Time for everyone to relax a bit and shake off that post Thanksgiving food coma with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Keith Jackson.
Summaries
Notre Dame 24- USC 17: The smallest crowd to watch an SC-ND game since 1960 saw a USC team come from ahead to lose for yet another time this year. Most folks thought that Notre Dame would hang at least 50 points on the Trojans in what was thought to be Clay Helton's last game on the SC sidelines. A big shock came when the Irish found themselves locked in a real game, and the bigger shock came the next day when Helton was retained as USC HC for 2019. As for the game, it followed a typical pattern for USC. Come out fast, take the lead. Then waste your opportunities with needless penalties and turnovers in your opponents side of the field and take a small lead into the half. Make no adjustments at the half and watch the other team use their adjustments to come for behind and beat you. SC forged a 10-0 lead on a 29-yard TD run from Vavae Malepeai and a 30-yard FG from PK Michael Brown. Then USC racked up needles penalties, three from Center Toa Lobendahn alone which included one of his signature moves, a snap infraction that makes everyone get a false start. USC also turned the ball over in Irish territory when WR Michael Pittman fumbled at the ND 43 and Amon Ra St. Brown fumbled at the ND 29 to kill off a pair of drives. USC could have been up 24-0 at half, but no, 10-7 is what the score was at the break. Then came the second half collapse where Notre Dame's HC Brian Kelly made real adjustments which led to 17 straight Irish points and control of the game. USC got a late TD for a backdoor cover and Notre Dame walked out of the Coliseum with a 12-0 record. QB Ian Book threw for 352 yards and a pair of scores for ND while Daniels threw for 349 yards and a one touchdown for the Trojans.
Telling Stat: Staying in the game; After giving up 10 points to USC, the Notre Dame defense kept the Trojans in check allowing only seven more points after the game had been put out of reach.
Washington 28- Washington State 15: The snow fell hard in Pullman. So did the Cougars Pac 12 title and CFP hopes as the Huskies whipped the Cougars for the seventh straight time. The Huskies found their footing in the near blizzard-like conditions while the Cougars never could get untracked. The Dawgs defense held WSU QB Gardner Minshew II to just 152 yards passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Meanwhile, the Huskies found plenty of offense. RB Myles Gaskin ran for 170 yards on 27 carries with three TDs. His last run was an 80-yard jaunt through the snow that proved to be the back-breaker for the Cougs. UW QB Jake Browning is now 4-0 as a starter in the Apple Cup after completing 11 of 14 passes for 207 yards in the heavy snow.
Telling Stat: 8:30 to Santa Clara; With 8:30 left in the game. Washington got the ball back on their own 17-yard line after a WSU punt. The Huskies ran the ball 14 straight times to run out the clock. Then final play of the game was a Jake Browning's kneel down at the WSU seven-yard line.
Oregon 55- Oregon State 15: The Ducks jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and never took their foot off the gas pedal against the Beavers in Corvallis. The Quacks ran over, around, and thought the hapless OSU defense. The RB combination of Travis Dye and C.J. Verdell were flat our unstoppable. Dye rushed for 199 yards on 33 carries with two TDs while Verdell gained 187 yards on 23 carries with four trips to hallelujah land. With the rushing game taking care of business, webfoot QB Justin Herbert only threw 12 passes all day. He connected on nine of those passes for 102 yards and one TD. For the overwhelmed Beavers, QB Jake Luton threw for 282 yards and two TDs in the lopsided loss.
Telling Stat: 14 yards; Oregon came within 14 yards of having two RBs each rush for 200 yards against the porous Beavers in this year's edition of the Civil War.
Utah 35- BYU 27: The Pac 12 South champs were in trouble. BYU held a 20-0 lead over the Utes at the half and still held a 27-7 lead with 5:28 left in the third quarter. It looked like Utah's offense with backups at QB and RB was silenced and that the Cougars would easily win this year's edition of the Holy War. Utah then got off the deck and pulled off their best comeback of the year to send BYU back to Provo with broken hearts. The Utes would score on their next three drives to take a 28-27 lead with 3:02 to play. The scores came on a TD pass by QB Jason Shelley and two TD runs by RB Armand Shyne. BYU, now with their backs against the wall, went for a 4th and 1 from their own 34-yard line. The Utah defense stuffed the Cougars and then went up by eight points on the very next play when Shelley ran 33-yards for a TD. Utes fans could finally breathe easy when BYU's final fourth down play came up a yard short of a first down at the Cougar 45-yard line. Cougar QB Zach Wilson led all players in rushing and passing with 204 yards and two TDs through the air to go with 73 yards on the ground. Shelley led the Utah attack with 141 yard passing and a TD to go with 61 yards on the ground and a another score.
Telling Stat: 223/28 >37/0; In the final 20:58 of the game, Utah outgained BYU 223 yards to 37 and shutout the Cougars 28-0 in that stretch to get a great comeback win over their bitter rivals from Provo.
Stanford 49- UCLA 42: The several hundred fans that attended this game at Rose Bowl were treated to a shootout with the Cardinal outlasting the bRuins to grab the win. Stanford was led by QB K.J. Costello who competed 23 of 37 tosses for 344 and five TDs. His favorite targets were WRs J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Trent Irwin who each hauled in seven passes from Costello and gained over 100 yards. Arecega-Whiteside caught three TD Passes while Irwin crossed the double stripe once. For UCLA QB Wilton Speight torched the Cardinal defense for 466 yards, but all of UCLA's TDs came via the run. Speight ran for a score while RB Joshua Kelley ran for a pair of TDs. The bRuins seemed to have taken control of the game when they stunned the Cardinal by nailing RB Bryce Love for a safety then returning the ensuing kickoff for a TD. Then a TD run by Speight then gave UCLA a 42-41 lead with 9:27 to play. A little over a minute later, Stanford took the lead again for good with a 52-yard TD pass form Costello to Osiris St. Brown and a two-point conversion run for Love. The Cardinal defense shutdown UCLA over the last 8:19 to get out of Pasadena with a win.
Telling Stat: When they needed it; The Stanford defense stopped the bRuins cold over the final 8:19 of the game, forcing a missed field goal, and holding for downs twice to send UCLA down to their ninth loss of the season.
Arizona State 41- Arizona 40: It was a chippy, nasty game played in an electric atmosphere in Tucson. Members of UofA's defensive line and some Sun Devils almost had a brawl over an hour before the game started and the chippy play continued all game long. UofA held a 40-21 lead as the fourth quarter started thanks mostly to the arm and legs of QB Khalil Tate who had thrown for three TD passes. ASU then mounted a comeback that will be long remembered int his rivalry. SU went on a 20-0 run to end the game. A pair of field goals and a TD pass from QB Manny Wilkins and a TD run from RB Eno Benjamin accounted for the points while the ASU defense forced two UofA turnovers and a punt to set up the surge. However, the Wildcats did have one last drive in them and moved 54 yards in 15 plays to set up a shot at game wining field goal. However, PK Josh Pollack's 45-yard attempt sailed wide right and ASU had pulled off the stunning comeback. Khalil Tate finished the game with 282 yards passing and three TDs while ASU's Wilkins threw for 265 yards and a score to go with 57 on the ground and another TD. Benjamin only rushed for 80 yards, but he find paydirt three times for ASU.
Telling Stat: A comeback has help; While ASU did make an amazing comeback, UofA sure helped with two bad turnovers in their own territory and just some head scratching play calling down the stretch.
California 33- Colorado 21: With Cal's offensive struggles grabbing most of the attention of Golden Bears fans, the Cal defense decided to take matters into their own hands. On the Buffs opening possession, Cal DB Elijah Hicks picked off CU QB Steven Montez and took it back 34 yards to the house to give Cal a 7-0 lead. Then, Hicks' teammate DB Ashtyn Davis took one back 35 yards for another TD on CU's second drive to give the Golden Bears a 14-0 lead before their offense ever saw the field. Cal's offense never found their rhythm over the next two quarters putting up just 13 points and clinging to a 27-21 lead as the fourth period began. Cal drove deep into Colorado territory to start the final period and looked like they would have had to settle for a field goal when QB Chase Barbers was forced out of bounds. However, the much maligned CU defense hit Garbers out of bounds and the ensuing penalty set up Cal's final touchdown. Garbers found WR Maurice Ways from seven yards out to put the game away for the boys from Berkeley. Garbers managed to throw for only 116 yards in the game, but did throw two TD passes. Montez threw for 170 yards and a pair of TDs and three interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: 2 in 1:56= W; Cal's two pick sixes in the first 1:56 of the game provided just enough cushion to let the Golden Bears reach the seven win plateau for the first time since 2015.
Cranberry Crushers 35- Tough Turkeys 28: Margaret Lenker's long reach was enough to break the plane of the goal and lift the Crushers to a hard fought victory. A J.T. Daniels-like interception from Turkeys QB Lee Ursich set the Crushers up for the winning touchdown. At one point the Turkeys did hold a 28-21 lead only to collapse down the stretch.
Cranberry Crushers 63- Tough Turkeys 42: In the second game of the first ever Thanksgiving double header held at Yube Ursich Field, the Crushers worked over the Turkeys thanks to the elusive running and strong pass defense of Robert Weissler. Weissler took the field in place of Luci Ursich who guided the Crushers to their win in the first game. The Turkeys turnover woes from the first game haunted them in the second game also. In the post game press conference, USC HC Clay Helton praised Maureen Lenker of the Turkeys saying she "Came out with her jaw set and she played like a warrior."
Observations
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Mike Leach's new nickname from Husky fans is "The John Cooper of the Northwest."
...A familiar failure; The 3-7 Jaguars fired Nathaniel Hackett as their OC today. Paul Hackett's kid is definitely following in his father's footsteps.
...You play with 11; On two special teams plays, USC only had 10 men on the field v. Notre Dame. SMH.
...Undefeated and unimpressive; Notre Dame is one weak looking playoff team.
...An ugly number; Michigan is just 3-15 v. Ohio State this century. The folks in Ann Arbor must wonder if they will ever beat the Buckeyes again.
...Fun to be Herm; ASU HC Herm Edwards has had a pretty good first year in Tempe. His Sun Devils came within a game of the Pac 12 South title, knocked their rival out of a bowl game and kept the Territorial Cup too.
...Feeling Golden; The Paul Bunyan Axe will now reside at Minnesota for the first time in 15 years after the Golden Gophers whipped Wisconsin, 37-15. Ski-U-Mah!
...Memo to Lynn Swann; When announcing the retention of your head coach causes celebrations to spontaneously breakout in the rest of the Pac 12, you've made a serious mistake.
...Classy Cougs; After one of the busses carrying Washington band members overturned on the way to Pullman last week, the UW Band did not attend the game. However, the WSU band played the UW's fight song at the game and kept their section of seats for the game empty and roped off as a measure of respect for their rival.
...355; The Oklahoma-West Virginia game ended in regulation and produced 355 more yards offense than the LSU-Texas A&M game did that ended in seven overtimes. Hmmmmm.
...Jarring thought; Lynn Swann's decision to not fire Clay Helton might make Pat Haden's decision to keep Kevin O'Neill around for one more year as the hoops coach look good.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that bets are already being taken on when USC HC Clay Helton gets fired next season.
...Best team in Arkansas; Ouachita Baptist is 12-0 and has advanced to the third round of the D-II playoffs.
...A fight after seven OT; A crazy brawl erupted after the LSU-Texas A&M game. It involved LSU's directors player development Kevin Faulk and an Aggie sideline pass holder named Fisher.
A tough fight extended
...Just a thought; Maybe if the Arizona defense had not wasted all it's extra energy on cheap shots and talking smack,, they might have held on to their 19 point lead in the fourth quarter.
...Net Zero; Stanford RB Bryce Love was tackled for a safety and scored on a two-point conversion v. UCLA.
...A personal foul for everyone; The Ole Miss-Mississippi State game erupted in a brawl on Thanksgiving and the officials handed out personal fouls to everyone on both teams. Wow.
Egg Brawl
...Cold, wet and unhappy; Ed Oregon may be the first coach ever to receive a Gatorade shower and watch his team lose the game.
...Five in the league; With the Redskins singing Mark Sanchez last week, five USC QBs are currently on NFL rosters. Sanchez joins Sam Darnold, Cody Kessler, Matt Barkley, and Matt Cassel in the league.
Special Section: Lynn Swann: The Tone Deaf Figurehead
Lynn Swann, USC's unqualified AD, pulled the biggest Tammy Wynette since well, Tammy Wynette when he decided that HC Clay Helton would return for the 2019 season after the embarrassment that was the 2018 campaign. In his letter to the Trojan Family of 11/25, one sentence sticks out as a particularly troubling. "We acknowledge and understand our deficiencies in areas that include culture, discipline, schemes, personnel and staff." Doesn't that basically say the program is failing in almost all areas? Doesn't that kind of universal failure mean that the HC should be fired? If that's the case, then why is Helton being retained? Another quote later on shows just how tone deaf this letter to us all truly is. "I have heard from many in the Trojan fan base. Some will be happy that Coach Helton remains our coach, others will not." Besides Swann, who else is happy that Helton is returning? Nobody I know in the Trojan Family wants him back except for Swann and some of his toadies at Heritage Hall. You know who really loves Helton's return? Everyone else in the Pac 12 from Pullman to Tucson and a bunch of folks in South Bend. Helton wasn't Swann's hire. Helton is a last kick to the groin to the fan base from Max Nikias and Pat Haden. However, Swann now owns it. Helton is his man, but the pain from this epically poor decision will be felt by us all.
Swann gives SC fans the bird
Pac 12 Overreactions
9 out of the 11 other members of the Pac 12 schools are ecstatic that USC HC Clay Helton will return for 2019.
Oregon State and Washington State are both unhappy that Clay Helton has been retained by USC. Neither one faces off against the Trojans next year.
Special Section: Good Bye, Tunnel 19
The picture here is of just some empty seats. The seats are in Tunnel 19, Row 40, Seats 1-6 of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. I have been lucky enough to spend 45 years watching USC Trojan football. I have had the pleasure of sitting in seat 1 for 38 of those years. These seats are family to me because my family has been through so much in them. In that time span, everyone from my mom and dad to my sisters, brother in-laws, cousins and friends have sat here. The most recent addition to that list was my wife who has now shared the ups and downs of Trojans football here. Now, we have to move next year to another tunnel. The Coliseum renovation and subsequent extremely high price hike has forced our move. I've gone form an 11-year old kid to a 49-year old stepfather of two here. Yes, my stepson sat here too. So long, Tunnel 19, I hope the next folks to occupy these seats have nearly as much fun as we did all these years.
This week's winner is the San Diego Chargers for this awful all-blue ensemble
CFL Update
The Grey Cup wears spurs. The Calgary Stampeders defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 27-16 to win the 106th Grey Cup game. QB Bo Levi Mitchell was named the game's Most Outstanding Player with his two TDs passes on the very slippery Commonwealth Stadium turf in Edmonton. The win avenges the Stampeders upset at the hands of the Redblacks in 2016. I'm sure the Cup will have its' own booth at the Calgary Stampede. Go Stamps!
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Cedar Falls, IA- In the first round of he FCS Playoffs, Northern Iowa got three field goals from PK Austin Errthum. His final one was a 35-yarder with 13:09 left in the game to beat LaMar, 16-13. The Purple Panthers will now take a trip to California to take on the UC-Davis Aggies who had a first round bye.
Blowout Game of the Week: Belton, TX- The Crusaders of Mary Hardin-Baylor destroyed the Berry Colllege Vikings, 75-9 in the second round of the D-III playoffs. The Crusaders ran for 354 yards on the Vikings with RB Markeith Miller leading all rushers with 118 yards and three TDs on 11 carries. The Crusaders will host powerful St. John's (MN) next week.
Razorback Report: The Hogs finished a poor season with a 38-0 pasting at the hands of Missouri. The Razorbacks finish the season at 2-10.
If Trader Joe's sold toilet paper, I'm sure they'd make it a seasonal item.
The Thanksgiving food detox is always rough.
My sister Liza makes great jam, her plum jam is my favorite.
Until next week folks, remember that an unqualified athletic director can kill your football program.
-The Commissioner
