It's time once again for a recap of the week that was in college football from a left coast perspective with Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Tom Kelly.
Summaries
USC 30- Utah 23: The circus came to town last Friday night at the Coliseum. Fox's Big Noon Kickoff Show made their first out of studio appearance at the newly remodeled home of the Trojans. Among the five members of the broadcast crew, SC legends Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were there. For Bush, it was his first visit to the old yard in many years after SC was forced to disassociate itself from him after being placed on probation. That was a huge story, however a bigger story was the presence of Urabn Meyer on the set. The man who a great deal of Trojan fans have their hearts set on as being named the new Trojan HC. Fans speculated just when "Fire Helton" or "Urban Meyer" chants would come from the crowd. The major storyline about the actual game was that after losing to BYU, how could the Trojans avoid being whipped by this Utah team that had worked over BYU to start the year. However, a funny thing happened on the way to Pac 12 supremacy for the Utes. Third string USC QB Matt Fink, all-world WR Michael Pittman, Jr and the USC defense made just enough plays to carry the night with a true spirit of Fight On. 36 seconds into the game, Utah DL Leki Fotu nailed Trojan starting QB Kedon Slovis and drove him to the turf. Slovis tried to get up, but fell back to the ground. His night was done with a concussion. Trojans fans who weren't feeling great about this game to begin with figured it was pretty much over. Then stepped in Matt Fink. All Fink did was complete 21 of 30 passes for 351 yards, three TDs and an interception. His main target was WR Michael Pittman, Jr. who caught 11 passes for 232 yards and a TD. The USC defense while being unable to produce a single 3-and-out against Utah made some big plays. They knocked out the Utes star RB Zach Moss form the game after just six carries, blocked a field goal attempt, forced a fumble on their own two-yard line to snuff out a drive and recorded a safety that kept the Trojans in much needed control of the game. The safety came when SC needed it most. The Trojans were nursing a 21-20 lead and Utah had just forced SC to punt. The punt was a good one from Ben Griffiths and it pinned the Utes back at their own six-yard line. On second down, Utah QB Tyler Huntley dropped back to pass and the Trojan D-line was on him in a heartbeat with DT Caleb Tremblay sacking Huntley as he threw wildly. Huntley was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. After getting the ball back on the free kick, USC drove down the field and scored when RB Markese Stepp ran over a Utah defender for a four-yard TD run that ended with Stepp giving some love to Reggie Bush and SC a 30-20 lead with 6:58 to play. Utah would then get a field goal to cut the deficit to seven points, but wouldn't get the ball back. USC, who had been held to negative rushing yards for most of the night, ran for two first downs to end any chance of a Utah comeback.
(Note: This here is my only mention of the 27 accepted penalties called in this game because both sides seemed to be equally hosed by the flag happy Pac 12 refs. SMH)
Telling Stat: Tough when it counted; The USC defense blocked a Utah FG attempt, Forced a fumble in the shadow of their own goal and created a safety despite giving up a ton of yards to stay in the game. That's a pretty good way to Fight On.
California 28 - Mississippi 20: Oxford, MS- The Golden Bears hit the road to Oxford, took on the challenge of a 9 AM PDT start time and pulled put out a nice win over the Rebels. The big takeaways form this game are that Cal QB Chase Garbers finally had a breakout game, the Bears defense is strong and that the Pac 12 refs can create controversy anywhere. Garbers had a great game completing 23 of 35 throws for 357 yards, four TDs and an interception. Garbers had only thrown three TD passes total this season coming into the contest. Cal's defense stayed strong enough to win. They were outgained and showed signs of fatigue late in the Oxford heat, but held on. The Pac 12 refs left their mark in SEC territory on the game's final sequence. Rebels QB John Rhys Plumlee seemed to hit WR Elijah Moore for a TD to cut Cal's lead to 28-26 with about 10 seconds left. However, the ball was spotted just outside the goal line. The clock ran and Ole Miss was forced to attempt a hasty QB sneak on fourth down. They were stopped by Cal and time ran out. The ill-fated sneak went on as Rebels HC Matt Luke's pleas for a replay of the previous play fell on deaf ears. No call for replay was issued by the Pac 12 replay official. The game was over and Cal had the win. Mississippi AD Keith Carter was not happy with the failure to review. Here's his statement. He Ain't Happy The Pac 12 responded with a statement of their own confirming the refs call. Here's the crux of the statement and reaction to it in the Clarion Ledger of Jackson, MS. Not Satisified
Telling Stat: Facepalm; The Failure of a review has tarnished what is a very good win by Cal. Thanks, Larry Scott.
Washington 45- BYU 19: Provo, UT- The Cougar faithful were looking to go 2-1 against the Pac 12 this year with the Huskies coming to town. With Washington's top RB Salvon Ahmed left back in Seattle with a "lower leg injury", the Cougars thought they would get another upset. UW would have none of that. The Dawgs went on drives of 68 and 75 yards to run out to an early 14-3 lead. BYU looked to get back into the game, but QB Zach Wilson was leveled by the Husky pass rush. Wilson fumbled and it was picked up by ILB Brandon Wellington who rumbled 69 yards to paydirt and a 21-3 lead. BYU scrambled to get back in the game, trailing 24-12 at the half. Washington came out in the third quarter and put the game away with a 21-point barrage that left the Cougars wondering just what hit them. After that, the game turned into a glorified scrimmage with BYU getting a final cosmetic touchdown. UW QB Jacob Eason had a very efficient day completing 24 of 28 passes for 290 yards, three TDs and an interception. Sean McGrew got the start at RB in place of Ahmed and rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries. As for BYU, Wilson completed 26 of 42 passes for 277 yards, a TD, an interception and a fumble in the painful loss.
Telling Stat: Blackjack; Washington scored 21 points in the first 9:38 of the third quarter to send Provo crowd to the
Oregon 21- Stanford 6: Palo Alto, CA- Oregon didn't blow the doors off Stanford offensively in this contest, but their defense physically dominated the Cardinal on The Farm. The Ducks defense strangled the already stagnant Stanford offense allowing just 234 total yards. The Cardinal's opening drive stalled on the Oregon 14-yard line where they drew first blood with a 32-yard field goal from PK Jet Toner. Stanford would never enter the red zone again. In fact, only two of Stanford's final 10 drives of the game crossed the 50-yard line. The Quacks defense and fine punting game set the Ducks up with the short fields they needed to grind out a win. UO's 21 points came off of three TD passes by QB Justin Herbert. The first one covered 36 yards and was hauled in by WR Jaylon Redd. The other two were caught by TE Jacob Breeland and they covered 16 and 24 yards respectively. Herbert completed 19 of 24 passes for 259 yards and those three TDs. For Stanford, QB KJ Costello competed 16 of 30 passes for 120 yards and an interception.
Telling Stat; Pinned down and out; Thanks to the Oregon special teams, Stanford's average starting field position in this game was their own 21-yard line.
Colorado 34 - Arizona State 31: Tempe, AZ- Last week, Colorado stumbled in a loss to Air Force after grabbing a big comeback win over Nebraska. This week was ASU's turn to stumble after their big, but controversial win at Michigan State last week. The Sun Devils found themselves down in an early 14-0 hole to start the second quarter, but bounced back with a 21 point second quarter to go into halftime down by three, 24-21. Many wondered if the Buffaloes could hold it as they lost numerous players to injury. The biggest injury was to their all-everything WR Laviska Shenault, Jr. who left the game on the second series and wouldn't return. WR Tony Brown stepped up in his place and hauled in nine passes for 150 yards and three TDs. The frenetic pace of the first half, died down in the second half as both offenses left plenty of points on the field by missing on big plays. That along with both defenses rising up made for a tense final two quarters. ASU would tie the game at 24-24 near the ned of third quarter on a 23-yard field goal by PK Christian Zendejas. Colorado answered right away and swept down the field to extend their lead to 31-24 on Brown's third TD catch. The lead didn't last long as ASU tied the game about three minutes later on a 39-yard TD pass from QB Jayden Daniels to WR Frank Darby. Neither team did much for the next four possessions. CU found their offensive rhythm again and went on an 11-play, 57-yard rive that ended with a 44-yard field goal from PK Games Stefanou for that proved to be the game-winner. The Buffs snuffed out ASU's last real chance to comeback holding for downs to secure the win. This win was a huge for Colorado as it was their first road win over a ranked opponent since 2002. CU QB Steven Montez, one of the seemingly few Buffs that didn't get injured, completed 23 of 30 passes for 337 yards and three TDs. For ASU, Daniels threw for 345 yards and a pair of scores while RB Eno Benjamin, toted the rock 20 times for 83 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: Slow Start; ASU's lackluster first quarter put the Sun Devils in a 14-0 hole that cost them the game.
UCLA 67- Washington State 63: Pullman, WA- Most folks anywhere east of the Pacific Time Zone turned this game off and went to bed thinking Wazzu had easily pummeled the bRuins into submission. After all, the Cougars held a 49-17 lead with 6:52 left in the third quarter. Then, something crazy happened in the Palouse. UCLA crawled back into the game. A 75-yard TD drive was capped off by a 1-yard run by QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. That was followed by a Cougar fumble which UCLA cashed in for another TD on a 37-yard pass form Thompson-Robinson to WR Chase Cota. Wazzu then punted on their next possession, pinning the bRuins on their own six-yard line. On first down, Thompson-Robinson hit WR Demetric Felton on a slant route. Felton then took it the rest of the way for a 94-yard score. In just 3:35, Wazzu's lead was cut to 49-38. Then following another WSU turnover, UCLA scored again on a seven-yard pass from Thompson-Robinson to TE Devon Asiasi. The two point conversion cut WSU's lead to 49-46 with 14:28 left to play in the fourth quarter. The two teams kept trading scores with Wazzu clinging to a 63-60 lead on the eighth and ninth TD passes of the game from QB Anthony Gordon and UCLA scoring on a punt return and a TD run from Thompson-Robinson. UCLA was then held for downs at the WSU 17-yard line and it looked like Wazzu had dodged a major bullet and would get the win. Wazzu then Coug'd it. On first down, WR Easop Winston, Jr. fumbled the ball right back to UCLA. Three plays later the bRuins held their first lead of the game at 67-63 on Thompson-Robinson's 15-yard TD pass to Felton. WSU got the ball back with :59 left and fumbled yet again to UCLA to end the game. The final stats were amazing in this insane game. Thompson-Robinson had a huge night, Completing 25 of 38 passes for 507 yards and five TDs. He also ran for 57 yards and two TDs. Felton caught seven passes for 150 yards and two score and also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score. For Wazzu, Gordon completed 41 of 61 passes for 570 yards and nine, yes nine TDs. Winston, Jr. caught 10 balls for 114 yards and four TDs. The teams combined for 130 points, 1,377 yards of offense, and ran 157 plays.
Telling Stat: Can't leave the ball on the ground; Lost in all the numbers of UCLA's epic comeback win over Wazzu is that UCLA forced six Wazzu turnovers and scored 28 points off those turnovers.
Observations
...He might just be a little concerned however; According to the AP recap of the game, Stanford HC David Shaw said this after his Cardinal were worked over by Oregon last Saturday. "I'm not going to hit the panic button. I don't have a panic button. There's no panic button." Yeah, sure Dave.
...Over quickly; Hopefully, Pitt's upset of UCF ends the speculation that the Knights deserve a playoff chance.
...It's a big man's party, who could ask for more?; Had to paraphrase Oingo Boingo for this one. I can't wait for 10/12 when Wisconsin hosts Michigan State. I just want to see the Badgers O-line take on the Spartans front seven.
...A bitter harvest; Stanford is 1-3 for the first time since 2007, which was former Cardinal HC Jim Harbaugh's first year at the helm in Palo Alto.
...Nittany thoughts; Nobody is talking about Penn State at all. Is it because their 3-0 record is against mostly weak competition or that some people think Maryland will upset them this week. Hmmmmmmm
...This just in; Tennessee still stinks. The Volunteers had more turnovers (4) than points (3) against Florida last Saturday.
...UC coming out parties; Cal QB Chase Garbers and UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson both look like they had that game where everything slowed down for them. They looked confident with a good grasp of their respective offenses. Will they carry that good play on to their next game? We shall see.
...Head over heels for six; In case you missed it, here's a look at the coolest TD run you will ever see thanks to Del Oro High School RB Kainoa Alcia. two-point landing
...Scary thought; Who besides me thinks that Wisconsin could have hung 70 on Michigan if they wanted to?
...Quietly making noise; Wake Forest is 4-0.
...An unintended consequence; Here's a twist on the new redshirt rule, University of Houston QB D'eriq King and WR Keith Corbin have decided to redshirt after the first four games this year. Both were established starters and King had some Heisman buzz around him before the start of season. SMH. They'll sit this one out
...This also just in; The Pac 12 refs still really really stink. Last weekend saw the the stripes hand out an average of 15 penalties for 129 yards per game. SMH.
...That's a short stack of pancakes; Watch LSU LG Adrian Magee flatten not one but two Vandy defenders with time to celebrate in-between. Flattened
...A voice missed; Man, I miss hearing Pat Summerall's voice on Sundays.
...Maybe an injury; Check out how an ND player threw his own player to the ground for an injury while another ND player looks like he was supposed to hit the turf to slow down the Georgia offense. Takedown
...Memo to Utah; USC QB Matt Fink likes to throw deep.
...Faint praise; Notre Dame is getting all kinds of praise for losing by just six points at Georgia. Moral victories are for losers. Ask Charlie Weis.
...Somewhat bold prediction; Utah State will be the Mountain West Conference Champion.
...Well, it was a quiet bye week; Arizona HC Kevin Sumlin has caught some major flak in the Twitterverse from Texas A&M fans after posting a rather ambiguous tweet. Googly-eyes
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Oregon State was a 10 point underdog to their Bye Week.
...Anger in Ann Arbor; The Wolverine faithful have let their frustrations be known.
...4-0 never felt so good; SMU is 4-0 for the first time since 1984 after they beat TCU, 31-28 this past weekend.
...Fun Trojans Stat; USC scored 30 points on Utah. The Utes had only given up 29 points total coming into their game with SC.
...Not into feeling the heat; 1-2 Northwestern HC Pat Fitzgerald isn't interested in your negativity and he went off about it. He Don't care
...On a Bur-Rowll; LSU HC Ed Oregon's LSU tigers are on quite the roll. His QB Joe Burrow has, in four games, thrown for more TD passes this year that LSU threw for all of last year.
...Feeling Boulder; I get the feeling that CU HC Mel Tucker may end up being everything that ASU HC Herm Edwards wants you to think he is.
...Not a good pick; College Gameday is heading to Lincoln, NE for the Ohio State- Nebraska game this week. What makes anyone think this is a game worthy of hosting Gameday?
...The 1,000 yard stare; Wazzu HC Mike Leach's blank stare into the abyss as his team was collapsing around him looked worse than USC HC Clay Helton's usual slacked-jawed stare from the sideline. Whoa.
...So long to another two-way player; College football Hall of Famer E.J. Holub passed away at age 81 last week. Holub was one of the last two way players. He starred at Center and Linebacker at Texas Tech and made the 1960 ALL-America team alongside Mike Ditka and Bob Lilly. He then preformed at both positions in the AFL. Holub started at linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I, then started at center for the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. R.I.P, E.J.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Not so much an ugly uniform more than just a poor choice wins this week. The Tulane Green Wave wins for their choosing a uniform that highlights their sky blue secondary color. When your team is called the Green Wave, an all-blue uniform is really not an option.
Pac 12 Overreactions
Cal has finally found a QB.
UCLA may now have the confidence to keep winning.
USC will go 8-4.
Oregon State will play a game this week.
Colorado HC Mel Tucker's force of will alone will get the Buffs to a bowl game.
Utah still has one more bad Pac 12 loss in them.
Arizona will play a game this week.
Washington can't win consistently with Jacob Eason alone.
Stanford is a 4-8 team at best.
Oregon might be more physical than Utah.
Arizona State could go 6-6 or 10-2.
Wazzu's epic choke job will cost them two more games.
Debunking 1916
Much was made in the media this week of how Utah hasn't beaten USC in Los Angeles since 1916, several years before the LA Coliseum was built. Yes, that's a good stat, but it was used poorly when looking at the series between the two schools. The teams have met just 18 times total with nine of those times occurring since Utah joined the Pac 12 in 2011. The first six times they met was from 1915-25 with single games sprinkled in the years 1948, 1993, and 2001. I love the stat and want USC to keep Utah winless in LA. However, the length of the series doesn't make that stat something to be mentioned over and over again by the media.
Baseball and the Generations
Last week, the grandson of Red Sox Hall of Fame outfielder Carl Yastrzemski, Mike played Carl's old position of left field at Fenway Park for the visiting San Francisco Giants. Mike homered in his first game there and the nation was carried away with the story. My favorite take away from the younger Yaz's trip to Fenway was a bit of true Americana that just broke me right up. There were reports of Carl, now 80, standing in Fenway's famous left field giving his grandson tips on how to play balls hit off the Green Monster. To me this is the essence of baseball. Fathers and grandfathers hand this game down to their kids. We hand it down on fields big and small and in our own backyards. It's almost a scared rite of passage. For me to see that handing down of the game from Carl to Mike in Carl's old backyard was pretty special. I just wish my backyard was as cool as Carl's.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Wichita Falls, TX- This week's game comes from the Lone Star Conference in Division II where the Midwestern State Mustangs held off the University of Texas Permian Basin Falcons, 14-8. A TD pass from QB Zach Purcell to WR Juwan Johnson in the first quarter and 9-yard TD run by RB Lazarus Fisher in the third quarter would be all the scoring that Midwestern State would need. After giving up a field goal and safety in the third quarter, the Mustangs shutout the Falcons in the final period to gain the victory. The Falcons are obviously not as successful in football as their feeder high school, Odessa "Friday Night Lights" Permian High.
Blowout Game of the Week: Granville, OH- The Alma Mater of Woody Hayes, Denison University, Steamrolled the Hiram Collage Terriers, 66-7. The Big Red rushed for 329 yards on the Terriers with RB Alex Minton rushing for 90 yards on 15 carries and three TDs. QB Drew Dawkins completed seven of 11 passes for 152 yards and two TDs to compliment the Denison ground attack.
C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- In their Northeast Conference opener, the Sharks continued their initiation of pain to the FCS level with a 34-10 loss to the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Post did hold a 7-6 lead after one period of play thanks to a 20-yard TD gallop by QB Clay Beathard. However, Sacred Heart QB Logan Marchi threw three second quarter TD passes give the Pioneers a 27-7 half-time lead. After a third period field goal by Post, SHU put the game away in the final stanza on a 44-yard TD run from RB Julius Chestnut. Up next for Post is a trip to Staten Island and a game with Wagner College.
Razorback Report: Things have seemed to hit rock bottom again with the Hogs as they dropped a home game to perennial Mountain West Conference bottom feeder, San Jose State, 31-24. The Spartans stunned the Hogs, racing out to a 24-7 halftime advantage behind two TD passes from QB Josh Love, a 15-yard TD run from RB Nick Nash and a 47-yard field goal from PK Matt Mercurio. Arkansas mounted a comeback, eventually tying the game on eight-yard TD pass from QB Nick Starkel to WR Trey Knox. However, with just 1:13 to play, SJSU tallied the game winner when RB DeJon Packer gashed the Hogs defense for a 19-yard TD run. Arkansas has to be considering some major changes after this loss especially at QB where Nick Starkel threw five interceptions. Up next for Arkansas is a trip to Jerryworld to face an angry Texas A&M squad.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I'd like to wish everyone a happy first week of Fall even thought the Santa Ana's this week will send the temps into the 90s around here.
The Totchos at Bosscat Kitchen are awesome.
Lionel trains are still really cool.
Until next time folks, remember that heart, hope and confidence can be worth a couple of wins a year.
-The Commissioner
