After multiple helpings of Thanksgiving turkey and some nice crispy tater tots at a new sport bar I visited this weekend, here comes another installment of the best college football column this side of Lomita, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Stanford 38- Notre Dame 20: This game was a see-saw affair of squads built on power running and just enough passing. ND held a 20-17 lead heading into the final period thanks to long TD passes from Brandon Wimbish covering 83 and 75 yards to go with the placekicking prowess of PK Justin Yoon. Stanford stayed in the game despite RB Bryce Love not being 100% thanks to the new found passing touch of QB K.J Costello who had thrown two TD passes to go with a 24-yard FG from PK Jet Toner. Then the Irish self-destructed in the fourth quarter and the Cardinal ran away with the win. The Cardinal took the lead early in the final stanza when Costello finished off a 70-yard drive with a 19-yard TD pass to WR Kaden Smith. On the first play of the ensuing possession ND's Wimbush was intercepted by OLB Curtis Robinson. Three plays later, another TD pass by Costello gave Stanford a 31-20 lead. ND then fumbled on the following kickoff. Stanford cashed in with their final TD of the night on a 3-yard jaunt by RB Cameron Scarlett and this game was over. The Cardinal would pick off ND one more time and then hold for downs once when the game was well in hand. Costello finished the game with four TD passes. He Completed 14 of 22 passes for 176 yards. "Limited" Bryce Love still toted the rock 20 times for 125 yards. Wimbush threw for 249 yards, two scores and a couple of interceptions in the devastating loss.
Telling Stat: Gone in 4:50; Notre Dame went from up 20-17 to down 38-20 with their playoff hopes destroyed in the first 4:50 of the fourth quarter.
Arizona State 42- Arizona 30: The Wildcats came out in the first half and built up a 24-14 lead over the Sun Devils and the Territorial Cup looked to be staying in Tucson. The Wildcats offense had dominated with QB Khalil Tate at the controls. Tate hadn't run much, but he passed well and his teammates ran even better to build the lead on scoring drives of 73, 50, and 75 yards to go with a 24-yard field goal by PK Josh Pollack. With 1:00 before the half, UofA had picked off an ASU pass by QB Manny Wilkins and looked poised to score again. The drive stalled at the ASU 45-yard line and the Wildcats went for a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the half. It was a painful call to say the least. Tate was hit and injured his non-throwing shoulder on the play. He and UofA wouldn't be the same after that hit. The Wildcats reverted to their sputtering selves with Brandon Dawkins back at QB and the Sun Devils took full advantage of it. ASU came out and scored 21 points in the third period thanks to a blocked punt to set up one score and the Wildcat offense suddenly looking very ordinary without Tate. Dawkins did break off a 50-yard TD run, to cut ASU's lead to 35-30, but they would get no closer as Wilkins would throw a TD pass with under five minutes left to seal the victory for ASU. Wilkins completed 11 of 17 passes for 163 yards and three TDs while teammate DeMario Richard gashed the Wildcats for 165 yards rushing on 22 carries and a pair of scores. Dawkins finished the game with just 62 yards passing, but did run for 71 yards and a score. Also a standout for UofA was RB J.J. Taylor who ran for 74 yards on 12 carries with a TD.
Telling Stat: 14 point swing; Although reeling in the second half, UofA PR Shun Brown returned a punt for a 74-yard TD that would haven given the Wildcats the lead at 36-35. However, it was called back on an illegal block in the back and ASU would then march down the field on their next possession and put the game away.
Washington 41- Washington State 14: The Cougars came to Seattle with the Pac 12 North crown and a berth in the league's title game v. USC in their sights. All they had to do was beat the already eliminated Huskies to claim their prize. The Cougars never showed up. Washington took it to Wazzu from the opening kickoff to the final gun to claim their fifth straight Apple Cup win and end Wazzu's chance to win the Pac 12 North. The Huskies large O-line pushed the undersized Cougars around all night, racking up 328 rushing yards. Myles Gaskin chalked up most of those yards, gaining 192 yards on 25 carries and crossing the double stripe four times. Four was also a big number for the Dawgs defense who forced four turnovers while sacking WSU QB Luke Falk five times. Those sacks led to Wazzu's -24 yards rushing for the night. The Dwwgs did this to Wazzu without the services of All-Everything WR/KR Dante Pettis who left the game early with a leg injury. UW QB Jake Browning managed the game for UW, handing off a lot and completing 11 of 17 passes for 93 yards on the night. For WSU, Falk completed 37 of 55 tosses for 369 yard and a TD in the lopsided loss.
Telling Stat: An almost 51 minute egg; The Washington defense kept the Cougars caged for the first 50:59 of this game until WSU broke through with meaningless TD to spoil the Huskies shutout with 9:01 to play.
Utah 34- Colorado 13: The Utes ran the Buffs over to stake claim to a .500 record, bowl bid and a win in this Pac 12-nouveau-pseudo-rivalry game. Utah built up a 28-0 halftime advantage with the legs of RB Zach Moss and QB Troy Williams. They each ran for a two scores in the half. Utah's defense was also a big story in this game as they held Colorado just 79 yards in the first half and a paltry three first downs. The CU offense did come alive a bit in the second half with two TD drives, but Utah managed to pick up a couple of field goals while holding the ball for over 17 minutes in the final two quarters to seal the victory. When it was over, Moss had gained 196 yards on 26 carries to go with his two scoring runs while Williams Threw for 181 yards and ran for 26 yards to go with his two scoring jaunts. For the Buffs, QB Steven Montez threw for 195 yards and ran for 31 yards and a score while RB Phillip Lindsay rushed for 72 yards and a TD.
Teling Stat: They Dialed long distance; Utah's four first half TD drives covered 73, 66, 88 and 74 yards.
Oregon 69- Oregon State 10: The Ducks Whipped the Beavers on the scoreboard and in the record books was well at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks scored the way people used to vote for Tammany Hall politicians; early and often. The Quack Attack built up a 17-7 lead after the first quarter then hung 35 more on the hapless men of Corvallis before the half to end the competitive portion of the evening. As for the record books, UO RB Royce Freeman rushed for two TDs. His second TD was the 60th rushing score of his career which made him the Pac 12's all-time leader in rushing TDs. He broke the record held by one of my favorite RBs in league history, Oregon State's Ken Simonton. The Ducks emptied the benches in the second half and held a 62-10 lead going into the final stanza. RB Kani Benoit scored the Quacks final points with 11:24 to play and the UO faithful left Autzen to watch the PK80 hoops tournament. QB Justin Herbert completed 13 of 23 passes for 251 yards and three TDs while also running for 10 yards an a score. Freeman gained 122 yards to go with his two scores. QB Darrel Garretson threw for 112 yards, A TD and two interceptions in the lopsided loss for the Beavers.
Telling Stat: 35/13/5:22= Rout; Oregon turned a 17-7 lead into a 52-7 rout over the hapless Beavers by scoring 35 points on just 13 offensive plays in only 5:22 T.O.P. in the second quarter.
UCLA 30- California 27: The two teams came in into this game needing a win to become bowl eligible and finish their regular season at 6-6. Both teams came into this game after playing tough, but losing their rivalry games the week earlier. UCLA also came into the game without their HC who was fired the prior Sunday. Interim HC, Jed Fisch would lead the bRuins on the sidelines. The squads came out and played this game like a pair of near .500 clubs. They each looked good at times and bad at times, with UCLA having just enough good to pull out the home win. Oh and UCLA did it without QB Josh Rosen's services for a good portion of the game. The bRuins held a 17-9 lead heading into the third quarter, but Rosen came out of the locker room in street clothes. He was injured late in the second period. In his stead came backup QB Devon Modster who competed 14 of 18 passes for 191 yards to lead the bRuin offense. Modster and Rosen's best Target was WR Jordan Lesley who posted another big game, catching 12 passes for 227 yards and a TD. Lasley's most important catches game late in the game when he hauled in an 18-yard aerial to give UCLA a first down at their own 49 with 2:22 to go. His last catch of the game set UCLA up with a first down at the Cal 28 with under a minute to play and the score tied at 27-27. Three plays later, PK J.J. Molson connected on a 37-yard field goal and the UCLA grabbed the win. For Cal, QB Ross Bowers threw for 242 yards and a TD, while RB Patrick Laird ran through the bRUins for 178 yards rushing on 32 carries.
Telling Stat: He needed to be perfect; Cal PK Matt Anderson hit on four of five field goal attempts in the game. IF he had hit all five, the Bears would have had a shot to beat UCLA in overtime.
Cranberry Crushers 35- Tough Turkeys 35: Cranberry Crusher QB Luci Ursich knifed over the left side form one yard out on a keeper with under 10 seconds left to force a tie game at Yube Ursich Field. The teams were a little smaller this year with it being a 2-on-2 game, however, there were plenty of thrills. The squads fished the first half tied at 21-21 thanks to some great passing by Luci for the Crushers and her brother The Commissioner who QB'd the Turkeys. The second half became a defensive struggle with turnovers and failed fourth down conversions becoming the order of the day. Then, with the score tied at 28-28, The Commissioner found Maureen Lenker in the end zone for her fourth TD catch of the day to take a 35-28 lead. Maureen also threw for a TD pass as well in the contest. Then, the Crushers moved in place for the tying score with under a minute left as Margaret Lenker caught three passes to move the ball into the red zone. Margaret then laid a perfect block on The Commissioner on second and goal to spring Luci for the tying score. The time ran out on the ensuing kickoff and a tie was the result. The teams had agreed to no overtime this year due to time constraints. Luci Ursich attained MVP honors for her clutch play this year. The Commissioner is glad his passing performance wasn't graded by Pro Football Focus.
Telling Stat: The Tough Turkeys now have a three game unbeaten streak in the series.
Observations
...Pac 12- The Conference of home teams; Only USC and Washington finished the season with winning road records at 3-2, While the Trojans, Huskies, Stanford, Wazzu, and UCLA all finished undefeated at home. In fact, only the hapless Beavers of OSU had a losing home record this season.
...The 2K club; SDSU RB Rashaad Penny topped the 2,000 yard mark this past weekend and RBs Bryce Love of Stanford and Johnathan Taylor of Wisconsin may join him before season's end. Oh, and Taylor is just a freshman.
...Boatmen take title; Here's a big congratulations to the Toronto Argonauts who shutout the Calgary Stampeders 11-0 in the final period to take home the Grey Cup with a 27-24 victory in near whiteout conditions in Ottawa. Side note; Shania Twain put on a pretty great half time show.
...Don't let the door hit you on the way out; The remainder of Oregon State's football staff was given orders on Monday to vacate the campus by Tuesday.
...Bye Bye Ty; BYU fired OC Ty Detmer on Monday. Wow. I guess that mean that HC Kalani Sitake gets to stay. SMH.
...A good man with a bad record; Mike Riley wasn't a great fit for Nebraska and it showed over the course of his time in Lincoln. Riley finished up with a 19-19 record in charge of the Big Red and went 4-8 this season which hastened his departure.
...Back at you, man; Illinois DT Tito Odenbigo had just had enough of the game and the refs v. Northwestern when he decided to throw a penalty flag back at an official. Here's your flag back, man
...One and maybe done; It's hard for me to see Bama making the playoff if Wisconsin, Miami, Auburn and Oklahoma all win this week.
...Luke stays; Interim Ole Miss HC Matt Luke had the interim tag removed from his title and was named the new HC in Oxford. With the NCAA hammer looming over the Rebels' heads, you know they couldn't have gotten anybody else to take the job.
...Head scratcher; When this season started who would have thought that UofA HC Rich Rodriguez would still have a job instead of now former ASU HC Todd Graham?
...This just in; Illinois stinks.
...Great gift givers; UCLA fired Jim Mora on his birthday and handed him a 12 million dollar buyout and then hired Chip Kelly on his birthday with a 23 million dollar deal. Dude, they sure handout great birthday presents in Westwood.
...Lane's workhorse; FAU RB Devin Singletary leads the nation with 27 TDs scored for 162 points this year.
...Fishy Buckeyes; Not really buying Urban Meyer's story of how a photographer hurt his QB. Hmmm.
...There will be four matchups pairing top ten teams in the AP Poll this week. That hasn't happened since 1973.
...Big Red in disarray; Nebraska had just two head coaches from 1962-1997. They have now had six from 1998-2017.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that the Washington State football team has a warrant out for their arrest from the King County DA for failure to show at Husky Stadium last Saturday.
...Mountain West triple fail; Ok, so the Mountain West conference moved their championship out of Las Vegas which is a fail to start, and doubled down on the fail by moving it to that garden spot, Boise. Why is that a now a triple fail? Well, I'll tell you why. It is because Fresno State beat Boise this last Saturday in Fresno to finish the regular season and will now face the Boise team that they just beat on Boise's home blue turf this Saturday for the league crown. SMH.
...And then there was one; UTEP finished the season as the only winless team in the FBS. They finished at 0-12 with a 28-7 loss at Alabama-Birmingham last weekend.
...Lost in the shuffle; Rice fired their HC. Anybody notice? Didn't think so.
...Howitzers and footballs; I always love the Army-Navy game. Something makes me think the Black Knights will make it two in a row over the Midshipmen. I attended one of these clashes in Philadelphia about 20 years ago and feel very proud to have crossed that game off my college football bucket list.
...Another Army-Navy tidbit; These two academies lead the country in rushing yards per game. This game may be done in under 2 hours.
...They quietly made noise; In one of the feel good stories of the year, Alabama-Birmingham came back form having the program dropped a couple of years ago to go 8-4 in their first year back as a program. They lost a 46-43 heartbreaker to North Texas a few weeks back. Had they won that game, the Blazers would be squaring off v. Lane Kiffin's FAU squad in the C-USA title tilt this week.
...Four of a kind; Illinois, Kansas, Oregon State, and Tennessee all went winless in conference play this year.
...Memo to Trojan fans; USC will weather the current bRuin storm of the excitement over the hiring of Chip Kelly. As always USC will Fight On.
...California nightmare; Notre Dame has lost eight of their last 10 games in the Golden State.
...Social Media killed the Coaching Hire; Tennessee seemed to hire then not hire former Rutgers HC and current TheeeOSU DC Gregs Schiano. The Coaching Carousel has spun off its' axis. Read about it here... Volunteer Revolt
...Sleepless in Pullman; Grabbed this bit of frustration off the Wazzu message boards during their crushing loss in the Apple Cup. The Pirate is a different dude and the fans know it.
Pac 12 Overreactions
ASU won't be sorry that they fired Todd Graham.
UofA worries that Khalil Tate's best games are behind him.
Colorado became the CU we all know and laugh at again this year.
Utah still can't understand why they don't win in the Pac 12.
Cal will lose most of their coaching staff to UCLA.
Stanford will keep David Shaw forever.
UCLA worries that they may have buyer's remorse with Chip Kelly.
A USC loss this week could start a massive decline in the program.
Oregon wonders if they are still in Phil Knight's will.
OSU still secretly pines for Mike Riley.
Washington wishes they could play five FCS teams per year.
Wazzu wonders if the Pirate will leave port soon.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Ohio State ran away from the Wolverines, but they can't run away from winning the award this week for these awful alternate uniforms. Never wear an alternate uniform in your rivalry game! I can't tell if this is Ohio State playing or UNLV with those slot machine looking cherries on the helmet.
Departments
Razorback Report: The Hogs dropped their season finale 48-45 to Missouri when PK Tucker McCann booted a 19-yard field goal with five seconds left. The bigger and expected news was that the Bret Bielema was let go and his era at Arkansas is at an end. No word yet on who will succeed him in Fayetteville.
FCS, D-II and D-III and NAIA Playoff Update
The FCS playoffs have moved into the Second Round with the most notable matchups being University of San Diego advancing to take on the mighty Bison of North Dakota State after the Torreros worked over Northern Arizona last weekend, 41-10. Another western showdown has Southern Utah taking on Weber State. Oh, and for my family, Central Arkansas will host Chip Kelly's old team, New Hampshire.
In the D-II ranks, it is quarterfinal time. West Florida who just beat West Georgia will face another rest foe in West Alabama while Indiana (PA) will take on Northeast 10 Champion Assumption College. The other half of the bracket features Ferris State taking on Harding while Texas A&M Commerce will play Minnesota State- Mankato.
Down in D-III it is quarterfinal time also. The 800 lb gorilla of the division, Mount Union (OH) will face Frostburg State. Delaware Valley takes on Brockport while the other half of the bracket features Wisconsin-Oshkosh (B'Gosh!) v. Wartburg and Mary Hardin-Baylor v. St Thomas (MN)
It is semifinal week in the NAIA with Morningside (IA) playing Saint Francis (IN) and Southern Oregon traveling to take on Reinhardt College (GA).
This Week's Three Notes About Thanksgiving...
Seriously, it's a day of family, food and football. Yeah, it is my favorite holiday by far. I also think MLB Opening Day should be a national holiday too.
Thanksgiving leftovers are the best leftovers ever. period.
The food and football are great, but my family and friends are what makes Thanksgiving great.
Until next time folks, remember that winning the turnover battle determines mot games.
-The Commissioner
