Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Week 9, 2018

Hey All,

It is time for another edition of the column that makes every Tuesday feel like a game day, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Mal Florence.

Summaries

Arizona State 38- USC 35: Those of us who read the USC practice reports coming into this game were told all week long how with Jack Sears starting at QB in place of the concussed JT Daniels that the Trojan defense would have to come up with a huge effort to beat the Sun Devils. While Sears fought to find his way in the opening half, the Trojan defense failed to help him.  With 6:49 left in the second period, ASU held a 24-7 lead and had made it look easy as they ran over the Trojan defense.  Despite the defensive woes, Sears got his act together and led SC down the field to a TD just before halftime to cut the deficit to 24-14. USC came out strong to start the second half. Sears kept plays alive and drove the Trojans to a TD on an 87-yard march that put USC within three points at 24-21.  The USC defense then recovered an ASU fumble and one down later on a trick play pass from WR Tyler Vaughns to Michael Pittman, Jr. SC took the lead at 28-24.  The Sun Devils were reeling.  After a missed field goal attempt by ASU, the Trojans looked to increase their lead.  Sears threw a beautiful 45-yard bomb to Vaughns who didn't secure the ball and had it was knocked from his hands for an incomplete pass.  Two plays later SC punted and it was returned 92 yards for a TD by ASU star WR N'Keal Harry. That 14-point swing put ASU ahead for good at 31-28.  USC did have chance to tie the game in the fourth period, but SC HC Clay Helton called his FG unit off the field and called a timeout.  After the timeout, the offense retuned to the field and failed on 4th and 1.  ASU would then score another TD as the Trojan defense let down yet again and a great TD pass from Sears after the fact would lead to an onside kick that ASU would recover to end the game.  For ASU, QB Manny Wilkins threw for 166 yard and a TD while Also running for 89 yards and the game-clinching TD. RB Eno Benjamin did his best LaDanian Tomlinson impression all game, torching the soft SC defense for 185 yards and two TDs on 29 carries.  For SC, Sears competed 20 of 28 passes for 235 yards and two TDs in tough loss.
Telling Stat:  It wasn't just fourth down; While Clay Helton's awful decision to pull his field goal unit off the field will be remembered as the call that killed off SC's chance at victory, the failed catch by Tyler Vaughns and the ensuing punt return TD by ASU's N'Keal Harry are what really snuffed out USC's chance to win this game.

Arizona 44- Oregon 15: The Ducks were coming off a tough loss at Wazzu and looked to take out their frustrations on a subpar Arizona squad that stumbled through the season with hobbled star QB Khalil Tate.  Tate had missed the previous game due to his injuries and had a full two weeks to heal and prep for the Ducks.  A very healthy Khalil Tate proved to be Oregon's worst nightmare.  Tate's passing on two good ankles and his ability to keep plays alive opened up their rushing attack for RB J.J. Taylor.  Tate passed for 189 yards and three TDs, while Taylor ran over, around and through the Ducks to the tune of 212 yards rushing on 30 carries and two TDs of his own.  The UofA defense had some fun too. With a real offense behind them, the Wildcats defense physically worked over the Quacks' offensive attack.  QB Justin Herbert did throw for 186 yard and two TDs, but the Quacks rushing game never got in gear.  Arizona held UO to a paltry 84 yards on the ground and held the Webfoots to just three of 16 on 3rd Down Conversions. UofA also outgained UO by almost 200 yards on the night.
Telling Stat: Not even that close; 74 of Oregon's 270 total yard and final seven points came in early in the fourth quarter after Arizona already had the game well in hand with a 37-8 lead. 

California 12- Washington 10: In this pure defensive struggle at Strawberry Canyon, the Cal defense came up with the big play to send the Huskies down to a humiliating defeat. At halftime, the score stood 7-6 Dawgs.  UW Scored on their opening drive of the game when QB Jake Browning found WR Ty Jones in the back off the end zone for a 3-yard TD.  Cal's points came on a pair of field goals covering 23 and 35 yards from PK Greg Thomas.  Both defenses ruled the second half.  However, Cal's defense made the play of the game.  Washington faced a 3rd & 8 at their own 25-yard line when QB Jake Heaner's pass was intercepted by Cal LB Evan Weaver who returned the errant toss for a pick six. Yes, Jake Heaner.  UW HC Chris Petersen had decided to give Jake Browning a wake up call for his poor play and it backfired in epic fashion. Cal then blew the two-point try and held a tenuous 12-7 lead over the Dawgs with the whole fourth quarter to play.  UW did put themselves in position to win the game when a good punt return by PR Aaron Fuller set the Dawgs up with a first down at the Cal 22-yard line with 6:56 to play.  All looked bad for Cal but the Bears defense came up golden.  They held UW to a field goal and left it up to their struggling offense to win the game.  The Cal offense, which had tallied just 40 yards in the second half, gained 27 yards and picked up two first downs on their final drive to kill the clock and grab a huge win in Berkeley.
Telling Stat: 4+4 = W;  Cal's offense couldn't cross the street in this game, but RB Patrick Laird's 4-yard reception for one first down and 4-yard run for another first down enabled Cal to run out the clock and pick up a much needed win.

Oregon State 41- Colorado 34 OT:  12 seconds into the third quarter, Colorado RB Trevor McMillan put the Buffaloes up 31-3 over the Beavers with a 75-yard TD run.  The CU faithful felt great and more than a few headed to start celebrating a now sure win in the bars of Boulder. Then, Jake Luton showed up.  Luton hadn't started the game at QB for OSU because of an ankle injury. His backup Jack Colletto had strong ankles but a weak arm completing only six of 14 passes in the first half for 35 yards and an interception. So, Beavers HC Jonathan Smith put Luton in to spark the Beavers offense in the second half.  Luton didn't just spark the offense he set the field on fire.  Luton completed 28 of 39 passes for 310 yards and three TDs to lead the Beavers to the epic comeback victory. He picked on the CU secondary, especially CB Trey Udoffia, unmercifully. Udoffia alone was  flagged for two PI's a late hit and allowed WR Isaiah Hodgins to grab 11 receptions for 146 yards and two TDs. The stunned Buffaloes tried to get back in rhythm as the second half wore on, but dropped passes, penalties, and an OSU defense with something to play for made sure it did not happen.  CU did get a shot at redemption when OSU PK Jordan Choukhair missed a game-winning PAT with :29 left in regulation. However, in the OT it was all Beavers who scored the go ahead TD on a 1-yard run by Colletto after he was brought in for his running prowess on the goal line.  The OSU defense then held CU out of the end zone on their possession and comeback/upset was complete.  CU QB Steven Montez threw for 319 yards and two TDs in the CU choke job.
Tellig Stat: The other half of a comeback;  While OSU's offense exploded, the Beavers defense worked over Colorado.  In CU's final seven drives of the game, OSU allowed a field goal, forced two punts and two missed field goals while also holding for downs twice to set the stage for victory. 

Utah 41- UCLA 10: Utah came into this one at the Rose Bowl after manhandling USC in Salt Lake City last week.  UCLA came into this one on a two game winning streak.  UCLA held an early 7-3 lead as the Utes stumbled their way through the first period.  The smattering of fans at the game and those watching at home wondered if Utah would suffer a letdown and fall to the bRuins as the epically long third game of the World Series was being played a few miles away at Chavez Ravine.  It didn't happen.  Utah righted themselves before the half on the strength of a TD pass from WR Britain Covey to TE Cole Fotheringham and one-yard TD jaunt by RB Zack Moss.  Utah held a 17-7 lead going into the break, then blew the doors off the bRuins in the third quarter, leaving the several hundred bRuins fans left to go find a bar to watch the end of the baseball game by the 10:01 mark of the final period. Utah blitzed the UCLA with a 24-3 run that took 17 minutes of game timed featured two more TD runs by Moss that covered 1 and 5 yards each, a TD Run by RB  Armand Shyne and a 49-yard field goal by PK Matt Gay.  UCLA's lone points of the second half came on a 27-yard field goal by PK J.J. Molson. Moss as the man for the Utes finishing the game with 211 yards on 26 carries and those three TDs, while UCLA RB Joshua Kelley gained 90 yards and scored UCLA's lone TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: They shut 'em down;  The Utah defense gave up 98 yards and a TD to UCLA in the first quarter then allowed UCLA to gain just 193 more yards and score only three more points over the final three quarters to secure a win at the Rose Bowl.

Washington State 41- Stanford 38: Everyone knew that Wazzu would be heaving the ball all around the yard in Palo Alto, but nobody figured Stanford would too. This game turned into a shootout on The Farm. The Cardinal held a 28-17 lead at the half thanks to three TDs passes from QB K.J. Costello and a short TD blast from RB Cameron Scarlett.  The Cougars cut the deficit to just seven points in the third quarter on a 3-yard TD jaunt by RB James Williams and then grabbed the lead for the first time all game when QB Gardner Minshew III tossed a three-yard TD pass to WR Renard Bell. Stanford came back to tie the game when WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteisde snagged his second TD grab of the game with 1:25 to play in regulation.   If there ever was an offense built to score in 1:25, it is WSU HC Mike Leach's Air-Raid Offense.  Minshew drove the Cougar 50 yards in a seven plays and PK Blake Mazza nailed a 42-yard field goal to win the game with :19 left. Minshew finished the game completing 40 of 50 passes for 438 yards and three TDs, while Costello complete 34 of 43 passes for 323 yards and four TDs in the loss.  In all, the squads combined for 940 yards of offense, 51 first downs, and converted on 14 of 26 third downs and only turned the ball over once in this donnybrook.
Telling Stat: Stay true to yourself;  Stanford changed who they are to play Wazzu and got burned.  They were beaten in every stat category including T.O.P. which is one big reason why the Cougars now own a there-game winning streak over the Cardinal.

Observations

...Telling it like it is;  While researching the C.W. Post game for the departments column I came across this great description of the game conditions.  look where it says WEATHER

...They did it again;  The Pac 12 has beat itself up once again. When Wazzu is the class of the league, we all know something has gone wrong.

...Six figure fine;  The Big XII Conference had fined Baylor two million dollars for doing damage to the league as a result of their sexual assault scandal.  That begs this question, why didn't the league fine Baylor for similar damage when back in 2003 one Baylor basketball player killed his own teammate?  Didn't that do damage to the league too? Hmmmmmm

...And the (Trojan Marching) band played (Fight) on;  USC HC Clay Helton relieving is OC Tee Martin of play calling duties yesterday and firing his OL coach Neil Calloway looks like he is just rearranging the deck chairs on his own personal Titanic.

...Ahh memories;  Remember when Stanford RB Bryce Love was a Heisman Trophy candidate?

...Bookends for 22;  Oregon State's win at Colorado ended their 22-game road losing streak.  Before Saturday's epic comeback win, Oregon State's last road win was a 36-31 victory in 2014 at Colorado.

...1-3 in the Golden State; All four Pac 12 teams from California played at home this past week and only Cal came away with a win.  Wow.

...The SoCal invasion;  USC limps off to Oregon State this week while Oregon might have less than a warm welcome home ready for Chip Kelly and his UCLA squad.

...An odd thought;  If things break right down the stretch, Michigan and Northwestern would meet in the Big Ten title game.

...Urban renewal;  With Urban Meyer's future at TheeeOSU in doubt, the great rumor mill of college football has him heading west to USC to take over for Clay Helton. Most folks believe Helton will be fired after the clock hits 0:00 v. Notre Dame on November 24th.  Hmmmmm

...Memo to Colorado;  Don't feel bad about losing, you were only brought in to give the league access to the rocky mountain TV market.

...Back form the dead; the Alabama-Birmingham football program died. The program played what was it's final game in 2014.  Players dispersed to other schools and life was supposed to just move on.  Only, the community didn't let it die. They rallied support and brought the program back from the dead. Now UAB is 7-1 and sits atop the C-USA West Division. Pretty cool.

...It's over;  When ASU QB Manny Wilkins raced for a TD to put ASU up 38-28 over USC with just about two minutes to play, the Clay Helton era at USC ended for all intents and purposes.

...Hmmmmm;  If LSU is supposed to give Alabama all they can handle this week, why are they 14.5 point home underdogs?

...Calling my shot;  Notre Dame will lose at Syracuse on 11/17 at Yankee Stadium.

...A leader with friends;  WSU QB Gardner Minshew III leads the NCAA with 3,183 passing yards on the season, yet not a single WSU wideout ranks in the top 50 nationally in receiving yards.  Minshew really spreads the ball around.

...The 1,000 yard freshman; Oregon State RB Jermar Jefferson is third in the nation with 1,034 yards rushing in eight games this season.  This kid from Narbonne High is a ring star in the Pac 12.

...The mullet rules;  Count me as one of the Trojan fans that loved watching Okie State beat Texas.

...It's a Bulldog world; Thanks to Nevada's upset of SDSU, Fresno State stands alone atop the West division of the Mountain West Conference.  HC Jeff Tedford took over a team that had one win in 2016 and has gone 17-5 in his one plus seasons at the helm.

...Safety in a study;  In the October edition of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), an article appeared about a study that tracked the concussion rate in the Ivy League after they modified their kickoff rules.  The quick read here discusses how much safer Ivy league football became with the changes.  Touchbacks are a good thing

...Smart kids don't get penalties;  Three of the nation's least penalized teams in the FBS are Northwestern, Navy, and Duke.  They all get flagged on average about three times a game.

...Getting off the field;  Utah's defense has held opponents to a 30.6% 3rd Down Conversion rate. That's one reason why the Utes have a great shot to win the Pac 12 crown.

I beg to differ;  Penn State HC James Franklin believes the his QB Trace McSorley is the best player in the nation.  I think ASU WR N'Keal Harry is just a s good. Check this stellar catch out.  ODB without the attitude

...Still wins the beauty contest;  I just checked, even with the last two losses, Oregon fans still don't want Willie Taggart back.

...And then there was one; With San Jose State winning on Saturday, that leaves lowly UTEP as the only winless team in the FBS at 0-8.

...11/25; 11 teams lost in the top 25 this past weekend and that opens up the doors for some newcomers.  Houston, Utah State, Fresno State, Mississippi State, Boston College, Virginia and Syracuse are all now ranked.

...Lock, Stock, and Barrel;  A new book titled University of Nike: How Corporate Cash Bought American Higher Education has just hit the bookstores and it chronicles how Phil Knight calls all the shots at Oregon.  Spoiler; He's a Jerk.  Here's a piece of how much of a jerk Phil is in this piece about the book in the NewYork Post. U of (O) Swoosh?

...30 minutes of awesome;  Central Connecticut State RB Aaron Dawson rushed for 308 yards in the second half v. Wagner last Saturday. He did it on only 15 carries.

Special Section: The One Point Safety

Last night during the Patriots-Bills game the first one point safety in NFL history almost occurred.  Yes, the one point safety exists.  One point safeties are an ultra-rare occurrence and even that description doesn't do justice to how rare the one point safety is.  Here's what has to happen for a one point safety to occur.

1. It can only happen on a PAT or a two-point conversion attempt.

2. The defense has to gain control of the ball via turnover by the offense during the PAT or two-point conversion attempt.

3. The defense must then bring the ball out of the end zone and then voluntarily bring the ball back in the end zone OR the ball is recovered outside of the end zone and is then brought back into the end zone voluntarily by the defense.  I.E- The defensive player trying to return the ball voluntarily gives ground back into the end zone while trying to avoid tacklers from the offensive team.

4. After the ball has been brought back voluntarily into the end zone, the ball is then downed in some way. I.E.- The defensive ball carrier is tackled in the end zone.

5. If all these conditions are met, then a one point safety is awarded to the offensive team.

Here's one that occurred in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl between Oregon and Kansas State
The Big One

Pac 12 Overreactions

Wazzu is good enough to lose the Rose Bowl.
Washington loses because of Jake Browning.
Oregon stinks.
Oregon State will finish 3-9.
Cal still hasn't turned the corner.
Stanford is just a shell of itself.
USC is just waiting for Clay Helton's replacement.
UCLA needs DTR back.
Colorado looks like the CU we invited into the league again.
Utah still can't beat Wazzu.
Arizona should have let Khalil Tate rest six weeks ago.
ASU will go to the Sun Bowl.

Northern Update

With Winnipeg's win on Saturday, all the playoff teams are set for the CFL.  However, this final week of the season still has some drama as Calgary's recent losing streak has Saskatchewan in line to claim the West Divison title if the Stampeders stumble this week. One sad note is that my favorite team, the Edmonton Eskimos have been eliminated from playoff contention.  Oh, and that is pretty rough when your team is not one of the six playoff teams in a nine team league.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

Oregon wins again this week for wearing a uniform that that looks a prison league uniform with duct taped numbers,  Yes, I do realize that I just insulted prison league uniforms. Oregon is just Nike's test department and that is a pretty bad thing.



Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Glendora, CA- For this week, we stay in California for a Division II contest in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference between the Western Oregon Wolves and the Azusa Pacific Panthers. QB Tyrone Williams, Jr. hit WR Weston Carr with a 9-yard TD pass with just :17 left to lift APU to 7-6 win over the WOU. Defenses ruled the day here with the teams combining to convert on only 9 of 30 third downs, one of four fourth downs and committed 15 penalties for 175 yards.

Blowout Game of the Week: Golden, CO- We stay in Division II for game in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.  The Orediggers of the Colorado School of Mines doubles up the South Dakota School of Mines and Metallurgy Hardrockers, 84-42. Orediggers QB Isaac Harker crushed the Hardrockers defense, completing 19 of 24 passes for 372 yards and five TDs. His backfield mate RB Cameron Mayberry rushed for 151 yards on 21 carries with four TDs as well.  For the Hardrockers, QB Jake Sullivan completed 33 of 54 tosses for 425 yards and five TDs in the loss.

C.W. Post Press: Worcester, MA- The Green and Gold of C.W. Post stayed perfect on the season with a 21-7 win over the Assumption College Greyhounds. It was a wet, cold and windy day.  The game time high temp was 43 degrees, with winds of 30+ MPH and a steady rainfall throughout.  The contest stood scoreless at the half. Post got going quickly after the break when WR Nazir Streater took the third quarter kickoff back 86 yards for a touchdown.  Post then made a goal line stand later in the period and then drove down the field to go up 14-0 when RB Malik Pierre punched then ball over form a yard out.  Post had total control of the game at this point and moved to 8-0 on the season. Pierre was quite the mudder for Post, rushing for 126 yards and a TD on 32 carries. Up next for the Pioneers is a trip to New Haven, Connecticut to take on the Southern Connecticut State Owls.

Razorback Report: The Hogs couldn't extend their wining ways and fell to Vanderbilt, 45-21. Up next for the Hogs is a bye week followed by a visit form LSU on 11/10.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Every cake from Amalfitano's Bakery is amazing.

Three flats on the same tire in a six week span stinks.

Toasted onion dip is always a winner.

Until Next time folks, remember that a soft team comes from soft leadership.

-The Commissioner

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Week 8, 2018

Hey All,

it's time for another look around the league with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

Utah 41- USC 28: The undisciplined, punchless Trojans were manhandled by the Utes.  USC did jump ahead to an early 14-0 lead behind a miracle catch from WR Michael Pittman and a fumble recovery return for a TD by DL Jay Tufele.   However, the defense then allowed 34 straight points while the offense was pushed around.  Make no mistake here folks, this wasn't some all out blitz scheme that wiped out the Trojans,  USC's porous offensive line was whipped most of the time by just four defenders. The Utah defensive line stopped USC's rushing game and got to the QB on many occasions, which left seven back in coverage to snuff out any hopes of a Trojan passing attack.  USC's inability to tackle on defense, (which stems form USC's failure to practice tackling), made Utah QB Tyler Huntley look like Aaron Rodgers as he completed 22 of 29 passes for 341 yards and four TDs.  RB Zack Moss had his way with SC as well, rushing for 136 yards on 25 carries.  As for the Trojan offense, well, it was truly offensive.  The Trojans chuck it deep and pray offensive strategy didn't work.  USC finished with 205 total yards of offense and two injured QBs.  J.T Daniels was knocked out fo the game with a concision, while his backup Matt Fink received three broken ribs.
Telling Observation;  No stats needed here to explain this loss.  USC was physically dominated by a well-prepared team.  This is an all to common fact of life for Trojan football under HC Clay Helton's supposed leadership.

Washington State 34- Oregon 20: Pullman, Washington, the small college town that sits in the rain shadow of the majestic Cascade Mountains and lies just a scant few miles from the Idaho border finally got a visit from ESPN's College Gameday.  The small town of 33.354 swelled to over 100,000. Crimson flags and fans of the Cougars were everywhere. However, it was thanks to Oregon that Gameday came to town.  The Ducks had upset Washington the week before and had their sights set on whipping the Cougars and taking the inside track to the Pac 12 North title. Wazzu had been the sight of hope and hoopla before in other years, only to do what is known as "Couging It."  What is known usually as choking.  This day, the Cougars did not choke, they went on a Duck hunt and downed the Webfoots for the fourth straight year.  Wazzu raced out to a 27-0 halftime lead behind three TD passes from QB Gardner Minshew III and a 24-yard TD scamper by RB James Williams. The cougars would hold on for the win, but not before Oregon mounted a major comeback.  As Wazzu had owned the first half, UO owned the second.  Two FG's by PK Adam Stack, a TD pass from QB Justin Herbert and a TD run also by Herbert cut the Cougs lead to 27-20 with 6:38 to play. The Cougs, despite their history, didn't Coug it in the face of the Ducks comeback. They just went out and won the game.  Minshew led the Crimson and Gray on a scoring drive that covered 75 yards in eight plays. Minshew found WR Dezmon Patmon for a 22-yard TD pass with 3:40 left that put the game in the win column for the boys from Pullman.  Minshew finished the day with 323 yard passing and four TDs, while Herbert finished with 270 yards passing and two scores in the loss.
Telling Stat: They finished strong;  Wazzu got the game-wining 75-yard TD drive late in the game when they needed it.  That's how good teams finish off wins.

Stanford 20- ASU 13: Stanford struggled and plodded along as they usually do.  Their defense stood tough and the clock drained.  Before anybody knew it, Stanford held a 20-6 lead and had lulled the Sun Devils, the nation, and put this intrepid reporter to sleep last Thursday night.  Then, the game got interesting.  Interesting in that ASU DC Danny Gonzalez gathered his defense about him and made things very clear as to the way this game was headed. That happened with 11:47 left after the Sun Devils had just thrown an interception and Stanford looked to in total control of the game.  ASU went out and held the Cardinal to -2 yards and forced a punt.  The Sun Devils then scored a TD on the ensuing drive when QB Manny Wilkins raced 10-yard for a touchdown.  With 7:50 left, there was life in the dessert.  Gonzalez's defense stopped the Cardinal twice more in the final minutes, but the ASU offense couldn't get the game tied.  Their final drive ended as RB Eno Benjamin was tackled at the Cardinal 18-yard line when the clock ran out. Wilkins finished the game with 353 yards passing and 41 yards rushing and a TD.  For the victorious Cardinal, QB K.J. Costello threw for 231 yard and a TD while RB Cameron Scarlett gained 54 yards on nine carries with a touchdown of his own.
Telling Stat: No T.O.P, No win;  ASU only managed 21:43 of T.O.P and ran only 68 plays, That's been proven over and over again that's just not enough to beat Stanford. 

Washington 27- Colorado 13: It was another tight contest for the Huskies who bounced back from last week's upset at the hands of Oregon.  The Huskies win also extended the misery for the Buffaloes who were trying to forget their uninspiring loss to USC. The teams traded hard hits and points in the first half.  CU PK Evan Price connected on a 26-yard field goal to cut the Huskies lead to 14-13 just before the teams headed off to the intermission. Colorado didn't score again.  The Dawgs defense along with a couple of key holding calls kept the Buffaloes out of the end zone for the final 30 minutes.  However the Huskies did find some more scoring with a pair of field goals from PK Peyton Henry and a 26-yard TD pass from QB Jake Browning to WR Aaron Fuller. The win keeps the Dawgs in the Pac 12 North race, while Colorado is still in the hunt in the Pac 12 South after SC lost to Utah later on in the day. RB Miles Gaskin didn't see the field in this game, nursing a shoulder injury from the previous week. His backfield mate RB Salvon Ahmed rushed for 73 yards and a TD to lead the Huskies rushing attack.  Browning threw for 150 yard and a TD to aid the UW cause.  For CU, QB Steven Montez threw for 144 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: 0 for 30= W;  The Washington defense shutdown Colorado in the second half.  They held the Buffs to 91 total yards, while forcing three punts, holding for downs twice and forcing an interception on CU's six second half possessions.

California 49- Oregon State 7: It was bright sunny day in Corvallis and it looked like the Beavers might break through and grab their first FBS and Pac 12 win in forever. Cal had switched QBs yet again this week, with Chase Garbers now at the helm.  It didn't look like that was great move.  The sputtering Cal offense held a 7-0  lead late in the opening quarter and had just fumbled on the OSU two-yard line.  Hope charged through the Beavers sideline.  Cal then dashed those hopes by finding the end zone on three for their next four possessions to take a 28-0 lead a early in the third quarter. Both teams scored and Cal took a 35-7 into the final period and then put the game away for good with two more scores. Cal RB Patrick Laird had himself a great day, gashing the Beaver defense for 193 yards rushing on 22 carries and two touchdowns.  He also caught three passes for 48 yards and another score.  Meanwhile, Garbers competed 17 of 26 passes for 234 yards and three TDs.  The Cal defense stuffed OSU allowing just one score and holding the Beavers rushing game to just 95 yards.
Telling Stat: They ran to daylight;  Cal rushed for 305 yards on the hapless OSU defense to earn a much needed victory. 

UCLA 31- Arizona 30: Last time UofA HC Kevin Sumlin visited the Rose Bowl, his Texas A&M squad got was beaten in an epic comeback by the bRuins. This time around it wasn't so memorable, but the result was another loss for Sumlin in Pasadena.  UCLA held a 17-7 lead at the half despite QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson being knocked out of the game by the Wildcats defense.  Wilton Speight, the grad transfer from Michigan, would play the rest of the way under center for the bRuins. Speight threw A TD pass, but otherwise struggled as UofA came back to take a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter on a 39-yard field goal by PK Josh Pollock.  UCLA couple have folded here, but the young bRuins and their old QB didn't. Speight led UCLA to a go ahead TD as he marched them down the field on a six-play, 75-yard drive to take the lead again at 24-20 to end the period.  The fourth quarter featured just enough defense from the bRuins and clock killing drive to give UCLA the win.  The squads traded TDs to start the final stanza.  The Wildcats seems to be heading on what would have been the game-wining drive but had to settle for another field goal to pull within a point within a point with 6:28 to play.  The wildcats would not see the ball again.  UCLA ran out the clock on a 12-play drive that covered 55 yards, That allowed the bRuins to board their busses back to Pasadena with their second win of the season. Speight threw for 204 yards and a TD while RB Joshua Kelley had another strong game for UCLA. He rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown.  Rhett Rodriguez started at QB this week for the injured Khalil Tate and he completed 15 of 34 tosses for 231 yards and two touchdowns.  UofA's rushing game looked good as RBs J.J. Taylor and Gary Brightwell each topped the 100 yard mark.
Telling Stat: They grew up;  it was sloppy, but the UCLA defense did just enough to give their offense a chance to win the game with a good drive and they did it.  

Observations

...West coast bias;  Sorry easterners, the best ESPN Gameday shows this year have been from Eugene and Pullman.

...They ain't happy; WSU HC Mike Leach and ASU DC Danny Gonzales had some choice words for the higher ups in the Pac 12 about the poor state of officiating in the league.
Leach Rips Woodie
Gonzalez Gripes  (only the first few seconds of this video are what you need to see.)

...Closing in on Ted;  USC has now suffered 10 double digit losses during Clay Helton's tenure, that's three short of Ted Tollner's school record of 13 double digit defeats.

...Another good O; Another shoutout to Coach Ed Oregeron and his LSU Tigers for another win, a 19-3 throttling of Mississippi State.

...Note to Pat Haden; Read the above and go hang your head in shame.

...Hello, Larry;  Clay Helton's lack of halftime adjustments give me night mares about third quarter when Larry Smith was USC's HC.

...Shocking; I'm shocked, shocked to see the Michigan and Michigan State hate each other.

...Meanwhile in College Park;  Maryland's Board of Regents have the results of the investigation into the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair, yet haven't  shared the results with the university president. SMH.  Really?

...Feeling Paul;  USC"s undisciplined play and penchant for penalties is positively Paul Hackett-esque.

...He had an arm;  Here's a great article from the Spokane Spokesman-Review on how Jack Thompson, The Throwin' Samoan, helped start the string of great passers in the Palouse.

...Memo to Clay Helton; being compared to Ted Tollner, Larry Smith and Paul Hackett is a really, really, really bad thing.

...Cavalier Attitude; Don't look now, but Virginia is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC with wins over Miami and Duke. Don't be surprised if the Wahoos game with VaTEch later this year is for a berth in the ACC title game.

...And then there were two;  With Nebraska finally picking up a win this past weekend over Minnesota, that leaves just UTEP and San Jose State as the only two winless team in the FBS.

...Things just got real;  Real for Northwestern, that is.  The Wildcats starts the true make-or-break part of their schedule as int he next three weeks they host Wisconsin and Notre Dame, then travel to Iowa.
Wow.

...Just a rumor;  There' no truth to the rumor that USC's offense doesn't have a playbook. It just looks that way.

...This just in; Minnesota stinks.  The Golden Gophers are 3-4 overall, but 0-4 in Big Ten play. Looks like the kids rowing the boat haver gotten stuck on a sandbar.

...Baby, things change;  Remember a few weeks back when TCU was giving TheeeOSU all they could handle? The Horned Frogs are now 3-4 overall, 1-3 in Big XII play, their QB is inured and out for the year and their top WR has just been arrested on domestic violence charges. SMH.

...It's a miracle;  Rice is 1-7 and gives up on average 44 points per game.  How did the Owls even win one game?

Pac 12 Overreactions

USC will win just enough games to get the dreaded Sun Bowl bid.
UCLA will go 4-8.
Stanford doesn't have enough to win the Pac 12 North.
Washington wins despite Jake Browning
Oregon has gone from incredible to irrelevant in seven days.
Utah will still lose one more game.
Colorado won't win again until they actually throw downfield.
Cal won't make a bowl.
ASU's defense is far better than their 3-4 record.
Arizona is just a mess.
Oregon State will go 1-11.
Wazzu may be Rose Bowl bound.

Cool Old Logo of the Week

It was neat to see Oregon State revive the old Bucky Beaver logo for their homecoming game v. Cal.


They Went Purple

I really like the purple LSU helmet.






















Ugly Uniforms of the Week

This week's win goes to the NFL with their awful Color Rush uniforms that are beyond ugly, they are down right hideous.  Here, the Rams and Jets make my point emphatically.


Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Cambridge, MA- A 6-yard TD pass from QB Ugdam Goyal to WR Eddy Garcia-Montes and a two-yard TD run by RB Cole Baker were all the Engineers of MIT needed to defeat the Coast guard Academy Bears, 13-0.  The win runs MIT's record to 7-0 on the season. The Engineers sit alone atop the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference standings in D-III.  MIT is 7-0 for only the second time in school history.

Blowout Game of the Week: Springfield, MA- We stay in Massachusetts and in D-III, but switch to the Commonwealth Coast Conference where it was a good homecoming indeed for the Western New England Golden Bears.  The Golden Bears trounced the University of New England Nor'Easters, 70-13. WNEU got off to a rough start with a punt and a turnover, then the offense got clicking.  They posted 49 first half points and the rout was on.  QB Alec Coleman was the offense for the Bears by throwing for  171 yards and two scores, while also rushing for 114 yards and four more TDs.

C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- After a sluggish first quarter, the Pioneers put 21 points on the board in the second quarter en route to a 41-6 thrashing of the Pace University Setters.  The win elevated Post's record to 7-0 on the season.  QB Chris Laviano complete 18 of 32 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. The defense really stood out, holding Pace to zero, yes zero passing yards. Pace only attempted 12 passes all game.  They didn't complete a pass and had four passes picked off. Up next for the Pioneers is a trip to Worcester, MA to take on the Assumption College Greyhounds.

Razorback Report: Good news!  The Razorbacks finally notched another win this year.  They beat Tulsa, 23-0. A pair of Connors led the hogs to the win. QB Connor Noland completed 10 of 16 passes for 124 yards and a TD while PK Conor Limpert booted three field goals in the victory.  Next up for the Hogs is a home date with Vanderbilt.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Pastrami Burgers are pretty good.

I feel like it will be a dry and warm winter.

Heartland is a fine TV show.

Until next time folks, remember that offensive lines are like a good engine.  You never notice a good one and a bad one will cause you more problems than it is worth.

-The Commissioner

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Week 7, 2018

Hey all,

Its time for another edition of the column that makes you want go tailgate, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Stu Nahan.

Summaries

USC 30- Colorado 21: During the week many of the Colorado faithful wondered why their team hadn't been given more praise coming into this game.  After all, they were the last undefeated squad west of the Mississippi.  They had the great WR Laviska Shenault, Jr. and QB Steven Montez and a defense that had only given up three points in the fourth quarter all year.  Well, now you know why CU fans.  An immensely talented, yet undisciplined USC squad with a myriad of problems still managed to render the Buffs offense insert while generating enough offense of their own to walk out of the Coliseum with another ugly win. The Trojan offense, with a week off to prepare, still couldn't run block, but boy they could throw.  After a first quarter that featured two interceptions by QB JT Daniels, the talented freshman found his groove with WR's Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman, Jr. USC's "braintrust" realized that Colorado's secondary just couldn't cover the pair and in a span of 12 plays in the second quarter put up three TDs to take a 21-7 lead into the half.  After three quarters USC held a 28-7 lead when DB Ajene Harris intercepted an errant screen pass from Montez and quickly raced six yards for a pick six.  USC's defense had a stranglehold on the game thanks to their defense that camped out in the CU backfield all game and didn't let anybody run wide on them. However, this is the 2018 Trojans and the offense never sustained a drive for most of the half and the defense got tired.  A tired defense and a few penalties led to a CU comeback.  The Buffs had cut their deficit to 31-20 with 3:23 and had just recovered an onside kick because yet another Trojan TE had failed to make a play. However USC did hold on for the win which came at a heavy cost.  Trojan captain and DE Porter Gustin was lost for the year when he fractured his ankle.  The injury came on CU's last offensive snap of the game.  Despite the struggles for three quarters, Daniels finished the game with 283 yards passing and three TDs.  Montez threw for 179 yards and an interception, while Shenault was a non-factor outside of one play where he ran for a 49- yard TD in the first quarter.
Telling Stat: They lived in the backfield;  The USC defense overpowered the Colorado OL, racking up 16 tackles for losses along with four sacks to keep the Buffs behind the chains. That effort gave USC the win. 

Oregon 30- Washington 27 OT: Blowouts are the norm between these two squads, but this year's barn-burner at Autzen featured another failed effort by a Chris Petersen led UW squad and redemption for one Oregon RB. It didn't look like either of those things were going to happen with :03 left in regulation play. The game had see-sawed back and forth to reach the :03 mark.  UW had overcome an early turnover to take a 10-3 lead on a 25-yard TD jaunt by RB Salvon Ahmed in the first quarter.  Another Ahmed TD run and a pair of TD passes form Quack QB Justin Herbert led to a 17-17 stalemate going into the half.  The teams traded TDs in the third quarter.  The fourth quarter was a period of missed opportunities.  Oregon PK Adam Stack missed a 42-yard FG attempt, which was followed by a Washington fumble by QB Jake Browning on a 4th &1 at the Ducks 26-yard line. UO was forced to punt and the Dawgs then drove 72 yards to the UO 20 with :03 left. On came PK Peyton Henry.  UO called time outs to ice Henry and it worked.  He missed the game-winning kick  and OT was at hand.  The Huskies were forced to settle fro a FG and took a 27-24 lead. The Ducks drove down to UW's six-yard line and it was redemption time for RB C.J. Verdell.  Verdell, if you remember was the RB who kicked the pylon in the Ducks game with Stanford a few weeks back which led to the Cardinal's epic comeback win.  Verdell didn't kick any pylons this time.  He took the handoff  straight up the middle six yards to victory. Verdell ended up lugging the leather 29 times in the game for 111 yard rushing and two TDs, while Herbet threw for 202 yards and a pair of scores. Browning threw for 243 yards and a touchdown in the upset loss.
Telling Stat: -2 = L;  In this even game, turnovers were the difference. Washington's two turnovers led to three Oregon points and that was the difference in the game.

Utah 42- Arizona 10: Three Things that were known coming into this game. One, Arizona has a bad defense. Two, UofA QB Khalil Tate is just a shell of himself due to an ankle injury that has robbed him of his much needed mobility. Three, the above two things would prove to be a recipe for disaster for the Wildcats on a Friday night in Salt Lake City.  Utah took advantage of UofA's shoddy defense, forced Khalil Tate to the bench, and then went on to humiliate the Wildcats in this non-contest at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah QB Tyler Huntley found his accuracy for one of the few times this year, completing 14 of 19 tosses for 201 yards and two TDs. He used his mobility as well, rushing for 64 yards and a score as well. Utah ran the ball well, piling up 230 yards on the ground with RB Zack Moss leading all rushers with 68 yards on 15 carries and a TD.  Backup QB Rick Rodriguez threw for 226 yards and a TD in the loss for Arizona.
Telling Stat: 1+9= W;  Take a not even one dimensional injured QB and add nine defenders in the box on most plays to stop UofA's ruining game and that adds up to an easy night for the Utes. 

UCLA 37- California 7: Last week Cal handed a win to Arizona with a pair of second half pick sixes. This week the Golden Bears offense kept up their giving ways and handed the game to the bRuins who were able to notch their first win of the Chip Kelly era. A first quarter Cal fumble was turned into a 7-0 lead by the bRuins on a five-yard TD run by RB Joshua Kelley.  UCLA added a pair of FGs to take a 13-0 lead into the half.  Cal came out to start the third quarter and drove 75 yards in 12 plays to cut the deficit to 13-7 when RB Patrick Laird hit paydirt from a yard out.  UCLA answered with a long TD drive to extend their lead back out to 20-7.  UCLA's defense then asserted itself and Cal's offense gave away the game.  Cal turned the ball over on four of their next five possessions and the bRuins made them may pay for it. The bRuins scored the final 17 points the game to put this one away up in Strawberry Canyon. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a solid game completing 13 of 15 passes for 141 yards, but RB Joshua Kelley was the star of the game.  The transfer form UC-Davis gained 157 yards rushing on 30 carries with three TDs.  Cal RB Patrick Laird ran for 94 yards and Cal's only score in defeat.
Telling Stat: -5 Kills;  Cal was a horrible -5 in the turnover department and that cost the Golden Bears any chance at a win.

Observations

...They've got to stop meeting like this;  SDSU and Air Force played a game for the second straight year that was delayed over an hour by lightning.  Up in Colorado Springs that weather is one thing, but in San Diego last Friday it was a surprise.

...No shows.. again;  Oregon's win over Washington ended the Pac 12's chances of making the college football playoff this year.  SMH.

...It ain't only the players;  USC's OL and TE units make the same mistakes over and over again in the running game no matter who the personnel are on the field.  That tells you it is poor coaching.

...The kid has it;  If anybody wondered if there would be a new LB to fill Cameron Smith' shoes when he leaves USC, don't.  Palaie Gaoteote is the real deal.  Kid can hit

...Is he the new John Cooper?;  Washington HC Chris Petersen has the look of it.  Nine and 10 win squads that just can't win the big one.

...Memo to UofA HC Kevin Sumlin; Let Khalil Tate heal. You have backup QBs for a reason.

...This just in; Oregon fans still don't miss Willie Taggart.

...USC, a nation turns it's eyes to you;  I'm getting way ahead of things here, but with Pac 12 out of the CFP, that leaves the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big XII drooling over the four spots.  However, an undefeated Notre Dame would knock one of them out of the whole thing.  So, don't be surprised if there are a whole lot of folks that become Trojan fans over Thanksgiving.

...Homecoming;  Ol' Crimson, The WSU flag that's been seen at 216 straight ESPN College Gameday broadcasts is coming home.  That's right, thanks to Oregon's upset over Washington, ESPN's signature pregame show will be in Pullman this week for the Oregon-Wazzu game.

...It's official; 0-6 is officially Nebraska's worst start to a season ever. The 1899 Nebraska squad went 1-7, but started the season at 0-4 before beating Drake University, 12-6.

...A now cringe-worthy memory; The last time I was in Pullman for an SC-Wazzu game, the big non-football story was that Bill Cosby was doing a show on campus that weekend.  Hmmmmmmm.

...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Glasses Ref himself, Jay Stricherz will be brought out of retirement to restore faith in Pac 12 officiating.

...They can't let it happen;  Maryland may be thinking of reinstating HC D.J. Durkin,  That has parents of the players scared.  No way DJ

...Geaux Coach Eaux; Another big shoutout to Coach Ed Orgeron and his LSU Tigers who whipped #2 Georgia.  We really miss you, Coach O.

...Memo to USC and Pat Haden;  Read the above observation.

...Tarnished Bears; Cal's loss to UCLA seriously damaged their dreams of bowl eligibility.  The once 3-0 Golden Bears are now 3-3 with five of their final six games coming against Washington, Washington State, USC, Stanford and Colorado.  Hard to find three more wins in that slate.

...Orange and Black on the attack;  It looks like Oregon State is making a serious run at raiding Nebraska's roster. Which is funny on a few levels, but Nebraska isn't laughing.  Here's an article from the Oregonian where the writer is thrilled it may be happening. Beaver Raid

 ...Thunder and lightning, very, very frightening; A very real and rare bunch of thunderstorms rolled through Southern California last Friday.  High school football games were postponed all over the southland, heavy rain fell at times and the lighting display was an epic one. It was weird getting real weather here.

...Good night, Happy Valley; and with a loss to Michigan State, Penn State has quietly disappeared from the Big Ten East race.

...Quietly making noise;  With all the hubbub over Clemson's QB situation, not many have noticed that NC State is right on the Tigers' heels at 5-0.

...And then there were three; There are only three winless teams left in the FBS. Nebraska, UTEP, and San Jose State are the ugly triplets.

...He's gone; Bowling Green fired HC Mike Jinks after the Falcons dropped to 1-6 after a 42-35 loss to Western Michigan.  Jinks posted a dismal 7-24 record in a little over two seasons at the helm. Jinks just couldn't translate the success he'd had on the high school level into success in college football.

...A programming note; The Mountain West Championship Game will be worth recording.  I would love to see a Utah State- SDSU matchup.

Special Section: Pac 12 Shows Woodie and Embarrasses Itself 

Just wondering why Pac 12 general counsel and vice president of business affairs Woodie Dixon still has a job after he intervened and overruled the trained replay officials on a targeting call in the WSU-USC game a few weeks back? He fundamentally tampered with the integrity of the game.  That alone is grounds for dismissal.  Fans and media have all had their issues with Pac 12/10/8/AAWU/PCC  officials over the years, but nobody really thought that an employee of the league who isn't an on-field or replay official would tamper with a game.  Now, not only do we have word of this happening, we have documented evidence of it occurring.  This undercuts the faith that the game will be officiated by those who have been trained to officiate these games.  Yes, these folks make a lot of mistakes, (We all remember Glasses Ref), but they do love this game and have worked hard to get to a major conference to call these games.  This incident has shaken my faith in the game.  It also begs the following questions. Did other incidents happen and other replay refs not write up the actions because they didn't want to get fired or suffer another form of reprisal from the conference?  Did other plays not get reviewed that should have been because the refs felt they'd just get overruled anyway?  This was a serious incident folks.  The Pac 12 needs to fire Woodie Dixon... NOW!

Pac 12 Overreactions

USC is an 8-4 team.
Colorado just doesn't have the athletes to compete in the Pac 12.
California wished they had an offense.
UCLA gets better each week.
I hope Arizona might finally sit down Khalil Tate and let him heal.
There is no finesse at Utah, it's blunt, physical football.
Oregon will lose at Wazzu.
Washington will smash Colorado this week.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

Oregon, oh Oregon you win this week's award for this all Hi-liter-yellow ensemble that's just flat out ugly.


Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Delaware, OH- This Week's game comes form the D-III ranks. WR Matt Penola caught a six-yard TD pass from QB Jake Reid with 7:34 left in the first quarter to give the Wabash College Little Giants a 7-0 lead over the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops.  The Wabash defense made that score hold up the rest of the way for a 7-0 victory. The Little Giants held OWU on 4th Down four times deep in their own territory as part of their terrific defensive effort.

Blowout Game of Week: McKenzie, TN- We go to the NAIA for this week's winner.  Once again this year a team put 90 points one the board.  The Bethel (TN) Bearcats wiped out the Kentucky Christian Knights, 92-12.  12 different Bearcats carried the ball as they amassed 373 yards rushing on the day with QB Sam Castronova playing just one half of football in which he threw for 176 yards and three TDs.  KCU converted on only 3 of 15 3rd Down conversions and missed both of their PAT's in this lopsided loss.

C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- It was Homecoming at Post this week and the Pioneers did not disappoint their alumni with a 37-6 win over the Saint Anselm Hawks. Post fell behind, 3-0 in the middle of the first quarter. Then they quickly regained the lead on a 44-yard TD pass form QB Chris Laviano to WR Michael Richardson and never looked back.  Post held a 21-6 lead at the half and shutout the Hawks 16-0 in the second half for the easy win. Laviano finished the game with 278 yards passing and four TDs.  He also ran for 69 yards as well.  Up next for Post is a home date with the Pace University Setters.

Razorback Report: The Razorbacks hosted rival Ole Miss and looked to have a win looming with a 33-24 lead as the fourth quarter started.  However the Hogs offense stalled while the Ole Miss offense kept rolling. the Rebels scored 13 points down the stretch to walk out of Fayetteville with a 37-33 win. The Razorbacks had no answer for Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta'amu. He threw for 387 yards and two TDs while rushing for 141 yard and another score. In the loss, QB Trevor Storey threw for 122 yards and a touchdown.  Up next for Arkansas is a non-conference tilt with Tulsa.

This Week's Three Things About Nothing...

Ain't nothing as good as Mom's chicken fried steak.

Lionel Trains are still fun.

I can't remember the last time we had thunder storms here in October.

Until Next Week Folks, you can't win big games playing street ball.
-The Commissioner

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Week 6, 2018

Hey All,

It's time for another edition of the column that makes you wish Saturday was already here, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Tom Kelly.

Summaries

Colorado 28- Arizona State 21: It was the Laviska Shenault, Jr. show as the WR scored all four of CU's TDs in their win over the Sun Devils. He hauled in a pair scores from QB Steven Montez and ran for two more on a pair of short runs.  The two squads matched each other score for score with ASU leading the way behind the arm of QB Manny Wilkins. After CU fought back to tie the game at 21-21, they shutdown the Sun Devils the rest of the way for the win.  CU's game-wining score came just before the end of the third quarter.  The fourth quarter saw CU hold ASU on 4th and Goal from the three-yard line.  ASU wouldn't threaten again. On their next drive Wilkins was injured and ASU punted to Colorado with 7:10 to play.  The Sun Devils would never see the ball again. The Buffs picked up four first downs and ran out the clock to claim the win. Montez finished the game with 328 yards passing and two TDs, while RB Travon McMillan chewed up the turf, gaining 136 yards on 30 carries. Shenault hauled in 13 receptions for 127 yards and rushed for 13 yards to go with his four scores. For ASU, Wilkins threw for 222 yards and a TD to go with RB Eno Benjamin's 120 yards and two scores in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: 12:34 to Boulder; Colorado played keep away with ASU in the fourth quarter running 24 offensive plays to ASU's three and holding the ball for 12:34 of the game's final 13:25 to claim victory.

Washington 31- UCLA 24:  The Huskies showed up for this game as they have showed up for most games this year.  The offense looks sluggish, the defense slowly throttles their opponent and UW grinds it's way to a boring, yet crushing victory.  That same script looked like it was playing out again with the Huskies slogging heir way to a 24-7 halftime lead over a decidedly overmatched bRuins squad.  However, with this being the land of film and television, UCLA commissioned a second half rewrite of the script and almost pulled off the upset over a stunned bunch of Huskies. Chip's charges took the ball to start the second half and drove for a field goal, then faced a UW punt and drove 90 yards for a TD to cut UW's lead to just 24-17 as the third quarter ended. In the span of a quarter, UCLA had turned this yawner into a game and the several hundred bRuin fans that attended the game came alive.  After the teams exchanged punts UW got the breathing room they needed on a 12 play, 81-yard drive that ended in a 2-yard jaunt for a TD by RB Myles Gaskin.  That drive took 6:45 off the clock and left UCLA down two scores with just 3:42 to play.  The Dawgs then went into their prevent defense that didn't prevent much and UCLA raced down the field and cut the deficit to just seven points again with 1:38 to play. Following the score, UCLA's onside kick was recovered by the Dawgs and they then could rest easy with a much closer than expected victory. For UW, QB Jake Browning threw for 265 yards and a TD while running for 49 yards an another score on the evening.  UCLA RB Joshua Kelley led all rushers with 125 yards on 20 carries and a TD, while QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 272 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Telling Stat: Not enough time;  Chip Kelly led squads don't care about Time of Possession, but it killed them here.  UCLA only held the ball for eight minutes in the first half and time consuming drives by both the Huskies and bRuins in the second half kept their upset chances just out of reach. 

Washington State 56- Oregon State 37: The Cougars and Beavers had a shootout in Corvallis.  Only problem for the Beavers is that they ran out bullets in the third quarter.  The game stood 30-28 Beavers midway through the third thanks to the arm of Wazzu's Gardner Minshew II and the legs of OSU's Jermar Jefferson. Minshew had thrown for two TDs, while Jefferson had run for all four Beavers TDs.  However, the Beavers were done and Wazzu was just warming up. Minshew led the Cougars on a 28-0 run where he threw for three of the four scores that put the game firmly in the win column for the boys from Pullman.  OSU got a cosmetic score late to make the game look closer than it was. Minshew finished the game completing 30 of 40 tosses for 430 yards and five TDs.  For OSU, Jefferson gained 138 yards on 25 carries with four TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: They kicked it up a notch; Both the Wazzu offense and defense found an extra gear late in the third quarter and pulled away form Oregon State with a 28-0 run where the offense outgained OSU 289 yards to 118 and the defense forced three punts and a fumble. 

Arizona 24- California 17:  The Golden Bears finally chose a starting QB this week.  Brandon McIlwain then went out and rewarded Cal HC Justin Wilcox's decision by turning the ball over four times.. The Wildcats returned two errant McIlwain aerials for touchdowns to walk away with a stunning win in the desert. McIlwain did throw three interceptions and fumble once, but he did throw for 315 yards and run for 107 yards with two TDs.  Meanwhile, Khalil Tate is still a one-legged QB.  He threw for 141 yards and a touchdown in the unexpected win.
Telling Stat: They didn't break;  The Arizona defense forced three Cal turnovers, held for downs once and outscored Cal 14-3 in the second half to get the win. 

Utah 40- Stanford 17: Folks might want to blame this beatdown of the Cardinal on the fact that Bryce Love did not take the field v. Utah.  Plain truth is that Utah did what Notre Dame did to Stanford last week. The Utes physically dominated the line of scrimmage, hit Stanford's receivers hard and forced turnovers to win the game.  Utah also got some much needed production from their offense too. Utah raced out to a 21-0 second quarter lead on a pair of TD runs by RB Zack Moss and a 100-yard pick six by  CB Jaylon Johnson.  Utah extended their lead to 27-7 in the third quarter before Stanford came alive and scored two TDs to close out the quarter trailing by six at 27-21.  Would this be another Oregon style comeback for the Cardinal? Ummmm, No.  Utah owned the fourth quarter with their defense causing two turnovers and forcing a punt while the offense put 13 more points on the board to finish the rout. Moss finished the game with Love-like numbers rushing for 160 yards on 20 carries with two TDs. The real surprise was that QB Tyler Huntley played like a real QB.  He completed 17 of 21 passes for 199 yards and a TD. He also ran for 23 yards. For Stanford, QB K.J. Costello threw for 381 yards, a TD and two costly interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: Another rough fourth;  Stanford has been shutout in the fourth quarter of their last two games. The Cardinal have turned the ball over three times and been outgained 129 yards to 62 during that timespan. 

Observations

...Paging Paul Reubens;  Seriously, the way Minnesota HC P.J. Fleck dresses on the sideline makes him look like what Pee Wee Herman would dress like as a football coach.





...Tough truth;  The best FBS team in California right now just might be San Diego State. SMH.

...One for The Pirate;  Leading up to the Oklahoma-Texas game last week, ESPN ran a great story on how when Mike Leach was an assistant at OU he carried out a "lost script" caper that's still talked about today.  Snookered

...Jeffersonian football;  The Pac 12 Freshman of the Year is Oregon State RB Jermar Jefferson. The kid is flat out good.

...9-26-2015;  That's the last time Cal won a road game in the Pac 12.  The Golden Bears beat Washington that day, 30-24.

...Pretty awesome;  Regardless of how you may feel towards the teams, the Oklahoma-Texas game was just plain fun the watch.

...Tough guys;  The only team that plays truly physical football in the Pac 12 this year is Utah.

...Aztec Reign;  SDSU's upset at Boise State sent shockwaves throughout the Mountain West Conference.

...No way; There's no way you'd believe me if I told you that Texas A&M would need to go to overtime to defeat a Kentucky team whose offense never crossed the 50-yard line in regulation play.

...They can't wrestle them doggies;  OU's defense can't tackle, no wonder they fired DC Mike Stoops on Sunday.

...Tough .500; Arizona State may be the best 3-3 team in the nation.  Their three losses were by a TD each on the road to teams whose combined overall record is 13-2.

...Silence in the forest;  Just checked, Oregon fans are still not upset over Wille Taggart leaving the Quacks for Florida State.

...Just a rumor; there's no truth to the rumor that Oklahoma's cornerbacks were named to the All- Keebler Elf team.

...And that's the way it is; USF RB Jordan Cronkite rushed for 302 yards on 23 carries and three TDs to lead South Florida to a 58-42 win over Umass.  That's a nifty 13.1 yards per carry. Wow.

...An eight pack in the Big Sky;  Idaho State QB Tanner Gueller threw eight TD passes in the Bengals 62-28 win over Idaho. One of them was to his brother Mitch, who used to be a farmhand with the Phillies.

...Maybe fading away; Being kept alive by a scant few,the classic Triple Option fading away from football.  Here's a great article by Sports Illustrated about this form of offense. Where have you gone, Emory Bellard?

In honor of yesterday being Canadian Thanksgiving, here's a CFL Update:

Only a month to go in the CFL regular season and the playoff picture is coming into focus.  The two top teams are the Calgary Stampeders with a 12-2 record followed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a 10-5 mark.  The final three teams in the West, Edmonton, B.C. and Winnipeg are fighting for two spots.  In the East, Ottawa and Hamilton are fighting for the top spot with 8-6 and 7-7 records respectively.  One thing for sure is that both teams will make the playoffs.  That means HC June Jones has led Hamilton back to respectability.  Oh, and Johnny Manziel did finally throw his first CFL regular season TD pass two weeks ago for the hapless Montreal Allouettes.  For all kinds of great CFL information, you can got to the 3 Down Nation site or just text me. lol  Football, eh!?

Pac 12 Overreactions

Washington has to stop sleepwalking through games.
UCLA is getting better each week.
Colorado's confidence is better than their talent.
ASU's moral victory tour is killing Herm Edwards.
Stanford will go 8-4.
Utah's offense will lose them two more games.
USC managed to look bad on a bye week.
Wazzu could win 10 games.
Oregon State will go 2-9
Cal still doesn't have a QB.
Arizona's win over Cal may be their last one this year.
Oregon is thrilled with Willie Taggart's departure.

Ugly Uniform the Week

Last week, West Virginia won for just an ugly yellow helmet.  This week, they had a "hold my beer" moment and came out in all-obnoxious yellow to win for the second straight week.


A History Lesson in Honor of Hockey Season's Return

One Man, Two Sports, and The Changing of Play on a Continent

 
 James Aylwin Creighton (1850-1930) is not known by many, but he stands tall in history as the man whose help in football and creativity in hockey changed forever the way we play in North America. Creighton was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and grew up to become an Engineer where he got a job working on the Lachine Canal in Montreal in 1872.  Montreal at the time was arguably the most important city in Canada and was regarded as the de-facto center of innovation, culture and sport for the country.  While working as an engineer, Creighton decided to pursue a law degree and enrolled at McGill University. It was at McGill that Creighton joined the McGill University Rugby Club. He would end up playing for the club in two days worth of games v. Harvard on May 14th and 15th, 1874.  These two teams ended up playing these games because of events that occurred in 1873.
     American Football traces it's roots back to 1869, where Princeton and Rutgers are deemed to have played the first official football game.  However, that game and those after it for a few years more resembled a form of Association Football (soccer), than they resembled the game we know today.  In October of 1873, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers representatives met to codify these football rules.  Harvard refused to meet because their brand of the fledgling game that they called the "Boston Game" allowed carrying the ball and hitting of players who carried the ball. Harvard's refusal to change these rules caused them to have to search for teams to play and that's how the Crimson ended up playing McGill.  McGill has issued a challenge to Harvard and the Crimson accepted. That brings us to May of 1874.  The first game on May 14th was played with the "Boston Rules."  It was used playing a round ball like a soccer ball and Harvard won the game 3-0.  The schools regrouped and agreed to play another game on the 15th using a set of rugby style rules with a rugby ball and the scoring play known as the "try."  The teams battled to a scoreless tie that day.  However, the Harvard boys were thrilled with the rules they had played under and were intrigued by the "try."  A year later, Harvard had tweaked the rules and faced off against Tufts University in what is now known as the first football game using a set of rules that would evolve into the game of American Football that we play today.  James Creighton, came away inspired by the experience and decided to take some of these rules and apply them to his favorite sport of hockey. Creighton, for his efforts, was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, some 85 years after his death.
     Until 1875, hockey was an outdoor game, played on a frozen pond with as many people as could fit on the ice and very little in the way of rules. Creighton borrowed from rugby rules and field hockey rules and applied them to hockey.  He also did one other very important thing.  He moved the game indoors.  On March 3, 1875, Creighton got his buddies from the rugby club to play his new version of the game at the Victoria Skating rink in Montreal.  The game featured nine men on a side, goaltenders could not drop to the ice to stop a shot, and the teams played two 30 minutes halves without substitutions.   Oh, and as in rugby rules the ball (puck) could not be passed forward. Creighton's experiment had revolutionized the game.  He brought the game indoors and it caught on like wildfire with the university set and then later on it would capture the heart of all of Canada.  It's not hard to see how Creighton helped change the course of sport in North America.
    Creighton did pretty well outside of sports too.  He did get his law degree and became the law clerk to the Canadian Senate.  He'd hold that post for 48 years. One final note, the "try"  that the Harvard guys were so excited about evolved into what we know today as a touchdown.

Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Searcy, AR: The Ouachita Baptist Tigers were outgained 308 yards to 176, made only nine first downs and possessed the ball for only 19:39, but they made a fourth quarter 19-yard TD run by RB Shun'Cee Thomas hold up for a 7-3 win over the Harding University Bison.  OBU's defense made a goal line stand in the final minute to preserve the win.  OBU is 6-0 and ranked 6th in the nation in Division-II.

Blowout Game of the Week: Richmond, VA: This week saw yet another squad hit the 90 point plateau.  Virginia Union wiped out the Lincoln University Lions, 90-0. RB Tabyus Taylor led all rushers with 235 yards on 23 carries and three TDs.  VUU racked up almost 500 yards rushing on the day, while their defense pitched a shutout allowing only a couple of Lincoln's drives to cross midfield and holding the lions to 0 for 15 on third down.

C.W. Post Report: Shippensburg, PA: It is not often you get a game that features five lead changes in the final quarter, a game-winning field goal and play that makes ESPN's SportsCenter. Well, Post got a of those and a 41-39 win over Shippensburg University to stay undefeated on the season.  The teams played a scoreless first period, before they lit up the scoreboard the rest of the way.  Shippensburg held a 27-18 lead heading into the final period.  Each team scored on every possession of the fourth quarter with Post having the last laugh when PK Joey Tolgyesi nailed a 34-yard field goal as time ran out for the win.  QB Chris Laviano complete 39 of 61 passes for four TDs and two interceptions to lead the Post offense, while Shippensburg QB Brycen Mussina commuted 25 of 34 passes for 393 yards with four TDs and two interceptions in the loss.  As for the play that ended up on ESPN, here's the link. What a grab! Up next for Post is Homecoming v. Saint Anselm.  

Razorback Report: The Hogs found themselves down 21-0 to Alabama before they could blink and were destroyed by the Crimson Tide, 65-31.  You know how bad the season has gone for the Hogs when Bama HC Nick Saban is disappointed that his defense gave up 31 points to the Razorbacks.  Up next for Arkansas is a home date with Ole Miss.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

This weekend it actually felt like fall here in SoCal.

Lately it seems like lane lines are just a suggestion to drivers here.

Rib tips and curly fries is a pretty good combination.

Until Next Time Folks, remember that blocking and tackling will never go out of style.

-The Commissioner

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Week 5, 2018

Hey All,

Its time for another edition of that Tuesday staple, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

USC 24- Arizona 20: A very uninspired looking bunch of Trojans took on a lackluster bunch of Wildcats in Tucson and the result was one of the ugliest, unsatisfying wins in Trojan history.  SC did  build up a 17-0 lead on the hapless Wildcats by halftime and extended that lead to 24-0 after an Aca'Cedric Ware 69-yard TD jaunt. Sloppy, undisciplined USC seemed to have the Wildcats and their one-legged QB Khalil Tate under wraps for the sure W.  Then this Clay Helton guided bunch of Trojans, (Writer's Note: I would have written Clay Helton led bunch, but no leadership is to be found on this team), decided to try and take defeat from the jaws of victory. USC's offense turned the ball over twice down the stretch while the defense allowed a QB who couldn't achieve a full throwing motion to lead three TD drives. However, USC did manage to recover UofA's onside kick to escape from the desert with an embarrassing win. For USC, Ware had a fine game, rushing for 173 yards and two TDs, while Khalil Tate threw for 232 yards and two TDs for the Wildcats
Telling Stat: Same as last week;  A blocked field goal and a missed PAT saved USC from OT and a possible defeat. 

Washington 35- BYU 7: BYU rolled into Seattle with a 3-1 record the included a narrow loss at Cal and a huge upset win at Wisconsin.  Most pundits predicted a tight one and a few even predicted a Cougars upset over the Huskies.  The Dawgs then proceeded to throw the Cougars out of the building behind the arm of QB Jake Browning and another stellar defensive effort.  Browning had himself a pretty good day, completing 23 of 25 passes for 277 yards and a TD.  UW's rushing game worked well too with RBs Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin combing for 147 yards on 24 carries and three TDs.  While the offense was rolling for the Dawgs, their defense made sure BYU's went nowhere. The Cougars were held to just 194 total yards and their lone score only came after a late Husky fumble on their own 21-yard line. QB Tanner Mangum threw for 160 yards in the loss.
Telling Stat: 7 is twice as nice;  Washington's defense throttled BYU's offense from the opening kickoff allowing just seven points and seven first downs in this easy win on the lake.

Notre Dame 38- Stanford 17: Ground and pound with good passing is the Stanford formula for winning games.  Notre Dame did it better and whipped the Cardinal in South Bend.  The Fighting Irish took it to the Stanford defense rolling up 550 total yards with 272 of those yards coming on the ground.  ND's Dexter Williams did a Bryce Love impression gashing Stanford for 161 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.  ND QB Ian Book showed once again why he got the starting nod by completing 24 of 33 passes for 278 yards and four TD tosses. ND's defense did their job by shutting down Stanford's offense.  They held the Cardinal to 247 total yards.  They also did what few others have done to Stanford recently, they made their receivers pay when they touched the ball.  Because they consistently got pressure on the QB with four rushers, the secondary was able to cover and tee off on the Cardinal wideouts. RB Bryce Love gained 73 yards on 17 carries and a TD in the loss for Stanford.
Telling Stat: 14 for 14;  In a span of 14 seconds of the fourth quarter, Notre Dame scored 14 points to put this game away on two Ian Book TD passes sandwiched around an interception of Stanford QB K.J. Costello. 

Oregon 42- California 24: The Ducks were looking for redemption after their epic collapse against Stanford last week.  They found some visiting Stanford's NorCal neighbors.  Just as they had done the previous week, Oregon built up a large lead.  This time they led 35-10 in then third period, but Cal came back to cut the deficit to 35-17 and had chance to knock the deficit down even further, but unlike last week, the Quacks defense rose to the challenge.  They picked off Cal QB Chase Garbers in the end zone to kill one drive and held for downs on another to hold their lead.  However, the Golden Bears did finally cut their deficit to 35-24 when QB Brandon McIlwain subbed in for Garbers and led his squad on a seven-play, 97-yard drive.  After an Oregon punt, the Ducks defense sealed the game with a pick six by CB Ugochukwu Amadi that covered 32 yards. For the Ducks, QB Justin Herbert completed 16 of 22 passes for 225 yards and two TDs.  Webfoot RBs Travis Dye and C.J. Verell both rushed for over 100 yards with Dye scoring once.  For Cal, McIlwain easily outshone Garbers, throwing for 128 yards and a TD and ran for 123 yards and another score.  However, like Garbers, McIlwain threw two passes to the other team and those four interceptions were death to Cal' s cause.
Telling Stat: +4 = W;  Pretty simple math here, folks. Oregon's +4 edge in turnovers was what won the Quacks this game.

Colorado 38- UCLA 16:  The Buffaloes entered this game at 3-0 with their wins coming against a group of hapless teams.  You can add another win against a hapless team after they ran away from  the bRuins in Boulder.  UCLA did hold a 16-14 lead with 10:36 left in the third quarter thanks to PK J.J Molson's third FG of the game, but the Buffs tired out the bRuins with their running game and pulled away for the win.  CU's clinching TD came with 7:15 left in the game when QB Steven Montez faked out everyone including the cameraman on a beautiful 35-yard run.  Montez was really on target completing 22 of 26 passes for 237 yards and a TD.  He was also lethal with his legs, rushing for 81 yards and two scores on 11 carries. Montez's favorite target WR Laviska Shenault, Jr also proved to be a double threat with 12 catches for 126 yards and a TD to go with five rushes for 18 yards and a trip to the end zone. CU RB Trevor McMillan also chipped in offensively with 102 yards on 21 carries and touchdown.  UCLA RB Joshua Kelley rushed for 124 yards on 12 carries in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: Gassed;  Colorado ran the ball on 30 of their 39 offensive snaps in the second half which wore the bRuins defense down.  The gassed bRuins were no match for the Buffaloes who outscored them 24-3 in the second half.

Washington State 28- Utah 24: The #1 defense in the country came to Pullman and got sliced and diced by the Cougars passing attack.  WSU QB Gardner Minshew  completed 31 of 56 passes for 445 yards and three TDs.  He also ran for Wazzu's other score.  Despite Minshew's prowess, the Cougars still looked like they would lose this one.  Utah held a 24-21 lead with 5:07 left and had just pinned Wazzu back on their own seven-yard line on a great punt by Mitch Wishnowsky.  Two plays later, Minshew hit WR Easop Winston with a pass and Winston made a man miss and was gone. Utah had one last chance to win the game but their final drive fell short thanks to holding call that wiped out a potential 1st and Goal for the Utes.  After Utah's 4th and 20 pass by QB Tyler Huntley fell short, WSU took over on downs and ran out the clock.  Minshew's arm won the game for WSU as they were held to 0 rushing yards by the Utes. Huntley ran for a pair of scores and threw for 118 yards in the loss for Utah.
Telling Stat: 1-1 = W;  WSU and Utah each allowed just one scoring drive in the second half. However, WSU allowed a field goal while Utah allowed a TD and that was the difference in this game.

Arizona State 52- Oregon State 24: Last week Arizona RB J.J. Taylor and Gary Brightwell ran all over Beavers for 284 yards and two TDs.  This week ASU RB Eno Benjamin topped that total all by himself.  Benjamin slated his way through the OSU defense for 312 yards and three TDs on 30 carries. He also caught a TD pass too.  Despite Benjamin's night, OSU still managed to stay in the game, trailing just 38-24 in the third quarter behind the legs of RB Jermar Jefferson.  Jefferson  had his way the ASU defense gaining  254 yards on 31 carries and a two TDs.  However, ASU shutout OSU 14-0 in the final period to claim the lopsided win.
Telling Stat; Two halves of a whole record;  ASU's Eno Benjamin broke the ASU record for most rushing yards in half and a in a game to lift the Sun Devils to victory.  

Observations

...Just a rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that USC is a 3.5 point underdog to their bye week.

...This just in;  Pac-12 Today on SiriusXM radio stinks.  It's a lousy radio show for what has become a lousy league.  Thanks, Larry Scott.

...The Pirate speaks; Yet another gem from WSU HC Mike Leach.  This week he spoke of offensive balance. A different mindset

...He's a man, who got hacked;  Pranksters hacked into the Big XII Monday teleconference and asked Okie State HC Mike Gundy some strange questions.  Pranked

...5-0 Cats;  Whoa, Kentucky is 5-0 for just the third time since 1950.

...Not a great eight in Salt Lake; Utah has lost eight of its' last 10 Pac 12 games.

...Low fly zone; A Pennsylvania State Police helicopter flew low over a crowd of "unruly" tailgaters at the Penn State-Ohio State game.  Chaos ensured as tailgate gear was sent flying.  Low blow

...Trivia Time; Who were the ASU record holders for most rushing yards in a half and a game before Eno Benjamin surpassed both marks this week?

...Tough Bearcats;  Anybody else notice that after upsetting UCLA, Cincinnati is now 5-0 and looking to make a strong run in the East division of the American Athletic Conference? Hmmmmm

...Worst in the FBS;  Just when Pac 12 officials thought they could claim the title of worst officials in college football, a Mountain West Conference official really went off the deep end by verbally abusing and grabbing a Nevada ball boy by the neck.  Really, the ball boy?

...Hindsight for #20;  Bryce Love's decision to return for his senior year at Stanford is looking to be a very poor one.

...Upping their game; Arizona State has broken ground on a new 350 acre athletic district next to Sun Devil Stadium.  Going All In

...They don't raise cows;  Lincoln Nebraska's new Four L club is pretty pathetic.  It'll be five this upcoming Saturday at Wisconsin.

...They stunk more;  Yeah, the Pac 12 officials stink, but when this intrepid reporter can only find fault with three of the 18 penalties USC was flagged for v. Arizona, the Trojans problem ain't the refs.

...No way;  If anybody told me coming into this season that Colorado would be the Pac 12's only undefeated team on 10/1, I'd have told them that just because marijuana is now legal, it doesn't mean you have to smoke it every day.

...Battle in Boise;  A huge Mountain West clash is coming this week as San Diego State travels to Boise State. Should be a good one.

...More Big Red woes; Going back to last season Nebraska has lost eight straight games for the first time in the history of the program.

...Crickets;  Everyone who thinks Michigan can win the Big Ten speak up now!  The silence is deafening.

...Disowned Disciple; Florida Atlantic is 2-3 so far this season and I see that HC Lane Kiffin isn't being praised for having been dipped in the magic waters of Nick Saban this year. Hmmmmmm

...Jerko Jimbo, Jimbo Fisher's grabbing of Aggie LB Tyrel Dodosn's facemark in their game with Arkansas wasn't cool.  Attention Getter

...The report is in;  Just in case anybody forgot about Baylor's investigation by the NCAA in charges of sexual assault, the report just came in. Boneheaded Bears

Pac 12 overreactions

USC is a 8-4 team at best.
Arizona must have a QB that is better on two legs than Khalil Tate is on one.
Maybe Wazzu doesn't need a rushing game after all.
Utah can't win on defense alone.
Oregon State should stack nine guys in the box on every play.
ASU looks like the most disciplined team in the Pac 12 South.
Washington's defense is Playoff Strong.
Cal still needs to pick a QB.
Oregon is happy Cal can't pick a QB.
Stanford's offense needs a trip to Starbucks.
Colorado runs the best looking RPO in the the Pac 12.
UCLA's defense is on the field way too much.

Trivia Answer;  Benjamin rushed for 185 first half yards surpassing Woody Green's 171 in 1973 and Benny Malone's 250 which also occurred in ASU's 1973 campaign.

Ugly uniform of the Week

Just for this yellow helmet alone, West Virginia wins this week's award.



Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Claremont, CA- This week's game comes from the SCIAC, California's only D-III football league, where with :09 left, QB Edward Sias' two-point conversion pass fell incomplete and the Redlands Bulldogs held on for a 15-13 win over the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. Redlands fell behind 7-0 early, but came back to forge a 15-7 lead on the strength of two TD runs by QB Levi Plante and a 20-yard FG by PK Nathan Hierlihy. This defensive struggle saw the teams combine to convert on only 13 of 38 3rd Down conversions.

Craziest Game of the Week: Granville, OH- It was anything but three yards and a cloud of dust at Woody Hayes' alma mater this week.  The Denison Big Red came back from a 35-10 halftime deficit, but ended up losing 68-66 to the Wittenberg Tigers in a 4 OT thriller.  Wittenberg escaped with the victory when QB Jake Kennedy ran two-yards for a two-point conversion.  The teams combined for 1,160 yards of offense on 160 plays. They also made 53 first downs and were a perfect  5 for 5 on 4th down conversions. Wittenberg did their damage through the air with Kennedy passing for 421 yards and seven TDs.  Denison gained their yards on the ground rushing for 330 yards.  Big Red RBs Alex Minton and Canaan Gebele carried most of the load combining for 316 yards and six TDs.

C.W. Post Press: North Andover, MA- The Pioneers jumped out to a 27-0 lead early in the third quarter, then traded scores down the stretch in a 37-20 win over the Merrimack College Warriors.  It was definitely a passing day for Post QB Chris Laviano.  He completed 27 of 42 aerials for 326 yards and three touchdowns.  He also ran for a score too.  RB Malik Pierre led the Pioneers on the ground with 71 yards on 14 carries and a TD. QB Cam Hayes threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns for Merrimack, but he was also picked off twice and sacked five times by the tough Post defense. Uo next for Post is a trip to Shippensburg, PA and a date with the Shippensburg Raiders.

Razorback Report: Arlington, TX-  After surrendering a pair of lightning quick scores, the Razorbacks battled hard, but couldn't overcome their early deficit in a 24-17 loss to the Aggies. QB Ty Storey threw for 193 yards and a TD in the loss for Arkansas.  Up next for the Hogs is a home date with Alabama.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Trader Joe's apple cider scented hand soap is the hit of the fall.  Note, the side effect of using this soap is looking weird sniffing your hands. 

Leftover carne asada rivals leftover pizza for greatness.

Heartland is a pretty darn good TV show.

-Until next time folks, remember that undisciplined teams don't win national titles.

-The Commissioner