Week 13

Hey All,

It's time for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving week edition of the column that makes your football season better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still Miss you, Ned Miller and staff.

Summaries

USC 52- UCLA 35: The Trojans took the Victory Bell back from the bRuins with an onslaught of offense and a modicum of defense in the 2019 edition of this storied rivalry.  USC QB Kedon Slovis threw over, around, under, and through UCLA defense for 515 yards and four TDs. He also spread the ball around a bit with four Trojan receivers gaining over 100 yards each.  USC fans can thank the offense for offsetting a pretty bad effort from their defense and another absolutely abysmal effort from their special teams.  UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson carved up the Trojans completing 26 of 44 passes for 367 yard and three TDs while also rushing for 64 yards on 16 carries and another score. As for SC's special teams, a running into the kicker call, a hands to the face penalty, a fumbled punt and having less than 11 men on the field for a field goal attempt were just some of the errors that drew the ire of the Coliseum crowd. In the end though, USC did come away with a rivalry win that killed UCLA's faint hopes of becoming bowl eligible.
Telling Stat: Twice is nice;  USC WRs Michael Pittman, Jr., Drake London, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tyler Vaughns became just the second set of WRs to all top the 100-yard receiving mark in game this century.

California 24- Stanford 20: Palo Alto, CA- Chase Garbers exited the second quarter of Cal's loss to SC on 11/6 when he re-injured his shoulder.  He was held out of all the contact drills in practice ahead the Big Game at Stanford.  Garbers then started for Cal, took all the physical punishment Stanford could hand out and with 1:16 remaining in the contest scrambled 16 yards for the game-winning TD to snap Cal's nine-game losing streak in the rivalry and take The Axe back to Berkeley. The Golden Bears looked like a 10th straight loss to the Cardinal was happening when PK Ryan Sanborn nailed a 44-yard field goal with 2:23 to play. Garbers then drove Cal 75-yards in six plays forth game-winning score. The Cal defense then held the Cardinal for downs on the ensuing drive to seal the victory. Garbers finished the day with 285 yards passing and a TD to go with 72 yards rushing and another score. Cardinal QB Davis Mills threw for 283 yards, a TD and two huge interception in defeat.
Telling Stat: 1 is fun; Cal currently has a one-game wining streak over Stanford. 

Colorado 20- Washington 14: Boulder, CO- The Buffaloes kept their dreams of bowl eligibility alive and registered their first ever win over the Huskies in the process. Colorado's defense set up camp in the Washington backfield from the opening kickoff and held the Dawgs to 32 yards rushing on 32 carries. That's a nifty 1.0 yards per carry average for the non-math majors out there. The Buffs did hold QB Jacob Eason in check too. They gave up only 206 yards and a TD while picking him off once early in the first period. CU QB Steven Montez had a rare good night. Which means he didn't throw the drive killing interception or cough up the ball on an ill-advised dive for extra yardage.  He managed the game well, completing 17 of 28 aerials for 223 yards and a TD.  RB Alex Fontenot found the gaps in the Husky defense, carrying the ball 24 times for 105 yards and a TD.  Even with the fine efforts of the Buffaloes, UW still had a chance to pull the game out.  A Husky punt pinned the the Buffs at their own one-yard line with 5:09 left to play.  CU avoided a safety thanks to an offsides call on the Dawgs, then survived a fumble when backup QB Blake Stenstrom fumbled an RPO exchange and then recovered the loose pigskin. Montez came back into the game with an obviously injured left hand and handed the ball to Fontenot five straight times to break the Huskies spirit.  Montez then took a final kneel down to kill the clock and get the win.
Telling Stat: They paved the road; With five minutes left, Colorado's O-line took it to the Washington front seven, paving the road for 81 yards in 11 plays to drain the clock and Washington's last chance for a victory.

Arizona State 31- Oregon 28: Tempe, AZ- With 11:59 left to play, the Sun Devils held a 24-7 lead over the Ducks. The Sun Devils had methodically built the lead after falling behind 7-0 early. The ASU defense had held the Webfoots in check and had seemingly iced the game after picking off QB Justin Herbert on consecutive possessions.  However, Oregon wasn't finished. Instead they mounted a furious comeback that fell just short as their defense failed them down the stretch.  Herbert picked apart the Sun Devils, driving his squad to three TDs in a tad under 7:00 of playing time. He hooked up with WR Joey Johnson for most of the yards on those drives. After two the first two of those TDs, the Quacks defense lost track of ASU WR Brandon Aiyuk. Faced with a 3rd and 16 from his own 19-yard line, QB Jayden Daniels hit Aiyuk on a go route and he took it to the house for an 81-yard TD to put ASU up 31-21 with 3:54 to play. UO did get another TD, but then ASU recovered the onside kick that followed and then killed the clock to seal the victory and end Oregon's playoff hopes. Daniels had arguably the best night of his young career, completing 22 of 32 passes for 40 yards and three scores. RB Eno Benjamin also had a fine night leading all rushers with 114 yards on 31 carries and 54 more yards on five receptions. In the loss, Herebert completed 20 of 36 tosses for 304 yards, two TDs and two costly interceptions.
Telling Stat: 0 for O;  Once again, Oregon will go another year without a national title. 

Washington State 54- Oregon State 53: Pullman, WA- What a barnburner it was in the Palouse! The two squads combined for 60 first downs and 1,242 total yards.  That's not bad a for a game that was just 24-21 Beavers at the half. Wazzu took control of the game in the third quarter shutting out OSU, 14-0 to take a 35-24 lead into the last stanza. Oregon State then went on a 29-7 run over the first 11:43 of the final quarter to take a 53-42 lead. QB Jake Luton and RB Jermar Jefferson made a powerful combo  with Luton throwing to Jefferson for two of the TDs during the scoring blitz with Jefferson running for a third. Then, with the home crowd stunned and thinking this was the UCLA game all over again, the Cougs fought back to win.  The TD drive to to cut their deficit to five points covered 75 yards in seven plays with WR Dezmon Patton taking it to the end zone form 14 yards out. After the ensuing onside kick failed, the Beavers tried to run out the clock. However, they couldn't. When faced with a fourth & four from the WSU 43-yard line, the Beavers went for it. Luton's pass fell incomplete and the Cougs had a chance. 10 lays later, RB Max Borghi slammed into the end zone from the two-yard line with :02 left to lift Wazzu to victory.  That was a pretty gutsy call considering, that the Cougars had not timeouts and being stopped short would mean the clock would run out. Now, for the stats.  In the win Gordon completed 50 of 70 passes for 606 yards and six TDs with Borghi rushing the ball 10 toes for 44 yard and two scores. In the painful loss, Luton completed 22 of 40 throws for 408 yards and five scores, while Jefferson lugged the leather 21 times for 132 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: No punt = L; Even if an OSU punt went for a touchback with a 1:10 left, Wazzu would have had to travel an extra 23 yards on their final drive. Hmmmmm

Utah 35- Arizona 7: Tuscon, AZ- The Utes ruined Senior Night and ended UofA's hopes of bowl eligibility in a little over three hours last Saturday night.  The much maligned Wildcat defense made a couple of surprisingly good fourth down stops of the Utes in the first half, but it didn't matter much as the Utes took a 14-0 lead into the half and then extended that to a 28-0 lead at the end of three quarters. The easy win put the Utes a game away from clinching the Pac 12 South and meeting up with the Oregon Ducks in the Pac 12 title tilt. Utah RB Zach Moss ran over, around and through the Wildcats to tune of 203 yards on 26 carries and a TD.  His backfield mate, QB Tyler Huntley completed 19 of 23 passes for 211 yards and a TD to provide the second half of a one-two punch that Arizona couldn't recover from. Meanwhile, the Utah defense held their opponents to 196 total yards and token TD after the game was well in hand.
Telling Stat: Not nearly as closes as it looked; The Utah defense allowed 85 of Arizona's 196 total yards after emptying the benches with a 35-0 lead and 6:50 to play in the fourth period.

Observations

...Get the hardware out;  After tastes of rivalry game last Saturday, a boatload of rivalry games will be played this week.  Everything form the Apple Cup to the Old Oaken Bucket to the Fremont Cannon will be up for grabs  this week. Enjoy the football feast folks!

...Not shocked; The FCS playoff bracket came out Sunday and North Dakota State is the number one seed. Yawn.

...A little strange; With USC having a very poorly placed bye week, it will be very odd not going to the Coliseum this Saturday.

...Imua Warriors!;  When SDSU PK Matt Araiza's 48-yard FG attempt missed with eight seconds left, Hawaii held on for a 14-11 win over the Aztecs and claimed the the Mountain West Conference's West Division crown and will face Boise State for the MWC title on 12/7.

...Two gone in the MWC; New Mexico HC Bob Davie and UNLV HC Tony Sanchez were both fired this week.

...The circle is complete; The annual Circle of Suck for the Pac 12 fell into place when ASU upset Oregon.  Please check this tweet form the Stanford Tree to see just how the Pac 12 eats its' own.
Daddy sang bass

...Early celebration Part I; After scoring the winning TD with :02 left against OSU, Wazzu HC Mike Leach had his team take a knee on the conversion attempt to prevent any kind of turnover that would result from a possible blocked PAT.  Cougs WR Renard Bell didn't realize that the clock doesn't run on a conversion attempt and started celebrating as if the game was over.  He was flagged for celebration and WSU had to kickoff form their own 20-yard line to finish the game. He's very lucky the OSU didn't pull of a miracle with those 15 extra yards. Facepalm.

...Feeling it for the Commodores;  This speaks volumes about a sad picture of a lost season at Vanderbilt. I think the band outnumbers the fans here.

...Early Celebration Part II; Washington Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins was taking a selfie with a fan and celebratig his first win as a starter in the NFL as any young QB night do.  Only problem was that the Redskins still needed to take one final snap. SMH. One more play 

...Seven Bowls for Seven teams;  The Pac 12 has seven bowl game tie-ins and has seven bowl eligible teams and most likely won't get any more.  It is very unlikely that Oregon State beats Oregon next week or that Colorado will upset Utah.

...He wasn't happy; At least one Wazzu fan was not thrilled when Oregon State scored to take a short-lived fourth-quarter lead v. the Cougars last week.

...#2 by 91 yards and two scores; USC's Kedon Slovis threw for 515 yards and five TDs v. UCLA and was still only second in the Pac 12 in passing yards last week as WSU's Anthony Gordon threw for 606 yards and six TDs.  Wow.

...Imua Warriors- Part II; Hawaii did what UCLA couldn't do this year. They beat San Diego State.

...More Scarlet and Gray; There's no way the Michigan beats Ohio State this week.

...They brought the weather (delay) with them; The Harvard-Yale game was delayed over an hour due to protestors rushing the field at halftime for a climate change protest.  So, the game did suffer  a weather delay of sorts. lol The Protest at The Game

...2-0; New USC AD Mike Bohn picked up his second win over UCLA this season. Bohn came to USC from Cincinnati who beat UCLA, 24-14 to start the season.

...Best game nobody saw last week; In the first round of the D-III playoffs, Chapman University hit the road to Linfield College in Oregon and walked out with a 68-65 win in triple OT. Way to hold up that SCIAC pride, boys.


Power Five Conference Races Update

ACC: Clemson is the Atlantic division champ. The winner of this week's Virginia-Virginia Tech game will win the Coastal division and face the Tigers in the ACC title game.

Big 12: Baylor will play Oklahoma in the Big XII title game.

Big Ten: TheeeOSU is the Big Ten East division champ and will play the winner of this week's Minnesota-Wisconsin game in the Big Ten title game.

Pac 12: Oregon will face either Utah or USC in the Pac 12 title game.  If Utah beats Colorado this week, they are in.  A loss to the Buffaloes means the Trojans back into the title game.

SEC: Georgia and LSU will face each other in the SEC title game.

Pac 12 Bowl Predicitons

Oregon- Rose Bowl
Utah- Alamo Bowl
USC- Holiday Bowl
Cal- Redbox Bowl
Arizona State- Sun Bowl
Washington- Las Vegas Bowl
Washington State- Cheez-It Bowl

Grey Cup Update

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the 107th Grey Cup Champions. They wiped out the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 33-12 to claim their first CFL championship since 1990. Read about it here in the Winnipeg Sun. The Grey Cup, Eh!

Ugly Uniform of the Week

As much I will praise Baylor for further helping Texas football rediscover irrelevancy, these uniforms are just hideous. Hey Baylor, French's called. They want their mustard back.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Maryville, MO- In a first round matchup of D-II playoffs, the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats held off the Harding Bisons, 7-6.  The Bearcats held an early 7-0 lead thanks to a 4-yard pass from QB Braden Wright to WR Kyle Raunig. It was defensive slugfest the rets of the way with Harding finally hitting paydirt with 1:14 left to play  when QB Tristan Tucker knifed into  the end zone from six yards out. Harding then went for two and failed. The Bearcats defense held Tucker short of the goal line to get the win.  Harding didn't attempt a single pass in the game. They just ran the ball for all 56 of their offensive plays.

Blowout Game of the Week: Salisbury, MD- The D-III playoffs started as well this week and the Salisbury Sea Gulls destroyed the SUNY- Privateers, 83-0.  The Sea Gulls built up a 42-0 lead in the first quarter behind a defense that forced a pair of turnovers and a three three-and-outs which were turned into 35 of the those 42 first quarter points. The Sea Gulls defense held the Privateers to just 71 total yards and two first downs for the afternoon.

C.W. Post Press: Brookville, NY- The nightmare that has been the Sharks first year at the FCS level ended in a 24-10 loss to old foe Merrimack College.  The Sharks finish the year at 0-10. Needless to say, the braintrust at Post needs to rethink their decision to leave D-II.

Razorback Report: The Hogs were smashed 56-20 by LSU and this quote from Tigers HC Ed Oregon says it all, "There wasn't gong to be a celebration for beating Arkansas, they haven't beat anyone in a long time."

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

My sister is right, Marshalls is great place to buy wrapping paper. 

First big rain of the season supposed to hit LA this week, Can't wait to see what poor schlub the local news sends outside in a slicker to tell me that it's raining. 

More weather here. If you see the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore in your town, doesn't that mean you should evacuate the area?

Until next time folks, remember that championship level teams play well on offense, defense and special teams.

-The Commissioner

Week 12

Hey All,

After a triumphant trip to Berkley, this intrepid reporter is proud to present to you another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

USC 41- California 17: The Trojans kicked off at 8 PM in Berkeley, then after playing a mostly sluggish first half, kicked the Bears out of Memorial Stadium to earn their seventh win of the season. This game turned from a 10-10 tight looking affair into a rout after the USC defense knocked Cal QB Chase Garbers out of the game in the middle of the second quarter.  The Trojan defense easily handled backup QB Devon Modster, allowing the Bears to score once more after the game was no longer in doubt. The Cal defense had major problems covering the USC receiving corps.  They just really couldn't and SC QB Kedon Slovis carved them up. He completed 29 of 35 passes for 406 yards and four TDs. WR Michael Pittman hauled in 11 balls for 180 yards and a TD.  RB Stephen Carr retuned from his injuries sustained a few weeks ago against Arizona to rush for 19 yard and a TD, while keeping blitzing LBs off Slovis.
Telling Stat: 31 gets a W;  USC went on a 31-0 run that lasted from just before the end of the first half to the Start of the fourth quarter to take a 41-10 lead and send folks home early from Strawberry Canyon. 

Oregon State 35- Arizona State 34: Corvallis, OR- ASU WR Brandon Aiyuk piled up 292 all-purpose yards, but it wasn't enough to lift the Sun Devils to a win against the Beavers.  This game was  see-saw affair with the Beavers holding a 35-28 lead heading into the final period. Both defense held firm in the final period until ASU QB Jayden Daniels hit Aiyk with a 44-yard strike to set up the Sun Devils at the OSU 44-yard line. Nine plays later, ASU faced a fourth and eight form the  Beavers 12-yard line. Daniels found Aiyuk one more time, this time for 12 yard and what many thought would be the game-tying touchdown.  However, ASU HC Herm Edwards decided to go for two instead. The Two-point converison attempt failed.  The Beavers covered the ensuing onside kick and then were able to run out the clock when former Trojan and ASU CB Jack Jones was called for pass interference with just :43 seconds left. The big win was OSU's fifth of the season, which really nobody thought this team could pull off. OSU's Jake Luton completed 26 of 35 passes for 288 yards and four TDs to lead his team to victory. As for ASU, Daniels threw for 334 yards and three scores in the loss.
Telling Stat: They left points on the field; ASU fumbled twice in the second half. One led to OSU's go ahead TD and the other was on the Beavers goal line to kill a drive. Couple that with Herm Edwards' poor two-point conversion call and  it all adds up to a bad loss for the Sun Devils.

Washington State 49- Stanford 22: Pullman, WA- Wazzu HC Mike Leach called his team "frauds" last week after they were trounced by Cal.  This week, the Cougars exposed the Stanford secondary as frauds.  Cougar QB Anthony Gordon torched the Trees, completing 44 of 60 passes for 520 yards and five TDs with one interception. WRs Brandon Arconado and Easop Winston were Gordon's favorite targets combining to haul in 20 balls for 255 yards and three scores. The Cougars did get just enough defense to turn this into a rout by blanking the Cardinal in the first and fourth quarters.
Cardinal QB Davis Mills did have a decent day, tearing up the suspect Wazzu secondary, completing 32 of 49 passes for 494 yards, three TDs and two huge interceptions in there loss.
Telling Stat: 2+6+2+6=W;  The WSU defense allowed 510 yards, but registered two sacks, six other tackles for loss, picked off two passes and held Stanford to just six yards rushing to get the W in the Palouse.  

Utah 49- UCLA 3: Salt Lake City, UT- The bRuins traveled to Rice-Eccles Stadium with visions of  a Pac 12 South division title dancing in their heads. Those visions were dashed by a very nasty Utah defense and opportunistic offense. After surrendering a field goal on UCLA's opening drive, the Utes dominated the game.  UCLA just couldn't stop turning the ball over. They did it  five times with the Utes scoring 21 points off those bRuin miscues. The bRuin defense couldn't stop Utah QB Tyler Huntley or his backfield mate, Zack Moss. Huntley connected on 14 of 18 aerials for 335 yards and a pair of TDs, while Moss toted the rock 17 times for 127 yards and two scores of his own. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 20 of 36 passes for 219 yards and two interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: 53:05=W; Utah gave up an early field goal, then shutout UCLA over the final 53:05 of game time in this laugher in the Beehive State.

Oregon 34- Arizona 6: Eugene, OR- The Ducks got a win and a light workout in against the Wildcats. Oh, and the Quacks also secured a spot in the Pac 12 title game too. The Webfoots jumped out to an e 21-0 lead and never looked back.  Grant Gunnell got the start over Khalil Tate at QB this week, but it didn't matter. Both played poorly and combined for a meager 132 yards though the air with no TDs.  For the Ducks, QB Justin Herbert had a good day against the porous Wildcat defense, completing 20 of 28 tosses for 333 yards and four scores.
Telling Stat: 5:09;  That was the time left in the second quarter when the Ducks went up 21-0 over the Wildcats to end the competitive portion of this game.

Observations

...The injury;  The hip dislocation that Tua Tagovailoa suffered his awful and possibly career ending, but it's tough for me to blame Saban on this one.  I can't remember seeing a coach take his starting QB out in a blowout game before the half.  Even with al the circumstances around Tua's health, that's a tough knock on Saban.

...8 PM pain;  The worst thing about the late kickoff in Berkeley was that ti was senior night at Cal. Instead of a decent kickoff time to allow your seniors to be celebrated in front of packed stadium against and old rival, the place was maybe 2/3 full and rather subdued. Kind of lame.

...Best sponsor ever;  The replay reviews at Cal are sponsored by the UC Berkeley Optometry School.

...Tiger Trivia;  LSU ran up 714 yards of offense in their 58-37 win over Ole Miss last week. That's the second highest total, ever amassed by the Bayou Bengals in a single game.  The most is 746 yards by the 1977 LSU squad in a 77-0 thumping of Rice.  Who was the QB of that 1977 LSU team?

...Taking one for the team;  Chamberlain Smith, an Intern for the Georgia Athletic department was knocked out on the sideline when she was run over by Bulldog RB Brian Herrien. This is what int looks like on TV. Out Cold  She was conscious by the time she was carted off the field. Smith also tweets this out on Tuesday. She got the shot

...The Longhorns are back... to irelevancy;  Iowa State's upset of the Longhorns has many burnt orange faithful feeling burnt and wondering they hired the wrong coach in Tom Herman.

...And then there was one; At 0-10, Akron is the only winless school left in the FBS.

...Coolest punch of the year; Check out this pick six from the College fo Idaho Coyotes. Pop, Punch, Score

...Cool story, bro;  Watching new USC AD Mike Bohn looking like he'd rather have a root canal than listen to anything Tennis Larry had to say during the SC-Cal game last week warmed many Trojan hearts with the hope that finally they have a guy who can't stand Scott as much as they do.

...Not so Golden;  Minnesota fell from the ranks fo the unbeaten, but can still win their division and fight for a CFP spot in the Big Ten title game.

...Out of the picture; Notre Dame is 8-2 and nobody cares.

...Failing praise;  Nebraska HC Scott Frost is 8-14, but that was apparently good enough for a two year extension of his current contract.  Huh?

...Tiger Trivia answer;  That 1977 LSU QB was Steve Ensminger who just happens to be LSU's current Offensive Coordinator.

...Shanks it every time; Former NFL punter and current ESPN Analyst Pat McAfee stinks.  He's the reason why nobody cares what kickers think.

...A jug and a record;  Ith-a-ca! Ith-a-ca! The Ithaca Bombers secured the their third straight Cortaca Jug victory with a 32-20 win over Cortland State last Saturday.  The two teams also set a record for attendance at a D-III game with 45,161 fans filling Met Life Stadium. Here is a pic of the Coratca Jug rivalry trophy that that the two schools play for.

Pac 12 Overreactions

Stanford has reverted back to the mean.
Utah can almost taste the Roses right now.
Cal is still a QB away from a bowl game.
UCLA 's delusions of grandeur have been gutted.
ASU is an almost team, they almost won their last four games.
USC seems to be Alamo Bowl Bound.
Oregon State won't make a bowl.
Arizona needs a GPS to find a way to back to being relevant.
Wazzu will make the Cheez-It Bowl.
Oregon is in cruise control.
Colorado will finish 4-8.
Washington will finish 8-4.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

Because this is the best week to hate any form of light blue, Tulane wins for this sky blue ugliness.

Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Throggs Neck, NY- This week's game comes form the Skyline Conference in D-III. It was senior day at the SUNY- Maritime College and the Privateers used a strong defensive effort and a final last drive from their offense to pull out an 11-9 win over the Mount St. Joseph Lions.  The defensive battle stood tied at 9-9 with 6:37 to play when Privateers DE Wayne Betencourt sacked Lions QB Chaiten Tomlin for a safety.  After the ensuing free kick, The Privateers rushed the ball 11 times for 31 tough yards to run out the clock and clinch the victory.  RB Chistian Schiavone was the star of the drive, lugging the leather nine straight times before QB Jack Lynn took a knee on the final two plays of the game.

Blowout Game of the Week: Tahlequah, OK- The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in D-II provides us with this this week's game. The Fort Hays State Tigers crushed the Northeastern State Riverhawks, 91-7. After a 13 point first quarter, the Tigers put up 42 points in the second period to end this game early. QB Chance Fuller completed 18 of 27 passes for 254 yards and four TDs in one half of playing time.

C.W. Post Press: Villanova, PA- The Sharks fell to 0-9 on the season with a 35-7 loss to the Villanova Wildcats.  Post's season will mercifully come to an end next week on senior day when the Sharks host former D-II foe Merrimack College.

Razorback Report: The Hogs were off this week, but will be accorded another chance to lose this week as they travel to LSU.


This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

It's easy to fall for the empty peanut trick at any age.

The Lucasfilm/ILM campus at the Presidio in San Francisco looks like the coolest place to work like ever.

A sneaky good place to get breakfast and watch NFL games on Sunday is the Greenery Bar & Grill at Diablo Hills Golf Course in Walnut Creek, CA.

Until next time folks, remember that running the ball is still the best way to win games.

-The Commissioner

Week 11

Hey All,

After a nail-biter of a road trip to Tempe, your Commissioner returns with the next installment of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mel Durslag.

Summaries

USC 31- Arizona State 26: 15 minutes of happiness, followed by 44:35 of dread and then :25 of relief is the best way to describe USC's win at Sun Devil Stadium. The first quarter was a treat for Trojan fans, QB Kedon Slovis had a quarter for the ages in his return to his home state. All he did was throw for 295 yards and four TDs to set USC up with a 28-7 at the end of the first quarter.  His biggest toss was a 95-yard hookup with WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. Slovis' 295 yards passing were the most by any QB in the NCAA in any quarter in the last 15 years. Then the wheels fell off and USC held on for dear life the rest of the way. ASU QB Joey Yellen, subbing for the injured Jayden Daniels, recovered form a dismal start to bring the Sun Devils slowly back into the game. The ASU defense stepped up the final three quarters as well.  With 8:54 left, ASU trailed SC by just five points. The USC defense coupled with a timely flag and a big drop hung on to win the game.  The flag occurred earlier in the game when a pick six thrown by Slovis was overturned on a holding call on the ASU defense.  Then on ASU's final drive, TE Tommy Hudson dropped a sure TD pass with a little over a minute to play. Two plays later, Trojan DT Christian Rector tipped Yellen's pass and intercepted it to clinch the game for SC with :25 left.  Slovis finished the game completing 29 of 39 passes for 432 yards and four TDs.  WR  Michael Pittman, Jr. hauled in 13 passes for 146 yards, while St. Brown caught eight balls for 173 yards and a score. RB Kenon Christon ran for 62 yards and caught four balls for 82 yards and two TDs. Yellen threw for 292 yard and four TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: The three that sealed it; USC PK Chase McGrath's 41-yard field goal in the third quarter was the difference in the game. 

Washington 19- Oregon State 7: Corvallis, OR- This was a defensive battle where the OSU defense played well, the Washington defense played far better and the UW offense accounted for all the points. The defenses dominated from the get go.  Oregon State kept the Huskies in check, but trailed 3-0 thanks to a 47-yard field goal by UW PK Peyton Henry.  The Dawgs then put the only real drive of the half together traveling 70 yards in nine plays.  RB Salvon Ahmed capped of the drive with a six-yard TD blast. UW took 10-0 lead into the half. The second half was absolutely dominated by the Husky defense.  They did not allow the Beavers to make a single first down in the second half, forcing three and outs on all of OSU's second half possessions. However, the Husky offense did their best to give Oregon State a chance.  Up 13-0 midway through he third quarter, UW QB Jacob Eason's out route was intercepted by CB Jason Grant who took it back 36 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly, UW's lead was cut to just 13-7. The Dawgs would bounce back and put the game away three series later when Ahmed broke off a 60-yard TD run to finish the scoring for the night. Ahmed was just about all the offense in the game as his 174 yards rushing on 25 carries and two TDs dwarfed OSU's entire offensive effort.
Telling Stat: No O, No W; Oregon State's offense couldn't move the ball at all against Washington. The Beavers were held to 119 total yards and six first downs with their deepest drive only getting as far as the Huskies 46-yard line. 

Colorado 16- Stanford 13: Boulder, CO- It was homecoming at Folsom Field and the Buffs sent the home crowd happy with a last second victory.  Several things went right for the Buffs that hadn't happened all year to pull out the win. First, Colorado jumped out to an early lead, driving 75 yards in 13 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 13-yard run by QB Steven Montez. Second, CU played defense. They held Stanford to 13 points and just three of 10 third down conversions. Third, they finished strong, holding the ball for most of the final quarter and putting together a a pair of drives that covered 69 and 61 yards that finished in two field goals that won the game.  The key moment in the game came from the CU defense in a situation where Stanford has found success many times in the David Shaw era.  With 7:54 to play, Colorado had just kicked a FG to tie the game at 13-13.  Usually in these situations, the Cardinal take the kickoff, drain the clock with a long drive and win the game either with either a FG or TD.  It didn't happen this time.  The much maligned Colorado defense stepped up and forced a three and out. Stanford was forced to punt and never saw the ball again. The Cardinal offense stood on the sideline and watched CU PK Evan Price connect from 37-yards out to win the game for Colorado as time expired. The win ended a five-game losing streak for the Buffs.
Telling  Stat: 27/12:31=W;  Colorado ran off 27 plays and held the ball for 12:31 of the fourth quarter, which resulted in two field goals and a big win for the Buffaloes.  

California 33- Washington State 20: Berkeley, CA- What's the big deal about 57 yards anyway?  Throw in an abysmal error by the Pac 12 refs along with a strong effort from the Golden Bears and that's how the Cougars dropped to 4-5 on the year.  The strong effort for the Golden Bears came as usual from their defense, but also came surprisingly from QB Devon Modster.  Ever since starter Chase Garbers was injured a few weeks back v. ASU, Modster has had a lot of trouble moving the Cal offense. This night he didn't.  He completed 16 of 24 passes for 230 yards and three TDs while also running for 43 yards on seven carries and another score.  However, his great game was overshadowed by the epic error made by the officials. The error occurred on the kickoff that followed Cal's extension of their lead to 20-11 with 10:14 left in the third quarter.  On the ensuing kickoff, the Cougars returned the ball out to midfield. However, they were called for a an illegal hands to the face penalty near their own 15-yard line.  The Cougs were penalized half the distance to the goal and their drive started at their own eight-yard line.  However,  it was really Cal who committed the penalty. The crew penalized the wrong team. Instead of starting their own eight-yard line, Wazzu should have started this drive at the Cal 35 after the correct 15 yard penalty was marked off. That's a 57 yard field position swing. Did this call directly affect the outcome of the game? Possibly, what if Wazzu had scored a TD on this drive instead of a field goal? The entire Pac 12 crew screwed this up. Folks, we are talking about everyone form the head referee to the full replay crew. This error overshadows a fine effort by the Cal to get a much needed win.
Telling Press Release:  Here's the Pac 12's very weak statement on the error. 57 Yards

Observations

...Just a rumor;  It is not true that the Oregon State campus police got calls from Beaver fans reporting that their O-line disappeared shortly after kickoff against Washington.

...Weather games;  With the bitter cold snap hitting most of the east this week, there should be some great games played in bad conditions to watch this weekend.

...For my father; Slippery Rock is 10-0.

...Simple fact; road trip drives home are so much better when your team wins.

...And a punter is #1;  Colorado Punter Alex Kinney set the Colorado school record by playing in his 53rd career game last week v. Stanford.

...What a week off; Oregon and Utah are the two teams that gained the most last week by not playing.

...A Trojan shall lead them;  Illinois rallied from 25 points down to stun Michigan State, 37-34 at East Lansing.  The big WR for the Illini that day was USC transfer Josh Imatorbhebhe.  He caught four passes for 178 yards and two TDs. SMH.

...Never great;  USC HC Clay Helton is the master at making wins feel like losses.

...He gone; Arkansas could not take it anymore and fired HC Chad Morris last Sunday. Morris' Razorbacks were a dismal 4-18 in his less than two seasons on the job.  Memphis HC Mike Norvell is rumored to be the top target of the Hogs search for Morris' replacement.

...So impactful;  I see that Ohio State's self-imposed suspensions of DE Chase Young really hurt the Buckeyes.  They only beat Maryland, 73-14 last week.

...One play delay;  Matt Richards, the ref who blew the call in the WSU-Cal game,  informed WSU HC Mike Leach that the error occurred after the Cougars ran their first down play.  Because that play was run, that means that by rule the officials couldn't go back and correct their error.  Facepalm.

...5 short;  Minnesota is 9-0 after their win over Penn State. The last time that happened was 1904. The US only had 45 states back in 1904.

...Memo to Arkansas AD Jeff Long;  Please don't go after Gus Malzahn or even consider a return to Fayetteville by Bob Petrino.

...Don't care; I just have no interest in the Oklahoma-Baylor game this week.

...Fun fact; Indiana and Illinois are bowl eligible and Michigan State and Nebraska are not.

...Oh coach O!; Coach Ed Oregon's LSU squad's win over Alabama led to this locker room speech by coach O, which was live-streamed by one his players.  The kid shouldn't have done that from the locker room, but it was fun to watch.  This link is not safe for work.  Roll Tide What?

...A look ahead;  If all holds to form, the SDSU-Hawaii game on 11/23 will be for the West division title in the Mountain West Conference.

...Falling short;  We are heading into week 12 of the season and the Pac 12 has only four bowl eligible teams. Hmmmmm

...Irony thy name is Wazzu;  The Cal player who actually committed the penalty that was wrongly assessed against Washington State last week was LB Ben Moos.  Ben Moos is the son of former Wazzu Athletic Director Bill Moos.

...Coach O part Deux;  Coach O was not backing down from his speech after the game, warning Bama fans that LSU ain't going anywhere soon. Here to stay

Pac 12 Overreactions

USC will get the dreaded Sun Bowl bid.
Washington will finish 8-4.
UCLA, Utah, Arizona and Oregon's bye week didn't help the Pac 12.
Oregon State is an offensive line away from respectability.
Wazzu won't win another game this year.
Colorado still won't make a bowl.
Arizona State needs to wake up earlier than the second quarter to win games.
Stanford will never fire David Shaw.
Cal still needs a QB.

Poor Uniform Choice of the Week

ASU broke out the all-black uniforms for their game v USC.  Not smart to wear all-black in the Tempe sunshine.   However, we know ASU had no idea that the game would receive an early kickoff time.  Also, they couldn't change the uniform selection once the kickoff time was set.  Why? because it was parents weekend and was a designated a blackout game for the fans.  All the parents weekend T-shirts and apparel for the week was black and made well ahead of the kickoff announcement.  Facepalm.

CFL Update

The playoffs have started north of the border with both Edmonton and Winnipeg wining their divisional semi-finals.  That sets up the East and West finals matchups. The Edmonton Eskimos, a crossover team, heads east to take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eats final while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will hit the road to Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders in the West. The winners
will meet in Calgary in the 107th Grey Cup game on Sunday, November 24th.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Brevard, NC- The Brevard College Tornados put together an eight-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard TD pass from QB Dalton Cole to WR Blake Taylor to pull out a 10-9 win over the Averett College Cougars. The win lifts the Tornados to 6-2 overall on the season and 4-2 in South Atlantic College play in D-II. The Tornados won despite making only 11 first downs and converting only four of 13 times on third down.

Rivalry Game of the Week: Williamstown, MA- In what is known as the Biggest Little Game in America, the Williams Ephs dominated the Amherst Mammoths, 31-9.  The Ephs Held Amherst to 196 total yards and just one for 11 on third down attempts. Willams' RB Joel Nicholas was almost unstoppable, rushing for 211 yards on 24 carries with three TDs in the win. These two have been meeting on the gridiron since 1884.

C.W. Post Press: The Sharks were off this week and will take a trip to Villanova for a Friday night clash with he Wildcats.

Razorback Report: The Hogs were humiliated, 45-10 by Western Kentucky, then Razorback HC Chad Morris was fired on Sunday morning. The Razorbacks will limp into Tiger Stadium on 11/23 to take on LSU.


This Week's Three Notes About Hallmark Christmas Movies...

You don't mind the fact that it is supposed to be winter and yet you can never see anyone's breath on those cold days and the snow is so horribly fake.

The promos and films they are showing this year are featuring the former Full House star who hasn't been arrested by federal agents. 

Nobody ever moves to the big city, they all return small town America.

Until Next time folks, remember that one quarter of offense isn't enough to win games.

-The Commissionner

Week 10

Hey All,

It's time for the column that makes your Tuesday brighter even if your team ruined Saturday, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Tom Kelly.

Summaries

Oregon 56-USC 24: This game saw the Ducks claim the overall top spot in the Pac 12, while the Trojans saw HC Clay Helton turned into a fired coach walking. The Trojans started off in a familiar Helton pattern, They played a strong first quarter and jumped out to a 10-0 lead over the Quacks. Then, the second quarter happened. Poor play calls, ejections, a ton of penalties and just a lack of discipline and execution found the Trojans down 28-17 at the half.  The key play that signaled the end of the competitive portion of the game occurred with :20 left before the half.  USC had just scored to cut UO's lead to 21-17.  Then, USC's braintrust eschewed a squib kick and kicked the ball deep to the Ducks. KR Mykael Wright fielded the kick at his own goal line and sprinted untouched through the coverage team for a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown.  USC never recovered. The Quacks came out in the second half and put four more TDs on the board before USC put up a meaningless score on the board after UO had emptied the benches. Future #1 draft pick Justin Herbert QB'd his squad to the win, completing 21 of 26 passes for 225 yards and three TDs.  The Duck defense did their job too. They picked off three SC passes and returned one of those for a TD. USC QB Kedon Slovis competed 32 of 57 passes for 264 yards and three TDs in the embarrassing loss.
Telling Stat: 56-7;  After falling behind 10-0, Oregon whipped USC in every phase of the game, going on a 56-7 run before calling off the hunt in the final period.

Utah 33- Washington 21: Seattle, WA- The knock on Utah is that they just don't play that well away from home. The Utes erased a good portion of that sentiment with a tough road win over the Huskies.   However, it didn't look good for the Utes early on as the Dawgs held a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter on a pair off TD passes by QB Jacob Eason. Utah then steadied themselves and fought back closing to within a point at halftime. Two field goals by PK Jason Redding and a nine-yard TD pass from QB Tyler Huntley to RB Zack Moss did the damage.  UW seized the momentum to midway through he third period When Eason hit WR Hunter Bryant for a 40-yard TD toss. Utah's defense then made the play of the game to save their season. DB Jaylon Johnson intercepted Eason and took it back 39 yards for a TD with 3:16 left in the third quarter.  The ensuing two point conversion attempt failed, but the Utes had the momentum and trailed the Dawgs by two at 21-19 to start the final period. The Utes offense then woke up.  On their next two drives they marched 82 and 84 yards for touchdowns to take a 33-21 lead.  Huntley and Moss did the honors with a pair of short TD plunges. The Dawgs did mount a late comeback, drawing to within 33-28 after Eason threw to WR Aaron Fuller for a three-yard score. However, the Utes recovered the ensuing onside kick and got out of Husky Stadium with huge road victory. Moss ran for 100 yards and caught passes for 41 more with a pair of scores to lead the winning effort, while Eason threw for 316 yards and all four Huskies TDs in the tough loss.
Telling Stat: Fourth quarter strong;  Utah doubled up Washington in yards, (161-82),  and points, (14-7), to grab a much needed win.

Oregon State 56- Arizona 38: Tucson, AZ- Last Sunday, Arizona HC Kevin Sumlin fired his Defensive Coordinator.  That move proved to be ineffectual as the Wildcats gave up their most points in game all year in front of their home crowd to the Pac 12 juggernaut known as Oregon State. This game was truly a shootout as the Beavers gave up over 500 yards and 38 points to UofA. After a lackluster first period where the Beavers held a 7-6 advantage, the kids form Corvallis just couldn't be stopped int he second period.  They hit paydirt on all four of their drives. A pair of short TD runs by RB Jermar Jeffferson, one from fellow RB Artavis Pierce and a 23-yard TD pass from QB Jake Luton to TE Noah Togiai left OSU to go into the half with a 35-19 lead. The teams traded scores in the second half with the Beavers never letting the Wildcats to get within serious striking distance of the lead.  Luton completed 20 of 26 passes for 328 yards and three TDs, while the RB tandem of Pierce and Jefferson combined for 219 yards on 37 carries and four TDs. For UofA QBs Grant Gunnell and Khalil Tate worked together to complete 26 of 41 tosses for 378 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: By the bucketful; Oregon State torched the Arizona defense, with their average scoring drive covering nearly 72 yards to reach the end zone.

UCLA 31- Colorado 14: Pasadena, CA- The bRuins raced out to an early lead, then held on the rest of the way for their third straight win.  UCLA's defense set the early tone, forcing a pair of three-and-outs and then picking off CU QB Steven Montez in the Buffaloes first three possessions.  The UCLA offense took advantage of their opportunities and built up a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson sandwiched two TD tosses around a FG by PK JJ Molson to account for the 17 points.  The rest of the game was a slog with both teams playing it even. UCLA missed several plays that would have turned the game into a blowout while Colorado could never make the key plays to get back into the ballgame. The bRuins did dominate the stat sheet, outgaining the Buffs by nearly 150 yards. While Robinson threw for 226 yards and two TDs, RB Joshua Kelley led all rushers with 126 yards on 35 carries with two TDs.  Montez threw for 195 yards an a TD in defeat.
Telling Stat: 17-0 and over; UCLA's hot start put Colorado in a hole that they could never climb out of.

Observations

...Route 56; I don't think anyone thought that both Oregon schools would hang a 56 spot in road victories last Saturday.

...Angry money;  Young know you're despised as a head coach when boosters raise 17 million to have you fired.  Florida State boosters ponied up 17 large to rid themselves of Willie Taggart in the second year of his five year contract. Wow.

...This just in; Arizona football really really stinks.

...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Oregon has interest in Willie Taggart returning to Eugene.

...Mascot failure; Long Beach State has officially changed their mascot from the 49ers to the Beach for all sports other than baseball.  So yes, they are now the Long Beach State Beach.  Facepalm.

...They let the other people go;  USC's kick coverage team parted wider than Red Sea on MyKael Wright's 100-yard kickoff return. I thought I even saw Moses in the stands, but it was just an old guy with this hands raised in disbelief, screaming obscenities as the return occurred. (Note; that old guy may have been me.)

...Decision time;  What is more surprising this year, the fact that Baylor is 8-0 or that Kansas is 3-6? Hmmmmm

...Bristol stumped;  NFL HOF WR Randy Moss had to scramble early Sunday morning when his private plane landed in Bristol, Tennessee and not Bristol, Connecticut. SMH. Wrong Way Moss

...Not on the list;  USC special teams coach John Baxter will not be a finalist this year for the Broyles Award.

...The other feel good story;  While Minnesota is the feel-good story of the year so far in the Big Ten West, the Big Ten East has one of their own with Indiana.  The Hoosiers are 7-2 and will most likely go 8-4, as they face Penn State, Michigan and Purdue down the stretch. The Hoosiers haven't won eight games since 1993 when Bill Mallory roamed the Bloomington sidelines.

...On the outside; Almost nobody is rooting for Penn State to beat Minnesota this week.

...Not much goodness; In 121 seasons of Indiana football, the Hoosiers have won eight games or more in a season just seven times.

...Wilson!;  USC's 32 points loss to Oregon was the Trojans most lopsided loss to the Ducks in 104 years. The 1915 Trojans led b y HC Ralph Glaze were beaten 34-0 by the Webfoots. Back in 1915, the Coliseum hadn't been thought of yet and Woodrow Wilson occupied the White House.

...The Kernel rules; Concordia-Moorhead College is known the Cobbers and their mascot is named Kernel Cobb.  Enjoy this pic of Kernel Cobb.

Pac 12 Overreactions

USC will go 6-6.
Utah doesn't have to kick themselves for losing to SC anymore.
UCLA won't beat Utah.
Arizona might just drop football.
Oregon State will make a bowl.
Washington has become irrelevant.
WSU, ASU, Cal and Stanford enjoyed their peaceful weekend off.
Colorado will not make a bowl.
Oregon still won't make the CFP.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

This week's winner are the Cleveland Browns.  What happened to the time when the Browns uniforms weren't as offensive as their on-field play?

Departments

Crazy Game of the Week: Bluefield, WV- We go to the Mid-South Conference in the NAIA where the St. Andrews Knights raced out to a 16-7 first quarter lead over the Bluefield Rams.  The Knight and Rams then traded off scores for the last three quarters in a 70-54 win by the Knights. The two teams combined to run 155 plays for 1,167 total yards of offense. St. Andrews QB Aidan Wilder completed 29 of 51 passes for 456 yards and five TDs in the win.

Blowout Game of the Week: Pineville, LA- It's time for Mary Hardin-Baylor's annual appearance in this blog.  The UMHB Crusaders crushed the Louisiana College Wildcats, 82-0. The Crusaders dominated form start to finish, and emptied the benches early with RB Tommy Bowden crossing the dibble stripe three time in nine carries.  The Wildcats were held to 151 total yards of offense and never crossed the 50-yard line in the defeat.

C.W. Post Press: Moon Township, PA- The Sharks held a 17-14 lead over the Robert Morris Colonials, but where shutout 14-0 in the second half and lost 28-17. The Sharks are  0-8 on the season overall, and finished conference play at 0-7.  Next up for the Sharks is a trip to Philadelphia and a matchup with FCS power Villanova.

Razorback Report: The Hogs got worked over by Mississippi State last Saturday, 54-24. The Hogs will host Western Kentucky next week. That is all.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

MRI's are lame.

Trader Joe's dried, sweetened orange slices are way too good.

I guess people in San Pedro have given up stopping at stop signs permanently. 

Until next time folks, remember that you have to run the ball to win.
-The Commissonner