Week Four

Hey All,

Here's to hoping that everyone enjoyed their first weekend of fall in 2021.  Now, settle back for another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Mal Florence.

Summaries

Oregon State 45- USC 27: Los Angeles, CA- Oregon State purged 60 years of Coliseum futility in 60 minutes on Saturday night.  The Beavers did what they wanted to do when they wanted do it against the Trojans for the majority of the game.  The Trojan defense was physically beaten down and mentally lost when it came to trying to stop the OSU offense.  The Beavers opened huge holes in the SC defense which allowed RB B.J. Baylor to rumble for 158 yards rushing on 23 carries.  He would have gone for over 200 yards if not for a very USC-friendly holding call that erased a 44-yard Baylor blast.  The Beavers rushed for 311 yards on 51 carries as a team with nine different backs handling the ball.  Oregon State did not do anything complicated.  USC just couldn't stop it. OSU ran straight zone blocking schemes with fly sweep motion.  The offense was reminiscent of what Mike Riley's Beavers ran against SC 15-18 years ago. Oh, and when the Beavers did throw the ball they hit wide open receivers due to multiple breakdowns in the Trojans pass coverage. QB Chance Nolan completed 15 of 19 passes for 213 yards, four TDs and two picks. He also ran five times for 57 yards.  On the flip side of the ball,  USC's Air-Raid offense that showed life last week, under QB Jaxson Dart at Wazzu, reverted to its' plodding check down self with the return of starting QB Kedon Slovis to the lineup.  Slovis finished the game completing 31 of 49 tosses for 355 yards with one TD and three interceptions. USC failed to run the ball yet again behind their woeful OL. However, RB Keontay Ingram did rush for 79 yards on 14 carries with two TDs.  USC as a team finished with 76 yards rushing. WR Drake London was once again Slovis' favorite target, grabbing 10 passes for 165 yards. 

Telling Stat: 35 in 18:25 for the W; Oregon State scored 35 points in a span of 18:25  to put this game away in the Coliseum.  The Beavers score five straight TDs on drives of 92, 92, 75, 59, and 64 yards. 

Oregon 41- Arizona 19: Eugene, OR- The Ducks started fast, went into a 30 minute lull, then finished as strong to stay undefeated on the season.  UO took a 17-0 lead in the first quarter on a 63-yard TD pass from QB Anthony Brown to WR Jaylon Redd, a 21-yard FG by PK Camden Lewis and an 11-yard run by 15th year senior RB CJ Verdell.  That start propelled the Webfoots to a 24-10 halftime lead. Then, UofA came out in the third period and almost stole away the game form the sleeping Ducks. It started when DT Mo Diallo nailed Brown in the end zone for a safety.  After the ensuing free kick, the Wildcats traveled 71 yards on 12 plays and found the end zone when RB Drake Anderson ran in from a yard out. Suddenly Oregon's lead was only 24-19 with 1:36 left in the third quarter. The Ducks woke up and put 17 more points on the board to put this game away. The scores were a 43-yard FG by Lewis, an 18-yard TD pass from Brown to WR Spencer Webb and a 68-yard pick six from CB Bennett Williams. Brown finished the game with 10 completions in 21 passes for 206 yards and three scores. He also carried the ball 12 times for 41 yards. For the winless Wildcats, QB Jordan McCloud completed 21 of 36 aerials for 233 yards, one TD and five interceptions. 

Telling Stat: -5 is bad;  I don't care who is playing, if I look at a scoresheet and see a -5 turnover margin, I know that team lost the game. 

Utah 24- Washington State 13: Salt Lake City, UT-  This game was a sloppy struggle to say the least with the Utes finding a way to get the win in the final period.  After a scoreless first period, WSU got on the scoreboard first. They scored on a 39-yard FG by PK Dean Janikowski to cap off a drive that traveled 58 yards in 11 plays. Utah took the lead two drives later when backup QB Ja'Quinden Jackson came in on a gaol line package and ran two yards for a TD.  Janikowski narrowed the Cougars deficit to 7-6 just before the half with a 20-yard field goal. Wazzu forced a Utah fumble to start the third quarter and quickly turned that into a 26-yard TD pass from QB Jarrett Guarantano to WR DeZahaun Stribling and a 13-7 lead.  The Cougars offense wouldn't be heard form again. While the Utes defense shutdown the Cougars, the Utah offense kept trying to give the game away.  A 28-yard FG by PK Jaden Redding came in the middle of a span where the Utes fumbled two more times and missed a FG.  Down 13-10, Utah finally put another TD drive together.  They marched 72 yards in eight plays.  RB T.J. Pledger crossed the double stripe on a 20-yard run to give Utah the lead for good.  On the ensuing drive, Utah CB Clark Phillips III picked off an errant aerial and took it back 54 yards for the game-clinching touchdown. Pledger led all rushers with 117 yards on 10 carries and a TD for Utah.  Guarantano completed 25 of 36 passes for 248 yards, a TD and three big interceptions in the loss for Wazzu.

Telling Stat: A zero when they needed it;  After falling behind, 13-10, the Utah defense shutout the Cougars, holding them to 60 total yards over their last six drives. The Utes also picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown to secure the win.

UCLA 35- Stanford 24: Palo Alto, CA- The Cardinal were happy to be home for the first time in about a year, but UCLA turned all that happiness to despair as they ground out their first road win of the year. Ground is the key word as UCLA tripled Stanford rushing yardage, 204-67. Michigan transfer RB Zack Charbonnet ran for 123 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown to lead all rushers, but the top bRuin in this game beat the Cardinal with his hands and his feet.  QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson rushed for 30 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.  He also completed 18 of 29 passes for 251 yards and two more TDs.  Playing with an injured shoulder, Thompson-Robinson led two fourth quarter scoring drives of 75 yards to put the game away.  In the loss, Cardinal QB Tanner McKee completed 19 of 32 passes for 293 yards and three TDs. 

Telling Stat: 10 points are bending;  UCLA's defense bent a good deal, but didn't break.  They gave up 10 points in the final quarter, but that was good enough for the win.

Washington 31- California 24 OT: Seattle WA- The 100th matchup between these two schools had a thriller of a finish. It was a see-saw battle all the way to the end. The Huskies turned an interception of Cal QB Chase Garbers into an early, 7-0 lead. UW QB Dylan Morris threw a 19-yard TD pass to WR Taj Davis for the score.  The Golden Bears answered on the ensuing drive.  They drove 75 yards in 13 plays on the arm of Garbers and the legs of RB Damien Moore. The drive culminated with a Garbers 1-yard toss to TE Jake Tonges. The Dawgs took control of the game for rest of the first half.  They sandwiched two 70+ yard scoring drives around holding Cal for downs in the red zone. The two touchdowns were a six-yard pass from Morris to WR Jalen McMillan and a five-yard scamper by RB Sean McGrew.  As time ran out in the first half, PK Dario Longhetto split the uprights for Cal.  UW led at the half, 21-10.  UW extended lead their back to 14 points early in the third period when PK Peyton Henry made good on a 32-yard attempt to make the score 24-10 Dawgs. UW wouldn't find the end zone again until the OT period.  The Golden Bears defense forced a fumble and watched a UW 47-yard FG attempt fail as the offense fought back to force OT.  It wasn't easy for the boys from Berkeley.  Another interception from Garbers and another drive that stalled on downs stymied the Cal attack.  However Cal cut the UW lead to 24-17 on a 26-yard TD pass from Garbers to Moore and then tied the game with 2:51 left in regulation when Garbers scrambled seven yards for a touchdown.  UW then did its' best to give away the game when they passed on 3rd and 2 instead of running and at least making Cal use a time out even if they didn't make the first down.  Cal got the ball back with 1:16 left and did use that timeout that UW left them to set up Longhetto for a 55-yard FG attempt.  The kick fell just short and the game went to OT.  UW had the ball first drove down near the goal line.  From there McGrew carried the ball three times out of the wildcat formation and knifed his way onto the end zone from two-yards out.  Cal then had the ball and powered their way to a first and goal at the UW four-yard line.  Moore got the ball and was hammered on the one-yard line and fumbled.  UW OLB Ryan Bowman recovered the fumble and game was over. McGrew ran for 53 yards on 16 carries with two TDs while Morris completed 19 of 32 passes for 234 yards and two TDs for the victorious Huskies.  Garbers was most of the offense for Cal.  He complete 30 of 41 passes for 319 yards with two TDs and two interceptions.  He also ran 16 times for 71 and another score. 

Telling Stat: +4 gets the Purple Gang a W; Washington won the trunover battle, 3-1 while also stopping Cal twice on downs.  That +4 turnover margin gave the Huskies a chance to win a game in which Cal held the edge in almost every other statistical category. 

 

Arizona State 35- Colorado 13: Tempe, AZ- Both teams entered this one looking for a bounce back win to start conference play after getting beaten last weekend.  ASU bounced back better, getting their passing game going and cutting down on penalties.  QB Jayden Daniels faced a CU defense that loaded the box and dared ASU to throw the ball.  Daniels handled the challenge well, completing 18 of 25 passes for 236 yards.  He also ran the ball seven times for 75 yards and two TDs. ASU was only flagged seven times which is a big improvement for a team that averages double digit flags per game.  Colorado still couldn't get their offense untracked.  However, the Buffs did manage to score a touchdown this week. CU drove 75 yards for a TD to start the second half.  RB Alex Fontenot did the honors hitting paydirt from one-yard out. The Buffs gained more yards than last week, but still have no passing game and that's a big deal. 

Telling Stat:  67 passing yards =1 dimensional=L;  Colorado can't throw the ball and when you're offense is one dimensional, you can't win many games.  CU is averaging just 85 YPG passing this year. Ouch.

Observations

...Another choice;  I have another idea for who should be the next HC at USC.  After last week's embarrassment, I figure SC might as well have some laughs if the team is gonna be this bad.  I think old professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff could give us those laughs.  I hear he has a whole backfield ready to sign letters of intent for next season. 

...1960/1914 is painful;  Oregon State hit two major milestones in their 45-27 win over USC.  The win was the first for OSU at the Coliseum over SC since 1960.  OSU's 45 points scored were there most they ever have scored against USC in a single game in this series that goes back to 1914.  

...Shown the locker room and then the door; TheeeOSU LB K'Vaughan Pope got shown those in order for quitting on the field in the second quarter of the Buckeye's win over Akron.  Wow.  Temper Tantrum

...Four the hard way; The Central State (OH) Marauders pulled off the rare feat of scoring four points in a game.  CSU got smashed, 55-4 by the Miles College Golden Bears. Central's four points came off a safety and a blocked PAT return.   

...A fun look ahead;  If, (and this is a really big if), Ole Miss upsets Alabama and Arkansas upsets Georgia, The Rebels will host the Razorbacks the following week in what could be an epic game.

...Mid game snack;  Check out this ref in the Louisville- Florida State game taking a Skittles break between plays. Taste the rainbow!

...They can light it up; Harvard is 2-0 and averaging a little over 45 points per game. 

...Too many times;  Way too many times in the Clay Helton era and now its' aftermath have Trojans fans heard the words, "This is a historic Trojan loss." SMH.  

...listening is learning; Some games I catch on radio while driving on game days. I've learned that there are plenty of local agents in Iowa ready to sell me Farm Bureau Insurance, where a really great casino is near Tunica, Mississippi and that the New England Patriots have an official lawn mower brand. 

...Condolences and sad coincidence;  Condolences go out here to the family of Utah CB Aaron Lowe and the Utah football program.  Lowe who was shot and killed early last Sunday morning in Salt Lake City.  The sad coincidence is that Lowe was the first recipient of the Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship.  Jordan, an RB for the Utes, was shot and killed last year in Texas.  Jordan and Lowe were high school teammates at West Mesquite High School in Texas. 

...Eagles sink low, Lunsford gone;  Georgia Southern has fired HC Chad Lunsford after a 1-3 start.  Lunsford was 28-21 overall with a 10-win season back in 2018. DB Coach Kevin Whitley was named the interim HC by AD Jared Benko.  Fired Chad

...Route 66;  For all who didn't see it, here's the NFL record 66-yard FG by Baltimore PK Justin Tucker.

Had it all the way

...Quietkly making noise; Army is 4-0 and may not throw another pass this year. 

...More sad news; Wazzu WR Brandon Gray was shot early Saturday in Pullman, WA. He didn't travel with the team to Utah last weekend. Another player down

...Torched Stripes;  Auburn came back from a 24-12 deficit to beat Georgia State and GSU HC Shawn Elliott ain't happy.  He accused the SEC officials of helping Auburn mount a comeback.  Fuming Elliott

...Tough to see; ULM-OC Rich Rodriguez's son Rhett was injured in game for the Warhawks.  He was sent to ICU with a partially collapsed lung.  Has to be awful to see your own kid hurt that bad on the field.  Painful

...They stand alone;  The only two undefeated teams left in the ACC are Wake Forest and Boston College. Wow.

...Why the visor?;  UW HC Jimmy Lake wore a visor last weekend on the sidelines.  What protection does a visor give a bald guy in a night game?

Pac 12 Overreactions 

USC will go 2-10

Oregon State is going bowling.

ASU needs a reminder that the game starts in the first quarter.

Oregon can't afford to keep playing to the level of their competition. 

Arizona will go 0-12.

Stanford better go back on the road.

Colorado needs to figure out that the forward pass is legal.

Cal will go 4-8.

UCLA can't afford an injury to Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Utah HC Kyle Whittingham will retire at the end of this year.

October 18th can't arrive fast enough for Wazzu.

Washington is a 7-5 team. 

CFL Update

I know you all were just waiting to be filled in on the action from the league of the frozen north.  The West Division sees the Winnipeg Blue Bombers flying on top of the division with a 6-1 mark.  Hot on their heels are the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a 5-2 record while sitting in fourth place are this intrepid reporter's team, the Edmonton Elks.  They are 2-4 overall and 0-4 at home. Sigh.  In the East Division, Hamilton and Toronto are tied for first with matching 4-3 records. One thing that always wins is the 3DownNation site.  Those guys have all the CFL info. Football, Eh!

Good Looking Uniform of the Week: 

Nobody really wears brown and gold.  Wyoming does and they've made it look good with this simple road uniform look. 

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Kalamazoo, MI-  In their final game before entering Empire 8 Conference play, the Alfred University Saxons pulled out a late, 10-7 win over the Kalamazoo College Hornets. With 5:06 left to play. Saxons RB Kevin Bragaglia rumbled five yards for the game-winning TD. The Saxons defense was pretty stout on the day, allowing only 139 total yards. Bragaglia finished the game with 98 yards rushing and that one touchdown. 

Blowout Game of the Week: Indiana, IA- The Central College (IA) Dutch wore out the scoreboard in an 84-16 beatdown of the Simpson College Storm.  The win moved Central to 2-0 in the American Rivers Conference in D-III. The Dutch threw for 556 yards and tallied 789 total yards.  QB Blake Hawkins completed 22 of 24 passes for 424 yards and seven TDs.  WR Erik Knack was Hawkins favorite target haunt in nine passes for 165 yards and four scores. 

Razorback Report: Arlington, TX- The Razorbacks went out to an early 17-0 lead over Texas A&M then held on the rest of the way with strong defense for a 20-10 win over the Aggies.  QB K.J. Jefferson was the Arkansas offense completing seven of 15 passes for 212 yards and two TDs.  He also gained 50 yards on eight carries on the ground. This week, things gets a little tougher for Arkansas as they take a trip to Georgia this week. 

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

My next door neighbors upped their Halloween decoration game and it looks great.

Trader Joe's Maple Kettle Corn rocks.

Reading the full color comics section on Sundays is still a blast.

Until Next time folks, remember that the team that runs the ball and can stop the run wins most of their games. 

-The Commissioner 

Week Three

 Hey All,

What another crazy weekend it was in college football.  Time to look back at it with another edition of Notes on Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mel Durslag.

Summaries

USC 45- Washington State 14: Pullman, WA- You never know how a team will respond to having their HC fired. The Trojans seemed to not be handling it well under new Interim HC Donte Williams. They trailed 14-0 late in the first half at Martin Stadium. Outside of a goal line stand earlier by the defense, USC looked lost on the field. The Trojans were also down to backup QB Jaxson Dart after starter Kedon Slovis was injured on the first drive of the game. Dart didn't get off to a great start turning the ball over on two of his first three drives in relief of Slovis.  So, you can imagine the concern that echoed through the USC fan base when the Trojans decided to go for it on 4th and 9 from the Wazzu 38-yard line with :32 left in the half.  The Trojans fortunes changed on that 4th and 9 play when the true freshman QB read the coverage correctly and threw a 38-yard scoring strike to WR Gary Bryant, Jr. Things really got rolling in the third quarter, when USC forced a Wazzu fumble on the second half kickoff. Eight plays later the game was tied on a 5-yard TD pass from Dart to WR Drake London. That started a third quarter barrage that would see the Trojans score 28 points in the period. While Dart continued to slice and dice the Cougars secondary, the USC defense produced a TD of their own.  DE Drake Jackson raced around the OT trying to block him and nailed Wazzu QB Victor Gabalis (who was subbing for injured starter Jayden de Laura) in the end zone for a strip sack. That strip sack turned into a Trojan touchdown when DT Tuli Tuipulotu recovered the fumble.  USC would take a surprising 35-14 lead into the final period.  The Trojans would tack on ten more points to finish the rout and hand Williams his first win as a head coach.  Considering he was thrown into the fray suddenly due to injury, Dart had a game that reflected the experience that most of us had as college freshmen.  It was pretty great overall, while also going off the rails at times. He completed 30 of 46 passes for 391 yards with four TDs, two interceptions and a fumble. He also was SC's leading rusher with 32 yards on six carries. For Wazzu, de Laura completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards and two scores and an interception.  He saw limited time after being injured in the first half.  

Telling Stat: 28 is great;  After scoring only one third quarter touchdown in their last eight games, USC exploded for four TDs in the third quarter against the Cougars.  USC hadn't done that since 2005 v. Hawaii.

Oregon State 42- Idaho 0: Corvalis, OR- The Beavers did what not many Pac 12 teams have done this year.  They smacked around a non-conference foe in a 42-0 pasting of the Idaho Vandals. The Beavers methodically posted two TDs in each of the first three periods against the overmatched team from Moscow.  QB Chance Nolan led the OSU attack completing 14 of 29 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns.  Beavers RB B.J. Baylor led all rushers with 69 yards on 11 carries and two TDs of his own. The Beavers defense did keep the Vandals off the scoreboard, but Idaho's first three drives did make their way into Oregon State territory.  OSU held for downs on all three of those drives. Up 28-0 at the half, OSU would then Idaho to 60 total yards in the second half which allowed the Beavers to empty their benches in this laugher at Reser Stadium. 

Telling Stat:  Thats a pretty big zero;  Oregon State recorded a shutout for the first time since 2008. That was when they gutted out a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh in that least desirable of Pac 12 post season contests, the Sun Bowl. 

Fresno State 40- UCLA 37: Pasadena, CA- A funny thing happened on the latest stop of the Fresno State moral victory tour.  Jake Haener was what happened.  Well, Jake Haener and a porous UCLA secondary happened. Let me set up the scene here.  With 9:23 left in the game, the Bulldogs held a 26-17 lead over a bRuins squad that had read a whole lot of their press clippings the last two weeks. However, UCLA did manage to cut the Bulldogs lead to 26-24 thanks to a very generous replay official that upheld the call on the field that WR Kyle Phillips did catch a 42-yard pass from QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. After the ensuing kickoff, FSU WR Josh Kelly was stripped of the ball and UCLA recovered on the Bulldogs 18-yard line.  Three plays later, RB Zach Charbonnet muscled his way into the end zone from three yards out.  Thompson-Robinson then ran for the two-point conversion.  It looked like UCLA had avoided the upset and FSU would be sent back to the central valley with another near miss against a Pac 12 foe. Bulldogs QB Jake Haener said "No, not tonight."  He led a 10-play, 75-yard drive scoring drive and threw the go-ahead TD 19-yard pass to WR Erik Brooks after being sandwiched by two bRuins on the play previous.  UCLA then surged back ahead with a gutsy 75-yard TD drive of their own when Robinson and Phillips hooked upon for another score. This one was from 15-yards out to give UCLA a 37-33 lead with :55 seconds left. The bRuin student section was jubilant.  It looked like UCLA had pulled out the win.  Jake Haener again said, "No, not tonight."  Visibly limping from the pain of the hit he took earlier on every play, Haener willed his squad on 75-yard game winning march.  His final throw was a 13-yard TD toss to WR Jalen Cropper.  The Fresno defense then swatted away UCLA's Hail Mary attempt as time ran out to claim the upset victory.  Haener put up some big numbers. He completed 39 of 53 passes for 455 yards and two TDs  Haener's backfield mate, Reggie Rivers ran for 136 yards on 21 carries and scored two TDs to lead all rushers.  In the tough loss, Thompson-Robinson completed 14 of 24 passes for 278 yards and three TDs. 

Telling Stat: 91-53 + 40:20 = 40-37; Fresno State ran 91 plays to just 53 for the bRuins. The Bulldogs also held the ball for 40:20. This led to a a gassed UCLA defense that helped this upset happen. 

Minnesota 30- Colorado 0: Boulder, CO- This game could have been an interesting matchup of lower tier teams form the Big Ten and Pac 12.  The Minnesota defense made sure nothing interesting would be happing in this game unless you were form the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Golden Gophers defense played the roll of buzz-killers as they snuffed out the Buffaloes offense from start to finish.  While the Buffs offense specialized in racking up negative yardage in the first half, the Gophers didn't really put the game away either.  Minnesota took a seemingly vulnerable 13-0 lead into the half on two TD runs by RB Treyson Potts that covered 13 and two yards. The third quarter saw Minnesota add to their lead when Potts found the end zone from three yards out with :23 left in the period.  The game was essentially over at this point because the Buffaloes offense couldn't cross the street, much less put together a meaningful drive. A 33-yard field goal by PK Matthew Trickett and a 14-yard TD rumble by RB Ky Thomas finished off the scoring in this snoozer of a game. Potts led all rushers with 126 yards on 26 carries and three TDs.  Colorado had no offense to speak of.  The Buffs finished the game with 63 total yards and an awful -19 yards rushing. 

Telling Stat: -4/63/5= Shutout; Minnesota's defense held Colorado to -4 yards in the first half, 63 yards total and pushed the Buffaloes into negative yards on five separate drives on the way to recording a stone cold shutout.

California 42- Sacramento State 30: Berkeley, CA- The Capital Corridor is still firmly in control of the Golden Bears.  Cal held off a pesky bunch of Hornets to grab their first win of the year. The Bears got a lead and then held that lead instead of collapsing as they had done the previous two weeks. RB Damien Moore paced Cal to a 14-6 first quarter lead with a pair of four-yard scoring runs. A 45-yard scoring pass from QB Chase Garbers to WR Jeremiah Hunter put Cal up 21-6 at the intermission.  Cal, then extended their lead to 28-6 on a 99-yard kickoff return by KR Nikko Remigio to start the second half. The two squads then traded scores the rest of the way with the Hornets picking up a final TD with 1:28 left to make the score look closer than it really was. Garbers finished the day completing 22 of 34 passes for 288 yards and two TDs.  Sac State QB Jake Dunniway completed 25 of 43 tosses for 370 yards, two TDs and an interception. 

Telling Stat: First 30 is enough;  The Cal defense got torched up and down the field yardage-wise, but gave up only six first half points which helped their offense create the separation they needed to win the game. 

San Diego State 33- Utah 31 3OT- Dignity Health Park, Carson, CA- The Aztecs held a 24-10 lead on the Utes with 5:24 left in the third period. Utah QB Charlie Brewer had been ineffective in the game and had been replaced by Cameron Rising to try and jump start the Utes offense. Rising did get the offense moving a bit, but when the boys from Montezuma Mesa stopped the Utes on the SDSU four-yard line with 8:58 left in regulation, it looked SDSU was going to put the game away with a good drive. They didn't. Utah forced a three-and-out, then Rising did rise, leading his squad on a 10-play 63-yard drive to cut their deficit to 24-16.  The TD came on a two-yard pass from Rising to WR Britain Covey.  After another Aztec punt on the ensuing possession, Rising did it again. This time he drove the Utes 74 yards in 13 plays for the game-trying TD which came on a four yard pass from Rising to WR Theo Howard and a two-point conversion pass from Rising to WR Connor O'Toole. SDSU then ran out the clock and the game moved to overtime.  In the first OT period, the teams traded TDs.  In the second they traded missed field goals. The third OT period saw the new NCAA OT rule come into effect.  The game would now turn into a two-point conversion shootout. SDSU scored on theirs when WR Jesse Matthews connected with QB Lucas Johnson for the two-pointer running the Aztecs version of the Philly Special.  Utah's attempt to send the game to a fourth OT failed when Rising's pass to O'toole was ruled incomplete by the replay booth.  The Aztecs were jubilant in victory while the Utes were stunned. Rising finished the night with 153 yards passing and three TDs in the comeback bid.  SDSU threw for only 44 yards on the Utes, but did rush for 219 yards with RB Greg Bell leading the way with 126 yards on 33 carries and two touchdowns. 

Telling Stat: Generous 14 leads to L;  Utah gave SDSU 14 points on a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD along with a seven-yard TD run following an interception that made a huge difference in this game. 

Northern Arizona 21- Arizona 19: Tucson, AZ- What could easily be called the lowest point in the history of Arizona football thankfully wasn't seen by many because it aired on the Pac 12 Network.  However, this intrepid reporter saw the game and it was depressing to watch.  The Wildcats came into this one hoping to break a streak of 714 days since their last win when they squared off against their little brothers from the Big Sky, the NAU Lumberjacks. Arizona did start well with PK Lucas Havrisik hitting a 51-yard FG and QB Will Plummer throwing a 49-yard TD pass to WR Boobie Curry that gave the Wildcats an early, 10-0 lead. Havrisik would tack on a short 24-yard FG early in the second period and that would be all for the UofA offense until later in the fourth quarter.  The Lumberjacks found ways to chop into their deficit in that time frame.  NAU got on the scoreboard just before half when DB Brady Shough picked off a Plummer pass and took it back 28-yards for a pick six. NAU took the lead when they put together a seven-play 65-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard TD run by RB Kevin Daniels. With 7:53 to play, NAU extended their lead to 21-13 when QB R.J. Martinez completed a nine-yard TD pass to WR Hendrix Johnson.  Plummer, who had thrown the interception that set up NAU's last score, was pulled and Jordan McCloud came into to play QB.  McCloud led the Wildcats on a drive that covered 85 yards in seven plays for a TD. McCloud connected with Curry from three yards out for the score.  However, McCloud's pass for the tying two-point conversion failed. UofA's defense would have to stop NAU for a chance to pull the game out.  They didn't.  NAU picked up a first down and with 2:04 left.  They then just ran out the clock as the Wildcats were out of time outs.  Kevin Daniels led the way for the Lumberjacks gaining 127 yards rushing on 27 carries with a touchdown. Plummer threw for 191 yards, a TD and two huge interceptions in the loss for UofA.

Telling Stat: 21-3 gets it done;  Northern Arizona scored all 21 of their points off Arizona turnovers. The Wildcats could only muster three points of the Lumberjacks miscues.

Stanford 43- Vanderbilt 23: Nashville, TN- The Cardinal started off the game with a 7-yard TD run by QB Tanner Mckee and never really looked back as they simply outclassed the Commodores. The pesky Commodores did force a 14-14 tie late in the second quarter, but Stanford would go on a 20-0 over the last few minutes of the first half and the opening minutes of the second half to put the game away. Up 34-14, the game then devolved into a clock draining scrimmage until the Cardinal broke through with a drive that covered 86 yards.  The final yard was gained on a one-yard plunge by former Cowboys HOF RB Emmitt Smith's son, E.J. Smith. Vandy would get a cosmetic score in the waning seconds to make the game look a little closer than it was. 

Telling Stat: Short fields result in a win;  Stanford's 20- 0 run to take control of the game resulted from a Vandy interception and poor punt coverage. The Cardinal drove an average of only 28 yards on the four drives that produced those 20 points. 

Oregon 48- Stony Brook 7: Eugene, OR- The Hi-liter yellow clad Ducks suffered from a first half hangover from their win last week at TheeeOSU.  The Quacks owned a mere 17-7 lead over their FCS foe from New York at the half. However, the Ducks did wake up in the second half and wore down Stony Brook. The Quacks put up 31 second half points in this late occurring blowout.  The Webfoots forced two turnovers and held for downs once to set up three quick scores. UO held a 34-7 lead early in the final period and this game was essentially over. Anthony Brown led a flock of three different Ducks signal callers that combined for 263 yards passing and three TDs. Tyquell Fields threw for 131 yards and three interceptions in the loss for Stony Brook. 

Telling Stat:  The did it the short way;  Thanks to their defense and special teams, Oregon scored on drives of 48, 11, 15, 54, and 65 yards in the second half to make this game a blowout. 

Washington 52- Arkansas State 0: Seattle, WA- Ahhhh, the Huskies finally got a win.  The Dawgs got a lot of early season frustrations out when they took a big bite out of the Red Wolves.  The Dawgs discovered the forward pass was still legal in this game. Eight different receivers made 25 catches with three touchdowns on the afternoon.  QB Dylan Morris competed 23 of those passes for 367 yards and three TDs to go with two interceptions. Two touchdowns in each of the first two quarters put the Huskies up 28-0 at the break. The second half saw the Dawgs tack on 24 more points as both teams emptied their benches in the final stanza.  Eight different Huskies also carried the ball, combining for 200 yards on 39 carries and three scores. ASU QB James Blackman completed 16 of 38 passes for 176 yards in the loss for ASU.

Telling Stat: 48 is great;  For the first time this year, Washington held an opponent to under a hundred yards on the ground.  The Huskies held Arkansas State to 48 yards rushing en route to a lopsided win.

BYU 27- Arizona State 17: Provo, UT- The Sun Devils have suffered from slow starts, turnovers and double digit penalties in their first two games of the year. Both of those games were against very weak teams. ASU was able to overcome those mistakes and win.  That didn't happen here.  The Sun Devils put-up only seven first half points, turned the ball over four times and were flagged 16 times for 121 yards in their loss to the Cougars.  That's the whole story of the game.  ASU beat BYU in almost every other statistical category but couldn't get out of their own way.  

Telling Stat:  Just read the paragraph above. 

Observations

...Old cynical wisdom;  There's an old Croatian saying that deals with bad things that happen to you while traveling.  When translated it basically means, "That's what you get for going there."  (Note: The Croatian people are not a very positive bunch.) I think LSU and Auburn are feeling that right now.

...He's gone;  Utah QB Charlie Brewer has quit the team.  He was benched in the second half of the Utes' 33-31 triple OT loss to SDSU last week. Wow. Salt Lake City in his rear view mirror

...An odd feeling;  For the first time in years, the USC fan base felt happiness while watching the Trojans.  For the first time in forever the Trojans faithful didn't witness a win that felt like a loss or after the game lamented, "Yeah we won, but we're still stuck with Helton." 

...Fashionably late;  After spending the last days of "the season" in Newport, the Ivy League managed to start their football season last weekend.  Ahhh, the Ancient Eight does enjoy their summers. 

...Dusting off the Cardinal jerseys;  After spending the last four weeks of last season on the road and the first three weeks of this season on the road, Stanford will finally play a home game this week v. UCLA.  

...4.3 seconds;  That was amount of time it took for the USC message boards to go from rejoicing over the firing of Clay Helton to arguing over who should be the next head coach.

...Bad cupcakes;  The Pac 12's cupcake games on the schedule this year have been anything but that.  They ended up being bran muffins topped with Kale.  They have left the league with a bad taste its' mouth and feeling pretty hollow inside. 

...Hero status;  Jake Haener will be spoken of in reverent tones by the local populace and the memory of his great efforts against the bRuins may already have become legend in Fresno.  

...Marketing with suds;  Portland State HC Bruce Barnum wanted to draw fans to see his Vikings who have started the year at 0-2.  Barnum offered to buy a beer for every fan who showed up for their home opener v. Western Oregon. Maybe the generosity worked. Portland State won, 21-7.  There is also no truth to the rumor that the Portland Police Department set up a DUI checkpoint right outside the stadium. 

...Transitive theory in action;  So is Fresno State now better than LSU? Just asking for a friend. 

...Humor in the Big Easy;  You gotta hand it to WWL-TV New Orleans for picking a funny photo to illustrate that the Saints were losing at the half on Sunday.

...Ralphie ran farther;  Colorado's Mascot, Ralphie covered more yardage in her pregame dash around Folsom Field than the Colorado offense gained in four quarters v. Minnesota. 

...Sack is the term;  When the USC defense actually tackled the WSU QB behind the line of scrimmage, I had to look up what that is called. It had been so long since I had seen a sack by a Trojan. 

...Redundency personified; They had a white-out at the BYU game v. ASU.  Isn't every day at BYU a white-out?

...Shaw miffed;  Stanford HC David shaw was little miffed that his team's beatdown of USC was seen as a an ultimate firing offense by the USC admin.  Face it, Dave. Even when the Cardinal are good, nobody respects your team. 

...Not a cool wheelie;  USC's team plane did a wheelie on the tarmac in Pullman last week. Wheels Up!

...No doubt about it;  Best throw I saw all Saturday was when my sister, Luci nailed a perfect shot in Cornhole with the game on the line.  She was nails under pressure. 

...45 years;  After being whipped by Wake Forest, Florida State is 0-3 for the first time since 1976.  Which incidentally was Bobby Bowden's first year as the HC at FSU.  

...The Visor can design an offense;  In six off their last eight games, Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss squad has put up over 600 yards of offense. Wow.  

...It does happen;  When the students move in and classes actually are set to start in Westwood,  you can count on UCLA blowing a game. 

...Anothewr week, another Hail Mary;  SMU pulled off the feat to beat Louisiana Tech. Another one

...Too bad and anticipating;   With the way they have started the season, it's pretty sad that BYU won't face SDSU this year. However, it will be really fun to see Fresno State travel to SDSU on 10/30. 

...Only the CFL punts on third down; In the Auburn- Penn State game, the SEC officiating crew cost Penn State a down and the Nittany Lions were forced to punt early on a series because of the error. 

Not the CFL

...Two other errors for the SEC;  Earlier in the day, the SEC crew in the Memphis-Mississippi State game made two errors on what would be a 94-yard punt return TD for the Tigers.  If either of the missed calls had been made, the punt return would have been nullified and the Bulldogs would have still had a real shot to win the game, Facepalm. Double Fail

...Shade from the Valley; Fresno State Football wasted no time throwing down a serious burn towards UCLA after the Bulldogs pulled off their upset of the bRuins.  Serious Shade

...Unthinkable;  BYU still has games with Wazzu and USC coming up. So it is possible for the Cougars to sport a 5-0 record v. the Pac 12 this year.  SMH.

...I've been asked a lot this week who I think should be the next HC at USC. I'm so bad at picking coaches.  I thought Lane Kiffin would be good and originally hated the hiring of Pete Carroll. However, I think Danny O'Shea deserves a shot.  I mean who wouldn't want to see SC run The Annexation of Puerto Rico? 

Pac 12 Overreactions

USC has shot at the Pac 12 title.

Utah will lose three more games.

Wazzu won't win three games.

Oregon State will make a bowl.

ASU is a 6-6 team.

Cal will give up 500 yards passing twice this year.

Arizona will go 0-12.

Stanford will parlay the no respect card into a Sun Bowl bid.

Oregon will sleepwalk to two losses.

Washington will go 4-8.

UCLA will go 8-4.

Colorado will eventually score a touchdown.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

Oregon wins again fort this Hi-Liter Yellow ensemble. It's just painful to see.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Milton, MA- The Curry College Colonels of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (Alliteration is cool!) crossed the double stripe twice in the second quarter to grab a 14-7 non conference win over the Hartwick College Hawks of the Empire 8 Conference. Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter,  the Colonels tied the game on a 14-yard pass from QB Gabe DeSouza to RB Justin Mullnaey. They then went ahead when Mullaney found the end zone on a three-yard run. The Curry defense protected the lead the rest of the way for the win.  

Blowout Game of the Week: Durango, CO- The Orediggers of the Colorado School of Mines dominated all phases of the game in a 76-0 grounding of the Fort Lewis Skyhawks in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game. Six different backs combined to rush for 300 yards on 54 carries for CSM with five TDs.  The Oredigggers also threw for five TD as well with QB John Matocha completing 12 of 16 passes for 186 yards and three scores in one half's worth of work. The CSM defense was as tough as the Rockies allowing just 23 total yards and two first downs. 

Razorback Report: After throttling Texas last week, the Hogs showed no real signs of let up this week in there 45-10 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles.  QB K.J. Jefferson has a great day completing 13 of 23 passes for 366 yards and three TDs. Jefferson's great day included a 91-yard scoring strike to WR Treylon Burks. Meanwhile the Razorback defense held GSU in check allowing 235 yards.  Next week, the Hogs travel to Jerryworld in Arlington to take on the Aggies of Texas A&M in their SEC opener.

This Week's Three Things About Nothing....

What was a beginning of fall chill last week has been replaced with mild Santa Ana winds this week.  Seems like a fitting way for Autumn to begin in Southern California.

The Salted Caramel chips for baking from Trader Joe's are amazing.

The new Dug Days series on Disney Plus is pretty darn great.  

Until next time folks, remove that anything can happen in college football.

-The Commissioner

Week Two

 Hey All,

It has been an interesting weekend to say the least.  Now it's time for the column that makes Tuesdays feel like Saturdays, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

So Long, Clay Helton

For all USC fans except maybe the Helton family, the firing of Clay Helton as HC of the Trojans was long overdue.  The failures of Helton's tenure were many.  The positives were few. I have expounded upon those failures at length in this blog over the past few years.  After all the anger and vitriol aimed at Helton and the SC admin lately, it finally came to a head last Saturday night.  Annoyance and disappointment had turned to true anger and apathy.  The atmosphere at the Coliseum turned toxic to the point where players, who didn't realize that it was just Helton who the crowd was booing, got into shouting matches with fans.  The administration was finally forced to act.  They did act and now SC football can begin to work back towards being the football powerhouse it should always be.

Summaries

Stanford 42- USC 28: Los Angeles, CA- This game started with the omen of having SC PK Parker Lewis ejected after the opening kickoff for targeting, then steadily went downhill from there for the Trojans. Nobody knew it then, but this would be Clay Helton's last game as USC's HC as Stanford proceeded to whip USC in every phase off the game. By the time the Cardinal built up a 42-13 lead with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter, most Trojan fans had left the Coliseum and those that remained booed and chanted "Fire Helton" until the final seconds ticked off. Stanford only gained 375 total yards, yet it felt like 600 because SC also handed the Cardinal eight first downs on penalties.  Stanford had a real gameplan and executed it, while USC looked like kids playing park ball. The absolute lost look of the Trojans on both sides of the ball seemed to be the final straw for Trojan fans who had really been over Helton and his mediocrity for a few years.  

Telling Stat: Subtraction is a plus;  Clay Helton has been fired and now USC can work back towards being a relevant program again.

TCU 34- California 32: Fort Worth, TX- In week one, Cal blew a two TD lead at home. In week two they proved they can blow that same lead on the road.  The Golden Bears moved out to a 19-7 lead with 5:09 to play in the first half when QB Chase Garbers hooked up with WR Nikko Remigio for a seven-yard scoring strike. The lead could have been more if TCU hadn't stopped Cal on their own seven-yard line on the first drove of the game.  The Horned Frogs cut the lead to 19-14 before the half on a 51-yard TD run by RB Zach Evans.  The third quarter saw the Horned Frogs take the lead for the first time when QB Max Duggan completed an 18-yard TD toss to WR Quentin Johnston. In the fourth quarter, the two teams traded scores with TCU going ahead for good when Max Duggan returned to the end zone on a nine-yard TD run. Cal did not give up. Down 34-26, they drove 75-yards for a TD on the very next drive. RB Damian Moore knifed into the end zone from a yard out to cut the score to 34-32.  TCU then stopped Cal's two-point conversion attempt. Then, the Horned Frogs ran out the clock to secure the win.  Duggan finished the game with 234 yards passing, three TDs and an interception while Evans had a great game rushing for 190 yards on 22 carries and a TD.  Garbers threw for 309 yards and two scores in the loss that dropped Cal to 0-2. 

Telling Stat: 3 on the field= L;  Cal left points on the field when they failed on three two-point conversion attempts. Three standard PATs would have given them a 35-34 late and a better chance to win.

Washington State 44- Portland State 24: Pullman, WA- The Cougars really needed to get their offense untracked this week and they did just that against the Vikings. After a slow first quarter the Cougars turned a 7-0 lead into a 30-10 halftime advantage. WSU got their 23 second quarter points on a 10- yard TD run and a TD pass of 19 yards by QB Jayden de Laura along with a 16-yard run by RB Deon McIntosh and a 23-yard FG from PK Dean Janikowski. The squads traded score in the second half, but WSU wasn't going to give up this lead.  Jayden de Laura threw for 303 yards and three TDs to lead the Cougars attack. PSU QB Davis Alexander threw for 293 yards and two TDs in the loss. 

Telling Stat: Downs at the 17 for the win.  Twice the Wazzu defense held Portland State on downs to secure the win.  Both those drives stalled at the Wazzu 17-yard line.

Texas A&M 10- Colorado 7: Denver, CO- These two teams hadn't met since they were both Big 12 members back in 2009. That game was a 35-34 barn burner of a win for the Buffs at Folsom Field.  This one was a defensive coordinator's dream. Hard hits, third down stops, 15 punts, turnovers, missed field goals and a big injury marked this game. In the first quarter Texas A&M lost their Starting QB, Haynes King, to a fractured leg which left backup Zach Calzada to run the Aggies offense. Colorado got their offense moving during the period and drove 69 yards to grab a 7-0 lead on a two-yard run by RB Jarek Broussard. That lead looked pretty good as the Aggies gained just two yards on the first four drives led by Calzada.  Then, Calzada started to find his way and he drove his squad 57 yards to the CU 23-yard line. The drive stalled there, but the Aggies got on the board with a 41-yard FG by PK Seth Small. Both defenses ruled after the intermission. The third quarter saw just 64 yards gained total by both teams and seven punts. Then, the fourth quarter came and the Aggies really started moving the ball.  The kids from College station and the 12th Man felt doom and disaster before breaking through for the win. Texas A&M put together a 74-yard drive only to have it end when after Calzada scored the apparent go-ahead TD on a 12-yard run, but the ruling of TD was overturned by the replay booth and Colorado was awarded the ball on a touchback with 8:45 to play.  However, the Sons of Ralphie couldn't move the ball and punted it right back to the Aggies. This time the Aggies found paydirt.  They drove 77 yards in 11 plays with Calzada finding RB Isaiah Spiller in the end zone from 18 yards out for the winning score.  Colorado's last chance to even the score died when WR Dimitri Stanley was stopped short on third down by what looked like the whole Aggie secondary.  Calzada led all offensive players with 183 yards passing, 28 yards rushing and one big TD pass, while CU QB Brendon Lewis was held to 89 yards passing. 

Telling Stat: 1 for 30= A chance to win; The Texas A&M defense put up a wall the size of the Flatiron Mountains, holding Colorado to just one first down in the second half. 

San Diego State 38- Arizona 14: Tucson, AZ- The first home game of the Jedd Fisch era at UofA turned out to be worse than last week's first game ever of the Jedd Fisch era at UofA.  The Wildcats were out manned, out hit and out coached by the Aztecs.  Midway through the opening stanza, SDSU held a 21-0 lead after TD drives that covered 75 and 96 yards and a blocked punt return.  UofA did manage a score on their next drive, but SDSU scored two more TDs to take a 35-7 lead into the half.  With the competitive portion of the game over at that point, the second half became 30:00 of garbage time.  Aztec RB Greg Bell led all rushers with 125 yards on 17 carries and a TD.  His QB Jordan Brookshire only threw 14 times but completed 10 of those for 183 yards and two scores. The Aztecs stuffed UofA's rushing attack, allowing only 49 yards.  Arizona QBs Will Plummer and Gunner Cruz combined to complete 18 of 36 aerials for 179 yards, two TDs and an interception in the loss. 

Telling Stat: 56/271/37:34; Arizona just couldn't stop 'em.  SDSU ran the ball 56 times for 271 yards and held the ball for 37:34 T.O.P. to literally run away from Arizona with the win. 

Oregon 35- Ohio State 28: Columbus, OH- The Quacks showed up to the old Horseshoe with a bad taste in their beaks after nearly losing at home to Fresno State last week. The Buckeyes had handled Minnesota in their opener on the road and had a few extra days to prepare for this game.  It didn't matter.  Oregon beat up the Buckeyes along both lines of scrimmage and really seemed to control the game from start to finish. The Ducks never trailed in this game.  They led this one 28-14 after three quarters and fought off a late Buckeyes comeback to secure the win.  I write this knowing just how crazy modern football is. UO gave up 612 yards, 484 through the air and won. TheeeOSU threw the ball 54 times because they were behind all game and couldn't really run the ball. Meanwhile  Ducks QB Anthony Brown completed 17 of 35 passes for 236 yards and two TDs. However those 17 receptions were made by 11 different receivers. OSU QB C.J. Stroud completed 35 of 54 passes for 484 yards with three TDs and one big interception.  OSU had three receivers eclipse the 100 yard mark in the game.  WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the trio with seven catches for 145 yards and two TDs. 

Telling Stat: They held serve;  The Oregon defense did give up 612 yards, but held for downs twice in the first half and then picked off a pass late in the fourth to keep this game in the win column.

BYU 26- Utah 17: Provo, UT-  X would not mark this game for the Utes as they were denied in their quest for a tenth straight win over the Cougars.  Over the last nine meetings between these two rivals a few things usually stood out.  One, Utah could control the line of scrimmage. Two, the Utes could always get to BYU's QB.  Three, item numbers one and two would turn BYU into a one-dimensional team which would lead to item number four, a Cougars loss. This time, BYU turned the tables in the Utes.  The Cougars won this game in the trenches making key stops on defense and forcing two huge Utah turnovers.  This wasn't a blowout. These teams fought to almost a standstill, but BYU made the key plays to win for the first time in a decade. BYU won the total yards battle 380 to 340 with the extra forty yards coming from their rushing attack. It was an attack that allowed BYU to hold the ball for 8:30 of the final 9:30 of the game. BYU QB Jaren Hall completed 18 of 30 passes for 149 yards and three TDs on the night.  Utah RB Micah Bernard led all rushers with 146 yards and a TD on 12 carries. 

Telling Stat: A big four got them a big win; The BYU defense forced two Utah turnovers on their first two possessions and then held the Utes for downs twice to ensure a Cougar victory.

Michigan 31- Washington 10: Ann Arbor, MI- With 10:30 left in the second quarter, The all-blue clad Wolverines held a slim, 3-0 lead over the visiting Huskies.  Michigan also faced a 4th and 1 at the their own 30-yard line.  Ol' Mo-mentum, as Keith Jackson would say, was starting to manifest itself on the UW sideline as the Wolverines lined up to punt.  Then, UM HC Jim Harbaugh rolled the dice and ran a fake punt. Up back Michael Barrett managed to forge his way through the defense for a gain three yards and pick up the first down. On the next play, RB Blake Corum burst through the left side of the line and sprinted 66 yards for a touchdown. The PAT would put Michigan up 10-0.  The Dawgs never recovered.  Michigan would score 21 more points while the Huskies offense could only produce a TD and a FG against the stingy Wolverine defense.  Corum and backfield mate Hassan Haskins each eclipsed the 150 yard mark as they combined for 326 yards rushing on 48 carries and four TDs. UW QB Dylan Morris threw for 293 yards and a TD in the loss.

Telling Stat: They ran them out of The Big House;  Michigan gashed the Washington defense, rushing for 343 yards on 56 carries which equated to a nifty 6.1 yards per carry average. That kept the toothless Dawgs offense from ever getting back into the game.

Arizona State 37- UNLV 10: Tempe, AZ-  As they did in week one against Southern Utah, the Sun Devils started slowly, but got into a late groove and pulled away from the children of Sin City. The game was tight for long time with ASU holding a narrow 14-10 lead until late into the third quarter.  At :45 mark of the third period, RB Daniel Ngata ran for a 13-yard score to extend ASU's lead to 21-10. The Final period belonged to the Sun Devils. They tacked on 16 more points with a TD run from one yard out by White, a 33-yard TD pass from QB Jayden Daniels to WR LV Bunkley-Shelton  and a 22-yard FG from PK Christian Zendejas.  Daniels was the ASU offense. He completed 20 of 29 tosses for 175 yards with a TD and an interception.  He also ran for 125 yards on 13 carries. UNLV's lone bright spot was RB Doug Brumfield who ran for 43 on 8 carries and the Rebels only touchdown. 

Telling Stat: 70+85 = 2-0;  After giving up a 70-yard drive to UNLV to start the game, ASU's defense only allowed 85 total yards the rest of the game which gave the sluggish Sun Devils offense the time it needed to put the game away.

Oregon State 45- Hawaii 27: Corvalis, OR- The Beavers needed an opponent they could beat for their home opener and they found one in the hapless Hawaii Warriors. The Beavers hit the ground running to grab a win that let OSU avoid an 0-2 start for the third consecutive year.  OSU went up 21-0 finding paydirt on their first three drives of the game.  The TDs were 2-yard run where Wildcat QB Jack Colletto got upended into the end zone, a 66-yard scamper by RB B.J. Baylor and a 6-yard pass from QB Chance Nolan to WR Zeriah Beason. A 27-yard FG by PK Everett Hayes would give the Beavers a 24-7 lead at the break.  The second half was an even affair with the Warriors and the Beavers each scoring three TDs. The Warriors did get within striking distance when WR Nick Mardner caught a 10-yard pass from QB Chevan Cordeiro to cut their deficit to 31-20 with 3:46 left the the third period. Down the stretch, the Beavers had that enough left in the tank and held off the Warriors for the win.  Baylor ended up with a great game, toting the rock for 171 yards on 18 carries and three TDs, while WR Anthony Gould hauled in seven passes for 119 yards and a score of his own. Nolan was on his game completing 21 of 29 passes for 302 yards and two TDs.  For Hawaii, Cordeiro threw for 366 yards and two scores with Mardner and RB Calvin Turner, Jr. each eclipsing the 100 yard receiving mark and a touchdown.

Telling Stat: 13/13 gets you 21;  OSU QB Chance Nolan completed his first 13 passes to start the game which helped stake his team to a 21-0 lead that they would never relinquish. 

Observations

...It has to be rebuilt;  The next USC HC has to rebuild the wall around Southern California for recruiting purposes.  While Clay Helton destroyed recruiting, all the top schools poached kids from SC's back yard. It's hards to watch kids from power high schools here like Mater Dei, Corona-Centennial and St. John Bosco play for Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.

...Empty stands at the end of summer;  As there are MLB teams looking forward to the glory that is the playoffs and October baseball, there are many whose playoff hopes died long ago. Here's what just before a midweek day game looks like when a team is 44 games out of first place in early September.  The announced attendance was a little over 6,000. Soon, the regular season will end and summer will pass into memory along with this sparsely attended Arizona Diamondbacks game. 

...He speaks truth;  After UofA's 38-14 pasting at the hands of San Diego State, Wildcats HC Jedd Fisch didn't mince words when he said, "If anybody thought this was gonna be easy, they're out of their minds." 

...At least it wasn't sewage;  First reported as a sewage leak in the stands at FedEx Field Sunday, the pipe that burst was a just a rainwater drainage pipe, but still left a bunch of WFT fans with nowhere to sit. 

Not Sewage

...He might be right;  After his Buffaloes lost that 10-7 heartbreaker to Texas A&M, HC Karl Dorrell said emphatically how he feels after the loss, "Damn right I'm optimistic! I think everybody thought we wouldn't be close to this team. I told you all we're a better team than you think."

...Getting their corn husked;  I'm afraid Oklahoma may beat Nebraska worse than they did Western Carolina last week. That game ended, 76-0. 

...Sad, but true; They have already taken out Arizona and Utah, but if BYU beats ASU this week, the Cougars will be atop the Pac 12 and old WAC standings with a 3-0 record. Wow.

...This is clear;  After getting pasted by Virginia 42-14 to drop their record to 1-2, it ca safely be said that Illinois is bad and Nebraska nay just be a while lot worse. 

...An awful 180;  Florida State had high hopes after almost pulling of a huge upset of Notre Dame last week.  Now, the Seminoles are at the bottom looking up again after being beaten on a Hail Mary by FCS foe Jacksonville State.  Gutpunch

...A precursor to a bigger fall;  TheeeOSU Drum Major Austin Bowman's pregame entrance fall alluded to how the day would go for the Scarlet and Gray. Faceplant

...A fine well earned;  Arkansas has been fined 100k by the SEC after Razorback fans stormed the field after their 40-21 beatdown of ancient rival Texas. With the way Texas looked, SEC losses for the Longhorns might just become an ordinary thing. 

...The Brain Bowl semi-finals;  Northwestern travels to Duke this week and Stanford heads off to Vanderbilt. I think the winners of these two matchup automatically qualify to play in a Brain Bowl at the end of the year with winners getting their choice of internships on Wall Street or med school to attend. 

...Ugly in Annapolis;  After gaining just 68 total yards in their 23-3 loss to Air Force last Saturday, USNA AD Chet Gladchuk fired OC Ivin Jasper.  Jasper had been on the Navy staff for 22 years. Midshipmen HC Ken Miumatalolo fought to get Jasper reinstated in a. lesser role.  The Navy offense had been offensive as for late, scoring just 10 points two game this season and five TDs in their last 10 games. 

...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin plans to express interest in the USC job only to lure Trojan representatives to fly out to Oxford-University airport so he can tell them to take the job and shove it in an epic Reverse Tarmac. 

...They did it again;  Even with former special teams coach John Baxter long gone form SC, they still managed to have to guys wear the same number on a punt return last week under new ST coach Sean Snyder.  The astute Pac 12 officiating crew never caught it. Double Facepalm. 

...An interesting slate;  The Big Ten has some good/intriguing games on tap this week. Auburn going to Penn State is the headliner, but Cincinnati at Indiana, Minnesota at Colorado and Michigan State at Miami could be pretty good too. 

RIP Sam Cunningham (1950-2021)

Sam "Bam" Cunningham was a great Trojan RB who became the unexpected hero for racial integration when he ran all over Alabama in Birmingham in 1970.  He also was the MVP of the 1973 Rose Bowl with his four TDs over Ohio State that capped off a perfect, 12-0 national title season for one of the best football teams in college football history.  Those were the big headlines.  I was lucky enough to interact with Sam a few times over the years and the first thing about him to me isn't the headlines.  I think of an easy going guy that was nice to everyone I saw him interact with.  He was fun to talk to at the SC Fantasy camps of around 17-18 years ago.  I always liked how he remembered us guys from the camps. If he saw you first he would come say hello to you whether at home or on the road.  Just a nice man. That's the Sam I will remember. I'd like to think that Sam is now in a better place where the sun is warm and the grass is green and stadium packed.  I see Sam suited up to play for John McKay again.  I also see coach getting Woody Hayes' attention and sending Sam in to go over the top one more time. Fight On Forever, Bam. 

Pac 12 Overreactions 

USC is will go 7-5

Oregon will win the Pac 12

UCLA's only losses will be to Oregon

UW will ask Jimmy Lake to go jump in the lake soon.

Arizona might go 0-12.

Cal will continue to trip themselves up.

Oregon State will struggle with Idaho.

Stanford will barely beat Vanderbilt.

Colorado thinks they are better than they are.

ASU will sleepwalk into three losses.

Wazzu is just happy all the news this week is about USC.

Utah may not have as good a QB as they thought.

Test Your TV's Color System Uniform of the Week

Pitt and Tennessee win for this matchup of uniform colors that will make your TV work hard.

Departments 

Low Score Game of the Week: Houghton, MI- After 95 weeks without a game, the Tommies of St. Thomas (MN) made their debut on the FCS level with a 12-9 comeback win over the Huskies of Michigan Tech. The Tommies trailed The Huskies 9-3 entering the fourth quarter due to a blocked punt return for a  TD by LB Fred Kemp and a 25-yard FG by PK Drew Wyble.  St. Thomas tied the game midway through the final period when Tommies drove the ball down to the Tech one-yard line and fumbled/. TE Aiden Carslon fell on the fumble in the end zone for TD for the Tommies.  The PAT was blocked and game stood tied at 9-9. On their next drive, the Tommies moved down deep into tech territory and PK Larry Hyde hit the game-winning kick from 32 yards out with :59 seconds left.

Blowout Game of the Week: Rolla, MO- The D-II Miners of Missouri S&T were the ones creating the stampede yesterday as they ran all over the Buffaloes from Arkansas Baptist, 71-0.  The Miners rushed for 436 of their 671 total yards with RB Josh Sanders gaining 186v yards on just 13 carries with three TDs. The S&T defense held the Buffs to a 170 total yards while allowing only two of 17 third down conversions. 

Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- Woooo Pig Soooiiee!  The Razorbacks laws the hammer down own the Texas Longhorns, 40-14 in a revival of one of the old school rivalries of college football.  The Hogs owned this one from start to finish, building up a 16-0 halftime lead then laying down the hammer on the Horns in the second half. Arkansas ran over, around and through Texas for 333 yards on 47 carries with four TDs while limiting the Longhorns to 256 total yards.  Somewhere, Frank Broyles is smiling. This week, the Hogs host Georgia Southern.

This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...

After a few weeks of monsoon conditions around here, the rerun of the marine layer feels good.

Sorrento's pizza is still the best.

 My washer and dryer have an endless supply of repair codes.

Until next time, remember that no matter how nice. a person might be, if they aren't getting the job done they must be let go.

-The Commissioner 

Week One

Hey All,

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend filled with good times, good food and football. Now it is time for yet another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard.  We still miss you, Tom Kelly.

Summaries

USC 30- San Jose State 7: Los Angeles, CA-  Two things proved to be strikingly clear to the Trojan faithful and their growing sense of unease as their Trojans held a scant 13-7 over SJSU a couple of minutes into the fourth quarter at the Coliseum.  One: USC's defense has improved. The unit covered well and tackled better.  Two: The offense hasn't. The unit still can't run the ball when they really need to and they don't have a wide receiver capable of taking the heat off top WR Drake London.  The crowd grew even more uneasy when yet again the Trojans squandered a red zone drive with a field goal attempt.  PK Parker Lewis would make his third FG of the game to give SC a 16-7 lead.  On the ensuing drive, the SC defense then put the game out of reach when Safety Greg Johnson pounced on an out pattern throw from Spartans QB Nick Starkel and took it back 37 yards for a TD.  SC then managed to keep SJSU off the scoreboard the rest of the way while the offense got late TD pass from Slovis to TE Erik Krommenhoek that made the final score look like a bigger win than it really was. Slovis completed 24 of 36 passes for 256 yards and two TDs.  His favorite target was Drake London. London hauled in 12 passes for 137 yards.  RBs Keontay Ingram and Vavae Malepeai combined for 151 yards on 29 carries to lead the Trojan ground attack.  Starkel threw for 308 yards and two interceptions in the loss.

Telling Stat: 17-0 gets the W; Despite stumbling through most of the game, the Trojans owned the final period, shutting out the Spartans, 17-0 to claim the win. 

Montana 13- Washington 7: Seattle, WA- The Huskies came out on their first drive and moved down the field with ease, marching 78 yards in nine plays and grabbed a quick 7-0 lead over the Grizzlies on a one-yard TD plunge by QB Dylan Morris.  Montana answered that UW drive with a field goal to make the score 7-3 midway through the first quarter.  Then, like the sun on most Seattle days, both offenses  disappeared.  The defenses reigned for the next two and a half quarters.  Montana couldn't generate a single first down in that time span while the Dawgs generated some yards, but never got into the red zone.  They turned the ball over twice and missed a 50-yard FG in the process.  The fourth quarter came and Montana suddenly started moving the ball.  The Grizzlies moved the ball 69 yards in 10 plays and capped off the drive with QB Camron Humphrey finding the end zone untouched from four yards out for the go ahead score.  At this point the uneasiness of the Husky crowd turned to dread.  Boos rained down as the Dawgs offense took the field and promptly lost seven yards in three plays and were forced to punt. Montana then took six minutes off the clock and tacked on a 22-yard field goal for a 13-7 lead. UW would get the ball two more times and never come close to pulling the game out.  The Dawgs last hopes were dashed when Morris threw his third interception of the game with just :31 seconds left. Morris finished the game with 226 yards passing and those three huge interceptions.  For the victorious Grizzlies, Humphrey passed for only 105 yards, but didn't turn the ball over and ran for the winning score. 

Telling Stat: 55:09 of futility; After taking a 7-0 lead, Montana shutout Washington the rest of the way, limiting the Dawgs to just 201 yards over the final 55:09 and never allowing them anywhere near the red zone.

UCLA 38- LSU 27: Pasadena, CA-  They might need to order another bandwagon or two for bRuins "fans" after they pretty much owned this game from start to finish at the Rose Bowl.  After a scoreless first period, LSU broke the seal on the game with a 3-yard TD toss form QB Max Johnson to WR Kayshon Boutte. LSU would never lead again.  The bRuins immediately answered LSU's score with a 10-yard pass from QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to TE Greg Dulcich who ran the next 65 yards to paydirt. As the game wore on, it was clear that Johnson and the Tigers O-line couldn't handle UCLA's pass rush.  The Tigers did keep it close, but faltered in the final period as UCLA forged a 38-20 lead on a 1-yard TD run by RB Brittain Brown and Thompson-Robinson's third TD pass, a 45-yarder to WR Kyle Phillips. LSU managed a to put one more TD on the board late to make it interesting, but the bRuins defense shutout the Tigers the rest of the day to secure the upset.  Thompson-Robinson only completed nine of 16 passes on the night, but they went for 260 yards and three TDs.  The bRuins also ran well. They gashed LSU for 210 yards on the ground with Michigan transfer RB Zack Charbonnet toting the rock 11 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. For the Tigers, Johnson finished with 330 yards through the air and three TDs.

Telling Stat: 49 is fine; UCLA's defense made LSU one-dimensional by holding the LSU rushing attack to a measly 49 yards.  That enabled the bRuins to pull off the upset victory. 

Arizona State 41- Southern Utah 14: Tempe, AZ- The Sun Devils committed 11 first half penalties, but managed to still run roughshod over an overmatched Southern Utah squad.  The Sun Devils built up a 28-7 halftime lead on four touchdown jaunts.  RBs DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White each picked up two of those scores. Trayanum's runs were from 3 and 20 yards while White's were from 1 and 26 yards. The Sun Devils turned the second half into a glorified scrimmage tacking on two more TD runs to finish off the Thunderbirds.  ASU ran for 222 yards with seven different players chipping into the total. QB Jayden Daniels only put the ball in the air 12 times, but completed 10 of them for 132 yards before leaving the game early in the second half due to cramping issues in the hot Tempe night. SUU QB Justin Miller completed 19 of 30 passes for 146 yards and three interceptions in the lopsided loss. 

Telling Stat: 30:00 of garbage time;  ASU sent everyone to the bars early with big halftime lead against a hapless Southern Utah squad. 

Kansas State 24- Stanford 7: Arlington,TX- The Cardinal and the Wildcats hooked up at Jerryworld in the Allstate Kickoff Classic.  The Cardinal came into the game with uncertainty at QB.  Whether it was So. Tanner McKee or Sr. Jack West under center, the Cardinal offense sputtered.  Stanford's OL racked up the majority of the Cardinal's nine penalties and didn't protect either QB well. Meanwhile, KSU's defense stacked up the rushing lanes, holding SU to a paltry 39 yards on the ground. As for the Wildcats offense they got their 24 points on pair of TD runs by QB Skylar Thompson that covered six yards and 13 yards along with a 59-yard romp through the Cardinal defense by RB Deuce Vaughn and 40-yard FG by PK Taiten Winkel.  SU's only score came well after the game had been decided when McKee hooked up with WR Brycen Tremayne for a 14-yard touchdown. McKee proved to be the more accurate of the Stanford signal callers completing 15 of 18 tosses for 118 yards and a TD. For KSU Thompson completed nine of 14 passes for 144 and a pick to go with 33 yards rushing on 10 carries and two TDs.  

Telling Stat: 3rd and 8= No Bueno for the Cardinal;  Kansas State's defense combined with Stanford's ineptitude forced the Cardinal into an average length of eight yards to go on third down. 

Colorado 35- Northern Colorado 7: Boulder, CO- The Northern Colorado Golden Bears came to Folsom Field with high hopes and a new HC. Former Stanford and Broncos WR Ed McCaffrey paced the UNC sideline while CU looked to have a good start to 2021 under HC Karl Dorrell. The Buffs took awhile to get rolling while the Golden Bears seemed more interest in taking cheap shots and starting fights than playing sound football. The Buffs got their run game going in the second quarter when they took advantage of a bad UNC punt and a personal foul tacked onto the return to drive 28 yards for their first score. That score was a Jarek Broussard one-yard run. Four of CU' s five TDs on the night were short TD bursts by four different backs as they would control the game form the mid-point of the second quarter on.  QB Brendon Lewis completed 10 of 15 passes for 102 yards and a TD for the Buffs, but he did sometimes look lost on the field.  Broussard finished the night with 15 carries for 94 yards and a TD. UNC QB Dylan McCaffrey (Son of Ed), completed 24 of 42 aerials for 236 yards and a TD in the loss.

Telling Stat: 281/20 =W; Colorado ran the ball for 281 yards while holding UNC to 20 yards on the ground which paved the way for their easy win. 

Purdue 30- Oregon State 21: West Lafayette, IN- The guys with the train tracks on their helmets made fewer mistakes and held on for a win at Ross-Ade Stadium.  The teams traded TDs in the first quarter with RB B.J. Baylor opening the scoring with a 9-yard TD run and Purdue countered with an 11-yard TD scamper by RB Zander Horvath who is the modern embodiment of former Purdue FB Mike Alstott.  He just does not have the FB title as the FB position has been all but eliminated from the modern game. The Beavers offense then went dormant over the next two quarters while Purdue squandered opportunities to take a stranglehold on the game. Instead, they settled for three FGs from PK Mitchell Fineran that covered 48, 39 and 22 yards. Purdue actually had a shot at a fourth FG early on, but a delay of game penalty followed immediately by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Purdue bench took them out range. Clinging to a 16-7 lead to start the final stanza, the Boilermakers saw the Beavers put up two TDs to their one and cut the score to 23-21 with 3:13 to play.  OSU then gave up a 50-yard  TD strike from QB Jack Plummer to TE Payne Durham to put the game out of reach with 2:09 to play. Plummer finished the game with 313 yards passing and two TDs while Horvath led all rushers with 81 yards and a TD of his own.  For the defeated Beavers, QBs Chance Nolan and Sam Noyer combined to complete 20 of 37 aerials for 251 yards and an interception. 

Telling Stat: Donut in the middle means a W;  For a 35:02 span from the 3:17 mark of the first quarter until the 13:05 mark of the fourth quarter, Purdue's defense limited OSU to 73 total yards and kept them off the scoreboard. That defensive effort won the game for the Boilermakers.

BYU 24- Arizona 16: Las Vegas, NV- The Cougars and Wildcats played this one at Allegiant Stadium in what was aptly called the Vegas Kickoff Classic.  The only thing that really kicked off was the 2021 edition of the modern tragedy that is Wildcats football.  BYU QB Jaren Hall threw for 198 yards and two scores while also running for 36 more yards to keep the Cougars comfortably in control for most of the contest. While holding a 21-3 lead the Cougars let UofA back into the game when they got nailed for a safety and then surrendered a short TD drive after the ensuing free kick. BYU then led 21-13 at that point. However, both defenses held firm over the final quarter.  The teams traded FGs to finish the game.  UofA QB Gunner Cruz lit up the stat sheet completing 34 of 45 passes for 336 yards, a TD and an interception in the loss.

Telling Stat: Bent but not broken;  The BYU defense gave up 163 yards in the final quarter but forced a missed FG and an had interception while allowing only three points to secure the win for the Cougars. 

Nevada 22- California 17: Berkeley, CA- The Cal offense caught fire quickly then fizzled like a bad sparkler on the 4th of July in their loss to the Wolfpack.  The first quarter was owned by Cal who raced out to a 14-0 lead with TD marches of 63 and 72 yards.  A one-yard run by RB Damien Moore and a two-yard TD catch by WR Mikko Remigio accounted for the scores.  Cal had out gained Nevada 135 yards to six and held the ball for 13:13 of the first quarter.  At the quarter break, Nevada HC Jay Norvell read his team the riot act for just about the full time between periods.  It definitely woke up his team as they then took the game over for the final 45 minutes.  Nevada crawled back into the game with a pair of field goals that covered 44 and 35 yards from PK Brandon Talton and a 43-yard scoring strike from QB Carson Strong to WR Romeo Doubs. Nevada trailed, 14-13 at the intermission. Third quarter saw the Nevada continue to stymie the Cal offense while the offense took the lead on Strong's second TD pass, a 16-yard strike to WR Elijah Cooks and 49-yard FG from Talton.  Cal got within striking distance of the Wolfpack when they capped off a nine-play, 64-yard drive with a 24-yard FG by PK Dario Longhetto. Cal wouldn't threaten again. They wouldn't even get the ball past their own 25-yard line as an. interception from QB Chase Garbers and turnover downs killed the Golden Bears last two drives. Strong completed 22 of 39 passes 312 yards with two TDs and an interception in the win. Garbers finished with 25 completions in 38 passes for 177 yards, a TD and an interception for Cal.

Telling Stat: 3, 175= W for the Pack.  After that bad first quarter, Nevada's defense allowed Cal to gain just 175 yards and score only three points over the final three periods of play. 

Utah 40- Weber State 17:  Salt Lake City, UT: It was an emotional home opener for the Utes as they mourned the off-season passing of RB Tyler Huntley in front of a jam-packed home crowd in the newly renovated and expanded Rice-Eccles Stadium.  Once the game got under way, the Utes did what they do in season openers of late; they work over an inferior opponent and get almost everyone a little playing time under their belts in the process.  One bright spot for this year's Utes is Baylor Transfer QB, Charlie Brewer. Brewer commanded the offense well, completing 19 of 27 passes for 233 yards with two TDs and an interception. Brewer had plenty of time to throw thanks to a solid Utah OL led by SR. Center Nick Ford. (Shameless, but well deserved plug for my old teammate Mike Ford's son who is one of the top OL in the league.) RB Tavion Thomas cracked the century mark on the ground for Utah gaining 107 yards on 12 carries with pair of scoring runs that covered 12 and 14 yards. The Utah defense shut down the Wildcats for most fo the night allowing only a late TD after there game had well been decided. 

Telling Stat: Doubled-Tripled-Done;  This game was not as close at the score indicates. Utah doubled and even tripled the Wildcats on most statistical categories and were just a couple unforced errors away from hanging at least 55 points the board. 

Oregon 31- Fresno State 24: Eugene, OR- The (not seen for years) Fresno State Moral Victory Tour made a stop at Autzen Stadium where the Bulldogs beat the Ducksin every phase of the game but the scoreboard last Saturday. Everything looked great for the Ducks early as they jumped out to a 21-6 second quarter lead on the strength of a pair of short TD scampers by RBs C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye and a 14-yard TD reception by WR Johnny Johnson III. Then, as the happy Autzen faithful went out for locally sourced craft beers and hummus dip, the Bulldogs proceed to take a bite out of the Quacks. FSU QB Jake Haener threw a 17-yard TD Pass to WR Jalen Cooper just before the half to cut the lead to 21-13.  Then, the Bulldogs shutout UO in the third period while Haener walked into the end zone untouched and then completed a pass to TE Juan Rodriguez for the two-point conversion.  The game was now tied at 21-21.  Three possessions later, the Webfoots fumbled on their own 35-yard line.  The UO defense did stiffen and the Bulldogs settled for a 22-yard FG from PK Abraham Montano to take a 24-21 lead.  At that point, it was so quiet at Atuzen, you could hear Nike's stock price drop. Then, it was FSU's turn to fumble and they did at their own 19-yard line.  UO turned that into a game-tying 25-yard FG from PK Camden Lewis. After forcing an FSU punt on their next drive, Oregon pulled their tails out of the fire when QB Anthony Brown raced 30 yards for a TD on 4th & 2.  Now down 31-24, the Bulldogs last chance to tie the game ended when Haener was sacked on 4th & 15 from his own 20-yard line.  Haener had a good game slicing up the UO secondary, completing 30 of 43 passes for 298 yards and a TD.  He also ran for a score.  Brown finished with 172 yards through the air and 56 on the ground and a pair of TDs. 

Telling Stat: 1-0;  The Ducks survived and are 1-0 and now preparing for going to TheeeOhio State next week. That's all that matters to Webfoot fans.

 

Utah State 26- Washington State 23: Pullman, WA- The Cougars turned in the last of the pathetic performances by Pac 12 North teams in the final game of this weekend's conference slate.  The Cougars managed to Coug it alright. Midway through the second period, Wazzu trailed the Aggies, 5-3. Yes, 5-3.  USU's lead was due to safety where the Wazzu OL threw several lookout blocks and got QB Jayden de Laura sacked in his own end zone.  Speaking of lookout blocks, de Laura had come on for starter Jarrett Guarantano who was injured early on. WSU seemed to wake up after the safety and got a 26-yard field goal by PK Dean Janikowski to take a 6-5 lead into the half. The third quarter belonged to the Cougars as the offense cranked out two TDs thanks to a 64-yard TD dash by RB Max Borghi and 12-yard TD strike from de Laura to WR Donovan Ollie. The WSU defense also seems to have a hold on things forcing field goals on two USU drives and stopping several others. Another Janikowski FG would give the Cougs a 23-11 lead early in the final quarter.  WSU's control of the game fell apart down the stretch.  After a 2-yard TD run by RB Calvin Tyler Jr. to cut the deficit to 23-18, the Aggies forced a quick 3-and-out from Wazzu.  With 2:54 left, the Aggies drove 78 yards for the wining score. QB Logan Bonner swiftly led his Aggies down the field hitting on all seven passes he threw on the drive.  A PI call on Wazzu set up USU at the WSU seven-yard line.  Bonner then found WR Deven Thompkins for the go ahead score with :11 left. USU also made the two-point conversion to take a 26-23 lead.  WSU's last hope ended in a Cal-Stanford type scrum with USU recovering a fumble to end the game. Wazzu gave up over 400 yards with Utah State achieving almost a true 50/50 split with 219 passing and 222 rushing. 

Telling Stat: 12/113 1 TD;  Utah State's defense held WSU star RB Max Borghi in check which gave the USU offense the time it needed to pull out the game.  Aside from a 64-yard TD run, the Aggies held Borghi to just 49 yards and zero scores on his 11 other touches. 

Observations

...They paid for this; Washington paid $675,000 to be humiliated by the Montana Grizzlies. 

...Double Deuce; Wazzu allowed the rare combo of a safety and a two-point conversion in their loss to Utah State. 

...A fixture; Is it just me or has C.J. Verdell played for Oregon forever? I think he'll be offered a tenured position soon. 

...Feeling WAC'd;  Four Pac 12 games this week feature seven teams that at one time or another were members of the old Western Athletic Conference.  San Diego State travels to Arizona, BYU hosts Utah, UNLV heads to ASU and Hawaii will play at Oregon State. 

...They still roll;  Alabama is still a machine. That is all.

...Brutal, but true;  Mike Vorel of the Seattle Times had this bit of hindsight for those who attended UW's upset at the hands of Montana, "The fans- 64,053 was the announced attendance, though the actual figure was significantly smaller- probably should have stayed home. There, at least the alcohol is a whole lot cheaper."

...Literally their Achilles heel; returning Big Ten Running Back of the Year and cornerstone of Minnesota's offense, Mohamed Ibrahim is gone for the season after suffering a lower leg injury against TheeeOSU.  Rumor is he tore his achilles and now the Golden Gophers are a hamstrung bunch. 

...Not impressed; A lot has been made over Coastal Carolina's 52-14 whipping of The Citadel. Seriously folks, hasn't every team in the south whipped The Citadel by now?  

...He's gone;  UConn HC Randy Edsall announced he was retiring at the end of the season following his team's 38-28 loss to Holy Cross of the FCS last Saturday. Come Monday, It was announced that Edsall is vacating the post immediately and will be replaced by DC Lou Spanos. The decision to leave earlier was reached by the old "mutual agreement" between Edsall and AD David Benedict. Just leave now, Randy

...A really big 10; Presbyterian College QB Ren Hefley set an FCS record by throwing 10 TD passes in the Blue Hose's 80-43 win over  St. Andrews College.  The old record of nine TD passes was held by two QBs. Portland State's Drew Hubel who did it in 2007 and the one and only Willie Totten who accomplished the feat with Mississippi Valley State back in 1984 when he had some guy named Rice as one of his receivers. 

...Memo to UCLA; You don't own the Victory Bell, you don't get to use the sound of it at your games. 

...Only in the Palouse; Wazzu fans on their massage boards are now urging HC Nick Rolovich to keep up his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine so he can be fired for not meeting the requirement for all state employees to be vaccinated by October 18th. Facepalm. 

...Don't sweat it; Someone please tell Duke and Indiana fans that Midnight Madness is just around the corner.  

...Just a rumor;  There is no truth to the rumor that the ghosts of Darrell Royal and Frank Broyles have been seen around Fayetteville in advance of the Texas-Arkansas game this week.

...Old Central Valley vibes;  Fresno State is playing at UCLA in two weeks. If they throw the same scare into the bRuins that they did into Oregon, the Bulldogs would be channeling their old HC Pat Hill.  The Fresno State pattern under Hill was to scare the big teams, get your guys banged up in the process and then limp into league play and finish third.  That's called Bulldog excellence!

...Embarrassment in Fort Collins;  Colorado State didn't; just get upset by FCS power South Dakota State, they got humiliated, 42-23 by the Jackrabbits.  How bad was it? SDSU emptied their benches in the fourth quarter. I advise CSU HC Steve Addazio to invest in asbestos pants, because his seat is so hot now that Jim Harbaugh and Clay Helton's seats look cool in comparison.

...This just in; Petros is still calling games and he is still annoying. 

...Not a great delivery;  Don't get on Notre Dame HC for his execution joke.  Not many coaches have what John  McKay had which was great comic timing. Also, I'm sure Kelly is getting vilified for trying to quote an old USC HC on the ND message boards.

...Almost kid;  McKenzie Milton almost pulled off the comeback v ND for FSU.  However he captured a whole legion of fans in the process.  His mom also got a whole ocean of sympathy tears from all the other moms in America who agonized with her as he took the field. 

...Beaten by a Nimrod; Utah State PK Elliott Nimrod hit on all three of his FG attempts and kicked a PAT for Utah State in their 26-23 win over Wazzu. 

...The other side of the ball;  Anyone crediting all of UCLA's good play to their offense hasn't watched them play the last few years.  The offense has put up good numbers, It's UCLA's defense that has improved. 

...Horsehide note; the final month of the baseball season has some great pennant races.  The NL East and West along with the Wild Card races in both leagues will be nail-biters to the end.  Crazy thought, what if Seattle sneaks past Boston and New York for the final AL Wild Card spot?  Hmmmmmmmm. 

...Horsehide giveaway note;  One of the coolest fan giveaways in baseball history will occur on 9/26 when the Milwaukee Brewers will be giving away a Bob Uecker talking Bobblehead. 

...A little off;  Something just looks little off with this picture of Texas' new end zone renovation. 

CFL Update

Hey, I know, you're all eagerly awaiting the news of what is going on in the 110-yard fields of the Great White North. The season did start a couple of months late, but it did start. The strength of the league is still in the West Division where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Where Bud Grant once coached ) are 4-1.  The Commissioner's favorite squad, The Edmonton Eskimos, are now called the Edmonton Elks and are in third place in the west at 2-2. The East Division has a three-way tie for first place between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts who all sport 2-2 records. 

That's cool, eh?  According to the folks at 3Downnation.com. Hamilton owner Bob Young bought a beer for all season ticket holders attending their Labour Day game. Free Beer!

Pac 12 Overreactions

The Pac 12 is UCLA's to lose.

Washington will go 4-8.

Oregon State will not get out of their own way all year.

ASU is just happy to play a game.

Colorado will ruin somebody's year.

USC has no O-line...yet again.

Cal won't take a full three quarters off next week.

Wazzu needs Max Borghi to get the ball on every play.

Stanford won't have 150+ yard rushing in a game this year.

Oregon will lose by 35 at TheeeOSU

Arizona will go 3-9

Utah will smash BYU this week.

Ugly Uniform of the Week

Oregon wins because they are Oregon. Only Oregon can make green and gold ugly.  They really need a color scheme intervention form the Green Bay Packers

Departments

Low Score Game of the Week: Goodwell, OK- This game comes from the NAIA ranks where the Langston University Lions held on for a 10-7 win over the Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies to go 1-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.  All the scoring took place in the first half. OPSU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when RB Jamalrian Jones knifed into the end zone from one-yard out midway through the first quarter.  Langston got all their 10 points in the second quarter on a 24-yard field goal from PK Hunter Elliott and a 18-yard TD run by RB Larry Harrington.  Neither team threatened to score again.  All but the last drive of the game ended with a punt. Langston secured the win with an 11-play 59-yard drive on the final drive that took the last 6:32 off the clock. 

Blowout Game of the Week: Belton, TX- Mary Hardin-Baylor makes yet another appearance in this column as the Crusaders crushed the Simpson College Crusaders, 84-6 in a D-III tilt. The Crusaders punted just once while racking up 601 yards of offense and crossing the double stripe 12 times. 

Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- A very loud chorus of boos from the home crowd greeted the Razorbacks when they headed for the locker room at halftime trailing the Fighting White Owls of Rice, 10-7. The Hogs offense didn't wake up until the fourth quarter when they scored 31 points to put away the Owls.  RB Trelon Smith rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries to lead all rushers while QB KJ Jefferson completed 12 of 28 aerials for 128 yards, a TD and an interception for Arkansas.  Up next for the Razorbacks is a date with their ancient rivals from the old Southwest Conference, the Texas Longhorns.  This game has been sold out for quite awhile. 

This week's Three Notes About Nothing...

I'm at that stage of life now when I run into co-workers in the supermarket and our conversations now center on retirement plans and grandkids. Wow.

Mud Pie is one of the best desserts ever.

The Love Boat TV series does not hold up well 40 years later.

Until next time folks, remember that being able to run the ball when have to is the sign of a good offense.

-The Commissioner