Fall is truly here. It's November and the clocks have turned back. Now we do too in a look back at last weekend's action. Here's another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Beano Cook.
Summaries
USC 49- Arizona 35: Yes, this game was four quarters long, but it felt like a play in three acts. Act One: The Trojans come out and shut down suddenly All-Everything UofA QB Khalil Tate. USC leaves some points on the field due to a failed fourth down conversion in which the referee rules that the Trojans missed converting it by a micron and a pick thrown by USC QB Sam Darnold in the UofA end zone. Despite those miscues, USC takes a 21-6 lead into the half to end the opening act. Act Two: It begins with USC extending their lead to 28-6 despite the refs taking their part from a supporting role to a lead one. The Trojans are penalized and reviewed almost out of the building. The USC defense tires while Tate and the Wildcats find their stride. Suddenly Tate cannot be stopped and he leads the Wildcats back to tie the score at 35-35 with 8:23 to play. Act Three: The Trojans who have faltered defensively and suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous officiating find their resolve and score two TDs and force two Arizona interceptions in the final minutes to win the game. The Trojans ran all over the Wildcats with a pair of backs eclipsing the 100 yard mark. Ronald Jones II gained 194 yards on 27 carries with three TDs. Aca'Cedric Ware gained 122 yards on 14 carries with a TD of his own. Darnold finished the game with 311 yards through the air and a pair of scores. For UofA, Tate was good again. He carried the ball 26 times for 161 yards and a TD, He also passed for 146 yards and two scores. He also threw two bad late interceptions.
Telling Stat: 179-12+2= 14-0=W; After Arizona stormed back to tie the Trojans. USC outgained the Wildcats 179 yards to 12 yards and picked off UofA twice. The Trojans turned those yards into 14 points while using the interceptions to shutout the Wildcats in the final minutes to get the win.
Arizona State 41- Colorado 30: The Sun Devils were staring down the barrel of a second straight home loss trailing 27-17 late in the third quarter. Their offense had gone dormant in the period and CU looked to be getting stronger as the clock ticked down. Then, the Sun Devils flipped the proverbial switch and put up 24 points over the final 17:23 to corral the Buffaloes. ASU went heavily to their ground game to forge their comeback. When it was over, ASU RB DeMario Richard toted the rock 25 times for 189 yards and a TD to lead an ASU rushing attack that amassed 381 yards. His backfield mate, QB Manny Wilkins ran for 95 yards on 15 carries and a TD to go with 202 yards and two TDs passing. As for the Buffaloes, QB Steven Montez complete 23 of 41 passes for 345 yards and a TD. CU RB Phillip Lindsay was held to just 80 yards rushing, but did score two TDs.
Telling Stat: They ran out a win; In the final 17:23 of the game, ASU ran the ball on 22 of their final 25 offensive plays for 236 yards and three TDs to put away Colorado in the Valley of the Sun.
Washington 38- Oregon 3: On a cold and dreary night the Ducks were holding their own in Seattle. The game was knotted at 3-3 early in the second quarter and neither offense had shined. Then, Dante struck. UW WR Dante Pettis fielded an Oregon punt at the 12:04 mark of the second quarter and weaved his way to a 64-yard touchdown. His punt return TD was the ninth of his career which is a new NCAA record. It also sparked the Huskies to a 35-0 run over the second and third quarters which buried the Quacks. Pettis also caught a 47-yard TD toss from QB Jake Browning. Browning finished the game with 11 completions in 19 attempts and two TDs. RB Myles Gaskin had another good day for the Dawgs. He gained 123 yards on a 17 carries with a TD. UW's defense was tough yet again. They allowed only 278 total yards, forced a pair of turnovers and rendered the Oregon offense inert for the final 3 1/2 quarters after surrendering an initial field goal.
Telling Stat: Anatomy of a 35-0 run; While UW's offense as busy putting up 35 points on the Ducks in the second and third quarters, UW's defense held Oregon to no points and just 73 yards over eight drives during the same time span.
California 37- Oregon State 23: A feisty bunch of Beavers showed up to Memorial Stadium and gave the Golden Bears all they could handle. However, Cal was able to keep the Beavers winless in the league with an outstanding effort from RB Patrick Laird and some slick throws from QB Ross Bowers. Laird lugged the leather 33 times for 214 yards with a TD while Bowers competed 24 of 30 passes for 259 yards and a pair of TDs to spearhead the offense. The Beavers did stay within striking distance of Cal most of the game, but after closing the score to 37-23, the Beavers never saw the ball again. Cal racked up three first downs in a final drive that ate the final 6:10 off the clock to ensure a victory. For Oregon State, RB Thomas Tyler ran fro 41 yards and a TD while QB Darrell Garretson threw for 169 yards in the loss. The Golden Bears are are a win away from being bowl eligible.
Telling Stat: Truly special teams; Cal didn't punt once in the game, allowed only 105 yards on five kickoff returns and PK Matt Anderson connected on all three of his field goal attempts, including a 49-yarder to help lift Cal to the win.
Utah 48- UCLA 17: The bRuins haven't been very good this year, but take away QB Josh Rosen, who didn't even get on the team plane because of an undisclosed concussion he received at Washington. Now couple that with the dreaded Pac 12 road double of a Friday night road game following a road game the week before and you have the ingredients for a rout. It became a rout even though neither team looked like they wanted to win in the first half. Wasted time outs, numerous mental errors, penalties, dropped passes and bad blocking led to a Utah 17-10 lead at the half. Utah then made some half time adjustments and blew the doors off the bRuins in the third quarter. Utes QB Tyler Huntley took advantage of a blown coverage and hit a streaking WR Troy McCormick for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the third quarter. Utah then sandwiched two more TDs around a pair of 3-and-outs from their defense and suddenly they held a 38-10 lead with 7:13 left in the third period. The bRuins never recovered from Utah's scoring blitz and the final 22+ minutes of the game was garbage time. Huntley finished the game with 15 completions on 22 attempts for 234 yards and four TDs. Moss torched the bRuins for 153 yards rushing on 23 carries and a two TDs. UCLA didn't give up another 300 yards rushing, but 272 yards is still pretty bad. For UCLA, QB DeVon Modster completed eight passes for 103 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: 319/98; Utah's halftime adjustments on both sides of the ball were pretty good. They Utes outgained UCLA, 319 yards to 98 which led to a 31-7 bulge on the scoreboard for the final two quarters and a big win for the Utes.
Washington State 24- Stanford 21: The Cougars finished off their home slate with a bang, coming from behind to down the Cardinal. After being benched last week at Arizona, WSU QB Luke Falk shined against the Cardinal. He completed 34 of 48 passes for 337 yards and three TDs. He led the Cougs on their 94-yard game-wining drive by completing six of seven passes for 83 yards, The last completion was an 11-yard strike to WR Jamire Calvin. Oh, and he did it in a snowstorm. Falk also became the Pac 12 career leader in passing yards, surpassing Oregon State's Sean Mannion. The Cougar defense did ok too. Stanford RB Bryce Love did manage to play, but his ankle and the Cougars rendered him ineffective. He was held to 69 yards rushing and one score. He wasn't a big factor in the game.
Telling Stat: Quite an arm; WSU QB Luke Falk now holds the Pac 12 career records for passing yards, pass completions, pass attempts and total offense. All he needs is three more TD passes to own that career stat too.
Observations
...He strikes again; The game that everyone knew would have big implications for the Pac 12 North race coming into the season between Washington and Stanford is being played on Friday. I'm sure both squads really like having one day less to heal and prepare. Thanks, Larry Scott.
...Things my wife says; During the multiple delays in the SC game to review targeting calls, my wife posited the theory that the officials have made a big mess of enforcing this rule so that it can be changed/dropped in the offseason. I think she has a point.
...Might be back on the sidelines; Rick Neuheisel has been mentioned in connection with the Oregon State coaching job and was in Knoxville on Monday talking with the Tennessee folks.
...Things my sister Luci says; The third quarter of the USC-Arizona game went so long that she said that USC's RB Ronald Jones "went form being Ronald Jones II to Ronald Jones III."
...Up the Wazzu; So, I see Pullman still has legendarily poor security around their field. My field agent in Yuba City tagged this one #makemamaproud. PullmanPride
...The new Rutgers; With their horrible 45-16 loss to Missouri, Florida has truly become the worst dumpster fire in the FBS for 2017.
...Upon further and even further review; There needs to be a total overhaul of Pac 12 officiating. The USC-UofA game has to be used as a training film of how not to be an official.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that UCLA is going to replace their defense with those little rubber bars that are used to separate groceries at the checkout stand because they are a more respected barrier.
...He ain't a saint; Penn State HC James Franklin is being praised for chasing down one of his players to go and shake hands with Michigan State at the end of their last game. Remember, this is the same guy who iced Georgia State's PK when he was up, 56-0.
...Obi-Badgers you're our only hope; With the Big Ten East taking a dive on Saturday, Wisconsin is the league's last hope for a CFP spot.
...Ouch; I think it'll take a little more than grapefruit and juicy fruit to wash away this Miami fan's night after she tried to slap one of the cops that was carrying her out of the VaTech-Miami game.
DownGoesFrazier
...Right where they want 'em; Northwestern became the first FBS team to win three straight overtime games with their win over Nebraska last Saturday.
...What a week they had; UW WR Dante Pettis set a new NCAA record by returning a punt for a TD for the ninth time in his career. Dante's dad, Gary Pettis is the third base coach for the now World Champion Houston Astros.
...1K in 5; UofA QB Khalil Tate broke the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season v. USC. Tate is the only Pac 12 QB to ever rush for 1,000 yards. He's done in just five games.
...And then there were two; UTEP and Georgia Southern are the only two winless teams left in the FBS.
...The caissons rolled along; Army hit the road and wiped out Air Force, 21-0. The shutout snapped Air Force's streak of scoring in 306 straight games. The Black Knights are 7-2 and hope to finish the regular season by singing last.
...The Lions didn't roar; With a loss to Harvard, Columbia dropped out of content for the Ivy League crown. I've hype the Blue Lions this year, but even with the losses, 6-2 is the best year for Columbia in a long time.
Looking at the Conference Races
Here's the skinny on the Power Five races as we hit November.
ACC
Atlantic: A Clemson win over Florida State clinches the division. A loss by the Tigers opens the door for North Carolina State to squeak through if they win their final three games v. BC, Wake Forest and North Carolina.
Coastal: The undefeated Miami Hurricanes would have to lose all three remaining games for Va Tech to have shot. Virginia needs Miami to lose a game and also win at Miami on 11/18 to claim the division title.
Big XII
There are no divisions in the BIG XII, but what makes this race intriguing is that the top two teams will meet again in the league title game. OU and TCU sit atop the league with league records 5-1 and face each other this week in Ft. Worth. The winner has the inside track to the league title game. The loser will find themselves in a three team tie for the second spot.
Big Ten
West: It is Wisconsin's world here. If the Badgers don't collapse down the stretch they will go to the title game
East: Michigan State and Ohio State meet in Columbus this week with 5-1 league records. If MSU wins all they have left is Maryland and Rutgers to get by in order to make the title game. If the Buckeyes win, then they have the inside track.
Pac 12
South: A USC win v. either Colorado or UCLA in the next two weeks sends the Trojans to Santa Clara. Two Trojan losses would open the door for either ASU or Arizona.
North: A Washington win at Stanford this week would almost guarantee that the UW-WSU game would be for the division crown. However, a Huskies loss at Stanford throws the race into a three team scramble between the Cardinal, Cougars and the Huskies.
Southeastern
East: Barring an incredible collapse by the Bulldogs, they will be the the division champs.
West: It's Alabama's world unless Auburn digs deep and creates total chaos in the SEC. Auburn hosts Georgia this week. If the Tigers beat the Bulldogs and then beats Alabama in three weeks, they will win the West Division and likely face Georgia again in the SEC title game.
Pac 12 Overreactions
Wazzu will win the Pac 12 North.
Arizona will finish 9-3.
Arizona State will lose 76-65 to Arizona.
Cal will lose to Stanford yet again.
Stanford needs a QB more than they need Bryce Love.
Washington will still find a way to lose at Stanford.
Oregon needs to quit letting Phil Knight call plays.
UCLA 2017 is really starting to resemble UCLA 2016.
USC is the most frustrating 8-2 team in America.
Oregon State needs Mike Riley.
Utah is Vegas Bowl bound.
Colorado is Motel-6 Bowl bound.
Ugly Head Coach and Athletic Director of the Week
Had to stay with my USC Trojans this week. One, what is with this jacket Clay Helton is wearing? When has pink become a USC color? Just awful.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Norfolk. VA- It's not often that an FBS game makes it into this department, but the hapless Old Dominion Monarchs beat the even more hapless Charlotte 49ers, 6-0 on a pair of field goals by PK Nick Rice. Rice connected form 40 yards out in the first quarter and 30 yards out in the third quarter to provide the only points of the game. ODU did dominate the key stats. They held the ball for almost 40 minutes, and held Charlotte to just eight first downs and a paltry 2 of 12 on third down conversions.
Blowout of the Week: Redlands, CA- This week's blowout comes from the SCIAC where the Redlands Bulldogs smashed the Whittier Poets, 76-7. It was senior night and the Bulldogs and the seniors went out with a bang. The Bulldogs ran up almost 700 total yards of offense with QBs Levi Plante and Levi Martinez combining to complete 19 of 27 tosses for 274 yards and five TDs. Redlands held a 73-0 lead before Whittier tallied their lone score long after the benches were emptied.
C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- It was senior day at Post and the Pioneers sent their seniors out well with a 49-7 thumping of Merrimack College. Post jumped on Merrimack early and built up a 39-0 lead at the half. QB Yianni Gavalas had himself a day. He completed 26 of 43 passes for 363 yards and five TDs. Up next for Post is a trip to Manchester, NH to take on Saint Anslem College in the final game of the regular season. If Post wins at 1-8 Saint Anselm, they will have a rematch with Assumption college in the Northeast 10 title game.
Georgetown Football News: Washington, D.C.- It was not a happy homecoming for the Hoyas as they fell again in Patriot League play. This time, it was a tough, 7-0 loss to the Leopards of Lafayette. The game's lone score happened in the second quarter. QB Sean O'Malley found WR Nick Pearson for an 11-yard TD connection. Georgetown's last chance to tie the game failed when QB Gunther Johnson's fourth down pass fell incomplete with 2:10 to play. This game truly was a tight, defensive struggle. The teams combined to convert only 4 of 25 third downs on the day. Up next for GU is a trip to Bucknell.
Razorback Report: The Hogs came back to beat Coastal Carolina, 39-38 at home on Saturday. Judging from the lack of fans at the game, a comeback win over a team that just started playing FBS football, isn't much to write about. Up next for Arkansas is a trip to LSU.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Lionel electric trains are still pretty cool.
My mother still makes a great chicken fired steak.
My sister Liza makes great salted caramels.
Until next time folks, remember that ugly wins are still wins.
-The Commissioner
