Hey All,
Leisure Suit Larry struck again. He may be gone, but Larry Scott's nightmare creation known as parity did more damage to the Pac 12 this weekend. Let's take a look at the carnage in another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Bud Furillo.
Summaries
USC 41- Arizona 34: Los Angeles, CA- In front of a small gathering of fans at the Coliseum, it was Homecoming Weekend at USC. Over 900 former members of the Trojan Marching Band showed up to honor, now Band Director Emeritus, Dr. Arthur C. Bartner. At halftime, the field was filled with almost 1,200 band members past and present. That was special, that was exciting. It was also the 60th anniversary of USC's famous mascot Traveler appearing at football games. Those special things were the highlights of a day that saw the Trojans have to hold on for dear life to get a victory against a Wildcat squad that entered the game losers of 19 in a row. The game saw the Trojans build up a 35-14 halftime lead. The happiness of that lead was greatly diminished by the loss of WR Drake London for the year with a fractured ankle on a TD grab late in the second quarter. So, what did the SC offense do when 43% of their aerial production lost for the year? Not much. The Trojans put two fields goals up in the last 30 minutes while the defense did almost everything to hand the game to the Wildcats. UofA's offense had trouble moving the ball all year, but third string QB Will Plummer torched the SC secondary completing 20 of 34 passes for 264 yards. He also ran for 57 yard and a score. Plummer's 57 yards on the ground are a great number considering he was sacked four times. Two things that helped keep the game in the W column for USC were the return of QB Jaxson Dart and a fine rushing effort by RB Keaontay Ingram. Dart, back from surgery for a torn meniscus, completed 12 of 18 passes for 109 yards and two TDs. Ingram toted the rock 27 times for 204 yards and a score. He also had 133 yards in runs wiped out on penalties. This was very mixed bag of a win for the Trojans to say the least. QB Kedon Slovis who started the game for SC and split time with Dart completed 15 of 21 passes for 204 yards, two TDs and one bad interception that was turned into a pack-six by the Wildcats.
Telling Stat: Still giving up bug numbers; Despite the win, the USC defense still gave up 34 points. The Trojan defense has given up an average of almost 41 points per game at home to Pac 12 opponents. SMH.
Oregon 52- Colorado 29: Eugene, OR- The Ducks rolled up 31 points and 344 yards in the first half against the Buffaloes. The also gave up two TD passes which brought Colorado's season total to six scoring passes. However those 14 points didn't matter as the Ducks would run up 52 points on the hapless Buffs who put 15 more points on the board after the game was all but over and UO had emptied their benches. QB Anthony Brown completed 25 of 31 passes for 307 yards and three TDs to lead the Webfoot attack. QB Brandon Lewis of Colorado has his best day this season. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 224 yards and three TDs.
Telling Stat: 8 of 9 is just fine; Oregon scored on eight of their nine possessions, including their first seven to bury the Buffs in yards and points in this easy win. Note: UO's only non-scoring drive was the result of backup QB Ty Thompson throwing an interception on the Colorado 35-yard line with 10:29 to play in the fourth quarter.
Washington 20- Stanford 13: Palo Alto, CA- It was a chilly night on The Farm for this clash between the Huskies and Cardinal. Stanford did enter this game without their top weapon. Yes, referee Mike Mothershed and his crew were in L.A. messing up the Arizona-USC game. At Stanford Stadium the two teams collided like a pair of trucks with square wheels. The Cardinal scored on their opening drive. They took a 3-0 lead on a 35-yard FG by PK Josh Karty. SU's offense then went dormant for the next two and a half quarters. The UW defense had something so with that dormancy. Forcing two turnovers and three punts during that timespan. The Dawgs offense wasn't that much better, but they did put points on the board thanks to the leg of PK Peyton Henry. Henry was good on kicks of 24, 37, 32 and 35 yards to give the Washington a 12-3 lead. Stanford would get back into the game with 12:52 left when QB Tanner McKee capped off a 16-play, 75-yard drive when he dove into the end zone from one-yard out. UW, who decided they would just slug out the game in the old I Formation, tried to put the game away, but were stopped on downs at the Cardinal 45-yard line. QB Dylan Morris was stuffed on a QB keeper. Stanford wasted no time and forged ahead 13-12 on their next possession. Karty split the uprights for the go-ahead score from 43 yards away. The Dawgs hopes for a comeback were seemingly dashed when their next drive died at the Cardinal 35-yard line when Morris' fourth down pass fell incomplete to the Stanford Stadium turf with 3:12 to play. However, the Cardinal couldn't run out there clock. The Huskies forced an incompletion on third down to stop the clock with 2:51 left. After a punt, the Dawgs started at their own 33-yard line. Seven plays later, they faced a 3rd an 2 at the Cardinal 20-yard line with :26 left. The Dawgs took a shot at a TD. WR Jalen McMillan grabbed Morris' pass in the corner of the end zone for an 18-12 lead. WR Giles Jackson then sprinted in for the two-point conversion and a 20-12 lead. Stanford's last chance to send the game to OT ended when McKee's aerial was picked off by DB Brendan Radley-Hiles. The Huskies ended up out gaining Stanford 375 yards to 261. The Dawgs also held Stanford to to just 67 yards rushing. The UW RB tandem of Sean McGrew and Cameron Davis combined for 213 yards rushing on 37 carries, while Morris completed 17 of 25 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. In the loss, McKee completed 21 of 32 passes for 194 yards and two interceptions for the Cardinal.
Telling Stat: They couldn't convert; Washington's defense held Stanford to just 4 of 12 on 3rd down conversions to keep their offense in the game.
Utah 44- UCLA 24: Salt Lake City, UT- The Utes came into this one wanting to bounce back from their loss at Oregon State last week, pull off a sweep of the LA schools and put a stranglehold on the Pac 12 South. They did all that and their effort got a little help when UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson did not play due to an injury he suffered v. Oregon last week. However, Ethan Garbers stepped in and had a good game. He completed 27 of 44 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 36 yards. This game came down to the Utes ability to run the ball and stop the run. Funny how those two factors seem to decide most games. The Utah defense bottled up UCLA's potent rushing attack. They held the bRuins to a total of 146 yards on 35 carries and one TD. Meanwhile, UCLA couldn't. stop Utes ground forces. Tavion Thomas led the charge for the Utes with 160 yards rushing 24 carries. He tied the Utah school record with four rushing TDs. Utah got a fifth TD from QB Cameron Rising who totaled 63 yards on the ground. The Utes held a 28-10 halftime edge. Utah then saw the lead cut 28-17 before they put up 16 fourth quarter points to put the game away.
Telling Stat: 1+2+1= W; Utah's defense had a modern day win. Them picked off one UCLA pass, held the bRuins on downs twice and recorded a safety in 11 drives to help secure a win.
California 39- Oregon State 25: Berkeley, CA- The Golden Bears put together their best all-around game of the season in their takedown of the Beavers at Strawberry Canyon. The folks up on Tightwad Hill got quite a show as Cal used a balance attack to rollup 512 yards and 35 points. QB Chase Garbers completed 17 of 26 passes for 262 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. Two of those TDs ended up in the hands of RB Christopher Brooks. The Golden Bears also ran for 260 yards on the Beavers, but it was special teams that helped push this game into the win column for Cal. Cal was nursing a 24-17 lead With 1:32 left in the third quarter. They had just forced OSU into a punt on 4th and 8 from their own 37-yard line. The punt was blocked by LB Nick Alftin. The kick bounced out of bounds and Cal had the ball at the Beavers 38-yard line. On the next play, Garbers threw to WR Trevon Clark for a touchdown. Cal would never be caught by the Beavers. OSU did cut their deficit two just six at 31-25 early in the fourth quarter, but Cal then mounted the drive to put the game away. Garbers final TD toss of the day finished the scoring. OSU QB Chance Nolan completed 15 of 26 passes for 243 yards, two TDs and two interceptions in the loss.
Telling Stat: +119= W; Cal slowed down OSU's vaunted ground attack and mounted a ground attack of their own. They out rushed the Beavers 255 yards to 134 which laid the foundation for the victory.
Washington State 34- Arizona State 21: Tempe, AZ- It was Homecoming Weekend at ASU. Sun Devil Stadium was awash in beautiful fall sunlight and the yard was packed. Fans, parents and alums were looking forward to the Sun Devils bouncing back from their loss to Utah two weeks ago. That didn't happen. What did happen was a first half that saw the Cougars do almost everything right while ASU did almost everything wrong in a crazy first half. Wazzu came out ready to play awhile ASU looked like they hadn't woken up yet. The Cougar defense forced three turnovers on ASU's first three drives, held for downs on another drive and watched ASU miss a field goal on a fifth drive. The Cougar offense turned those stops into a 21-0 lead. QB Jayden de Laura came out on fire, placing the ball perfectly in tight windows and making the ASU DBs look foolish. A 45-yard strike from deLaura to WR Calvin Jackson, Jr. made the score 28-0 Cougs with 1:50 to go in the second quarter. The Sun Devils did manage to get off the deck and get on the scoreboard just before the half when WR L.V. Bunkley-Shelton scored on a 12-yard pass from QB Jayden Daniels that made the score 28-7 at the break. The second half saw the Cougars cool off a little, but they did extend their lead to 34-7 before the Sun Devils got two late scores to make the game look closer than it really was. de Laura completed 17 of 27 passes for 234 yards and two TDs, but the real story was Wazzu's rushing game. The Cougars ran the ball 42 times for 187 yards and a pair of TDs. Daniels threw for 228 yards and two TDs in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: 3 in 13= L; Arizona State turned the ball over three times in their first 13 plays which led to an early 14-0 hole they could never dig out of.
Observations
...Can't stop 'em; This current USC defense is one of the worst in decades. Only the Italian army has given up this much yardage in this short of a time.
...7 of 9 is crazy; UCLA went for it on fourth down nine times v. Utah and converted seven times. Utah held UCLA to just 4 of 16 on 3rd down conversions which does help explain why UCLA went for it so many times.
...He's gonna coach again; Looks like Clay Helton will be named the next HC at Georgia Southern in the next couple of days. I thought folks in the south knew football. Sigh.
...No loyalty anymore; Packers fans in Wisconsin could always count on one thing, you could always listen to the Green and Gold on WTMJ Radio. Well, not in 2022. After 92 years of broadcasting Green Bay games, WTMJ will be out. 97.3 FM The Game will start carrying Packer games. Wow.
...Talkin' diamond leather; Just about all of us kids who played little league had gloves that were based on the models that the big leaguers wore. Being primarily a first baseman, basically, I was the tall/fat kid who could catch most infield throws. I owned two gloves for most of that time. Both were Rawlings gloves. The first one was a Gene Tenace model. You can't get more early '70s than that glove. The second one was a Chris Chambliss model. Email or text me folks, what names graced your gloves?
...Worse than free; Kansas opened their gates to all last week, but that was understandable. On the secondary market, Missouri at Vanderbilt tickets could be had for three bucks each last Saturday.
...Purdue- Pur-won't; I'm thinking Purdue's hold on first place in the Big Ten West will be no more after their next two games against Michigan State and Ohio State.
...11/2/1872; That was this first time a college football game ended in a scoreless tie. Rutgers and Columbia battled to that inaugural draw. That proves one thing. Rutgers has never, ever had an offense to speak of.
...Dude totes rock; Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III just ran all over Michigan. Walker gashed the Wolverine defense for 197 yards on 23 carries and all five of the Spartans TDs in their 37-33 upset of the Maize and Blue.
...Just rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that BYU is having 2021 Pac 12 Champion t-shirts printed.
...20 years and gone; TCU's Gary Patterson was removed effectively immediately by the Horned Frogs admin after they were whipped by K-State last Saturday. The admin wanted Patterson to ride out the season the way Coach O is doing at LSU, but Patterson declined. Patterson was one of the best coaches TCU has ever had and will be missed by all who cheer the Purple.
...Bad sign for Chip; The pro-bRuin LA Time has turned on him and now the discussion on Chip's buyout has begun. It's beginning to look like Kelly's days are numbered in Westwood. Do the Wasserman's have the cash to handle the buyout and bring in another HC? Hmmmm. So long, Chip?
...A little history; One of the biggest upsets in college football history occurred 100 years ago this past weekend when tiny Centre College of Kentucky took down mighty Harvard, 6-0. To this day at Centre College, signs that read C 6 - H 0 still adorn the campus. Read about it here. The big upset
...55 might just be AA; Utah OL Nick Ford was named the top OL in the Pac 12 for the second week this year. The dude can play either center, guard or tackle and plays them all at a high level. Nick needs some All-America consideration at this point.
...Things are just different in Texas; Texas Longhorns ST and TE coach Jeff Banks has a stripper girlfriend who owns a pet monkey. I bet you can't believe you read that last sentence. I can't believe I wrote it. Well, it seems on Halloween this monkey attacked and seriously injured a child. Facepalm or pawpalm? Oh and yes, Sark did hire this guy. Wow. A stripper and her monkey...
...Just a rumor; After hearing of the monkey at Texas, Texas A&M boosters did not go looking for a bigger, stronger, meaner monkey.
Great Pumpkin Sighting
If you get this, you get it and you're old.
Pac 12 Overreactions
USC is a 5-7 team.
Cal will win two more games.
The Pac 12 South is Utah's to lose.
ASU still has one more embarrassing loss left.
Oregon State will win the Pac 12 North.
UCLA is a 7-5 team.
Arizona will still go 0-12.
Washington will go full old school and stay in the I formation the rest of the year.
Colorado won't score 29 points combined for the rest of the season.
Oregon will sleepwalk into a loss
Wazzu never needed Nick Rolovich as much as they thought.
Stanford wonders what happened to their rushing game.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
TheeeOSU gets the nod for this awful all-scarlet ensemble v. Penn State. The Buckeyes seemed to channel the 1975 Cleveland Indians with this running blood clot look.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Lewiston, ME- This week's game comes from the New England Small College Athletic Conference. The Colby College Mules got a superior defensive effort in a 10-2 win over the Bates College Bobcats. The Mules defense was truly stubborn in keeping the Bobcats offense off the board. They forced seven punts, forced two fumbles and had a goal line stand in this game played in a steady rain. The scoring for Colby a 24-yard FG form PK Moises Celaya and a 33-yard TD pass from QB Brendan Sawyer to RB Matt Hersch. Bates two points occurred when they stuffed Colby RB Devin Marrocco in his own end zone in the seconds quarter.
Blowout Game of the Week: Ellensburg, WA- Division II provides us with this game as the Central Washington Wildcats chopped down the Lincoln University Oaks, 92-0. EWU held Lincoln to 35 total yards. They also picked off four Lincoln passes and recorded a safety. Wildcats QB J.J. Lemming threw for three TD passes and ran for two more in about 30 minutes worth of work.
Razorback Report: After having a bye this week, the Hogs will welcome the Pirate Mike Leach and his Mississippi State Bulldogs to Fayetteville next Saturday. There is no truth to the rumor that a new local ordnance banning cowbells has been instituted in Fayetteville.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Can we at least get week after Halloween before all the Christmas stuff shows up at the stores?
My mom was right about the Butterfinger being older than the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The Butterfinger came about in 1923 and Reese's hit the market in 1928.
The Oh Henry! and 5th Avenue are underrated candy bars.
Until next time folks, remember that teams that run well, win more games. To quote the legendary WR Marvin "Shake" Tiller. "It is because it's so."
-The Commissioner
