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.
...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
