Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Week 15

Hey all,

It's time for the last installment this year of the column that makes your Tuesdays better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summary

Pac 12 Championship Game

Oregon 37- Utah 15: Santa Clara, CA- In front of a smattering of fans, the Pac 12 took itself out of the playoff picture yet again when the Ducks worked over the Utes in the cold and rain at Levi's Stadium. The Ducks game plan was to be the more the physical team and they were against the always physically strong Utes. In the first half the Webfoots defense pushed around the Utes offense, pitching a first half shutout. Oregon allowed the Utes yards, but snuffed out any scoring threats thanks to the way they keyed on RB Zack Moss and a little help from a stubborn Utah HC Kyle Whittingham.  Twice the Ducks held for downs to gain much needed momentum when a long field goal or well placed punt would have kept the Utes in the game early on. Down 20-0 at the half, the Utes did mount a comeback in the third quarter. Their defense held the Ducks to three points while they put up 15 of their own on a 24-yard tD pass from QB Tyler Huntley to Moss and a 25-yard pass from Huntley to TE Samson Nacua.  Then with 7:09 left to play in the game, the Ducks extended their slim lead with a 70-yard TD run By RB C.J. Verdell. Then after picking off a desperation heave by Huntley, the Quacks put the game away with a 31-yard scamper by Verdell. While QB Justin Herbert threw for 193 yards and a TD, the real star for the Ducks was Verdell. He gashed the Utes for 208 yards on 18 carries and three TDs. In the painful loss for the conference and the Utes, Huntley threw for 193 yards two TDs and two interceptions while Moss ran for 113 yards on 19 carries.
Telling Stat: The 0 for the O; Oregon's defense bent, allowing 183 first half yards, but kept the Utes off the scoreboard in the first half which put the Utes in a hole they couldn't dig out of.  

Observations

...It wasn't Auburn, Phil;  Folks from Eugene and in the media need to quit saying that Oregon was "punished" because they scheduled Auburn.  That's just flat wrong, the Ducks got knocked down in the playoff poll because they lost at ASU.  End of story.

...Friday night is not alright for fighting; Utah's two losses each took place on a Friday night.

...They will feel pain; Whoever makes the CFP Championship Game will get the painful experience of having a Pac 12 crew call the game.

...Feeling the O; There no way that Coach O could have put together a team at SC the way he has at LSU because the idiots in Heritage Hall wouldn't have cleared the hurdles for him to do so.  However, it still very cool to dream about of what might have been.

...They held on; That giant exhale everyone heard Saturday around 12:30 or so PST last Saturday was every Sooner fan into world breaking a sigh of relief after holding on for the Big XII tile win against Baylor's third string QB.

...Dude is nails; Alabama/Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts has had an incredible college career and will be the first QB to start for two different schools in the CFP. Wow.

...Purple Facepalm; When two of your program's great ambassadors are on the sidelines supporting another school, you may have a problem.   No words

...Six of Eight ain't great; Utah has been in the last two Pac 12 title games and has been shutout in six of the eight quarters played.

...The SeC; Now that Lane Kiffin has taken the Ole Miss job after having a really good three years at FAU, I can't wait until the Rebels take on LSU next year.

....Honey, we have to move again; What a crazy two years for Eliah Drinkwitz. The man is named Appalachian State HC about this time last year and after leading App State to an 11-1 record is now off to be the HC at Missouri.

...30k; If SC loses the Holiday Bowl to Iowa then gets blown out by Alabama to start the 2020 season, a crowd of 30,000 is a real possibility for the the Trojans home opener v. New Mexico the following week. SMH

...A first half of worry and anxiety;  I'm sure the CFP Committee had some very anxious moments when TheeOSU trailed Wisconsin at the half last week.

...California is out;  The last hope for a championship for a California team in the NCAA playoffs died when Sacramento State was beaten 42-28 by Austin Peay in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

...People like to drink; LSU's Tiger Stadium began selling alcohol this season and made 2.259 million dollars net revenue off potent potables.

...Big Sky tough; Both Montana and Montana State kept the Big Sky alive in the FCS playoffs with impressive wins over Albany and SE Louisiana.

...No tailgate at all; According to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal Daily, the Pac 12 will have some 9am kickoffs in 2021. Several unnamed schools have already jumped on the idea and Fox is really interested in doing it. I'd link the article, but it is behind a paywall.

...Patting myself on the back; A couple of weeks back, this intrepid reporter predicted which bowl that each of the Pac 12's seven bowl eligible teams would play in and got all seven right.  First time that's ever happened. Woo hoo!

The Retention of Clay Helton

Last week, (was it only a week ago?)  USC did the worst thing possible and didn't fire Clay Helton. Many rumors/stories flew around about how this came about and all of them boil down to new USC President Carol Folt making the call on this one while the money for Helton's buyout and for his replacement was already secured.  The great disturbance in the force that was nearly every SC fan everywhere crying out in anger over the decision only got worse when new USC AD Mike Bohn tried to polish this turd of a decision through softball interviews on several media platforms. It's quite easy to see that the majority of the fan base which includes myself are flat out sick of the last decade of mediocrity at SC and were hoping that a new university president and AD would come in and provide the leadership to build Trojan football back into a national power. With this decision, USC seems to have chosen mediocrity instead where being competitive in the Pac 12 South and accepting Holiday Bowls is the new normal.  Sigh.

Good Looking Uniform Combos of the Week

Credit to LSU-Georgia and Ohio State-Wisconsin for wearing their classic uniforms in their respective championship games





Departments

Best Game Nobody Saw Last Week: Slippery Rock, PA- Slippery Rock advanced to the D-II semifinals with a scoreboard busting 65-59 win over the Notre Dame (OH) Falcons. The teams piled up 1,134 yards of total offense, 45 first downs and only one turnover. The Rock QB Roland Rivers accounted for eight touchdowns. He threw for six and ran for two more. Rivers top receiver, Henry Litwin hauled in 12 receptions for 203 yards and three TDs. In the loss, Notre Dame QB Chris Brimm threw for 360 yards and five TDs while RB Jaleel McLaughlin rushed for 137 yards on 20 carries with two TDs.  McLaughlin finished the season with 2,136 yards rushing.  Oh and the two teams combined for 452  total yards in the first quarter alone. Wow.

Low Score Game of the Week: Brookings, SD- Northern Iowa PK Matthew Cook sent an 18-yard chip shot field goal through the uprights to lead the Purple Panthers to a 13-10 win over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The win send the UNI to the next round of the FCS playoffs. The Purple Panthers trailed 10-0 after the first period, but then shutout the Jackrabbits the rest of the way for the win.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

Dark chocolate raspberry soft centers from Sees are the best.

I love the feeling you get when you hang out with friends you haven't seen in awhile and you pick up right where you left off without missing a beat.

It's time to start wrapping presents soon.

Until next year, I wish everyone a great holiday season and a big thank you for reading this blog. Once again, I have been shown that family and friends who are just like family make the football season great. See you all here again next summer when we take another ride on the ol' coaching carousel.

-The Commissioner

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Week 14

Hey All,

This intrepid reporter sincerely hopes that everyone had a wonderfully fun Thanksgiving filled with football, food and family. Now here's yet another edition of the column that makes your Tuesdays better, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Tom Kelly.

Summaries

Utah 45- Colorado 15: Salt Lake City, UT- Utah came into this one as 28.5 point favorites over the Buffs and needing a win to claim the Pac 12 South title and more importantly a convincing win to sway the the CFP Committee in their quest to make the playoff.  Early on the Buffs took a 7-0 lead and folks got a little nervous at Rice-Eccles Stadium. However, the Utah fans needed not to worry as Colorado's offense proved to be no match for the Utah defense over the long haul.  They shut out the Buffs for little over two quarters while the offense put 31 straight points to turn the game into a blowout and claim a spot in the Pac 12 title tilt. The two headed backfield monster of QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss had a good final home game as Huntley threw completed 14 of 17 passes for 165 yards and two TDs while Moss ran for 88 yards on 20 carries and a TD. TE Brant Kuthie has been a great weapon as of late  and he had another stellar game.  He caught three passes for 63 yards and a pair of TDs and ran the ball twice for 59 yards and another trip to the end zone. For CU, QB Steven Montez completed 17 of 26 passes for 157 yards and two TDs in his final game for the Buffaloes.
Telling Stat: 30 is a cover, but did they impress; Utah whipped the Buffaloes and covered the spread, but was it enough to garner favor with he CFP? 

Oregon 24- Oregon State 10: Eugene, OR- They stumbled, they bumbled, they looked to still be shell-shocked after getting upset in Tempe last week, but the Ducks did just enough right to hold off a very determined bunch of Beavers at Autzen Stadium. A little boost from the UO special teams helped push the Ducks to the victory. The Ducks opened the scoring with a field goal, then watched the Beavers tie the game at 3-3 near the end of the first quarter. It was on the ensuing kickoff that UO KR  Jordan Choukiar waved his way through the Beavers for  a 98-yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead. The Webfoots extended their lead to 17-3 in the second period when QB Justin Herbert hit WR Juwan Johnson with a pass that covered 28 yards for a touchdown. After a scoreless third period that saw the  Ducks miss a field goal, OSU put together an 11 play, 87-yard drive that was capped off by a 19-yard TD scamper by RB Jermar Jefferson.  Suddenly, UO only had a 17-10 lead with 11:03 to play. The Autzen crowd was nervous.  They became more nervous when after apparently scoring the TD to put the game away, RB Jaylon Redd actually lost control of the ball before he made it to paydirt and fumbled it out of the end zone for a touchback. After the teams traded possessions, the boys from Corvallis had one last shot to send the game to overtime, but Jefferson fumbled while stretching for extra yardage on a short pass.  Oregon took over on the Beavers 27-yard line. Three plays later, RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio raced 20 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.  For the Quacks, Herbert was held to 174 yards passing and a TD, with RB Travis Dye leading all rushers with 91 yards on 12 carries.  For the hard luck Beavers, QB Tristan Gebbia started in place of Jake Luton, who couldn't play due a forearm injury against Wazzu last week. Gebbia filled in admirably completing 26 of 40 passes for 243 yards, while Jefferson rushed the ball 20 times for 81 yards and his squad's only TD on the afternoon.
Telling Stat: 2 failed fourth downs = No Bowl; If Oregon had converted on just one of two critical fourth down conversion v. either Wazzu or Oregon, the Beavers would be going to bowl and HC Jonathan Smith would be Pac 12 Coach of the Year.

Arizona State 24- Arizona14: Tempe, AZ- The Territorial Cup remains in Tempe after the Sun Devils put up just enough offense to hold on for the win on a night where the temps dipped into the mid 40s at Sun Devil Stadium.  A sluggish first half saw the Wildcats take a 7-6 lead into the intermission as QB Khalil Tate's 48-yard TD toss to WR Jamarye Joiner provided the only lead the Wildcats would enjoy in the contest.  ASU came out for the second half with a simple plan; give RB Eno Benjamin the ball. He toted the rock well and found paydirt twice in the third quarter to put ASU up 21-7.  The TDs came wrapped around a pair of interceptions from UofA's Tate. ASU tacked on another field goal to extend their lead to 24-7 before UofA picked up a late TD to make things a little tighter at the end. Benjamin was the ASU offense, gaining 168 yards on 34 carries with two TDs and a fumble, while Tate completed 22 of 38 aerials for 228 yards, two TDs and three interceptions.
Teling Stat: Ground beat air; While UofA was busy throwing interceptions and failing on offense for most of the game, ASU kept to the rushing game and ground out a big rivalry win.

Washington 31- Washington State 13: Seattle, WA- For the seventh straight year the Apple Cup remains safely in the hands of the Huskies.  UW DC Jimmy Lake had boasted earlier in the week about how easy it was to prepare for the Wazzu offense because it never changes. Lake's defense sure did make it look easy allowing a TD on the Cougs opening drive then allowing just six more points over the final 54:49 while the struggling Huskies offense managed to grind out 31 points of their own.  QB Jacob Eason completed 15 of 22 passes for 244 yards and a TD.  He also ran for the a score.  RB Salvon Ahmed ground out 85 hard yards on 16 carries to lead the Huskies rushing attack, but fellow RB Richard Newton carried the ball just nine times, but two of those carries went for short TDs.  In the loss, Cougar QB Anthony Gordon  complete 42 of 62 passes for 308 yards and two huge interceptions.
Telling Stat: More with less; Washington ran 31 fewer plays than Wazzu, yet outgained and outscored the Cougars thanks to a brilliant defensive gameplan. 

California 28- UCLA-18: Pasadena, CA- Would the Golden Bears have a letdown after finally beating Stanford for the first time in a decade last week? Uh, no.  The boys form Berkeley hung on for a gritty win over the bRuins in front of hundreds of fans at the Rose Bowl. UCLA drew first blood midway through the first period when Jaylen Irwin hauled in a 19-yard TD pass from QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Cal would tie up the game a short time later when QB Chase Garbers connected with WR Makai Polk for a 44-yard scoring strike. Garbers would then put Cal ahead in the second quarter when he knifed into the end zone from a yard out. The Golden Bears would never trail again. The Bears would add a TD in each of the final two quarters on pair of short TD jaunts by RB Chris Brown, while their defense held the bRuins in check the rest of the way. Thompson-Robinson did throw for 278 yards with a TD and an interception, but he was also sacked six times.  Those sacks contributed heavily to the Bears holding UCLA to just 58 yards rushing in the cold Pasadena night. For the Bears, Garbers finished the game with 230 yards into air and a TD to go with 40 on the ground and another TD.  Brown led all rushers with 111 yards on 18 carries and two TDs.
Telling Stat: A pick, a stop and a stand; Cal shutout UCLA in the fourth quarter to claim their seventh win of the year. UCLA's three drives of the final period ended in an interception, a punt and a failure to score on fourth and goal from the Cal two-yard line with 42 seconds left.  

Notre Dame 45- Stanford 14: Palo Alto, CA- The Cardinal came out looking like the Cardinal of recent vintage against the Fighting Irish.  With 4:56 left to pay in the second quarter, Stanford held a 17-7 lead, had run off 35 plays to ND's 19 and held the ball for 17:49 of the first 25:04 of the game.  ND desperately needed a spark as Stanford was in total control of the game.  The Irish got that spark when DE Isaiah Foskey blocked a punt by Stanford's Jake Bailey. ND recovered the ball on the Cardinal one and three plays later closed to within three at 17-14 when QB Ian Book connected with TE Tommy Tremble for a six-yard touchdown pass. That was first score of a run that would see ND score 31 straight points and earn their 10th win of the season. Book had a fine day in the Palo Alto rain, completing 17 of 30 passes for 255 yards and four TDs. QB Davis Mills competed 28 of 46 passes for 276 yards and two TDs in the losing effort. Mills also fumbled while being sacked in his own end zone late in the game. ND defenders fell on the ball for the final score of the game.
Telling Stat: 31-0 in 19:51 for the W; ND scored 31 points over a 27:51 span to take control of the game hand the Cardinal their eighth defeat of 2019. 

Tough Turkeys v. Cranberry Crushers: San Pedro, CA- the annual Thanksgiving Day clash between these two heated rivals was postponed due to unplayable field conditions at Yube Ursich Stadium due to last week's storm. No makeup date has been announced.


Observations

...Not a Sunny Jim;  After losing yet again to TheeeOSU, Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh was a little testy in the post game presser.  Feeling Insulted

...Another worry;  While DCs have been game-panning for QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss, TE Brant Kuthie has become a great weapon for the Utah offense. You just can't cover them all.

...Second round and down; The great 600 pound gorilla of D-III, mighty Mount Union (OH) was knocked out of the playoffs, 59-52 by North Central College (IL).  North Central did it on the road, shutting out Mt Union for the final 12:53 of the game.

...Another dubious Clay Helton achievement;  USC has become the first team in the history of the Pac 12 to win all of its' divisional games and not make the Pac 12 title game.  Facepalm.

...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that the Territorial Cup is really just an old athletic supporter.

...Still couldn't stop him; While getting their butts kicked by TheeOSU, Michigan defenders Carlo Kemp and Aidan Hutchinson decided they'd untie and remove one of RB J.K. Dobbins shoes after a tackle. That act drew a 15-yard penalty and failed to slow down Dobbins. He ran for 211 yards on 31 carries with four TDs on the afternoon.  Bush League Move

...Needing to impress;  It was pretty funny watching Utah throw ball trying to run up the score late v. Colorado. I'm sure it made Utah HC Kyle Whiitngham feel very strange to have to do so.

...The Sumlin regression; From his last year as the HC at Houston through his time at Texas A&M to his first two seasons at Arizona, here's Kevin Sumlin's fall in to coaching mediocrity represented in wins and losses.  2011: 12-1, 2012: 11-2, 2013: 9-4, 2014: 8-5, 2015: 8-5, 2016: 8-5, 2017: 7-5, 2018: 5-7, 2019: 4-8. Hmmmmmmmm.

...Way to geaux Jeaux; LSU QB Joe Burrow Chose a pretty cool way of showing love for the Tiger faithful by having his name changed from Burrow on his jersey to the the way folks in Louisiana like to add a pseudo-french touch to words to claim them as their own.



... A Husky clinic; Washington knows how to stop to Air Raid offense cold.  The tapes of the last several Apple Cup games should be required viewing for DC's all across the land.

...The Fight for the Cannon got real; An all-out brawl broke out in Reno after UNLV QB Kenyon Oblad threw the game-winning TD pass to lift the Rebels to a 33-30 overtime win. Blindsided!

...Would he like some cheese for his whines?;  Nick Saban is just not a good loser.  His onfield antics during and whines after Auburn knocked Alabama out of the playoff picture were pretty bush league. SMH.

...One regular season game left; Even though championship games and lower division playoffs fill the schedule this coming week, there is still, one final regular season game left to be played.  The Army-Navy game will be played on 12/14.

...The Pirate rants;  Wazzu HC Mike Leach had some choice words for reporters after his squad Coug'd it for the seventh straight time in the Apple Cup, losing yet again to the Huskies.  His rant didn't go over well Washington's Liuetenant Governor who issued an apology the media on behalf his fellow state employee.  The Rant and The Apology

...Whizzed away;  Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore decided that his TD reception that should have tied the game at 21-21 with arch-rival Mississippi State with :04 needed to be celebrated by imitating a dog urinating on the field.  That "celebration" drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  That penalty turned the potential game-tying chip shot PAT into a 35-yarder. Rebel PK Luke Logan shanked the kick and the Bulldogs held on for the 21-20 win. Please read about it in detail in the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger.  Whizzed Away

Clay Watch 2019

This intrepid reporter hoped to be writing about the end of the Clay Helton era at USC. However, as of right now, there has been no news either way on this matter from Heritage Hall. Rumors are as thick as 1970s LA smog and cover everything from that he's definitely getting fired to that he's definitely staying. After wading through all the things that have been written and said about this subject, one thing has become crystal clear. This fact alone should force new USC AD Mike Bohn to fire Clay Helton.  It's the fact that all of USC's opponents want Helton to stay on as HC.  If your rivals like your HC, then you have a pretty poor guy in charge of your program.

Pac 12 Coaching Casualties

Here's the list of those HCs and other positions who have been fired and will now take another ride on the coaching carousel.

ASU- HC Herm Edwards fired his OC Rob Likens, TE coach Donnie Yantis and WR coach Charlie Fisher. That's an interesting way to celebrate a victory over arch-rival Arizona.

Washington- In a shocker, Husky HC Chris Petersen stepped down on Monday. He will coach the Huskies in their bowl game, then make way for his current DC Jimmy Lake to take over as HC.

Pac 12 Overreactions
Arizona will go 3-9 next year.
USC won't use all their practices and lose their bowl game.
Oregon better be ready for Utah.
Colorado has a good coach.
UCLA is regretting their hiring of Chip Kelly.
Utah will get screwed over by the Playoff Committee.
Arizona State will lose their bowl game by six points.
WSU's Mike Leach era may be at an end.
Stanford is a really bad team.
Washington needs a real offensive line.
Oregon State goes to a bowl in 2020.
Cal is still an offense away from being very good.

Good Helmet Choices of the Week

Arizona and Arizona State both earn praise for going with their classic helmet designs in their rivalry clash.  It's great to see the classic White UofA helmet against the great Sparky logo of ASU.



Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Des Moines, IA- This week;'s game comes form the NAIA ranks where The Vikings of Grand View College scored twice in the second quarter to beat the College of Idaho Coyotes, 14-6 to advanced to the NAIA semifinals. A five-yard TD pass from QB Ben Ferkin to WR Anthony Turner and a 1-yard TD plunge by RB Jerry Lowe provided the winning points. The Viking defense made the scores stand up as the offense was shutout the rest off the way.

Blowout Game of the Week: Sioux City, IA- We stay in the NAIA playoffs for a 51-0 victory by Morningside (IA) over St. Xavier (IL).  The Mustangs defense walloped St. Xavier forcing four turnovers, registering six sacks and 12 other tackles for losses in the big win. QB Joe Dolincheck completed 25 of 38 passes for 303 yards and four TDs on the day.  Up next for Morningside is a semi-final matchup with Grand View.  Pretty Cool.

Razorback Report: Arkansas finished out this dismal year with an another dismal loss.  This time it was 24-14 to Missouri. The Hogs finished the year with a 2-10 record overall and 0-8 in SEC play.  Missouri was so thrilled with their win that they fired HC Barry Odom immediately after the game. Maybe it was because he gave up two TDs to the Hogs. Hmmmmmmm

This Week's Three Notes About Thanksgiving...

We had a smaller turnout this year, but those that weren't there were missed by us all and loved just the same.

I was glad the Macy's parade found a way to go off in the bad weather.

Leftovers from Thanksgiving are always great.

Until next time, remember that just because your team is gong to bowl doesn't necessarily mean they are a good team.

-The Commissioner