It's time once again to rehash the weekend that was in the Pac 12 in another edition of Notes on Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Jim Murray.
Summaries
USC 45- Stanford 20: Analysts and fans alike had dubbed this game the Backup Bowl after both USC and Stanford lost their starting QBs in the prior week's action. Stanford had the early upper hand in this one, slashing through the Trojan defense like a hot knife through butter. They built a 17-3 lead thanks to a 15-yard TD pass from QB Davis Mills to WR Connor Wedington, a three yard burst by RB Cameron Scarlett and a 32-yard field goal by PK Jet Toner. At this point the Coliseum was filled with angst and dread. Most thought this was just gonna be an embarrassing Stanford blowout. Then, USC did something they hadn't done since the 2017 Rose Bowl. They mounted a serious comeback. The Trojans went on a 42-3 run for the rest of the game to chop down the Fighting Trees of Palo Alto. SC's backup QB turned starter Kedon Slovis simply tore apart the Stanford secondary. With the help of a great group of wide receivers and running backs, he completed 28 of 33 passes for 377 yards and three TDs. The most amazing of which was the 39-yarder he threw to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Kid's Three TDs The SC defense had a good night too. After their dismal start they did give up more yards, but no more points as they allowed only two more Stanford scoring threats that ended in a missed a field goal and a partially blocked field goal by OT Austin Jackson. When it was over USC had claimed a much needed win that left the everyone feeling good about SC football for the first time in a long time.
Telling Stat: 35-0 in 38:00; From the 8:00 mark of the second quarter on, USC outscored Stanford 35-0 over the last 38 minutes the game to blow the Cardinal out of the Coliseum and back to the The Farm.
Arizona State 19- Sacramento State 7: Tempe, AZ- The Sun Devils, stumbled, bumbled, and fumbled their way to a very unimpressive win over the Hornets. The Sac State defensive line did their impression of the '85 Bears and seemed to be almost unblcokable by ASU's OL. ASU relied on the leg of Christian Zendejas, (Yes, there is yet another Zendejas that kicks.), to grab a 3-0 lead just before the half. Three more FGs stretched the lead to 12-0 midway through the fourth quarter. The ASU faithful were frustrated but, confident their Sun Devils would survive against the Hornets. That comfort left them when Sac State QB Kevin Thomson hooked up with WR Tao McClinton for a nine-yard TD pass. Suddenly Sac State had cut ASU's lead to just 12-7 with 6:20 to play. On the ensuing possession ASU QB Jayden Daniels hit RB Eno Benjamin with a short pass that the RB then turned into a 72-yard TD to ice the game with 4:42 to play. Daniels did finish the game hitting 17 of 27 passes for 304 yard and a TD despite looking bad for a good portion of the contest. Thomson completed 32 of 50 tosses for 263 yards, a TD and an interception in the narrow defeat.
Telling Stat: O-line woes; ASU won this game despite rushing for just 91 yards on the Hornets.
Utah 35- Northern Illinois 17: Salt Lake City, UT- Utah struggled with the Huskies for a good portion of the first half. NIU tool an early 7-0 lead on a drive that covered 88 yards in 12 plays. That drive was capped off with a nine-yard TD run by QB Ross Bowers. Utah's offense found their way in the second quarter when RB Demari Simpkins and Zack Moss and QB Tyler Huntley all scored on TD runs of 13, 16, and 16 yards to give the Utes a 21-17 half-time edge. Then in the second half, Utah's defense pitched a shutout while the offense found the end zone two more times on a other Zack Moss scamper of 5 yards and a 14-yard TD pass from Huntley to WR Jaylen Dixon. The score was higher this time around, but this game felt similar to the first time these two teams squared off last year at NIU. Utah had some struggles but wore down the Huskies to grab the win.
Telling Stat; A triple for the trio; Utah's offense trio of Simpkins, Moss and Huntley all come form Hallandale Hugh School in Florida. They each scored a rushing TD in the second period Saturday to give the Utes a lead they wouldn't surrender over NIU.
Colorado 34- Nebraska 31 OT: Boulder, CO- Things were looking pretty bleak for the Buffaloes as they headed to their locker room at halftime. The Buffs were down 17-0, had gained zero yards rushing and the home Folsom Field crowd looked like a sea of visiting Husker Red. The Buffaloes then got off the deck and and went on a comeback stampede in the second half that sent the Big Red down to a devastating defeat. CU crawled back into the game late in the third period when RB Jaren Mangham crossed the double stripe from 11 yards out. Then, pinned down on their own four-yard line to start the fourth quarter, Colorado ran a Flea Flicker that completely surprised everyone including the Nebraska defense. 96 yards later CU WR K.D. Nixon was in the end zone. That led to a wild finish that saw the Buffs outscore the Huskers 24-14 to force overtime. CU had the ball first in overtime. They drove down to the NU 17, but had to settle for a 34-yard FG by PK James Stefanou. It was then Nebraska's turn with the ball. After two plays gained just one yard, Cornhusker QB Adrian Martinez dropped back and was sacked for a seven yard loss. On the next play NU PK Isaac Armstrong missed a 48-yard FG attempt and the Buffs had the comeback win. Colorado QB Steven Montez finished the game with 375 yards passing and a pair of scores, while Nixon finished with 148 yards receiving and one TD. In the loss, Adrian Martinez threw for 290 yards, a pair of TDs and an Interception for Nebraska.
Telling Stat: 34/360; Colorado scored all 34 of their points and gained 360 of their 464 total yards in the second half to beat Nebraska.
SDSU 23- UCLA 14- Pasadena, CA- In front of hundreds of fans at the Rose Bowl, San Diego State controlled the clock and the game to pick up their first ever win over the bRuins. UCLA took their only lead of the game when they capitalized on a 30-yard punt return by PR Kyle Phillips. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson then drove UCLA 41 yards in four plays. RB Joshua Kelley capped off the drive on a 5-yard run to make the score 7-0 Westwood. That would be the only lead the bRuins would have all day. The Aztecs methodically took control of the clock and the game after that score. SDSU went on a 14-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game when RB Chase Jasmin crossed the double stripe from two yards out. Then the Aztecs took the lead for good when PK Matt Araiza connected from 43 yards for a 10-7 lead. UCLA then fumbled on their opening drive of the second half and two plays later QB Ryan Agnew found WR Kobe Smith for a 34-yard TD pass and the Aztecs held a 17-7 lead. UCLA did answer with a TD of their own to cut the Aztecs lead to 17-14, but that would be as close as they would get to victory. SDSU kicked two more field goals to put the bRuins away. Aztec QB Ryan Agnew led the SDSU offense with 293 yards passing and a TD.
Telling Stat: Pasadena freeze out; Over the last 21:53 of the game, SDSU held UCLA to just 47 yards on their final 22 plays to secure the Aztecs first ever win over the bRuins.
Washington State 59 Northern Colorado 17: Pullman, WA- Another Week, another weak opponent for the Cougars. They easily trounced the Golden Bears of the FCS. Wazzu QB Anthony Gordon completed 31 of 39 passes for 464 yard and four TDs. Up 24-10 at the break, the Cougars came out and hung 28 straight points on UNC to start the second half which sent everyone to the bars early.
Telling Stat: 59/594/23:59; Wazzu easily crushed UNC, putting 59 points and 594 yards on the board in 23:59 T.O.P
Oregon 77 -Nevada 6: Eugene, OR- The Ducks came out and took a boat load of frustrations out on the Wolfpack. After a slow start that saw Nevada draw to within a point at 7-6, the Webfoots went on a 70-0 run the rest of the way to notch their first win of the season. QB Justin Herbert completed 19 of 26 passes for 310 yards and five TDs in a little over a two quarters work. Each of Herbert's TD tosses went to a different receiver. Backup Tyler Shough picked up where Herbert left off further torching the Nevada defense by connecting on eight of nine passes for 92 yards and two TDs. The Quacks ran the ball well too. Six different Ducks carried the ball a total of 39 times for 221 yards and three TDs.
Telling Stat: 28/7; After giving up the field goal that cut their lead over Nevada to 7-6, Oregon' s defense held the Wolfpack to just seven yards of offense the rest of the second quarter while the offense put 28 points on the board to end this one early.
California 20 - Washington 19: Seattle, WA- It was cold and rainy in Seattle. So what, that's not a story. The story is that the weather featured lighting and lots of it which triggered a two-hour, thirty-eight minute rain delay that had most folks wondering if the game would be postponed or cancelled. Unfortunately for the Huskies the game was restarted. Cal then scrapped and clawed and outmuscled the Huskies to get a victory that stunned what was left of the Husky Stadium crowd and those of us who were still awake to watch the finish at home. However, it shouldn't have stunned folks because Cal did the same thing to UW a year ago at Memorial Stadium. This was as even a game as the score looks, with the Cal defense holding ballyhooed transfer QB Jacob Eason in cheek for the night. Eason completed only 18 of 30 throws for 162 yards and an interception. The Golden Bears ability to stop Eason forced several UW drives to stall and only get field goals instead of TDs. In fact, UW thought they had pulled this game out when PK Peyton Henry nailed a 50-yarder with just over 2:00 to play. Then Cal actually put together their only real drive of the night. QB Chase Garbers, who only completed 11 passes all night, completed three in a row on this final drive. Those completions and a PI call on the Huskies set up Cal with a first and goal at the UW three-yard line with :35 left on the clock. On fourth down, Cal PK Greg Thomas made good on a 17- field goal attempt and the Golden Bears had the win. Husky RB Salvon Ahmed rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries and a TD in the painful loss.
Telling Stat: 3s aren't 7s; Cal outscored Washington 17-9 in the second half thanks to their defense which bent, but didn't break. They forced three UW field goals, keeping the Dawgs out of the end zone for the final thirty minutes.
Here's the weather front that cause the delay in Seattle
Arizona 65- Northern Arizona 41: Tucson, AZ- The Wildcats blew the doors off the Lumberjacks early. The Wildcats put up 21 first quarter points then 30 more in the second stanza to take a 51-13 lead into intermission. UofA came out flat for the second half and NAU threw up to 28 second half points to make this game look a lot closer than it really was. The Wildcats piled up 720 yards of offense with 431 yard coming one the ground. RB Gary Brightwell carried the ball only five times, but gained 141 yards with a TD. His backfield mate J.J. Taylor, gained 102 yards on 10 carries with a score of his own. QB Khalil Tate completed 14 of 17 passes for 138 yards and two TDs before giving way to backup Greg Gunnell who cut up the Lumberjacks for 151 yards and three TDs. For NAU, QB Case Cookus completed 28 of 48 passes for 373 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 30 minutes equals an ugly blowout; UofA came out and played a nearly perfect first half, then backed it up with a penalty filled, mistake ridden second half to make this game look like the shootout it never really was.
Hawaii 31- Oregon State 28: The Hawaii defense, yes the Hawaii defense paved the way for the Warriors to claim a comeback win over the hapless Beavers. The Warriors often erratic QB Cole McDonald threw a 29-yard TD pass to tie the game at 28-28 midway through the third quarter. Then he guided UH to the game wining field goal after the Beavers misfired on a fourth and six on their own 34-yard line. PK Ryan Haskell's 28-yard field goal gave Hawaii a 31-28 lead. Oregon State had one more real shot to tie the game when they drove to the UH 34-yard line. PK Jordan Choukiar's 52-yard FG attempt missed and Hawaii had the win. McDonald was the Hawaii offense completing 30 of 52 aerials for 421 yards, four TDs and only one interception. OSU RB Jermar Jefferson paced the Beavers with 183 yards rushing on 31 carries and a TD.
Telling Stat: 0 for 30; The Hawaii defense shutout Oregon State in the second half, only allowing the Beavers no further than the Hawaii 34-yard line.
Observations
...Surprise like; I am on record as not being a fan of all the turnover chains and other such garbage handed to defensive players on the sidelines for just doing their job, so it came as a surprise to me that I actually like what USC is doing this year. This turnover sword just looks bold.
...The Traveling Post; C.W Post had made the jump to the FCS this season and is being punished for it. Post only has two home games this year and eight on the road. Ouch.
...To quote Dire Straits, "Oh yeah, the boy can play"; USC true frosh QB Kedon Slovis has some serious skills.
...Something I thought I'd never write; The Hawaii defense carried the Warriors to victory last Saturday.
...Wildcat resurgence; In two games under new HC Chris Klieman, Kansas State is 2-0 with two blowout victories. Klieman came to KSU from FCS power North Dakota State. With folks starting to rave about Maryland, keep the Wildcats on your radar.
...NFL mean stat of the week; Tennessee walloped Cleveland, 42-13 Sunday. That dropped the Browns to 1-19-1 in their last 21 openers.
...Quick fade; Suddenly, Miami is 0-2 and 0-1 in the ACC. Hmmmmmmm.
...He wrote it; San Jose Mercury News Pac 12 reporter Jon Wilner said this about USC, "...The Trojans are absolutely loaded at tailback and receiver. As long as (Kedon) Slovis doesn't get in the way- and the same could be said of (Clay) Helton- the Trojans should contend for the division and conference titles."
...Tough task; Hawaii has two Pac 12 wins, witch is something UCLA or Oregon State may have a hard time achieving this year.
...Made Al Michaels laugh; Credit Al Michales for pulling to together after this came across an open mic during the Bears-Packers game last week. It's NSFW folks, here's the link. Open Mic Night
...Saying it now; Wisconsin is going to whip Michigan in two weeks.
...Big Red Zero; Not only has Nebraska lost their last five games that have gone to overtime, the Cornhuskers have failed to score a single point in any of those overtime periods. Wow.
...Cardinal pain; Things just may just get far worse for Stanford as they travel to UCF this week.
...Carolina good; If anybody tells you that they thought North Carolina would be 2-0 to start the season they are lying.
...More than fashionably late; The Ivy League doesn't begin play until September 21st. The yachting season isn't over in Newport yet.
...Still a dumpster fire; Rutgers was shut out 30-0 by Iowa and was held to only five first downs in the process. SMH.
...He said it; CU HC Mel Tucker rallied his troops with some pretty straight forward words at halftime v. Nebraska. He told his charges, "We've taken their best shot, let's go give 'em ours." The Buffs sure did.
...Note to Jim Harbaugh; Please start winning games by a large margin. I don't think old Dan Dierfdorf can take the lackluster efforts from the Wolverines much longer. Listening to him lose it on the UM radio broadcast last week has me concerned.
...A requiem denied; Due to the "serious medical incident" that New Mexico HC Bob Davie suffered two weeks ago on the sideline, he won't travel to Notre Dame with the team for the Lobos game with the Fighting Irish this week. That's kind of sad.
...Two picks, two losses; In an eerily similar play to the interception he threw last week to snuff out the Bulldogs chances v. USC, Fresno State QB Jorge Reyna was picked off by Minnesota to let the Golden Gophers escape the Central Valley with a 38-35 OT win. 2 The Hard Way
...The Turtle rises; Maryland's 63-20 beatdown of Syracuse was brutal. Maryland whipped the Orange for a full 60 minutes. Oh, and the win cost Syracuse a shot to host College Gameday for the first time. If Syracuse had won, Lee Corso and the whole crew would have been there for their matchup with Clemson.
...That missing feeling; Even the wins have felt like losses at USC over the last two seasons. The feeling of a good win returned with the Trojans come-from-behind whipping of The Farm. Most Trojan fans forgot what that was like.
...Illi-Jans; Don't look now, but Illinois is 2-0 and HC Lovie Smith has to thank the former USC players that came to Illinois through the transfer portal.
...Simple advice; Winless and looking like this guy is no way to go through life.
...Let me repeat, Winless and looking like this guy is no way to go through life.
...Geaux O; Who didn't enjoy LSU beating Texas?
...Blame it on the quarter system; For their home opener v. SDSU, UCLA didn't bother to bring their band to their own home game at the Rose Bowl. Now that's some apathy for you.
...Still smiling; Oregon fans are still thrilled that Willie Taggart left UO for the Florida State job.
...High availability; What makes me think there will be plenty of tickets available for Oklahoma's visit to the Rose Bowl this week to take on UCLA?
...It's cool to be 1-0; I am 1-0 in my fantasy football league. I am celebrating now because last year I started off 1-0 and finished in ninth place.
Special Section- Swann Song
At about noon on 9/9/2019, the greater USC community received an e-mail from new USC President Carol Folt stating that Athletic Director Lynn Swann had retired. Which is really "retired" in the sense that he would be fired if he didn't step down as asked. This triggered great expressions of joy from USC fans everywhere. Swann was a bad hire as was Pat Haden before him and Mike Garrett before him. Swann was particularly unqualified to be an AD. He also took arrogant and aloof to another level which is hard to do at SC. Let's just hope USC hires a person from outside the Trojan Family who has real experience running a major college athletic department. Good bye, Lynn see you on the golf course...jackass.
Pac 12 Overreactions
Cal's defense might score more than their offense this year.
Oregon State might go 0-12.
UCLA may go 1-11.
USC may have found their new Sam Darnold.
Washington is not nearly as good as last year.
ASU will lose six games.
Arizona will lose seven games.
Stanford can't win without KJ Costello.
Colorado is going to a bowl.
Utah will go 10-2 at best.
Washington State will start 7-0.
Oregon might wear another not-so-ugly uniform.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Gotta go to East Lansing for this week's winner. Michigan State wore these neon green nightmares v. Western Michigan. Facepalm.
Low Score Game of the Week: Oberlin, OH- PK Greg Kearns kicked a 23-yard field goal with 14:05 left in the fourth quarter to lift the Kalamazoo College Hornets to a 3-0 win over the Oberlin College Yeomen. The Kalamzaoo defense did just enough to hold on for a win, keeping Oberlin scoreless on four trips to the red zone.
Blowout Game of the Week: Hunstville, TX- After dropping a tough one to FBS foe New Mexico last week, the FCS powerhouse Sam Houston State Bearkats walloped Oklahoma Panhandle State, 77-0. The Aggies of the NAIA had no answer for the SHSU rushing attack. The Bearkats ran for 411 yards and eight TDs on the afternoon. RB Tonell Carter had a short but fine day, rushing for 106 yards on 10 carries with three TDs. The Bearkats defense stuffed the Aggies offense allowing only five first downs and 107 total yards.
C.W. Post Press: Brookings, SD- The Pioneers are now known as the Sharks, but they must feel like bait after getting thumped, 38-3 by South Dakota State in their first game at the FCS level. QB Clay Beathard completed only nine of 20 passes for 71 yards and an interception for Post. Meanwhile SDSU QB Kanin Nelson only has to throw eight passes all day, completing six for 138 yards and a TD. The Jackrabbits just methodically ran the clock and the Sharks out of the building. They rushed the ball 42 times for 186 yards and three TDs. SDSU Highlights
Razorback Report: Oxford, MS- It was another bad night for the Hogs as they dropped their SEC opener, 31-17 to the Rebels of Ole Miss. Rebel QB Matt Corral hit on 16 of 24 aerials with two TDs and 46-yards rushing on 10 carries to lead the offense. The Hogs had no answer to the Rebels rushing game either with Scottie Phillips rushing for 143 yards and two TDs on 26 carries. The Arkansas defense did manage to keep their team in the game with DB Kamren Curl scooping up a fumble to cut the Rebels lead to just 17-10 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Arkansas offense never got untracked, scoring their only TD long after the game had been decided. Up next for the Hogs is a much needed bye week.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
The last couple of weeks of summer are always the most fun.
The one thing I really need quickly from Amazon will always be delayed.
La Española Meats in Harbor City is a really great place.
Until next time folks, remember one good game doesn't make a season, but man it feels great.
-The Commissioner
