The first Saturday of the fall has come and gone. Now it's time to relive that Saturday with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Stu Nahan.
Summaries
USC 30- California 20: A young Cal team that started the season at 3-0 was ready and waiting for the Trojans at Strawberry Canyon. The Golden Bears gave USC everything they could handle in a first half that ended deadlocked at 13-13. The Trojan defense kept USC in the game in the first half and allowed USC to win the game in the second half. The Golden Bears missed a field goal to open the second half, then turned the ball on their next four possessions to allow USC to pull away. Cal QB Ross Bowers made some ill-advised throws under heavy pressure and the USC secondary was happy to take what Bowers was giving them. A field goal by PK Chase McGrath, a TD run by RB Stephen Carr and a TD reception from WR Deontay Burnett put the Trojans up 30-13 early in the fourth quarter to put the game away. The Bears got a garbage time TD with 1:53 left which only served to upset a few folks in Las Vegas. USC QB Sam Darnold had a decent day, completing 26 of 38 passes for 223 yards with a pair of TDs and an interception. Bowers competed 22 of 50 passes for 303 yards, a TD and four big interceptions.
Telling Stat: 10 in 60; USC kicked a 46-yard FG, forced a fumble on the Cal four-yard line then scored a TD in a span of 60 seconds to start the fourth quarter to pull away from the Bears.
Utah 30- Arizona 24: The Utes picked up their first win at Arizona since 2011 with an opportunistic defense and superior special teams play. They also got a little help from the young Wildcats who just couldn't take advantage of some golden opportunities. The Utes also overcame two huge injuries and an ejection as well to notch the victory. The Utes held a 10-3 lead early in the second period when QB Tyler Huntley was sacked by UofA'a DT Tony Fields. Huntley immediately grabbed his shoulder and it was clear his night and maybe his season was over. In stepped the backup QB, who just happens to be last year's starter and team captain Troy Williams. Williams guided the Utes the rest of the way and did better than the average backup. He managed the offense well, completing eight of nine passes for 98 yards and a TD in relief. The real story of this game was the Utah defense and Arizona's young QB. UofA QB Brandon Dawkins showed flashes of great talent and made some great plays, but he failed to come through at critical times. He did throw for 248 yards and a TD, while running for 90 yards and another score, but the threw three interceptions and fumbled once. One of his interceptions was retuned for a 14-yard TD by Utah DB Javelin Guidry. He missed an absolutely wide open receiver for a sure TD. Dawkins then let the Wildcats down twice in the final 2:44. After UofA recovered an onside kick, Dawkins took took off on a 15-yard run only to fumble the ball back to Utah. UofA did force a Utah punt and with 2:07 to play, Dawkins threw his final interception to end the game. As for the Utah defense they forced five Arizona turnovers, had two sacks and blocked two field goal attempts to hand the Utes the win.
Telling Stat: Truly Special Teams; Utah made all three field goal attempts while blocking two of three Arizona field goal attempts and those six points were the difference in the game.
Washington State 45- Nevada 7: It was WSU's fourth straight home game to open the season and the Cougars cruised to an easy win over the overmatched Wolfpack. After being held for downs by Nevada on their opening drive, Wazzu scored five TDs on their final five drives of the first half to take a 35-0 lead at intermission. Four of those five TDs came from the arm of QB Luke Falk, who would finish the game with five scoring strikes. He completed 36 of 47 passes for 478 yards and those five scores with no interceptions. His favorite target was RB James Williams who grabbed 10 aerials for 46 yards and a TD. WSU WR Tavares Martin, JR. only caught four passes, but two were for scores and a total of 114 yards. The Cougar defense easily shutdown Nevada, forcing three turnovers and allowing the Wolfpack to gain only 151 total yards.
Telling Stat: Dialing long distance; Wazzu's six TD drives covered 76, 64, 73, 86, 80 and 65 yards.
Washington 37- Colorado 10: It was a cold, wet night in Boulder and the Huskies started a little cold as well. The UW offense struggled through the first half, but the defense didn't. Washington held a 10-7 lead at the half. In the second half, the UW defense got stronger and the offense woke up to overpower the mistake-prone Buffaloes. UW held a 17-10 lead midway through the third period, but CU QB Steven Montez never saw UW CB Myles Bryant who stepped in front of Montez's slant pass and took it back 35 yards to paydirt. Washington suddenly had a a two TD lead and the Buffaloes never recovered. UW's rushing attack then put the game out of reach with a pair of fourth quarter scores. RB Salvon Ahmed scored from six yards out with 11:16 to play, then RB Myles Gaskin raced 57-yards for the game's final score four minutes later. Gaskin finished the game with 202 yards rushing on 27 carries and two TDs. UW QB Jake Browning competed 11 of 21 passes for 160 yards, aa TD and an Interception. CU QB Steven Montez competed 21 of 27 passes for 171 yards, but he was intercepted three times which led to 10 points for the Huskies.
Telling Stat: 53/54; After giving up a 53-yard drive which led to a field goal on Colorado's first possession the second half, Washington held the Buffaloes to just 54 yards for the final 22:28 of the game. They Dawgs defense grabbed a pick-six, held for downs once and forced three punts in that time span.
Arizona State 37- Oregon 34: All the talk was about how Oregon was looking like Oregon again. All the the talk was how the Ducks new HC Willie Taggart had changed the culture, and had the Ducks ready to whip ASU for the 11th straight time. The Sun Devils were reeling. Their record stood at 1-2 with losses to SDSU and Texas Tech. It was discussed how Oregon was going to slice and dice the Sun Devils. Then, they actually had to play the game. Oregon's defense looked more like the defense that played the second half v Nebraska than the one that easily handled also rans South Dakota and Wyoming. ASU raced out to a 17-7 lead and UO was forced to play catch up the rest of the way. With 10:53 to play in the third period, UO was down 31-14. ASU started the party early and the Ducks made a strong comeback. The Ducks scored two TDs in a span of 3:10 and they trailed 34-28 at the start of the fourth period. The Quacks did finally catch up when QB Justin Herbert ran four yards for a go ahead score with 6:41 to play. ASU got the ball back and refused to fold. The Sun Devils drove 57 yards in 11 plays and PK Brandon Ruiz put ASU back in front for good with a 41-yard field goal. ASU then held for downs twice in the final 2:33 to finish off the Ducks and record a major upset in the Pac 12. ASU QB Manny Wilkins threw for 347 yards and a TD, while RB DeMario Richard rushed for 64 yards and a TD. Wilkins favorite target was WR N'keal Harry who caught seven passes for 170 yards and a TD. For the Ducks, QB Justin Herbert passed for 281 yards and three scores. He also ran for 36 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: One dimensional Ducks; Arizona State held Oregon to 120 yards rushing, well below their season average. That was a huge key to how ASU pulled the upset.
Stanford 58- UCLA 34: The boys from Palo Alto finally played their home opener for 2017 and it looks like the Cardinal found their missing offense in a big win over the bRuins. This game turned out to be the classic showdown of UCLA's air attack v Stanford's ground assault. In the end, the Cardinal ran their southern neighbors out of the building in the second half to come away with the win. This game was a lot closer than the score indicated most of the way. Despite two turnovers, UCLA held a 13-6 lead over the Cardinal thanks to a pair of field goals form PK J.J. Molson and 12-yard TD pass from QB Josh Rosen to WR Darren Andrews. UCLA also had an early advantage after they knocked out SU QB Keller Chryst early when he was the vicitm of a hit that was flagged for targeting. The bRuins lost a defender but had the momentum. UCLA then forced a Stanford punt and looked to take control of the contest as they drove deep into Cardinal territory. The Cardinal held on 3rd and Goal to force another UCLA field goal attempt. Cardinal NG Harrison Phillips broke through the line and blocked the kick. That block sparked the Cardinal offense. Backup QB K.J. Costello then rose to the occasion to manage the Cardinal to touchdowns on six of their final seven drives of the game. His ability to settled down and complete some passes helped Stanford truly get their rushing game going. UCLA could not stop SU in the second half. RB Bryce love had a great night. He carried the ball 30 times for 263 yard and a TD. His backfield mate RB Cameron Scarlett chipped in with 86 yards on eight carries and three TDs. In the loss, Rosen competed 40 of 60 passes for 480 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. This was a physical game with plenty of cheap shots on both sides and the Cardinal also lost one player and narrowly escaped losing two players to targeting calls.
Telling Stat: 5/5, 348, 17;48: Stanford's offense in the second half was truly unstoppable. The Cardinal scored five TDs on all five of their second half drives, gaining 348 of their 595 total yards and holding the ball 17:48 T.O.P.
Observations
...66%; Four of the six games in the Pac 12 this week started at 7:00 PM or later. Thanks, Larry Scott.
...He has a point; Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh's rant about the pathetic condition of the Purdue visitor's locker room came off as a whiny complaint from a tool, but it is actually spot on. For a league that has such a huge TV contract, they can afford to have adequate facilities for visiting teams.
...In praise of lightning; The folks at San Diego State have a new appreciation for lightning strikes. The Aztecs were getting worked over at Air Force in the first half. They are trailing 9-0 while heavy rain with high winds roared through Falcon Stadium. Then, lightning strikes in the area forced a weather delay. SDSU dried off, regrouped and pulled out a 28-24 win after the stoppage.
...63%; TCU has converted 63% of their third down attempts this year, which is the best mark ever recorded by the NCAA through four games.
...Trivia time: Can you name UCLA's QB the last time they beat Stanford?
...Oddball stat: In the Oregon-ASU game, there was a period in the second quarter where the two teams combined for seven straight three-and-outs.
...No impact; The NCAA put Rutgers on probation for two years last week. As of last Saturday, nobody has noticed.
...His happy place; I bet Kevin Sumlin goes to bet every night happy for the fact that he is not Bret Bielema.
...He's got it; Penn State's Saquon Barkley is easily the Heisman frontrunner after four weeks.
...Beating a dead zebra; Pac 12 refs were in fine form again this week. In the six games involving Pac 12 teams, there were an average of 14 accepted penalties. The low was a surprising six penalties called in the Washington-Colorado game and high of 25 accepted flags in the UCLA-Stanford game.
...And then there were seven; There are seven winless teams left in the FBS. They are Baylor, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Florida State, Georgia Southern, UMass and UTEP.
...Feels like old times; Eight Florida players are facing felony charges today. I didn't know Urban Meyer had come back to Gainesville.
...Not a chance; If you predicted that Wake Forest and Duke would both be undefeated and that Florida State would be winless right now, you're a liar.
...Mean stat; San Diego State has two more Pac 12 wins than six different Pac 12 teams.
...Market prices; If you really want to get into the stadium for a Pac 12 game, you can. According to ESPN, secondary market tickets for the USC-Wazzu game start at $44. Thats the high for the league. Lowest priced ticket is ASU-Stanford. For a mere nine bucks you can into Stanford Stadium.
...Memo to Kentucky; You have nobody but yourselves to blame for your football woes. Many years ago you decided that Adolph Rupp was more important than Bear Bryant. The Curse of the Bear lives on in Lexington.
...Run out of the building; UCLA has given up an average of 303 yards rushing per game on their last three trips to Stanford.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Oregon State was a seven point underdog v. their bye week.
...A bit too convincing; Penn State HC James Franklin received "about 100 nasty messages" after comedian Keegan Michael-Key impersonated him on College Gameday.
...Trivia answer: Kevin Craft. (Who?)
...Just a little pettiness; There was an actual forfeit last Saturday. Finlandia University, an NCAA division III team that just started playing the sport a couple of seasons ago cancelled their game with NAIA school Valley City State. Usually cancelled games are just that, cancelled. Oh, but not in the NAIA. The NAIA awarded a 1-0 forfeit victory to VCSU over their NCAA foe. Hmmmm.
NCAA Player in Desperate Need of a Name Change
Pac 12 Overreactions
Arizona will go 1-8 in Pac 12 play.
ASU is consistently inconsistent.
Cal is too young to break .500 in the Pac 12.
Stanford still ain't that tough.
Oregon has no defense.
Oregon State will go 0-9 in Pac 12 play.
USC will eventually stop playing to the level of their competition and that may not be a good thing.
UCLA's defense is weaker than their running game.
Utah can't run the ball.
Colorado has a weak O-line.
Washington can run the table.
Washington State just got Nevada's HC fired.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Well, this week's winner was taken from the NFL ranks and follows this seasons's automatic qualifier for this award. Wear all-yellow and you win. Thanks, Los Angeles Rams.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Reading, PA- This week's game comes from the D-III ranks. In a Middle Atlantic Conference clash, PK Christian Hagans booted a 29-yard field goal with :03 left to lift the Albright Lions to a 9-7 victory over the Widener Pride. Hagans game-winning kick made up for his missing a PAT and an earlier FG attempt. Widener almost came away with the win depsite only gaining 145 total yards and making just 11 first downs.
Blowout of the Week: Burnaby, BC, Canada- Hey, did you know that there's an NCAA school in Canada, eh?. Simon Fraser University is the only Canadian school that is a member of the NCAA. SFU is a member of The Great Northwest Conference in Division-III. They hosted the Azusa-Pacfiic Cougars in a conference tilt and were trounced, 83-7. APU's 83 points were a single-game scoring record for the conference. The Cougars actually scored their 83 points through three quarters. APU emptied what was left of their bench in the final period and ran straight dive plays into the line to kill the clock. The Cougars ran for 396 yards and six TDs. They also only threw 10 passes in the game.
Georgetown Football News: New York, NY- The annual battle for the Lou Little Trophy was actually a game discussed by the experts on College Gameday which broadcast from Times Square this past Saturday. Well, the Fighting Blue Lions of Columbia used a 21-point second quarter to beat the Hoyas, 35-14. Columbia QB Anders Hill had a good day, completing 20 of 35 tosses for 158 yards and four TDs. Up next for the Hoyas is trip to old RFK Stadium to take on the Harvard Crimson.
C.W. Post Press: Waltham, MA- Bentley Falcons QB Mack Lowrie proved to be unstoppable by the Pioneers defense. He toasted the Post secondary, to hand the Pioneers their first regular season loss in over a year, 40-21. Lowrie completed 18 of 28 passes for 255 yards and five TDs. Four turnovers hurt the Pioneers, with QB Yianni Gavalas throwing two interceptions that overshadowed his 290 yard, three TD performance. Up next for Post is a chance to get back into the win column with a home date v. Assumption College.
Razorback Report: Jerryworld, Arlington, TX- Well, what his there to say? The Hogs fell in OT to the Aggies, 50-43. Is TAMU HC Kevin Sumlin's hot seat cooler? Is Brett Bielema's hot seat in Fayetteville cranked up a few more notches? They both look to be out of a job soon.
This Week's Three Notes About Eating in Santa Barbara...
Casa Blanca restaurant on State Street has a lively NFL Sunday game watching atmosphere and a great Tri-Tip Breakfast Burrito.
The Boat House on Hendry's Beach has stunning views of the Channel Islands and one of the most decadent appetizers ever... chowder fries. Yes, chowder fries.
Mission Street Ice Cream and Yogurt features McConnell's Ice Cream. That ice cream is some of the best I've ever had. The salted caramel banana is amazing.
Until Next Time, remember that a strong defense can carry a team until their offense comes around.
-The Commisisoner
