It's time to take your minds off the heat and rehash this past football weekend with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We really miss you, Marv Goux.
Summaries
Notre Dame 49- USC 14: The Trojans rolled into South Bend to take on an inspired, physical, disciplined, and prepared Irish squad. The Trojans played uninspired, soft, undisciplined, and unprepared football. The score above is the direct result of all that. The stats bear this out as SC was run over by the Irish. RB Josh Adams gained 191 yards on just 14 carries with three TDs. One of his scores was an 84-yard dash straight up the middle through the hapless Trojans. ND QB Brandon Wimbush ran for 106 yards and two TDs. He also threw for two TDs as well. USC QB Sam Darnold completed 20 of 28 passes for 229 yards an a pair of touchdowns. Most of Sam's numbers were compiled well after the game was decided.
Telling Stat: Rushing 301; ND put on a masters level class in rushing the football, outgaining USC by 301 yards (377-76) to literally run away with this game.
Washington State 28- Colorado 0: The mercury dipped to the low 40s with wind and driving rain up in the Palouse for this conference tilt. The Cougars bounced back from their debacle in Berkeley last week and shutout the hapless Buffaloes. The WSU Air Raid offense had some trouble in the conditions, so the Cougars did the unthinkable; they ran the ball. They gained 194 yards on 35 carries as a team. RB Jamal Morrow gained 73 yards on 11 carries with a TD to be the Cougars leading ground gainer. Luke Falk wasn't great in the rain, but he didn't need to be. He completed 17 of 34 passes for 197 yards and three TDs. As for the Buffaloes, RB Philip Lindsay gained 98 yards on 29 carries, but never made any huge plays. Colorado's passing game was rendered nearly non-existent by the WSU defense and the conditions. Three CU QBs combined to complete 13 of 34 tosses for a paltry 94 yards. CU's offense converted only 1 of 17 third downs in the loss.
Telling Stat: 1 of 15; Colorado had 15 drives in this game and they only penetrated deeper than the Wazzu 40-yard line once in those 15 drives. That's not good.
Arizona State 30- Utah 10: The Sun Devils showed no let up after their upset of Washington last week. They went to Salt Lake City and dismantled the Utes on a crisp, clear day. Utah hoped their offense would become more explosive with the return of QB Tyler Huntley. Huntley's arm was strong, but his aim was off. He completed only 19 of 35 passes for 155 yards, zero TDs and four interceptions. His final interception was returned for the game-clinching TD. Utah' s defense started strong, but wore down as the game went on. They held ASU to field goals on their first three scoring drives, but those field goal drives turned into touchdown drives as they wore down. ASU didn't light up the stat sheet, gaining just 345 total yards, but they kept the chains moving, and the points piling up. RB's DeMario Richard and Kalen Ballage combined to carry the ball 32 times for 168 yards and a TD. ASU stuffed the Utes ground attack holding RB Zack Moss to 49 yards on 12 carries.
Telling Stat: They just kept grinding; ASU converted on 8 of 16 third downs and held the ball for 36:19 to slowly wear down Utah and leave Salt Lake City with a big win.
UCLA 31- Oregon 14: This game played out as expected. Oregon could run the ball, but had no passing attack. UCLA could do both and came away with the win at the Rose Bowl. The bRuins jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a four-yard run by RB Soso Jamabo and a 31-yard TD pass from QB Josh Rosen to wideout Christian Pabico. UCLA'a run defense is suspect, so it's no surprise that Oregon was able to get back into the game. UO QB Braxton Burmeister crossed the double stripe from seven yards and four yards out to send the teams to the intermission tied at 14-14. However, UCLA stifled the one-dimensional Ducks for the final half. A field goal by PK J.J. Molson, (yes, Molson as in Molson brewing), an acrobatic 22-yard run by RB Bob Olorunfunmi and a a one-yard TD toss from Rosen to RB Darren Andrews finished off the scoring and the Ducks. For the Quacks, RB Royce Freeman ran for 160 yards on 29 carries in the loss. For UCLA Rosen completed 21 of 36 passes for 266 yards and two scores, while the tandem of Olorunfunmi and Jamabo combined for 142 yards on 28 carries and two TDs.
Telling Stat: They can't fly; For the second straight game, Oregon has failed to gain over 100 yards passing. Being one dimensional has taken the Ducks from contenders to pretenders in the Pac 12 North.
Arizona 45- California 44 2OT: UofA hit the ground running at Cal and built up a 21-7 halftime lead with three rushing TDs. The scoring runs were a 30-yard jaunt by RB J.J. Taylor, a 76-yarder from QB Khalil Tate and a 13-yard run by RB Zach Green. Cal's offense got up off the deck in the third quarter behind an 8-yard TD pass and a 4-yard TD run by QB Ross Bowers. Trailing 28-21, Cal tied the game with an 18-yard TD run from RB Patrick Laird. The teams traded field goals in the final 5 minutes and the game headed to overtime. Both defense were pretty gassed at this point. They traded TDs in the first OT. They traded TDs again in the second OT, but the Golden Bears eschewed a PAT to send the game to a third OT. Bowers' two-point conversion pass fell incomplete and the Wildcats escaped with the win. Khalil Tate ran for 137 yards and a TD and threw for 166 yards and two more TDs to lead UofA'a offense. For Cal, the combo of Bowers and Laird did most of their damage. Bowers competed 29 of 49 passes for 301 yards, two TDs and two picks. Laird gained 130 yards on 28 carries and scored twice.
Telling Stat: One bad call; Cal was home and had momentum in overtime. Cal's coaching staff cost this team a real shot at the win with the decision to go for two in the second OT.
Observations
...35 twice; Only two times in the last 50 years has USC lost a game by 35 or more points. Clay Helton has been at the helm for both of those losses.
...Cyclone Warning!; Iowa State is 5-2 and ranked for the first time since 2005.
...A different looking sky; Another couple of wins and Northern Arizona could be the Big Sky champs.
...LA heat; When USC travels to Tempe to take on Arizona State this week, the Trojans will face cooler weather. With the current heat wave, it's about 5+ degrees hotter in L.A than Tempe. Wow.
...Not a great pair; The Pac 12 South and Big Ten West are the two worst divisions in the power five conferences.
...A sleepover and a miss; Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh made waves with a sleepover last year at PK recruit Quinn Nordin's house. That sleepover helped convince Nordin to switch his commitment from Penn Sate to Michigan. Nordin missed a PAT against Penn State last week.
...Southern snoozing; Alabama has made the SEC race look about as exciting as waiting for a new set of tires to be put on your car.
...Birds of a position group; Michigan CB Lavert Hill and Tennessee CB Rashaan Gaulden both flipped the digital salute to opposing fans in their blowout losses last weekend. I know I've flipped my share of birds over the years under far less stressful conditions. I wonder why this hasn't happened more often.
...LA Heat- Part II; Tuesday's game one of the World Series in Los Angeles will be the hottest temperature ever recorded for the opening game of a World Series. It is forecast to be 96 degrees at first pitch. That would break the record of 94 degrees to start game one of the 2001 series at Arizona'a Chase Field. Yes, the roof was open for that game.
...Wow; I know not a soul thought that one of the big games this week would be TCU at Iowa State.
...A kid adrift; Why isn't there a QB coach on the sideline to talk to Sam Darnold after each series? QB Coaches are just about always there for their position group. Why isn't there one at SC?
...And then there were three; Baylor, UTEP, and Georgia Southern are the only winless teams left in the FBS.
...Outscoring to win; Arizona will be in shootouts for the rest of the year.
...Two legs up on the defense; UCLA RB Bob Olorunfunmi's 22-yard TD run late in the third quarter against Oregon ended with quite the acrobatic twist. Shoulders up!
...Farm-stand; The last best hope for anybody to knock Notre Dame out of the college football playoff is Stanford. A win by the Cardinal over the Irish would knock ND out of it all.
...A rapid downhill slide; In two weeks, San Diego State has gone from the inside track to grab a spot in a New Year's Six bowl from the group of five to second place in the West Division of the MWC. Fresno State whipped the Aztecs, 27-3 last week. Oh, and by the way, Fresno State is 4-0 in MWC play.
...Still roaring; Columbia held off a late charge by Dartmouth and moved to 3-0 in Ivy League play. The Blue Lions will travel to Yale this week. The winner will have the inside track to the Ivy League crown.
...The kid is good; UofA QB Khalil Tate has been named the Pac 12 Offensive Player of the week for the third consecutive week.
...The Pirate Speaks; WSU did beat Colorado 28-0, but Mike Leach's rant on his squad is great in the post game presser.
Soft Cougars
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that USC will be replacing their defensive front seven with TSA agents because the agents would at least stop opposing offenses momentarily to check their IDs and pat them down on the way to the end zone.
...Bowling on the Hudson; Immediately after beating Temple, 31-28 in OT last Saturday, Army became the first team to accept a bowl bid this season. The Black Knights will be playing in the 2017 Lockheed-Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Check out this link to see how excited the Cadets are.
On, Brave Old Army Team
...#2; Georgia Southern HC Tyson Summers became the second FBS HC to be fired this season. Summers was only in his second year at the school, but a 5-13 record was too much for the GSU admin to take.
...21 for 44; Kansas was held to 21 total yards in their 43-0 loss at TCU last weekend. The 21 yards are the fewest that any FBS team has gained in the last 20 years and the lowest total yards in Big 12 history. Couple that with the fact that the loss tied the NCAA record for road losses, KU has lost 44 consecutive road games. The Jayhawks have actually lost 47 straight away from home, but those other three losses were at neutral sites. Kansas will break the consecutive road loss record at Texas in three weeks.
Special Section: A short Season- The demise of Occidental College Football
The announcement from Occidental that they have cancelled the remaining games on their 2017 schedule wasn't a shocker to those around the program. They started the season with 47 players and were down to 30 due to injuries. The squad was down to just six total lineman on both sides of the ball. I see how they just couldn't go on. For those not familiar, the Tigers are a part of the fabric of Los Angeles. In the early days, the Tigers squared off against SC and UCLA... and won. Jack Kemp played QB for the Tigers, the elder Jim Mora played there and so did I. I only spent one year there. It was the wrong school for me, but as always the gridiron was my home. I was a freshman OL when we had 18 OL on the squad. I was called an "oft-used reserve", (AKA Benchwarmer) in an article in my old home town paper 30 years ago. However, I did play a little and did experience a rivalry game. I was part of the FG block unit that wiped out a fake field goal attempt to preserve a 6-0 win over Whittier College. We took back the rivalry trophy known as "The Shoes" and celebrated that night. It's kind of sad to think that trophy is just gonna collect dust somewhere and may never be played for again. What really makes it feel even worse is that Whittier has the trophy.
LA Times
Oxy Official Statement
Pac 12 overreactions
USC is soft.
UCLA will ruin someone's season.
Cal's coaches will lose them two more games.
Utah has packed it in.
Colorado will lose the rest of their games.
Oregon won't make a bowl.
Oregon State will finish 1-8 in conference play.
ASU is on the rise.
Arizona doesn't have the defense to beat ASU.
Washington won't go to the playoff if they win the Pac 12.
Wazzu can't beat Washington or Stanford.
Stanford just keeps getting stronger.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
This week's winner is Arkansas for wearing an all-grey uniform that obscured the helmet logo so much that i can't tell if it's the Hogs or Arkansas State on the field.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: New Concord, OH- The Polar Bears of Ohio Northern turned a blocked PAT into a 7-6 win over the Muskingum Fighting Muskies. Muskingum scored first on a 10-yard TD pass from QB Brody Hahn to WR Cameron Near. However, DL Jaymar Hines blocked the point after attempt and the Muskies held a slim 6-0 lead. In the third period ONU tallied the game winner when RB Christian Williams hit paydirt form two yards out. PK Chase Watson hit the PAT and the ONU defense held on for the win. Williams led all rushers with 168 yards on 38 carries.
Blowout Game of the Week: St Paul. MN- The Tommies of St. Thomas (MN) smashed the Pipers of Hamline College, 84-0. The Tommies ran up 669 yards of total offense and everyone saw playing time. Only one player scored more than one TD for the Tommies. The STU defense held Hamilne to -1 rushing yards, 71 total yards, and five first downs.
C.W. Post Press: Springfield, MA- The Pioneers played a dominating first half, then put up a stronger second half to beat the American International College Yellow Jackets, 70-21. Yinani Gavalas was accurate to say the least. He connected on 14 of 16 passes for 184 yards and four TDs. RB Malik Pierre only carried the ball eight times, but he gained 139 yards and scored three TDs. AIC QB Kwame Jarvis threw for 336 yards and three TDs, but most of those stats were compiled after the game was well in hand. Up next for the Pioneers is a trip to Pleasantville, NY to take on the Pace University Setters.
Georgetown Football News: Washington, D.C.- It was a tight game instead of a blowout, but the result was similar for the Hoyas who remain winless in Patriot League play after a 17-9 loss to Fordham. The Hoyas trailed at the half, 8-6 thanks to having a PAT blocked and returned for two points. The Hoyas did get a 27- yard field goal to take the lead in the third quarter, but Fordham got a 10-yard TD pass from QB Luke Medlock to WR Austin Long in the same period and a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to come away with the win. Up next for the Hoyas is a trip to Worcester, MA to face the Holy Cross Crusaders.
Razorback Report: The Hogs hosted the Auburn Tigers who took all their LSU frustration out on their hosts. Auburn used a 28-point third period to turn a 17-6 affair into a rout. RB Kmaryn Pettway rushed for 93 yards and three TDs while his QB Jarrett Stidham threw for 218 yards. Arkansas was outgained by the Tigers 629-334. The Hogs will travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss next week. There's no word yet on the asking price for Arkansas HC Bret Bielema's home.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
The Wind & Sea in Dana Point Harbor is a beautiful place on Sunday morning.
It's hard think about fall colors and pumpkins when it is 100+ degrees outside.
However, it is very easy to think about Halloween candy when it is 100+ degrees outside.
Until next week folks, remember that teams take on the personality of their head coach.
-The Commissioner
