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
