrimmaged for the final 30 minutes. The Bengals were a toothless bunch gaining just 96 total yards in the game.
Telling Stat: 96-78;  Idaho State barely out gained their penalty yardage, gaining 96 total yards compared to 78 penalty yards in this laugher.

Boise State 31- Washington State 28: At about the 10:11 mark of the first quarter Wazzu had driven 57 yards in 12 plays and looked like they were going to take early control of this game on the blue turf.  Then, Cougar QB Luke Falk's next pass was picked off by Bronco CB Tyler Horton and taken back 85 yards to the house.  Boise went up 7-0 and never gave up the lead after that.  WSU did mount a comeback after falling behind 31-14 early in the final period, but their final drive sputtered at their own 45 when bad clock management snuffed out their last chance to pull out the win.  Falk did have another typical Wazzu day, completing 55 of 71 tosses for 480 yards, four TDs and that big interception.  BSU's Brett Rypien threw for a 299 yards a TD and three interceptions of his own.  However, it was RB Jeremy McNichols' 116 yards rushing in 22 carries and two TDs that really kept the Bronco offense flowing.
Telling Stat: Between the 20s; WSU gained 520 yards on 91 plays in this game.  Only 11 of those plays plays for 36 total yards were run in the red zone.

Oregon 44- Virginia 26: Oregon's offense started off faster than in their opener, but the defense still sputtered a bit as the Quack Attack worked out some more kinks in their system against an overmatched Virginia squad.  Duck RB Royce Freeman who seems to have not much buzz around him to start this year, lugged the leather 21 times for 207 yards and 2 TDs.  Thats a cool 9.9 yards per carry for us non-math majors. QB Dakota Prukop seems to be working out his kinks as he showed a steadier hand completing 21 of 31 tosses for 331 yards and three TDs.  WR Devon Allen helped Prukop's stats by catching four passes for 141 yards and a TD.  For Virginia, QB Kurt Benkert threw for 193 yards a pair of TDs and a pair of interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: 2nd quarter separation; Oregon put this game away in the second period when they shutout UVa 17-0, out gaining the Cavaliers, 238 yards to 26.

UCLA 42- UNLV 21: UCLA did not look like the big favorites they were supposed to be in this game after Rebel QB Johnny Stanton cut UCLA's lead to 28-21 with 5:13 left in the third quarter.  However, the fourth quarter was all UCLA as they shutout the boys form The Strip, 14-0 in the final period to get out of this game with a closer than expected win.  bRuin QB Josh Rosen had a decent night, completing 23 of 38 passes for 267 yards and a TD.  The real heart of the UCLA offense though was RB Soso Jamabo who rushed the ball 11 times for 90 yards and three scores. Most of UNLV's offense came form Stanton who threw for 153 yards and ran for 46 more while accounting for two TDs.
Telling Stat: They finished;  UCLA controlled the final period, shutting out the Rebels 14-0 for the win.

Arizona 31- Grambling 21: As one of the many without the Pac 12 Network, I sat in disbelief as the first half score of this game rolled across my TV screen.  45 point favorite Arizona trailed Grambling, 21-3 at the half.  However just before the half Grambling QB DeVante Kincaid was injured.  That was the start of Arizona's comeback.  The Wildcats forced six second0half turnovers and capitalized on those turnovers to save themselves from a truly devastating loss.  UofA QB Brandon Dawkins who played for the injured Anu Solomon, completed 15 of 29 passes for 223 yards and one TD, while also rushing for 97 yards on 16 carries and two more scores to lead the comeback.
Telling Stat: 4=21; Grambling turned the ball over on four straight possessions in the second half. Arizona turned those four Tiger miscues into 21 points and a win.

 Observations

...Extreme heat warning; After being down 21-3, and then having to stage a major comeback to beat Grambling, it's safe to say that UofA HC Rich Rodriguez is on one of the hottest seats in the nation.

...Just scheduling or an audition?  BYU will host UCLA this week as the Cougars open up the season with three straight Pac 12 opponents.

...A joy of fall;  Living in this media capital, it is great to see the locally produced coaches show from across the country.  Big kudos go to the slickly produced Inside Michigan Football show.

...SMH;  In this modern game of college football, how could a HC go for two at the end of game when his team could just kick the PAT and head to overtime. SMH at BYU.

...Refs on a Time Out; The On field officiating crew from the MAC and the Replay crew from the Big 12 have been suspended after their collective blown call at the end of the Okie State- Central Michigan game.  Why can't they change the score in this game too? Sigh.

...Early exits; USC is on pace for an ejection a week.

...This just in; Northwestern stinks.

...He sounds like us; If you're upset with your team, read this article on how much HC Mike Leach is with his WSU Cougars. Leach Goes Off

...An Aztec sky; SDSU looks like the second best team in California behind Stanford right now.

...Quietly making noise; Army is 2-0 for the first time since 1996.  They also beat Navy in 1996.

...Noiseless birds;  With everyone talking about Washington and Stanford, Oregon is just biding their time in the Pac 12 North waiting to remind us all that the are pretty good too.

...No joy in Sabanville; I wonder if Alabama HC Nick Saban has lost the ability to enjoy football.

...The Oklahoma imperative;  If Oklahoma gets whacked by Ohio State this week in Norman, the Big XII may be viewed as being as bad as the Pac 12 this year.

...That Tiger has been held;  Clemson has scored just 13 points in the first half of each of their two games this year.

...The Land of Aggie Enchantment; In one of the season's early rivalry games, New Mexico State got a late score to topple New Mexico, 32-31.

...The eye in the sky don't lie; Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh was caught in a not-so-great moment in the Wolverines game last Saturday.  Check it out here.  Sideline Snack


Ugly Uniform of the Week

Well, our Quack head friends to the north appear once agin in this section.  This week Oregon has gone back to Hi-liter Yellow and a Puddles on the helmet.



An Eerie Coincidence 

The incident of the Juco kid who punched out a ref at Ventura College hit, pun intended, a little close to home for me.  At the tail end of the miserable season I spent at my JC, we played at Ventura College.  The game was a fog bowl. Fog so thick in fact, you couldn't see two yards past the line of scrimmage.  A guard for my team decided he was gonna get the umpire.  Sure enough, next play he levels the umpire.  Its was a sad scene.  No matter how we feel about refs and their calls, we can't allow abuse of officials at any level.  We have to remember that officials love the games as much or more than we do.  So much so, that they are willing to put themselves at risk to just be on the field.  They deserve our respect.

Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Jackson, TN- Lane College WR caught an 8-yard TD pass from QB Marcus Reynolds with 4:47 to play in the game to lift the Dragons to a 10-7 win over the Fort Valley College Wildcats. This game stood scoreless through the first three periods.  It was a low yardage, flag filled affair as neither team gained more than 300 yards and combined for 27 penalties.

Blowout of the Week: Whittier, CA-  This blowout did involve one of the teams in that little known or written about D-III conference in the Los Angeles area known as the SCIAC.  The Whittier Poets were whipped by the Whitworth College Pirates, 60-0.  Whitworth QB Ian Koste sliced ump the Poets secondary completing 18 of 27 passes for 329 yards and 2 TDs in one half of play.  The Pirate defense held Whittier to just 239 total yards with many of those yards coming in the final half after they had emptied the benches.

Georgetown Gridiron News: Poughkeepsie, NY- The Hoyas are 2-0 on the young season with a 20-17 win over the Marist Red Foxes.  The Hoyas converted on fourth and goal with 12 minutes left to take the lead for good when QB Tim Barnes hit WR Justin Harrell with a 3-yard scoring aerial.  The GU defense held off Marist the rest of the way.  The Hoya defense also didn't allow a third down conversion, holding the Red Foxes to 0-13 in this category. Up next for the Hoyas is a home game with the Fighting Blue Lions of Columbia.

C.W. Post Press: Brookeville, NY- The Pioneers moved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in Northeast 10 play with a 43-20 win over the New Haven Chargers.  Post QB Jeff Kidd was the man, completing 31 of 37 passes for 336 yards and four TDs. Post turned owned the second half, out scoring New Haven, 21-3 to secure the win.  Up next for Post is a trip to Easton, MA to take on Stonewall College.

Razorback Report:  The Hogs had a ho-hum week with a double overtime upset win at TCU.  Arkansas held a 20-7 lead over the Horned Frogs in the third quarter and it looks like the Hogs would run away with this game.  Instead, the Frogs stormed back and stood on the brink of winning the game with a chip shot field goal attempt with a few scorns left in regulation.  TCU's 28-ayrd field goal attempt was blocked by 6-10 Arkansas OT Dan Skipper and the game went to OT.  In the second OT, Arkansas QB Austin Allen bulled his to a TD from 5 yards out for the win. Up next for the Hogs is a home date with the Texas State Bobcats.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Cold cuts from South Shores Meats are still great.

I had no idea there could be so many colors called Sand Dunes.

Feels like fall this week.

Until next time, remember that you only have yourself to blame as a team to be in position to lose a game on a bad call.

-The Commissioner

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

2016 Week 1

Hey All,

The Commissioner is back from his Texas adventure with a look the first week of the new season in this edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

Alabama 52- USC 6: This game will go down as The Debacle at the The Death Star. Just what do we say folks about this massive beatdown by the Crimson Tide?  Well, for starters, I'll say that USC's O-line was pathetic.  Missed assignments on every play, bad footwork and no push helped Alabama just rush four players most of the night and get massive pressure on USC QBs.  USC's defense did play well for awhile until injury and the realization that the offense wasn't going to help them at all killed their spirit. Second, it would be nice if the secondary actually knew their assignments. Third, one has to wonder just what did this coaching staff do for nine months leading up to this game? This was a massive failure on multiple levels for USC.
Telling Stat: 1; USC ran one play in the Alabama red zone all-night long. 

Utah 24- Southern Utah 0:  The Utah defense did its' job shutting down the Roadrunners which gave the Utes offense the time to score enough points to walk away with a disjointed, sloppy win.  Dual threat QB Troy Williams did show some flashes of why he was one of the top Juco players in the nation last year at Santa Monica College. He threw for 272 yards and a pair of TDs.  On the defensive side of things, Safety Marcus Williams picked off a pass, forced a fumble and recovered one to help keep SUU of the scoreboard.
Telling Stat: Little ground + No Air= No Chance;  The Utah defense held Southern Utah to just 116 yards rushing and 42 yards passing to negate any chance the Roadrunners ever had to win this game. 

BYU 18- Arizona 16:  An old WAC conference rematch brought the Wildcats and the Cougars to The Big Toaster in Phoenix. The high scoring wasn't there, but BYU did look like it was in the old WAC with a 15-3 lead over the Wildcats in the fourth quarter.  UofA did finally find their offense and stormed back to seemingly hand BYU what looked like a 16-15 gut-wrenching loss when RB Nick Wilson got free and raced 49 yards for a TD.  However, BYU, under rookie HC Kalani Sitake and his 26-year old QB Taysom Hill calmly moved the Cougars into field goal range.  Would BYU then send out PK Rhett Almond who had already missed a FG and a PAT attempt to win the game?  No, Kalani sent out true freshman Jake Oldroyd for the attempt.  Oldroyd was nails and his 33-yarder sailed through the uprights and BYU had the win.  Hill finished the game with 202 yards passing and a TD for BYU.  His RB, Jamaal Williams lugged the leather 29 times for 162 yards to lead all rushers.  RB Nick Wilson was UofA's top player, rushing for 138 yards and 2 TDs on only 17 carries.
Telling Stat: Too little, too late; Arizona gained 190 of their 328 total yards and scored 13 of their 16 points late in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough in the end to beat BYU.

Stanford 26- Kansas State 13: Midway through the second period in Palo Alto, Stanford held a 17-0 lead and it looked like the Cardinal would cruise to an easy win.  Then on the edge of a rout, K-State woke up and a real game broke out.  Over the final 36 minutes, the Wildcats anemic offense outscored the Cardinal, 13-9 and kept All-Everything RB Christian Mcaffrey in check. In fact with 2:20 to play the Wildcats had narrowed the gap to 19-13 on a 15-yard TD pass.  Then, after recovering the ensuing onside kick, McCaffrey put the game away for The Farm. He broke through the K-State line and raced 41 yards to the end zone.  He finished the game with 126 yards on 22 carries and a pair of scores.  SU QB Ryan Burns was efficient if not spectacular, completing 14 of 18 passes for 156 yards and a TD. Jesse Ertz led the Wildcats offense with 207 yards passing and a TD.
Telling Stat: 2 for 22= loss;  Kansas State held Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey to 50 yards rushing on 20 of 22 carries. His other two carries were for 76 yards and the two TDs that beat the Wildcats.

Colorado 44- Colorado State 7:  The Buffaloes came out and did what a Pac 12 team should do to a lower tier Mountain West Conference team.  That last sentence speaks volumes about how the Buffaloes did outplay an opponent in all phases of the game for the first time in years.  CU QB Sefo Liufau shined, competing 23 of 33 passes for 318 yards and a TD while rushing for 66 yards as well. RB Philip Lindsay helped CU's offense as well by rushing for 95 yards on 20 carries and pair of TDs. CU's defense played well too.  They forced four turnovers and held CSU to just 225 total yards.
Telling Stat: +353, +16, +9:12, +2;  Those are the edges in total yards, first downs, time of possession, and turnovers for Colorado to show just how well they dominated Colorado State.

Oregon 53- UC Davis 28: After a slow start, new Duck QB and Montana State transfer Dakota Prukop got the Oregon offense going.  That allowed the Ducks to gradually pull away with a closer-than-it-looked win over the Aggies.  Prukop's slow day was still pretty good. He threw for 271 yards and three scores while rushing for 36 yards and another TD.  UO RB Royce Freeman rushed for 87 yards on 11 carries and two TDs to help the Ducks cause. As for the Aggies, RB Manusamoa Luuga rushed for 96 yards and three TDs in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Typical Webfoots; Oregon ran up 522 yards of offense in just a little over 22 minutes of possession time with no drive longer than 3:13.  

Texas A&M 31- UCLA 24 OT: After stirring up the crowd in College Station earlier this week, SI cover boy, UCLA QB Josh Rosen didn't stir up much for the first three plus quarters in Aggieland. With the bRuins down 15 in the fourth period, UCLA's offense came alive scoring two TD in a two minute span.  A 9-yard run by RB Bolo Olorunfunmi and a 62-yard TD pass from Rosen to WR Kenneth Walker III followed by a two-point conversion pass from Rosen to WR Austin Roberts tied the game with 2:39 to play.  The game then went to overtime where the Aggies took control once again.  Trevor Knight, A&M's QB and OU graduate transfer, found the end zone from a yard out for his second TD of the day and the Aggies just needed their defense to hold on to claim victory.  The defense did hold on with Rosen's last pass being batted down to end the game.  Knight was the Aggies offense throwing for 239 yards and a TD, while rushing for 31 yards and two scores.  The Aggie defense did their job sacking Josh Rosen four times and picking him off three times on the day.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill;  UCLA's three turnovers, all interceptions from Josh Rosen, cost UCLA the game.

Arizona State 44- Northern Arizona 13: The Sun Devils sputtered and stumbled to a 10-3 lead over the Lumberjacks at the half.  Then new ASU QB Manny Wilkins started to find his rhythm and the Sun Devils put up 34 points in the second half to rout NAU.  Wilkins final stats were pretty good for a first start.  He completed 20 of 27 passes for 180 yards and ran 89 yards on 14 carries and a TD.  Four different ASU RBs scored as well on the night.  For NAU QB Case Cookus threw for 369 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: Late sigh of relief; Almost half of ASU's total yards and 24 of their 44 points came in the fourth quarter to turn this uncomfortably close game into a rout.

Eastern Washington 45- Washington State 42: Wazzu QB Luke Falk completed 41 of 51 passes for 418 yards and four TDs, yet he wasn't the best QB on the field last Saturday.  EWU's Gage Gubrud was just a little bit better.  He completed 34 of 40 passes for 474 yards and five TDs.  Oh, and his team won too.  The numbers on this game are staggering.  The teams combined for 1,121 total yards of offense, ran 143 plays, made 60 first downs, while getting flagged 24 times for 219 yards in penalties. The Cougars were 21-point favorites over the Eagles, but it sure didn't look like it on the field.  The Eagles from the Big Sky conference were just that little bit better in all phases of the game than the Cougars.  EWU WR Cooper Kupp, last year FCS offensive player the year, torched the Wazzu secondary hauling in 12 passes for 206 yards and three TDs.
Telling Stat; Back and Forth all day: At one point in this game the teams combined to score TDs on seven straight first half drives.

Minnesota 30- Oregon State 23: This game on the Big Ten Network held a season's worth of drama for the fans.  HC Tracy Claeys was a big storyline.  He took over for Jerry Kill as HC after Kill had to retire due to complications from epilepsy.  Would he get that first win?  He did, but it took a lot of backups as not one, not two, but three Minnesota defensive starters were ejected from the game for targeting. New Beaver QB Darrell Garretson was a storyline too.  Could he come in right away and lead OSU to a win?  He didn't, but he did complete 25 of 40 passes for 228 yards and three TDs to provide a glimpse of how good he may become as the season wears on.  Another storyline was if Minnesota's offense might finally be able to move the ball better than past seasons.  The answer is no, not really.  The Beaver defense held Minnesota to just 280 total yards, but the Gophers did convert 10 of 19 third downs and held the ball long enough to secure the win.
Telling Stat: 13, 59; Minnesota owned the fourth quarter, shutting out OSU 13-0 in the period and holding the Beavers to just 59 total yards in the final period to secure the victory.

Washington 48- Rutgers 13:  The Huskies did live up to their preseason hype in the first week of the season by crushing the Big Ten's version of a dumpster fire, Rutgers.  The Dawgs scored early and often, racing out to 24-0 lead after the first quarter lead and then a 34-3 halftime advantage.  The second half was just a glorified scrimmage with the Scarlet Knights scoring their only TD long after the Huskies emptied the benches.  UW QB Jake Browning cooly completed 18 of 27 passes for 287 yards and three TDs in about three quarters worth of work. Rutgers RB Josh hicks did lead all rushers with 70 yards on 14 carries in the contest.
Telling Stat: Over early; After the first quarter, Washington held 24-0 lead and yardage edge of 202-16 over Rutgers.

 Observations

...A dubious tie;  Hard to figure out which player is the most overrated in the Pac 12.  Is it USC OT Zach Banner or UofA QB Anu Solomon?

...Added to the dubious list;  USC's epic loss to Alabama now joins the list of other epic Trojan failures such as the 1966 loss to Notre Dame, 51-0 and the 1992 Freedom Bowl loss to Fresno State.

...From hot seat to Hawkeye legend; After thinking he would be fired before the 2015 started, Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz took the Iowa to the Rose Bowl and that has gotten him a contract extension through 2026.

...It's big;  How big is AT&T stadium in Dallas?  Well, the line, "That's no moon, it's a space station." went through my mind as we drove up to it on game day.

...Under 40,000 maybe; couple a soul crushing loos with an 11:00 am kickoff time and USC just may draw under 40,000 fans this week.

...21 big ones;  Florida State PK. Ricky Aguayo scored 21 points in the Seminoles win over Ole Miss.  Aguayo's 21 points were more than what 79 other teams scored in games involving FBS schools over the weekend.

...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Navy is having T-shirts made that say, "Annapolis: Home of the real 12th Man."

...The best game nobody saw this week;  After a nearly two-hour delay due to thunderstorms, Wyoming knocked off Northern Illinois, 40-34 in triple-overtime .  The game-winning score came at 2:34 AM Sunday morning, Mountain Daylight Time.

...Way to go, big man;  CU OT Alex Kelley scored the first TD for the Buffaloes this season when he recovered a fumble by his QB Sefo Liufau in the end zone v. Colorado State.

...Behind the conference eight ball;  Both Boston College and Vanderbilt were 0-1 in league play before labor day.

...The best of us and the worst of us;  Nebraska honored their senior Punter, Sam Foltz, who died in a car crash earlier this summer by sending only 10 men out on their first punt formation of the season. The Huskers took the delay of game penalty which Fresno State HC Tim DeRuyter graciously declined and the good side of humanity found the spotlight at Memorial Stadium.  Unfortunately, the worst side of humanity was occurring at the same time.  While Foltz's family was at the game honoring their lost son, their home was robbed.

...A positive for the Illini;  It doesn't mean anything on the national scene, but Illinois went out and smashed their FCS opponent, the Murray State Racers. After all the turmoil of last season and this past offseason it is good for the Orange and Blue to get a win of any kind.

...What? It's too loud.;  I believe somebody tried to ask bRuin QB Josh Rosen about how UCLA's last play went awry in their loss to Texas A&M, but he could not hear it over the crowd.

...Give him a call; Hey Fresno State, I hear Pat Hill is available.

...Just a rumor;  There is no truth the rumor that the Big Sky Conference will be holding a lottery amongst its' members to see who gets to open up at Washington State next year.

...Eliminated from the playoff in week one;  UCLA and especially USC embarrassed not only themselves, but the whole Pac 12 to the point where it is hard to see the league getting a team into the college football playoff right now.

...7-7 so what?; With the way Alabama looks, it doesn't matter that the SEC went 7-7 last weekend.

...Life imitates sarcasm;  A couple of blogs ago, this intrepid reporter sarcastically said that all several hundred Kansas fans would be happy with a win over Iowa State.  They were actually happy with the Jayhawks win over Rhode Island.  The win broke a 15-game losing streak and a couple of hundred fans stormed the field.



...Still paying him;  Kansas is till paying Mr. Schematic Advantage, Charlie Weiss.  Notre Dame is finally off the hook with him, but he has been paid nearly 20 million dollars not to coach football.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

The first honoree of the 2016 season are the South Florida Bulls for wearing this heinous ensemble that made them look like a bad modern dance troop with a penchant for day glow.



Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Winston-Salem, NC- With 14:16 to go on the second quarter, RB Kendall Hinton knifed into the end zone from 1-yard out to put the only TD on the scoreboard in Wake Forest's 7-3 win over Tulane.  Wake Forest walked away with this win despite gaining just 175 total yards.

Blowout of the Week: Greensboro, NC- In the Gate City Soup Bowl, the Guilford Quakers whipped the Greensboro College Pride, 69-0. The Quakers amassed 672 yards of offense with a near even split of 338 rushing and 334 passing. In the 69-0 win, the Quakers also converted 69% of their third down conversions too.  RB De'Eric Bell rushed for 125 yards and two TDs on just 13 carries to lead the Guilford offense.

Razorback Report: Well, it took four full quarters and two big fourth down conversions for the Razorbacks to escape with a 21-20 win over Louisiana Tech.  The first big fourth down call came when new Hogs QB Austin Allen hit TE Jeremy Sprinkle with a four-yard scoring strike to give the Hogs a 21-20 lead. The other big call came when the Razorbakcs went for it on fourth and inches form their own 37-yard line to run out the clock.  240-pound RB Kody Wallker got that first down and the Razorbacks could breathe a little with the win.  Up next for Arkansas is trip to take on old Southwest Conference foe TCU in Ft. Worth.

Georgetown Gridiron News: The Georgetown Hoyas took a bite out of the Davidson Wildcats, 38-14. QB Tim Barnes had the hot hand, completing 25 of 33 passes for 221 yards and four scores for the boys near The White House. Up next for the Hoyas is a trip to upstate New York to take on the Marist Red Foxes.

C.W. Post Press: The Pioneers hit the road for the first game of the 2016 campaign and came away with a 14-12 win at Virginia Union. Post got their 14 points in the first half the hard way via two safeties, a field goal and a touchdown. Up 14-6 with a 1:14 in the game, VU got a two-yard TD pass from QB Shawheem Dowdy to WR Jusse York to close within two points of the Pioneers.  However that is as close as they would get as VU's two-point conversion attempt failed.  Post then recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock for the win.  Post QB Jeff Kidd had a bad day but it was good enough for the win as he completed only 13 of 33 passes for 106 and one TD. Up next for Post is their Northeast 10 conference opener at home v. the University of New Haven.

This Week's Three Notes about Dallas-Ft. Worth

...Cooper's BBQ in Ft. Worth rocks.  Order the rib. Yeah, I just said the rib.  One is a meal all by itself.

...AT&T Stadium in Arlington is just flat out amazing.

...I haven't felt an earthquake in California in years, but I sure felt the one Saturday morning that had an epicenter near Tulsa.

Until next time folks, remember No O-line= No Offense.

-The Commissioner