It'a time for another edition of the column that lets you forget about all that Christmas shipping you have to do for awhile, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mal Florence.
Summaries
USC 28- UCLA 23: The bRuins threw everything they had at a Trojan squad that played ummm like they've played all season. These Just-enough Trojans used a little guile, a little clutch play and a little grit to keep possession of the Victory Bell while frustrating the Trojan faithful everywhere. The Trojans opened the scoring with guile, running one of the best misdirection punt returns you will ever see. Even the announcers got it wrong. Yeah, they did that Then, the clutch play came by USC's defense for most of the game that despite some bad breakdowns in the secondary. They managed to force two bRuin turnovers and get just enough of the stops they needed at the right time to keep UCLA from forging ahead. The grit was shown by the USC offense that responded with key drives to keep control of the scoreboard right when it looks like the game was going to swing the bRuins way. The first of those key drives was when the Trojans turned a 21-17 lead into a 28-17 lead when they marched 90 yards in 10 plays and scored on a short TD burst buy RB Ronald Jones II. The second key drive was when after recovering UCLA's onside kick, they ran the last 2:43 off the clock when Jones II converted on third and one. For UCLA, Josh Rosen just about shot the lights out. He completed 32 of 52 passes for 421 yards and all three bRuin TDs. His favorite target was WR Jordan lastly who caught 10 aerials for 204 yards and three TDs. All three of his TD grabs came against much-maligned USC CB Jack Jones. For USC, QB Sam Darnold completed 17 of 28 passes for 264 yards and Jones II gained 122 yards rushing on 28 carries with two TDs. Darnold also ran for a score.
Telling Stat: All but the scoreboard; UCLA won just about every major stat category in the game, but not the scoreboard.
Oregon 48- Arizona 28: UofA QB Khalil Tate was who they came to see in Eugene. He was the man. The flavor of the month who had run all over everyone he had faced in his six game stint as the starter for the Wildcats. What the delighted Duck faithful saw instead was the return of their injured QB Justin Herbert who shredded the weak Wildcat defense and a superior defensive effort of their own that rendered Tate an afterthought in the box score. The two traded scores in the first quarter and a half with UofA holding a 21-14 lead. Then, Oregon went on a 34-7 run to finish off the game and the Wildcats. Herbert's passing was the perfect compliment to the Ducks rushing attack. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 235 yards and a TD. he also ran for 40 yards and a TD too. RBs Royce Freeman and Tony Brooks-James both eclipsed the 100 yards mark with Brooks-James gaining 124 yards on 19 carries, and Freeman gaining 135 yards on 19 carries and four TDs. The Quacks defense held Tate to 32 yards rushing and he completed 18 of 35 passes for 159 yards a TD and two interceptions in the loss. The vaunted Arizona rushing attack was held to 171 yards.
Telling Stat: There is a D in Oregon; After giving top 21 points in the first 20 minutes, The Duck defense held UofA to just seven points over the last 40 minutes to set up their once again potent offense for the win.
Arizona State 40- Oregon State 24: The Sun Devils fared far better in the Beaver state than their Tuscon counterparts as they rode a huge first half to victory over the last place Beavers. ASU jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to two TD passes from QB Manny Wilkins that covered 23 yards and one yard and a safety when DE JoJo Wicker sacked OSU QB Darrell Garretson in the end zone. Tack on a a pair of TD runs that covered 17 yards and one yard form RB DeMario Richard and the Sun Devils held a 30-0 lead late in the second quarter. The Beavers showed a little fight, but ASU had forged a 40-10 lead early in the fourth period before allowing OSU a couple of cosmetic scores in garbage time. Wilkins finished the game with 167 yards passing and a pair of TDs while Richard tallied 199 yards rushing on 17 carries and three TDs. RB Kalen Ballage also cracked the 100 yard mark as the Sun Devils ran for 286 yards on the hapless Beavers. Garretson threw for 269 yards and a pair of interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: Dammed 'em up; ASU's defense forced five punts, recorded a safety and allowed one TD drive in the first half to set the stage for their beating of the hapless Beavers.
Stanford 17- Cal 14: Both teams brought their defenses to the game, but the Golden Bears found out that having your defense and RB Bryce Love on one leg is a little bit better. Love ran for 101 yards on 14 carries which included a 59-yard TD jaunt on a gimpy ankle to lift Stanford to a win that keeps their Pac 12 North title hopes alive. Cal's defense took it to Stanford for most of the game, but couldn't stop the Cardinal when it mattered on their final drive. RB Cameron Scarlett played most of the fourth quarter in place of the injured Love. Scarlett carried the ball 11 times for 49 yards and four first downs that killed the final 7:25 to allow Stanford to escape with the win. QB K.J. Costello completed 17 of 26 passes for 185 yards to lead the Cardinal's passing attack. For Cal, RB Patrick Laird was a beast, lugging the leather 20 times for 153 yards and a TD. QB Ross Bowers completed 20 of 29 passes for 182 yards and a huge interception for the Bears in the loss.
Telling Stat: Early miss= A lost chance at the W; Cal took Stanford to the brink, but fell short due to the Cardinal's clutch rushing and Cal PK Matt Anderson's missing a 47-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter.
Washington 33- Utah 30: The Utes owned this game for the first 58 minutes. There was something obviously missing form the Dawgs for most of the game and you couldn't blame them when they found out early on that they had been eliminated form the Pac 12 North race. Utah had an answer for everything and held for downs deep in their own territory, holding a 30-23 lead with 4:31 to play. The Utes then ran a couple of minutes off the clock before punting the ball back with 2:03 left. The Huskies took the ball and drove 61 yards for the game tying score in 57 seconds. RB Myles Gaskin did the honors, slashing into the end zone from two-yards out. After the ensuing kickoff is where Utah choked away the game. The Utes didn't play for OT, they stopped the clock with a second down incompletion and failed to convert on third and two. The Huskies called their final timeout and forced a punt. UW put the ball in play from their own 28 and handed the ball off Gaskin. His modest two yard gain would have killed the clock and sent it to OT, but Utah called time out! On second down Browning dropped back and hit WR Dante Pettis for 18 yards to get near midfield. Browning then hooked up with WR Andre Baccellia for a 31 yard gain to the Utah 21-yard line. Two plays later PK Tristan Vizcaino nailed a 38-yarder and the Dawgs celebrated the comeback win. Browning finished the game competing 26 of 35 passes for 354 yards and two TDs, while Gaskin finished the game with 52 yards on 17 carries and two TDs of his own. In the loss, Utah QB Tyler Huntley completed 19 of 27 passes for 293 yards and a pair of scores. He also ran for one.
Telling Stat: 2x2 in 2=W; UW's Jake Browning hooked up with Andre Baccellia for the two biggest plays of the game. The first completion came on 4th and 10 and kept their game-tying TD drive alive. The second one set up the game-winning field goal on their final possession.
Observations
...A run on Duck tape; After Oregon held UofA QB Khalil Tate to 32 yards rushing, the rest of the Pac 12 will have that defensive footage on their christmas lists.
...Ann Arbor angst; There is rumbling around Michigan that Jim Harbaugh is starting to exceed his shelf-life at the Big House.
...Head scratcher; Utah HC Kyle Whitingham has made some just really bad in-game decisions this year.
...A Cardinal Quandary; With his ankle re-injured against Cal, does Stanford hold out RB Bryce Love for the ND game, hoping he can come back in the Pac 12 title game v. USC? Hmmmmmmm.
...Just a soph-o-more; USC's Jack Jones has to be the most talked about Sophomore at USC in many years. Unfortunately, it's for all the wrong reasons.
...Credit the Dawgs; Gotta give a big salute to UW for not tanking the rest of the game after finding out early on that they were eliminated from the Pac 12 North race in their game v. Utah.
...A query; How does Dan Guerrero still have a job as the UCLA AD? His wikipedia page says it all, "Many USC alumni and fans hold Guerrero in high regard for his ability to suppress the success of UCLA athletics." Scroll down to criticism
...Lost in Thanksgiving; Feels very strange to not have my team playing this week.
...No Doaking around; How did SDSU RB Rashaad Penny not get named as a Doak Walker Award finalist? All he's done is lead the nation with 1,824 yards rushing. Oh, and he broke Marshall Faulk's single-game all-purpose yardage record, accounting for 429 total yards from scrimmage against Nevada last week. SMH.
...Mayfield madness; I think that OU QB Baker Mayfield has a problem channeling his inner Ryan Leaf.
...Didn't see that coming; There can't be anybody out there who thought that BYU (3-9) would have a worse record than UMass (4-7). Nobody thought that UMass would beat BYU this year either, but they did, 16-10 this past Saturday. Hmmmmm
...Don't cry for him; Yes, UCLA did fire Jim Mora on his birthday. Many folks are saying how cruel that was. Yeah, right. I'd take a 12 million dollar buyout for a birthday present anytime.
...Bulldog, bulldog, bow-wow-wow; Yale whipped Harvard, 24-3 to claim their first outright Ivy League title since 1980 and their first win at home over the Crimson this century.
...Duck-ing a CFL victory; In the CFL Western Semi-Final the Edmonton Eskimos were down seven points and facing a third and four at the Calgary 13-yard line with 1:56 to play, former UO Duck and Edmonton HC Jason Maas elected to kick a field goal. Edmonton closed the gap to four points and their offense never saw the ball again. So this gutless Duck cost Trojan C.J. Gable a shot at the Grey Cup. SMH.
...Quietly making noise; While the rest fo the SEC made headlines for better or worse, Missouri has
become a bowl team at 6-5.
...Nine in; The Pac 12 will have nine bowl-eligible teams this season.
A look at the Power Five Conference Races
ACC
Clemson will take on Miami in the ACC title game on 12/2
Big XII
Oklahoma will play either TCU or Iowa State in the league title game. If TCU beats Baylor this week, they are in. A Baylor win and a win by Iowa State at Kansas State would put the Cyclones in the the title match.
Big Ten
Wisconsin will face Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.
Pac 12
USC has won the South and will face a rematch with either Washington State or Stanford. If WSU beats Washington this week, USC will face WSU. A Cougar loss creates a USC-Stanford Pac 12 title game.
SEC
Georgia has won the east and will face the winner of the Auburn-Alabama game in the SEC title match.
A look at the Group of Five Conference Races
American Athletic Conference
Memphis will face the winner of the UCF-USF game in the AAC title tilt.
C-USA
Lane Kiffin's Florida Atlantic team will take on North Texas in the C-USA title game.
MAC
If Toledo wins this week they will win the MAC-West. If they lose and Northern Illinois wins this week, then NIU will win the MAC-West. The Same scenario exists for the MAC-East. If Akron wins, they are in. If they lose and Ohio wins then the Bobcats will win the Mac-East.
Mountain West Conference
Boise State will play at Fresno State this week then face the Bulldogs the following week in the MWC championship game. Really, do any of the starters take the field this week in the first game?
HHHHHHHmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Sun Belt
There is currently a four-way toe for first place in the league between Troy, Arkansas State, Georgia State and Appalachian State. There are two conference games left and a ton of scenarios between the four teams, the picture should be a lot clearer next week.
Pac 12 Overreactions
Colorado went skiing on their bye week.
Utah won't go to a bowl.
Oregon State will finish 0-9 in Pac 12 play.
Oregon will beat Oregon State because of Justin Herbert and the fact that OSU stinks.
Stanford will lose to ND.
Arizona wil beat ASU, 75-65.
ASU will fire Todd Graham after losing 75-65 to Arizona.
Cal will not make a bowl.
UCLA will barely beat Cal and go to a bowl that pays less than 1/20 of Jim Mora's buyout.
USC is the most frustrating 10-2 in America.
Washington will finish 10-2 and out of everything.
Wazzu will find a way to "Coug It" in Seattle.
Great Looking Rivalry photo of the Week
When the Trojans and bRuins hook up, great photos happen.
Cheesiest Uniform Addition of the Week
We've all heard about and seen Miami's turnover chain. It fits the Miami image and they have run with it. However, a very lame attempt to grab to Miami's thunder is going on in Oregon. Yes, the Quacks have embarrassed themselves with a lame Home-Depot-do-it-yourself-verison of one. Well, because you know when I think of swagger and rap music ties, Oregon is who comes to mind. SMH!
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Valparaiso, IN- This one comes form the FCS ranks where the Crusaders from Valparaiso got a TD and a two-point conversion with 1:20 left to play to beat the the Dayton Flyers, 8-7. This game stood scoreless for the first three quarters in wet and cold conditions before Dayton took a 7-0 lead on a 30-yard TD pass from QB Alex Jeske to WR Adam Trautman with 13:54 to play. Valpo's game-wining drive came after a short punt and good return set up the Crusaders with a 1st and 10 at the Dayton 39-yard line. Five plays later, RB Jarrett Morgan knifed in from a yard out to put the Crusaders within a point. Valpo kept their offense on the field and Morgan took the ball out of the wildcat formation and found TE Ryan Clarke in the en zone for the two-point conversion and the win. The win gave Valpo a winning season for the first time in 13 years. Side note: Dayton's lone score extended their national record streak to 465 games without being shutout.
Georgetown Football News: Washington, D.C.- Senior Day did not go well for the Hoyas as they were whipped 35-10 by Colgate. The loss dropped the Blue and Gray to 1-10 on the season and 0-6 in Patriot League play.
Razorback Report: The Hogs fought hard, but fell 28-21 to Mississippi State. With AD Jeff Long being given the gate last week, it looks like the end of the Bret Bielema era will come soon in Fayetteville.
Baseball Living History Lost
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| Doerr turning a double play at Chicago's old Comiskey Park in 1939 |
On November 13th, Bobby Doerr, the Hall of Fame second baseman on those powerful Red Sox teams of the 1940s passed away. He was one of "The Teammates" as David Halberstam called them in his great book. He was one of the quartet of men who made up the core of those Red Sox squads that also included Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. All four were west coast kids. Doerr was born in LA and played in the Pacific Coast League for Hollywood and then for San Diego where he met his future Red Sox teammate Williams. Doerr was a 9-time All-Star for the Red Sox and team coaching fixture for many many years. His jersey #1 has been retired in Boston. Doerr was the oldest living major leaguer at the time of his death at age 99. He was the last MLB player alive who played in the 1930s. He played against Lou Gehrig and saw Ted Williams hit .406. He was one of the the last living links to flannel uniforms, sleeper cars and that whole era where the radio was your window on the world and your local sports pages along with the Sporting News were kings. He was 99.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Pot Roast on a fall Sunday is pretty awesome.
Christmas decorations are prettier when they are marked 50% off.
I'd like to know exactly when Pumpkin Spice took over the world.
Until next week folks, have a great Thanksgiving full of food, family and football.
-The Commissioner
