Hey all,
It sure was an exciting Saturday. Notably less exciting if you're a Trojan fan. As USC and by definition the Pac 12 slips into the depths of mediocrity, it's time for another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Tom Kelly.
Summaries
Utah 42- USC 26: Los Angeles, CA- So, it was another home game and another pathetic defensive effort by USC that led to another historic win by an opponent on the fabled Coliseum turf. It was Utah's turn to exercise a ghost v. USC by slapping the Trojans around for a full four quarters to grab their first win in LA since 1916. USC's chuck and duck offense along worth an anemic rushing game produced just three points by the 8:22 mark of the second quarter. Oh, USC had gained over 150 yards, but USC's inability to make key plays and a missed field goal left them trialing the Utes, 7-3. USC then took the ball and did drive for their only lead of the game when Slovis connected with his tunnel vision target, WR Drake London from 20 yards away for a TD. USC would never lead again. Utah would go on a 28-0 run that covered then end of the first half and beginning of the second half to put the Trojans away. The Utes score just before halftime seemed was the back breaker for USC. With :17 left, the Utes had no timeouts and needed to gain a good 10-15 yards to get into FG range. On 4th and 1 from the USC 37, the Trojans secondary fell for Utah's flea flicker and watched helplessly as WR Devaughn Vele hauled in a perfectly thrown TD pass. The Trojans showed no heart in the second half as the only thing that could stop Utah was the Utes themselves. QB Cameron Rising sliced and diced the SC secondary, completing 22 of 28 passes for 306 yards and three TDs while RB Tavion Thomas ran for 113 yards on 16 carries and a TD of his own. For the hapless Trojans, Slovis completed 33 of 53 passes for 401 yards, two TDs and an interception. A good portion of Slovis' output came in garbage time. London caught 16 balls for 162 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: 11:47/28/4/267= Blowout; In an 11:47 span of the second and third quarters, Utah scored 28 points on four drives that covered 267 yards to blow USC out of the Coliseum in impressive fashion.
Washington State 31- Oregon State 24: Pullman, WA- This game ended up being a barn burner in the Palouse thanks to a failed gamble by the Beavers and some much needed defense at the right times by Wazzu. Nursing a 10-3 lead to start the second half, OSU faced a 4th and 8 at the 50-yard line. OSU tried a fake punt. Punter Luke Loecher's pass fell incomplete and the Cougars took over at midfield. Seven plays later, RB Max Borghi crossed the double stripe on a three yard run and the game stood tied at 10-10. Wazzu then got that much needed defense. The Beavers had taken the ensuing kickoff and marched down to Cougars eight-yard line. On 3rd and 6, OSU QB Chance Nolan had his pass tipped and picked off by DE Brennan Jackson. That interception ignited a scoring barrage that would see both teams trade TDs for the next five drives. That would take the game to the 5:20 mark of the final period with WSU leading 31-24. Oregon State then started what looked like another TD march, but the drive bogged down at the Wazzu 23-yard line. On 4th and 19 from the 23, Nolan connected with RB Trey Lowe who took the desperation dump off pass and weaved his way through the the Cougars. Lowe's great effort came up one yard short and Wazzu took over on downs within the shadow of their own end zone. A kneel down later and WSU had pulled off the upset. QB Jayden de Laura spearheaded the WSU offense completing 32 of 46 passes for 399 yards, three TDs and an interception. OSU's offense was once again led by their rushing attack with RBs B.J. Baylor and Deshaun Fenwick both cracking the 100 yard mark. Fenwick also scored two TDs to go with his yards.
Telling Stat: 5 stops = W; The much maligned Wazzu defense held Oregon State for downs three times and picked off two passes which was the difference in this game.
Arizona State 28- Stanford 10: Tempe, AZ- Friday nights are usually pretty frightening for ranked Pac 12 teams over the years. That was not the case this time as ASU ground out a win over the Cardinal in front of a rowdy Sun Devil Stadium crowd. ASU opened the scoring with a nine-play, 87-yard drive that ended in a 51-yard scoring dash by QB Jayden Daniels. Stanford evened things on the ensuing possession thanks to a six-yard TD toss from QB Tanner McKee to WR Elijah Higgins. Not happy being tied, the Sun Devils marched 75 yards the next time they got the ball for a TD. RB Rachaad White powered into the end zone from the six-yard line for a 14-7 ASU lead. The boys from Tempe would never trail again. After forcing a Cardinal punt, Sparky's kids drove 80 yards for another TD to take a 21-7 with 10:24 to play in the second quarter. The score came on a 22-yard reverse by WR Elijah Badger. Both defenses took over with Stanford generating the only offensive score for the remainder of the game when PK Ryan Sanborn split the uprights from 32 yards away to cut the Cardinal deficit to 21-10 with 7:34 left in the third period. While ASU's offense sputtered over the final 39 minutes or so of the game, their defense did the work to secure the win. With 2:38 left in the third quarter, DB Jack Jones picked off McKee, then pitched it back to fellow DB DeAndre Pierce, son of ASU DC Antonio Pierce, who weaved his way 27 yards to paydirt. That score gave ASU a 28-10 lead. Stanford would gain yards, but never would never seriously threaten to score again. Daniels had another good dual threat night, completing 14 of 23 passes for 175 yards and rushing 13 times for 76 yards and a score. White led all rushers with 96 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. McKee was Stanford's offense. He completed 27 of 45 tosses for 356 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.
Telling Stat: One dimension is the wrong dimension; Stanford was held to 32 yards rushing by Arizona State. Forced to rely on the pass, the Cardinal folded under ASU's pass rush and tight coverage that produced three turnovers and a score.
UCLA 31- Arizona 16: Tucson, AZ- Just how would the bRuins bounce back from being smacked around at home last week? They turned to their ground game to put away the pesky winless Wildcats. UCLA did look vulnerable to an upset when QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson was picked off just before halftime by UofA S Gunnar Maldonado. The Wildcats didn't turn that pick into points, but they did go into the intermission trialing by a just single point at 14-13. The teams traded field goals to start the third period. It was here with UCLA leading 17-16 that their defense took over the game, while the offense just kept pounding the ball on the ground. Thompson-Robinson capped off a nine-play 75-yard drive with a four yard TD scamper to extend the bRuins lead to 24-16. With 7:48 left to play, UCLA put the game out of reach when RB Brittain Brown raced untouched through the Wildcat defense for a 48-yard touchdown. The bRuins forced a UofA fumble on the next possession and the capped off the scoring with PK Nicholas Barr-Mira's second FG of the night. It was good from 43 yards out. Brown and RB Zack Charbonnet both cracked the century mark on the ground and Thompson-Robinson collected two scores with his legs. For the still winless Wildcats, QB Jordan McCloud completed 21 of 30 passes for 182 yards and ran for 21 more on eight carries.
Telling Stat: Second half shutdown; UCLA held Arizona to a measly three points in the second half while forcing two turnovers and recording three sacks in this win in the desert.
Observations
...Another choice; Here's my wife's selection of fictional football HC to be USC's next leader. She picked coach Molly McGrath from Wildcats. We know coach McGrath can take a bad team and make them better. That makes her worth a shot. My wife also said that the cheerleaders from the movie have to come with her.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that USC is a seven point underdog to their bye week.
...Even worse in Tucson; UofA QB Jordan McCloud who had taken the starting QB job from Gunner Cruz will now miss the rest of the season after suffering ankle and knee injuries v. UCLA. Done
...Schadenfreude really is fun; Watching Oklahoma comeback to rip the heart out of Texas and their HC Steve "Cutty Sark" Sarkisian felt really good.
...Bayou Blues; Sadness reigns in Baton Rouge where LSU was listed as a possible trap game for Kentucky last Saturday. There was no trap as the Wildcats crushed LSU, 42-21.
...Forking the competition; ASU has the best defense in the Pac 12.
...Fiesta for Utah; As you know by now, Utah got their first win over USC in Los Angeles since 1916. That was five years before construction on the Coliseum commenced and seven years before the USC ever set foot in the Coliseum to beat Pomona on October 6th, 1923. So where did SC play their home games in 1916? According to the USC media guide, HC Dean Cromwell's Trojans played their home games at Fiesta Park. Fiesta Park was located at 12th and Grand in downtown L.A. Fiesta Park operated from 1894-1916 and hosted everything from the L.A. Auto show to horse races to soccer and the Fiesta de Los Angeles that featured an annual parade and a celebration of springtime. The Fiesta de Los Angeles was discontinued during World War I and the grandstands were transported to USC's Bovard Field.
...Where have you gone, John McKay; After losing 37-19 to Tennessee last Sunday, The Jacksonville Jaguars losing streak stands at 20 games. They are just a handful of losses away from tying the dubious mark of 26 straight losses set by the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
...This just in; UNLV stinks. The Rebels are 0-5 and have been outscored 182-93 this seasons. They are just thankful that UConn grabs all the worst team of 2021 headlines.
...This week's sign of the Trojan football apocalypse; I should have known it was gonna be a bad evening for USC when I arrived at my seat in the Coliseum and saw there was large pile of animal crap (at least I hope it was animal crap), halfway down our row. I've seen a lot of things at the Coliseum since 1974, but I'd never seen that. That pile seems to sum up USC's efforts at home this year perfectly.
...Shoutout for up north; Monday was Thanksgiving Day in Canada. The holiday goes back to 1879 in order to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and other blessings. American Thanksgiving is pretty much the northern version food-wise, except that roast beef and ham find their way to Canadian tables along with turkey. Also, a great deal more fall vegetables like several varieties of squashes and yams are consumed.
...There's no crying in baseball; However, there was a whole lot of whining over the ground rule double that "cost" the Rays a run in extra innings v, the Red Sox in game three of the ALDS. The rule has been on the books for forever. It happens a couple of times every year at least, it just happened to occur in the playoffs this time.
...Didn't see that coming; In two weeks the matchup of the year in C-USA could feature undefeated UTSA v. one loss UTEP. Wow.
...Not gutsy; If you're a well-liked HC like Arkansas HC Sam Pittman, you get praise for going for two against Ole Miss last week. He was called gutsy for the move. It wasn't gutsy, it was stupid. This ain't 1986, it's 2021. He should have just kicked the PAT and headed to OT. SMH!
...Ivy down the road; Looking forward to Dartmouth at Harvard on 10/30. I think that will be the game that decides the title in the Ancient Eight.
...Franklin my dear, I don't give damn; This intrepid reporter is getting sick of hearing about how Penn State HC James Franklin is the lead candidate for the USC job. One, the guy has won just one Big Ten title in eight years. Two, his teams fail on the road against ranked opponents. Lastly, The dude lost to Clay Helton in the 2017 Rose Bowl. Seriously, the man watched his team blow a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter to Clay Helton! Facepalm.
...A tale of two backups; Oklahoma backup QB Caleb Williams subbed in for the struggling Spencer Rattler and led the Sooners to an incredible comeback win over Texas. Williams accounted for 300 yards of offense and three TDs. Meanwhile, Penn State's Ta'Qua Robinson subbed in for injured starter Sean Clifford and had an awful day. He did run for a TD, but threw two interceptions, overthrew many receivers and looked lost on the field. He also couldn't get the offense ready to snap the ball, as the Nittany Lions committed eight false starts with Robinson at QB. Three of those false starts occurred in a row on his first series in the game.
...Incognito Sparty; Their schedule has been pretty weak, but Michigan State is 6-0 and seems to be improving each week under HC Mel Tucker.
...The old ballgame; Man, I love October baseball. Playoff games bathed in beautiful fall daylight are a great treat.
...No route 101 on their map; Alabama's upset at the hands of Texas A&M snapped a 100-game winning streak against unranked opponents for the Crimson Tide.
...So long, Kevin; Georgia Southern DT Kevin Whitley has been removed from the team after this public display of stupidity. Idiot
...Air Raid is junk food; I heard this about the stats of air raid QBs and thought it was brilliant. Air Raid QBs pile up an incredible amount of stats no matter what happens in the game. Those stats were compared to junk food. They're just empty calories.
CFL Update
It ain't a great year for The Commissioner as even his CFL team stinks. The Edmonton Elks are 2-6 and firmly entrenched in last place in the CFL West. The mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers are still running away with the division with an 8-1 mark. The Toronto Argonauts hold a slim one game lead over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL East. I now will make another shameless plug for the folks at 3 Down Nation for their great coverage of the league of the frozen north. CFL Eh!
Pac 12 overreactions
USC is a 3-9 team.
Arizona will beat USC.
The Pac 12 South is ASU's to lose.
Utah is a an 8-4 team.
Oregon State has reverted to form and will finish 7-5.
UCLA will lose to Washington by 14 points.
Colorado won't score more than 17 points in any game on their remaining schedule.
Cal will almost win the rest of their games.
Stanford will only go as far as the Pac 12 refs will take them.
Oregon wonders why nobody is talking about them.
Wazzu will make the inaugural Los Angeles Bowl.
Washington fans will never understand why a GA was promoted to DC.
Ugly Uniform off the Week
Kent State wins for this athletic gold ensemble. It's bad to be West Virginia and wear that awful all athletic gold uniform, it's worse to be Kent State and imitate it. Yuk.
Departments
Best Game Nobody Saw This Week: Silver City, NM- The Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds were down as much as 17 points, but managed to pull of an epic comeback with two TDs in the final minute to beat the Western New Mexico Mustangs, 50-47. The game that is named the Green Chile Bowl provided more punch than a good green chile burrito. There were 97 points scored despite the first score not coming until the 1:55 mark of the first period. ENMU RB Justin Mayfield ran for 234 yards on just 16 carries and two TDs while his QB, Nathan Valencia completed 24 of 34 throws for 329 yards and five TDs. For the hard luck Mustangs, QB Devin Larsen completed 23 of 40 passes for 294 yards and five TDs.
Blowout Game of the Week: Odessa, TX- It was Oilfield Night at Ratliff Stadium. Yes, the same Ratliff Stadium made famous in the book and subsequent movie and TV show all named Friday Night Lights. This time the lights were on Saturday as the University of Texas Permian Basin Falcons wiped out the Lincoln University Oaklanders, 75-0. Never heard of either school? Neither had this intrepid reporter. UTPB became a school in 1973 and their football program has been around since 2015, while Lincoln University has been around since 1919, but this is their first year on the gridiron. A 99-yard punt return for a TD on the opening kickoff by RB Jayvon Davis set the tone for the game. The Falcons would rush for 317 yards and five TDs, while the defense scored on two interception returns. QB Suddin Sapien threw for two TDs and ran for one more to lead the Falcons attack.
Razorback Report: Oxford, MS- What a heart stopper of game it was at Ole Miss. The Razorbacks fell 52-51 to the Rebels thanks to a poor decision to go for two at then end of the game instead of kicking the PAT to send the game to OT. Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson had himself and incredible day. He completed 25 of 35 passes for 326 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 85 yards on 20 carries with three more TDs on the ground. Up next for the Hogs is a home date with the Auburn Tigers.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Notably cooler mornings have announced that fall intends to stay awhile.
Halloween decorations may actually be purchased this year.
Rose is Rose is a pretty cool comic strip.
Until next time remember that aren't any quick fixes for a team that lacks heart.
-The Commissioner
