It's time for the column that helps you through Tuesdays, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mel Durslag.
Summaries
USC 36- UCLA 14: Due to some sloppy play on both sides of the ball, USC found itself behind 7-0 and 14-7 early to the their crosstown rivals. Then, the USC defense completely shutdown the bRuin offense. That enabled the still shaky USC offense to gradually put the bRuins away. Down 14-7, USC RB Ronald Jones II took a handoff, bounced outside and raced 60 yards to the end zone with the tying score. USC would never trail again. By halftime Darnold had connected with WR De'Quan Hampton for his first ever SC TD and PK Matt Boermeester nailed a 30-yard field goal and USC held a 23-14 lead. The second half just looked like an USC offensive film reel as the Trojans held the ball for 24:07 of the final 30 minutes. The Trojans added 13 more points on a Hampton's second TD catch and two more Boermeester field goals. Darnold finished the game completing 25 of 36 passes for 267 yards with two TDs and a pair of interceptions. Jones II would finish with 121 yards on 18 carries and a pair of scores. UCLA QB Mike Fafaul threw for 181 yards and two TDs. Both of those TDs were caught by WR Jordan Lasley.
Telling Stat: It wasn't even that close; 70 of UCLA's 266 total yards came on their first drive of the game. So, the USC defense held the bRuins to just 196 yards over the final 58:29.
Oregon 30- Utah 28: This game looked like it would be a typical Utah-style grind it out win as they led 14-3 with :27 left in the third quarter. A little over 15 minutes of game time later, UO WR Darren Carrington II looked to have caught a TD pass from QB Justin Herbert with :02 left. The call on the field was that Carrington was out of bounds on the play, but it was being reviewed. About four minutes later, the call was overturned, Utah was down 30-28 and their Pac 12 South hopes were dashed. Herbert finished the day completing 30 of 43 passes for 324 yards and three TDs, while RB Royce Freeman rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries. For Utah, QB Troy Williams completed 20 of 30 passes for 235 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: A return spark; Oregon's 27-14 game-winning run started when Utah's highly touted special teams broke down. UO PR Dillon Mitchell returned a punt 55 yards to set the Ducks up for the first score of their comeback.
Colorado 38- Washington State 24: This game was a see-saw affair with the Buffaloes having just enough to outlast the Cougars. CU QB Sefo Liufau was pretty much unstoppable as he threw for 345 yards and ran for 108 yards and three TDs. Throw in 144 yards rushing from RB Phillip Lindsay and two TDs and you have most of the Buffs 603 yards of total offense. Wazzu's offense was held under their season averages by the CU defense but QB Luke Falk did throw for 325 yards and three TDs in the loss. Wazzu's eight game conference winning streak came to an end in the loss as well.
Telling Stat: Chains factor; Colorado converted on 13 of 21 third down attempts while holding WSU to just 4 of 15 third downs. That was the difference in the game.
Oregon State 42- Arizona 17: It's official, Arizona is the worst team in the Pac 12. The hapless Wildcat defense couldn't stop OSU QB Marcus McMaryion. McMaryion completed 16 of 19 passes for 265 yards and five TDs. RB Ryan Nall led the Beavers rushing game, running for 124 yards on 23 carries and a TD. Once again UofA's offense didn't do much as a trio of Wildcat QBs managed to throw for a paltry 188 yards and one TD. One of those QBs, Brandon Dawkins also rushed for 88 yards in the loss.
Telling Stat: Long distance driving; Oregon State's six scoring drives covered an average of 70 yards each.
Washington 44- Arizona State 18: The Huskies looked to be suffering from a post-Trojan hangover that included three turnovers in a truly sloppy first quarter. The Dawgs then shook it off and pummeled the Sun Devils. A 3-0 UW lead to start the second quarter turned into a 24-0 halftime advantage behind two TD passes from QB Jake Browning and one-yard TD plunge by RB Lavon Coleman. UW extended their lead to 30-3 to start the fourth period, but a couple of TD passes from QB Manny Wilkins to WR Jay Jay Wilson had the Sun Devils thinking comeback. However, those hopes faded when Keishawn Bierria picked up the Sun Devils' on-side kick attempt and took it back 45 yards for the game clinching TD with 6:03 to play. Browning finished the game with 338 yards through the air and two TDs for the Dawgs while RB Myles Gaskin rushed for 127 yards on 16 carries and a TD of his own. Wilkins finished with 227 yards and two TDs for the Sun Devils.
Telling Stat: They held their ground; While Washington's offense looked lost and turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, the UW defense kept ASU off the scoreboard, allowing only nine yards and one first down to the Sun Devils during that span.
Stanford 45- California 31: It was "The Big Game" in Berkely and the resurgent Stanford Cardinal picked up their fourth straight win on the year and their seventh straight win over the Golden Bears to retain "The Axe" trophy. The Golden Bears could not stop SU RB Christian McCaffrey. He ran all over Cal for 284 yards on 31 carries and three TDs. His 92-yard TD run gave Stanford a 10 point lead an control of the contest. Keller Chryst continues to manage the SU offense well. He threw for 198 yard and two TDs. He also ran 16 yards for a score. For Cal, QB Davis Webb completed 34 of 57 passes for 393 yards and two TDs. RB Tre Watson rushed for only 60 yards, but id score two TDs for Cal.
Telling Stat: No Red Zone for the Blue; One again Cal ran up a lot of plays and yards, but only ran 11 plays in the red zone all game for 40 yards.
Observations
...Big enough town for the both of 'em; Palo Alto now boasts a pair of Chrysts at QB. Keller Chryst is now the starter at Stanford. His little brother Jackson is the starter at Palo Alto High. For all our friends not familiar with the town, Palo Alto High is literally right across the street from Stanford.
...We did it just for you, coach; It was really nice of UCLA to rush for a total of 55 yards on Jim Mora's 55th birthday Saturday night.
...This just in; There is no truth to the rumor that
...You may be a bRuin; If your team stinks up your own home field so bad against your rival that the field is removed because of the stench. The Rose Bowl as of today.
...Ed was still wrong; I see known Trojan-hater Ed Cunningham's favorite player, WR Chad Hansen played again for Cal and they still lost. I guess it was just USC he was supposed to beat if he had played.
...Hardware; Lots of rivalry trophies will be handed out this week. The biggest bit of hardware is the 575 pound Fremont Cannon which goes to the winner of the UNLV-Nevada game.
...Lobos do run; It's no shock that Army, Navy, and Air Force are in the top four of rushing yards in the FBS. However, the top rushing team in the FBS is New Mexico. The Lobos are averaging 342 yards a game on the ground.
...Not fired...yet; After numerous reports swirled around saying that Texas HC Charlie Strong had been fired on Sunday, Texas AD Mike Perrin put out a statement declaring that Strong had not been fired and will be evaluated following the Longhorns final regular season game this week v. TCU. If Strong is fired, the buyout will raise Texas' total cost of having Strong as HC to a little over 30 million. Ouch.
...Just didn't know; I didn't know that the Colorado-Utah game has been given the title of "The Rumble in the Rockies." I don't care either.
...They need some of that tar from their heels; North Carolina hasn't intercepted a single pass all season.
...They haven't met; If WSU squares off with USC in the Pac 12 title game or UW takes on Colorado, the winner will have played 10 of the the 11 other schools in the league to take the crown.
...133 goes to the dogs; Yale beat Harvard 21-14 in the 133rd edition of "The Game." The upset win snapped Yale's nine-game losing streak to the Crimson. Also, the game was stopped for a few minutes due to some naked fans on the Yale side. All I know is in the cold of New England, those folks had to be well-oiled.
...Cry me a river; Notre Dame gets busted by the NCAA for a trainer who did homework for the football players and must vacate their wins from the 2012 and 2013 seasons. They are now appealing these "unfair" penalties. Aren't you the same school that had one of your own on the hit squad that hung sanctions on USC based on a single phone call that lasted less than three seconds? SMH
...Thanks for the support; I think the Territorial Cup trophy that Arizona and ASU play for should just be a bronzed athletic supporter.
...Rock-Chalk- WTF?; The writers at the Kansas page on SB Nation already posted a story on losing to Texas before the Jayhawks mounted their comeback.
...Can he come back?; Thinking glasses ref should work the Utah-Colorado game.
...8 it is; I think the Bowl Eligibility standard should be raised to eight wins.
...No Mom, he's my coach; This is Oregon QB Coach David Yost. No, really, he is. Looks like a Eugene local to me.
...Not in the US; California is winless on the road this year with their only win away from Berkeley being a neutral site win over Hawaii in Australia.
...SC likes a challenge; The 2017 non conference slate for USC is Western Michigan with their great HC PJ Fleck, Texas with a new HC, most likely Houston's Tom Herman and the bi-annual trip to Notre Dame.
...55 and a cloud of dust; RB Joe Thomas, Sr., the father of Green Bay Packer LB Joe Thomas, Jr. became what many to believe then oldest man to play in a college football game when he carried the ball four times for the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The 55 year old senior was added to the SC State roster two weeks ago and got to play on Senior Day. Way to go, Joe!
...An Orange and Black shade of Ivy; Princeton claimed the Ivy League Crown with a 38-21 win over Dartmouth. The Tigers finished the season at 8-2 overall and a 6-1 conference mark.
...A rematch; Wyoming beat San Diego State, 34-33 Saturday. If the Cowboys win at New Mexico or the Cowboys and Boise State both lose this week, Wyoming will have a rematch with SDSU in the Mountain West title game.
...Saint Sam; USC QB Sam Darnold's great play has covered a multitude of sins by his offensive line.
...Not a great pair; The Pac 12 and Big Ten each have a team that is 0-8 in conference play. Rutgers is the Big Ten squad that averages just nine points per game on offense and has been shutout four times in league play with Ohio State and Michigan whipping them 58-0 and 78-0 in consecutive weeks. Arizona us the Pac 12's cellar dweller with a 2-10 overall record. Their two wins were over Hawaii and comeback win over Grambling.
Going Bowling
There are 39 Bowl Games plus the three games of the College Football Playoff. That means 82 teams will go bowling this year. As of today there are only 65 bowl eligible teams. There are only 16 teams left on the bubble that could become bowl eligible and all of those as won't make it because some of them face each other this week. So, some teams with losing records will go to a bowl. If this year is not the argument to cut the number of bowls, I don't know what is.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
This week's winner is Minnesota. The Gophers don't look Golden in this ensemble. If you're gonna wear that much gold, you gotta have a dark color to offset it. The white doesn't cut it. It looks like they only wore the top half of the uniform.
The FBS Power Five Conference Races
The ACC: Virginia Tech wins the Coastal Division with a win over Virginia this week. If they lose, then North Carolina could win the Coastal with a win over NC State. Clemson is the Atlantic champ that will face one of the aforementioned two in the ACC title tile.
The Big XII: Winner of the OU-Okie State game will be the Big XII champ.
The Big Ten: If Wisconsin beats Minnesota this week, they claim the West crown. If they lose and Nebraska beats Iowa, the Cornhuskers claim the crown. In the East, a Michigan win over Ohio State makes them division champs. Penn State needs to beat Michigan State and have Ohio State beat Michigan to win the East. Ohio State needs to beat Michigan and have Penn State lose to win the East.
The Pac 12: Winner of the Washington-Washington State game wins the North. If Colorado beats Utah this week they win the South. If Colorado loses, USC is the South winner.
SEC: Florida is the SEC East Champ and will face West Champ Alabama in the SEC title game.
Departments
C.W. Post Playoff Press: Brookville, NY- The Pioneers built up a 48-24 lead after three quarters, then held off a furious rally by Winston-Salem State and advanced to the second round of the D-II playoffs with a 48-41 victory. The one-two offensive punch of QB Jeff Kidd and RB Malik Pierre led the way for Post. Kidd completed 25 of 34 passes for 320 yards and four TDs. Pierre rushed for 117 yards on 18 carries and three TDs. Post's next opponent is Shepherd University with game being played at C.W. Post.
Georgetown Gridiron News: Hamilton, NY: The Hoyas season came to an end Saturday with a 38-10 loss to Colgate. The Red Raiders defense set the tone for this game, holding GU to just 147 total yards and 35 rushing. QB Jake Melville completed 17 of 31 passes for 245 yards and two TDs to lead the Colgate attack. Meanwhile, QB Clay Norris throw for 112 yards in the loss. GU finishes the season at 3-8 overall and 0-6 in Patriot League play.
Razorback Report: It was a lightbulb buster on the scoreboard, but Arkansas held off Mississippi State, 58-42. This game featured a pair of backs with four rushing TDs a piece. Razorback RB Rawleigh Williams III ran for 205 yards on 16 carries while MSU QB Nate Fitzgerald ran for 131 yards. Fitzgerald also threw for 328 yards and two more scores. Fun stat in this game is that the two squads combined to score seven TDs on eight total second half possessions. The Hogs finish the regular season with a trip to Missouri this week.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I'm glad the first rain of the year came when I was home and not at work.
Larry, the Dr. Pepper guy cracks me up every time.
I'm ready to start watching some Holiday movies. I think Holiday Inn will be the first one.
I always look forward to Thanksgiving for the family, food and the football. Then I realized that I'm lucky enough to have that every week of the football season. That's pretty cool. Have a great Turkey Day folks. Go eat, throw the ball around and hug somebody.
Until next time folks, being able to just run the ball at will is a beautiful thing.
-The Commissioner
...SC likes a challenge; The 2017 non conference slate for USC is Western Michigan with their great HC PJ Fleck, Texas with a new HC, most likely Houston's Tom Herman and the bi-annual trip to Notre Dame.
...55 and a cloud of dust; RB Joe Thomas, Sr., the father of Green Bay Packer LB Joe Thomas, Jr. became what many to believe then oldest man to play in a college football game when he carried the ball four times for the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The 55 year old senior was added to the SC State roster two weeks ago and got to play on Senior Day. Way to go, Joe!
...An Orange and Black shade of Ivy; Princeton claimed the Ivy League Crown with a 38-21 win over Dartmouth. The Tigers finished the season at 8-2 overall and a 6-1 conference mark.
...A rematch; Wyoming beat San Diego State, 34-33 Saturday. If the Cowboys win at New Mexico or the Cowboys and Boise State both lose this week, Wyoming will have a rematch with SDSU in the Mountain West title game.
...Saint Sam; USC QB Sam Darnold's great play has covered a multitude of sins by his offensive line.
...Not a great pair; The Pac 12 and Big Ten each have a team that is 0-8 in conference play. Rutgers is the Big Ten squad that averages just nine points per game on offense and has been shutout four times in league play with Ohio State and Michigan whipping them 58-0 and 78-0 in consecutive weeks. Arizona us the Pac 12's cellar dweller with a 2-10 overall record. Their two wins were over Hawaii and comeback win over Grambling.
Going Bowling
There are 39 Bowl Games plus the three games of the College Football Playoff. That means 82 teams will go bowling this year. As of today there are only 65 bowl eligible teams. There are only 16 teams left on the bubble that could become bowl eligible and all of those as won't make it because some of them face each other this week. So, some teams with losing records will go to a bowl. If this year is not the argument to cut the number of bowls, I don't know what is.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
This week's winner is Minnesota. The Gophers don't look Golden in this ensemble. If you're gonna wear that much gold, you gotta have a dark color to offset it. The white doesn't cut it. It looks like they only wore the top half of the uniform.
The FBS Power Five Conference Races
The ACC: Virginia Tech wins the Coastal Division with a win over Virginia this week. If they lose, then North Carolina could win the Coastal with a win over NC State. Clemson is the Atlantic champ that will face one of the aforementioned two in the ACC title tile.
The Big XII: Winner of the OU-Okie State game will be the Big XII champ.
The Big Ten: If Wisconsin beats Minnesota this week, they claim the West crown. If they lose and Nebraska beats Iowa, the Cornhuskers claim the crown. In the East, a Michigan win over Ohio State makes them division champs. Penn State needs to beat Michigan State and have Ohio State beat Michigan to win the East. Ohio State needs to beat Michigan and have Penn State lose to win the East.
The Pac 12: Winner of the Washington-Washington State game wins the North. If Colorado beats Utah this week they win the South. If Colorado loses, USC is the South winner.
SEC: Florida is the SEC East Champ and will face West Champ Alabama in the SEC title game.
Departments
C.W. Post Playoff Press: Brookville, NY- The Pioneers built up a 48-24 lead after three quarters, then held off a furious rally by Winston-Salem State and advanced to the second round of the D-II playoffs with a 48-41 victory. The one-two offensive punch of QB Jeff Kidd and RB Malik Pierre led the way for Post. Kidd completed 25 of 34 passes for 320 yards and four TDs. Pierre rushed for 117 yards on 18 carries and three TDs. Post's next opponent is Shepherd University with game being played at C.W. Post.
Georgetown Gridiron News: Hamilton, NY: The Hoyas season came to an end Saturday with a 38-10 loss to Colgate. The Red Raiders defense set the tone for this game, holding GU to just 147 total yards and 35 rushing. QB Jake Melville completed 17 of 31 passes for 245 yards and two TDs to lead the Colgate attack. Meanwhile, QB Clay Norris throw for 112 yards in the loss. GU finishes the season at 3-8 overall and 0-6 in Patriot League play.
Razorback Report: It was a lightbulb buster on the scoreboard, but Arkansas held off Mississippi State, 58-42. This game featured a pair of backs with four rushing TDs a piece. Razorback RB Rawleigh Williams III ran for 205 yards on 16 carries while MSU QB Nate Fitzgerald ran for 131 yards. Fitzgerald also threw for 328 yards and two more scores. Fun stat in this game is that the two squads combined to score seven TDs on eight total second half possessions. The Hogs finish the regular season with a trip to Missouri this week.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I'm glad the first rain of the year came when I was home and not at work.
Larry, the Dr. Pepper guy cracks me up every time.
I'm ready to start watching some Holiday movies. I think Holiday Inn will be the first one.
I always look forward to Thanksgiving for the family, food and the football. Then I realized that I'm lucky enough to have that every week of the football season. That's pretty cool. Have a great Turkey Day folks. Go eat, throw the ball around and hug somebody.
Until next time folks, being able to just run the ball at will is a beautiful thing.
-The Commissioner
