It's time for that column that helps you beat those Tuesday blahs, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mal Florence.
Summaries
USC 21- Colorado 17: Despite a couple of early turnovers, USC was still on the verge of blowing out the Buffaloes in the early third quarter. USC held a 14-0 lead and had the Colorado defense in hands-on-hips mode wilting in the 87 degree Coliseum heat. The Trojans were driving for what looked like a 21-0 lead and total control of the game. Then USC RB Justin Davis fumbled on the CU 22. The Buffaloes then threw for a 67-yard TD pass on the next play and the potential blowout turned into a tense struggle. Colorado tied that game at 14-14 when QB Steven Montez hit WR Bryce Bobo with a 10-yard TD pass with 10:20 to play. USC then answered that TD with one of their own on a drive kept alive with just an incredible catch by WR Darreus Rogers. A tired USC defense came up with one last stop, forcing CU to kick a field goal 4:49 to play which cut the lead to 21-17. USC's offense needed to run out the clock to ensure a win. They did with a big 10-play drive that did just that. The key play to that drive was on third-and-seven, USC QB Sam Darnold Connected with WR JuJu Smith who broke free of his defender to get the first down. He then smartly hit the turf instead of running for a sure TD so the Trojans could just run out the clock instead of having their tired defense see the field again. Darnold had another good game, despite his turning the ball over three times, completing 25 of 37 passes for 358 yards and three TDs. In the loss, CU QB Steven Montez completed 27 of 40 passes for 197 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: A 3 level passing game; USC QB Sam Darnold completed passes to his WRs, RBs, and TEs which made the Colorado defend the whole field. Which is something USC hasn't done in a few years.
Washington 70- Oregon 21: The Ducks held a 12-game wining streak over the Huskies coming into this game. The Huskies quickly ended any thoughts that this streak would reach 13. The Dawgs dismantled Oregon in front of their home crowd, silencing the usually raucous Autzen Stadium faithful. By halftime, much of that crowd were dressed up as seats as UW held a 35-7 lead. The Husky defense easily contained the Ducks offense which set the stage for UW QB Jake Browning to make himself known to the rest of the nation. Browning completed 22 of 28 passes for 304 yards and six TDs. He also ran for a pair of scores too. RB Myles Gaskin also had a pretty good day toting the rock 16 times for 197 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: Over early again; Once again the Huskies came out and put an opponent in an early hole. With 2:37 left in the first period UW held a 21-0 lead over Oregon, out gaining the Ducks 166 yards to 45 in the process.
Arizona State 23- UCLA 20: This game was the ugly game in the Pac 12 this week. Neither offense got untracked in the first half. ASU's offense was held to 59 total yards in the first half by a stingy UCLA defense that made ASU QB Brady White look just as bad as he did at USC last week when he came on for injured starter Manny Wilkins. However, UCLA did triple ASU's first half yardage gaining 183 yards, but two missed field goals and key drops by bRuin receivers to go with QB Josh Rosen's lack of mobility due to a groin injury led to the teams being deadlocked 3-3 at the half. The teams did make some second half adjustments and managed to score some points, but injuries played a major role in this game. Rosen had left the game in the second quarter and his backup Mike Fafaul presided over a stagnant offense as ASU found some life and managed to build a 13-3 lead with 8:29 in the third quarter. Rosen then came back from the locker room and led UCLA back to tie the game at 13-13. White then drove the Sun Devils 75 yards on the ensuing drive for a go ahead TD. He found WR N'Keal Harry from 14 yards out on the final play of the third quarter to put ASU up 20-13. The ASU defense then stepped up and picked off Rosen on the next drive. ASU PK Zane Gonzalez turned that interception into a 46-yard field goal to extend the Sun Devils lead to 23-13. UCLA and Rosen got off the deck and went on a 75-yard TD drive that cut ASU's lead to three at 23-20. ASU then looked like they would put UCLA away when White was sacked and injured on the bRuin 15-yard line. That forced ASU to burn the Redshirt of true freshman QB Dillon Sterling who promptly came threw an interception in the UCLA end zone. The limping Josh Rosen then started to lead the bRuins on what looked like a game-winning drive. Rosen was then sacked on a second down at the ASU 44-yard line. Rosen's throwing shoulder was injured and he would not finish the game. The bRuins would get the ball with :48 seconds left, but the ASU defense sacked Fafaul twice and intercepted him as time ran out to hold on to the ugly win.
Telling Stat: 1-2-3; UCLA was -1 in turnover margin, went through 2 QBs and racked up loss number 3 in another game where they gained lots of yards, but poor special teams and dropped passes kept them form winning.
Washington State 42- Stanford 16: Stanford came into their game with Wazzu without their starting cornerbacks for the second successive week and for the second successive week the Cardinal defense was torched by an opposing QB. Luke Falk completed 30 of 41 for 357 yards and four TDs for the Cougars. The Wazzu offense did a great job, but it was their defense that set the tone for this game. While the Cougar secondary rendered SU RB Christian McCaffrey a non-entity, the front seven out muscled the Cardinal O-line, registering four sacks and hitting SU QBs often and as hard as possible. When WSU took a 28-10 lead into the final period, it was clear that the Cardinal couldn't mount a comeback. Wazzu easily ran up the score to 42-10 before allowing a cosmetic score as time ran out.
Telling Stat: There is No O in Cardinal; WSU forced 3 Stanford turnovers, registered four sacks, and held the Stanford's vaunted rushing game to 61 yards in a physically dominating performance.
Oregon State 47- California 44 OT: The Cal defense which asserted itself last week in the Golden Bears upset of Utah, was nowhere to be found for most of this game v. the Beavers. The much maligned and injured Beaver offense actually showed up this week and held a 41-24 lead over Cal with 10:35 to play in the final period. Then, both units reverted to their norms and this turned into one exciting game down the stretch. Suddenly, the OSU offense went dormant, gaining just 10 total yards on their final three drives in regulation. Meanwhile, the Cal offense found their stride, gaining 188 yards and scoring 17 points to send this game to overtime. They accomplished this not through the air, but on the ground. 113 yards on those drives were rushing yards with both TDs coming on the ground. However, in the lone overtime period, the OSU defense shutdown Cal's rushing attack and forced a 39-yard field goal from PK Matt Anderson. Oregon State then took over the ball and won the game when QB Darell Garretson sliced through the Cal defense for a yard 16-yard TD. Garrison ended the day 105 yards rushing and two TDs while only throwing for 85 yards and two interceptions. OSU RB Ryan Nall ran all over Cal, rushing for 221 yards on 14 carries and three TDs. For Cal, RBs Khalfani Muhammad and Tre Watson combined to rush for 299 yards and three TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: Mutual no fly zones; In this game that featured 1,000 yards of total offense between the two teams, 791 of those yards were rushing yards and all the TDs scored by both offenses came on the ground.
Utah 36- Arizona 23: The Utes suffered a hangover form their upset loss at Cal last week. For the first half, Utah sputtered and bumbled their way through the game. Eight, yes Eight false start penalties served as the greatest evidence of this hangover, yet the Utes trailed Arizona by only two points at the half, 14-12. The Utes came out strong in the third quarter shutting otu the Wildcats 17-0 to take control of the game. Utah's defense picked off two passes to set up short scoring drives of 26 and 46 yards join the 17 point quarter. Utah RB Armand Shyne led all rushers with 101 yards and a TD on 19 carries but was lost for the season with an knee injury. That just adds to a Utah injury list that includes their top two C, two WR and two other RBs who will miss significant playing time.
For the Wildcats QB Brandon Dawkins threw for 243 yards and a TD to go with 49 yards rushing and another score.
Telling Stat: 400 + <30 = another L; The Arizona defense gave up 400+ yards to another opponent this season and possessed the ball less than 30 minutes again as well in this loss to Utah.
Observations
...Good Dawgs; It looks like only Washington has a good offensive line in the Pac 12 this year.
...Not equipped; Stanford's defense looked like they brought a knife to a gunfight v. Washington State's Air-raid offense.
...Must be the third Saturday in October, Alabama and Tennessee meet again this week.
...Austin City Limits; Looks like Tom Herman will be the new HC at Texas next year. Texas losing to Oklahoma and the Longhorns AD pulling a Tammy Wynette sort of sealed the deal in my mind.
...Mr. Financial Advantage; ND is off the hook, but Kansas is still paying Charlie Weis.
...Cyclones on the horizon; Iowa State under 1st year HC Matt Campbell is getting better every week and will ruin somebody's season in the Big XII this year.
...Professor of Profanity; Arkansas Professor Lawton Nalley was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication after screaming obscenities at Razorback HC Bret Bielema following the Hogs, 39-20 loss to Alabama. Heck, during the game they could have arrested half the state of Arkansas for that. Just what did this guy do to be the only guy arrested for this?
...The Grandaddy is always remembered; Pretty cool to see the 1920 Rose Bowl Champions sign still up at Harvard Stadium.
...And then there were two; Miami (OH) and Rice are the only winless teams left in the FBS.
...A total beatdown; Washington did everything to Oregon except flatten the tires on the team bus.
...Another Mike Leach gem; When asked if the noise at Stanford Stadium caused Wazzu's false starts, "Stanford's got great taste in music. Who woulda thunk it?" Obviously the music did not come from the Stanford band.
...Signs of life; Hawaii has comeback from the dead moving to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West's West Divison.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that the Palo Alto Police Department's CSI unit was called over to Stanford Stadium to figure out exactly when RB Christian McCaffrey's Heisman Campaign disappeared.
...His copper leg is golden; ASU PK Zane Gonzalez's 46-yard field goal v. UCLA not only proved to be the margin of victory for the Sun Devils over UCLA, it also made him the most prolific PK in NCAA history with 89 career field goals.
...A surprise on tobacco road; While North Carolina was busy being thumped by VaTech, Wake Forest quietly moved to 5-1.
...He caught it; He's another look at Darreus Rogers great catch v. Colorado.
Almost an interception
...The last Saturday; Really looking forward to the Army-Navy game this year.
...Hot seat in Tuscon; UofA HC Rich Rodriguez may be feeling the pressure a bit this year when he responded this way to reporter asking him about keeping the team morale high after his squad lost to Utah, "What do yo want me to do, quit? We're just going to go down here and hitchhike home and go feel sorry for ourselves and cancel the season."
...No excuses; Michigan destroyed the Big Ten's resident dumpster fire, Rutgers, 78-0 last week. I had heard that Michigan emptied the benches early and HC Jim Harbaugh tried not to run up the score. Umm, no. That doesn't fly. When I looked at the box score, RB Ty Isaac scored both the first and last TDs of this game. Hmmmm.
...A trend or maybe something more; More high schools are suspending their football seasons and dropping the sport altogether due to injuries and an overall lack of players. Is this the canary in the mine that signals the possible end of the sport? Hmmmm.
...Cowboy Bowling; Wyoming is just two wins away form being bowl-eligible. It took awhile, but HC Craig Bohl has Ragtime Cowboy Joe on the upswing.
Ugly Uniform of the Week: We have two winners this week. Oregon State's all-orange ensemble is just truly hideous and Arizona State's copper uniforms win for being ugly and unreadable. Just lots of wrong there.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Salisbury, NC- While there were many contenders for recognition this week due to Hurricane Matthew, This one is the winner. On the second play of the game, DB Jeremy Hall picked up a fumble and took it 34 yards to the house for a TD. The ensuing PAT was blocked. The Limestone Saints made that lone score stand up for the final 59+ minutes for a 6-0 win over the Catawba Indians. Limestone won this game despite making just two first downs and gaining only 48 total yards (49 rushing, -1 passing). Oh, and one of their to first downs was via penalty.
Blowout of the Week: Morningside, IA- It was homecoming at Morningside and the Mustangs did not disappoint the home crowd by crushing the Doane College Tigers, 69-7. QB Trent Solsam and his backup Addison Ross combined to pass for 500 hundred yards and seven TDs. The big news about this game is that it it was a conference game and that Morningside was the underdog. Doane has now only lost two regular season games in the last two years, with both of those being lopsided losses to Morningside.
Razorback Report: The Hogs just did't have enough in the tank and fell to the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide, 49-30. Arkansas QB Anthony Allen throw for 400 yards and three TDs, but he also threw three huge interceptions. Up next for Arkansas is a home date with Ole Miss.
C.W. Post Press: Bethpage, NY- No last minute heroics needed this week for Post. They whipped the St. Anselm Hawks, 63-20 to make the homecoming crowd very happy. The pioneers built up a 42-14 halftime lead behind 204 yards passing and four TDs from QB Jeff Kidd and a TDs from RBs Malik Pierre and David White. The Pioneers emptied the benches in the second half and cruised on to the win. Up next for Post is a trip to New Haven, Connecticut to take Southern Connecticut State University.
Georgetown Gridiron News: Georgetown, D.C.- The Hoyas now own back-to-back 31-17 losses. This week's loss was to Princeton. The Hoyas trailed 21-14 at the half, but the Princeton defense shut down the Hoyas offense over the final 30 minutes. The Tigers forces four three and outs and a fumble to render the GU offense inert. GU RB Alex Valles rushed for 91 yards and a TD in the loss. Up next for Georgetown is a return to Patriot League play v. Lehigh.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
TCM Scene It is still a great game.
Coleman still makes a pretty good stove.
Thinking it would be nice if the weather would make a decision if it really is Autumn or not.
Until next time folks, remember that freshman QBs are a double-edged sword.
-The Commissioner
