Here's what you have all been waiting for, this season's first Pacific Standard Time edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Joe Jares.
Summaries
USC 38- Oregon State 21: Out for USC were a slew of injured players and fired OL coach Neil Calloway and OC Tee Martin who had his play calling privileges taken away by HC Clay Helton. In for USC was QB JT Daniels back from suffering a concussion at Utah along with Helton back as the play caller for the Trojans. What happened was Helton discovered, or most likely somebody else told him, that Oregon State had just about the worst rushing defense in America. He turned RB Aca'Cedric Ware loose on the sloppy Beavers. Ware had a career night ripping through the OSU defense for 205 yards and three TDs on 17 carries. Daniels threw for 177 yards and a TD to further USC's cause. Meanwhile USC's injured and porous defense did just enough to hold off OSU. USC held the Beavers to just 31 yards rushing and sacked QB Jake Luton six times. OSU also helped USC out by going for it twice on fourth down and failing deep in Trojan territory. One failure came by a fake field goal and the other via a bad pass. No matter how much OSU helped out, USC will gladly take the victory in their last true road game of the year.
Telling Stat: A rush to win; USC outgained Oregon State by 301 yards on the ground to secure a much welcomed win in Corvallis.
Arizona 42- Colorado 34: The date was October 7, 2017. The place was Folsom Field, Boulder, CO. That was when UofA QB Brandon Dawkins was leveled on a late hit by the CU defense. The hit knocked Dawkins out of the game and his starting job. Khalil Tate came in for Dawkins and absolutely destroyed the Buffaloes in a shootout win. In that game Tate ran for 327 yards and four scores. This past Friday night, Tate showed the Buffs he could pass too. Tate threw for 350 yards and five scores as the Wildcats won another shootout, 42-34. CU raced out to an early 10- lead, but UofA put up 26 points in the second quarter and took a 26-24 lead into the intermission. CU outscored the Cats, 10-9 in the third period to take a 35-34 lead into the fourth quarter. Uof A took the lead early in the final period with a Tate's fifth TD pass, a 57-yarder to WR Cedric Peterson. Then, both teams ran out of ammo. The Arizona defense got pushed around, but came up big on Colorado's final two possessions. The Buffaloes were stopped on 4th and 9 at the UofA 29 with 10:12 to play, then DB Troy Young Picked off CU QB Steven Montez in his own end zone with 5:07 to play. The Buffaloes would not see the ball again. The Wildcats ran out the clock behind the powerful legs of RB J.J. Taylor who picked up two huge first downs. Taylor finished the game with 192 yards on 40, yes 40 carries. For Colorado, Montez completed 27 of 42 passes for 343 yards and three TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: Painful cheap shot; Since that cheap shot on Brandon Dawkins in 2017, Khalil Tate has gained 846 yards and accounted for 10 TDs against the Colorado defense.
Washington State 19- California 13: They say styles make fights and the clash between the Pac 12's top passing attack and top passing defense went the defense's way for the first 59:28. The Golden Bears had limited the Cougars to just 13 points while their anemic offense managed to score 13 points as well. However, the Cal offense did try to give away the game on several occasions and by pure luck managed to stay in the game. Would this be the game where Wazzu would "Coug It" and fall in the Pac 12 North? Nope. Wazzu drove 69 yards in six plays an capped it off with QB Gardner Minshew II's first TD toss of the game. His 10-yard pass to WR Easop Winston with :32 lifted the Cougars to victory. Minshew II finished the game with 334 yards passing and that one huge TD. For Cal, they used their usual set of QBs with not much luck. Chase Garbers threw for 127 yards and a TD, while Brandon McIlwain threw for 52 yards. Each QB threw an interception.
Telling Stat: They kept grinding; The Wazzu defense set the stage for this win by limiting Cal to just three second half points. The WSU defense picked off two passes, forced two punts and held for downs once in the second half.
Oregon 42- UCLA 21: Chip Kelly stood on the sideline at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks were up, 21-0 early in the second quarter on UCLA and crowd the was going crazy. Only for Chip Kelly, he was the one on the wrong sideline and his squad was getting pummeled by the Ducks. Kelly's bRuins did fight to get back in the game, but they just didn't have enough to keep up with the Ducks. Every time UCLA fought to get close, Oregon pulled away with a big play. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson returned to the starting coming off a shoulder injury, but was replaced by Wilton Speight in the the third quarter after throwing for 135 yards and a score. Speight threw for 147 yard and a score of his own as the backup. RB Joshua Kelley had another big game for the bRuins rushing for 161 yards and a TD on 26 carries. However, the UCLA defense had no match for Oregon's speed and couldn't stop the passing combo of QB Justin Herbert and WR Dillon Mitchell. The pair hooked up eight times for 156 yards and two TDs. RBs C.J. Verdell and Tony Brooks-James combined to rush for 163 yards and a pair of TDs for the Webfoots.
Telling Stat: They dialed long distance; To go with a pair of 1-yard TD runs, Oregon's four other TD plays covered 56, 63, 67 and 54 yards.
Washington 27- Stanford 23: A tragedy in Cardinal unfolded in three acts at Husky Stadium. Both teams sought redemption from the football gods after losses the previous week. In act one, the Dawgs opened up in dominating fashion. They forged a 21-0 lead before allowing Stanford even to make a single first down. In the second act, Stanford came alive and scored a pair of quick TDs in the 3rd quarter, then tacked on a 21-yard field goal from PK Collin Riccitelli who was playing in place of injured PK Jet Toner. Stanford trialed 24-17 with just 9:00 to play and people wondered if Stanford was about to pull off another miracle comeback in the northwest. The third act unfolded and tragedy struck Stanford down. After a Husky field goal, the Cardinal answered with a 33-yard TD pass from QB K.J. Costello to WR Trent Irwin. SU looked to trail by just three points with 3:24 to play. However, Riccitelli missed the PAT. Now down four, Stanford would have to stop the Dawgs one more time and drive for a TD to win the game. The Cardinal did stop Washington, but the offense couldn't cross the double stripe. Costello final pass was intercepted for a touchback in the UW end zone. Stanford is now eliminated from contention for the Pac 12 title. Costello threw for 347 yards and a TDs while RB Bryce Love ran for 71 yards and a rare TD of his own in the loss. As for UW, QB Jake Browning threw for 194 yards and a score, but RB Miles Gaskin was the heart of the offense. He ran for 148 yard on 28 carries and a touchdown.
Telling Stat: They dug a hole; In the first 17:40 of the game, Stanford gave up 21 points, failed to make a single first down and were outgained 179 to 21 yards. That proved to be too much of a deficit to overcome for the Cardinal.
Arizona State 38- Utah 20: Coming off their big win at USC last week, ASU rode a big wave of momentum into Sun Devil Stadium. That wave was large enough to wipe Utah out of the yard and back to Salt Lake City with a big loss and an injured signal caller. The first half was a see-saw affair with ASU owning the lead at the half, 21-17 thanks to a TD run by RB Eno Benjamin and two TD passes from QB Manny Wilkins to WR N'Keal Harry. Utah did pull within a point in the third quarter thanks to a 31-yard field goal by PK Matt Gay, but the three points came at a huge price. On the first play of the drive, QB Tyler Huntley was nailed by the ASU defense and left the game with a broken collar bone. In his stead came backup freshman QB Jason Shelley. Shelley was not up to the task and ASU ran away the game in the final period. The Sun Devils tallied the final 17 points of the game and came way with the huge upset win. Wilkins had a very accurate day, completing 19 fo 24 passes for 285 yards and three TDs. HIs backfield mate, Benjamin gashed the Utes for 175 yards on 27 carries and two TDs. In the loss, RB Zack Moss rushed for 128 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
Telling Stat: Utah's bad break; After Utah QB Tyler Huntley exited the game with a broken collar bone, ASU shutout the Utes. They scored the final 17 points of the game while outgaining Utah by 150 yards.
Observations
...Army Wrong; A number of cadets from West Point are in deep trouble after stealing the Air Force Academy mascot, Aurora. They injured the falcon and the bird almost had to be euthanized. Here's the sad tale. Prank gone wrong
...The gift that keeps on giving; Watching Colorado collapse these last four games has given this intrepid reporter endless laughs watching Buffs HC Mike MacIntyre lose it on the sidelines.
...Cardinal letdown; Every Wazzu fan was a Stanford fan this past weekend and came to realize once again that the road to the Pac 12 title game still goes through Seattle.
...This just in; Navy stinks.
...Too many holes in the boat; Minnesota HC P.J. Fleck fired his DC Robb Smith after the Gophers gave up 55 points to Illinois. The Gophers have given up an average of 44.3 PPG in Big Ten play.
...Nothing to watch here; Both divisions of the SEC have crowned their champions with three weeks left in the season. What will ESPN drool over now?
...Can't get off the field; Penn State's defense is on the field for an average of 84.9 plays per game, the only team that faces more plays per game is Houston with 92.4 plays per game on defense. Ouch.
...A true political football; One of the far lesser concerns on the ballot in this election is the elimination of community college football in Maricopa County, Arizona. A strong effort is under way to unseat all the community college board members who want to drop the sport in the county where Phoenix is located.
...Out on a Kansas gale; Kansas HC David Beaty was fired with three games left in the season after his squad stumbled through a loss to Iowa State. Beaty finishes with a 6-39 record in four plus season in Lawrence.
...Truly Independent; There is only one independent school in NCAA Division II football. That lonely school is UNC-Pembroke. The Braves program was reinstated back in 2007 and they have never joined a league.
...He gives up; FSU HC Willie has given up the play calling duties for his punchless bunch of Seminoles. FSU fans wish he'd just given up and left Tallahassee.
...Epic celebration, eh?; Jon Gott, an offensive lineman for the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL came up with what many be the most epic TD celebration ever when he grabbed a beer form a fan and chugged it in the end zone. What's makes this celebration even better is that the league will not punish Gott for his mid game refreshment choice. Doing Bob and Doug McKenzie proud!
...Effusive Clay; When USC HC Clay Helton goes out of his way to extoll the virtues of his squad after an unimpressive win over a hapless Oregon State squad, you know things ain't right at SC.
...Laughing stock; In his quest to establish parity in the Pac 12, Commissioner Larry Scott has instead found parody. The league is a national joke.
...Morgantown syndrome?; After falling to West Virginia, Texas may find themselves rooting for the Mountaineers to beat Oklahoma in the final week of the season so they can play in the Big XII title game against West Virginia. Hmmmmmm.
...Memo to Colorado fans; Remember back to the week of the USC game when you were 5-0 and mad that nobody was "taking you seriously" as a contender? Now you know why.
...There is a difference; The lowlife former basketball coach at Louisville is Rick Pitino. The soon to be former, but now current lowlife football coach at Louisville is Bob Petrino.
...Whining in Austin; Texas HC To Herman had been taken to task over his whining about taunting from West Virginia last week. Here's a piece on Tom's short memory. Cheese for his whines
...Pitt's it; After this column gave the kiss of death to the Cavaliers of Virginia last week, Pitt stands alone atop the ACC Coastal division. Which begs the question, how does Pitt qualify as being coastal?
...The long gray line of wins; In case anyone hasn't noticed, Army is 7-2.
...A big one in Spudsville; 8-1 Fresno State visits 7-2 Boise this week and a win by the Bulldogs would all but eliminate the Broncos form the Mountain West Conference title chase.
...It could happen; There is actually a scenario where a team with a 4-5 record in conference play could win the Pac 12 South. SMH.
CFL Update
Calgary's 26-9 win over British Columbia on Saturday set the CFL playoff picture into perfect focus.
The Stampeders have earned a bye in the first round fo the playoffs. The Western Semi-Final game will feature the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the winner will travel to Calgary for the Western Final Game the following week. In the other side the bracket, The Ottawa Redblacks earned the first round bye and will host the winner of the British Columbia Lions-Hamilton Tigers matchup in the Eastern Semi-Final. Yes, BC is in the Eastern Semi-Final. Here's the CFL rule that moved BC to the East for the playoffs. The Crossover Rule
Random Cool Photo
This photo was taken on November 4th. Here is the Port of LA shrouded in fog.
If He Could Turn Back Time
In honor of Cher and Daylight Savings Time, here's a list of what each Pac 12 head coach might do if they could turn back time.
Arizona: Kevin Sumlin- Wishes he'd given Khalil Tate time to heal six weeks ago.
Arizona State: Herm Edwards- Wishes he hadn't played Stanford already.
Washington: Chris Petersen- Wishes he had benched Jake Browning weeks ago.
Washington State: Mike Leach- Wishes he'd gotten that garbage man job in Cody, Wyoming.
California: Justin Wilcox- Wishes he recruited Gardner Minshew II
Stanford: David Shaw- Wishes he had advised Bryce Love to enter the NFL draft.
USC: Clay Helton- Wishes he told J.T. Daniels to stay in high school.
UCLA: Chip Kelly- Wishes he had never taken the job.
Oregon State: Jonathan Smith- Wishes he had stayed at Washington.
Oregon: Mario Cristobal- Wishes he could have moved one pylon.
Colorado: Mike MacIntyre- Wishes he could erase the past month.
Utah: Kyle Whittingham- Wishes the ASU game was in Salt Lake City.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Our Pac 12 neighbors in Oregon win this week. Both schools combined for an ugly Halloween look this past weekend.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Buena Vista, VA- This week's game comes to us form the New Jersey Athletic Conference in D-III where the Southern Virginia Knights escaped with an 8-3 win over the William Patterson Pioneers. The Knights trailed 3-0 with 1:17 to play when QB Tyler Callens hit WR Josh Newman with a 38-yard TD toss. Callens then hit TE Parker Nash with a pass for the two-point conversion. It's amazing SoVa won this game through the air as they only threw the ball six times all game. In fact, 13 of their 14 first downs came via rushing the ball.
Best Game Almost Nobody Saw Last Week: Grand Junction, CO- 1,895 folks at Stocker Stadium saw the Colorado-Mesa Mavericks comeback for a 64-63 win in OT over the Adams State Grizzlies. The Mavericks led 7-0 early on, then grabbed the lead for the second and final time when QB Eystin Salum scored on a one-yard run to put his squad up 64-57 in the OT period. In their half of the extra period, Adams State scored on an 8-yard pass from QB Miles Fishback to WR Michael Morales. Admas then went for two and were stuffed by the Mavericks defense to end the game. The teams combined for 1,323 yards off offense and 63 first downs. They also combined to run 188 plays. Adams State did their damage through the air with 488 yards passing, while Mesa ran the ball for nearly 300 yards.
C.W. Post Press: New Haven, CT: The Pioneers used a steady attack to go 9-0 on the season with a 24-13 win over the Southern Connecticut State Owls. The win was also Post's 14th straight in regular season play. QB Chris Laviano was on target again, completing 17 of 28 tosses for 228 yards and a pair of scores. Freshman RB, Jonathan DeBique carried the mail on the ground for Post, toting the rock 21 times for 116 yards, while RB Malik Pierre chipped in with 56 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. SCSU RB Eli Parks ran for 129 yards and a TD on the loss. Up next for Post is their home finale against the University of New Haven Chargers. This one is for all the marbles. Both teams enter this game undefeated in Northeast 10 play. The winner will grab an automatic bid to the Division II playoffs.
Razorback Report: The Hogs were resting on a much needed bye week. The Hogs will host a very angry LSU squad this week.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Halloween candy purchased for half price on 10/1 tastes that much better.
Nobody can drive the day after we turn the clocks back.
The Reese's Peanut Butter cup is still the undisputed king of Halloween candy.
Until next time folks, remember that one win does not change an entire season of futility.
-The Commissioner
