Hey All,
Thanksgiving has come and gone, but you can still relive the past weekend that was in college football with yet another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Jim Murray.
Summaries
USC 38- Notre Dame 27: Los Angeles, CA- Pundits all week said how USC couldn't possibly stop Notre Dame's rushing attack. One of them even tweeted out that the Fighting Irish would run for 850 yards on Trojans. They said USC's hopes for the CFP would be dashed by the Domers. Funny, it just didn't turn out that way. The game was tight most of the evening, but SC took the ball on the opening kickoff, drove 75 yards in eight plays for a TD. That opening score came on a 11-yard pass from QB Caleb Williams to WR Tahj Washington. The Trojans had the lead at 7-0 and would never trail in their victory over the Fighting Irish. SC led 17-7 coming out of the half. ND had the ball to start the second half and promptly drove to the Trojans 23-yard line. On first down from the 23-yard line, ND QB Drew Pyne fumbled. Trojan LB Ramen Goforth recovered the fumble. Seven plays later RB Raleek Brown sped to the corner of the end zone from five yards out and the Trojans now held a 24-7 lead. ND would never dig out of that hole. ND would score to cut into the Trojans lead only to see Caleb Williams engineer another drive to extend the lead and keep the Irish at bay. ND's last chance to make things uncomfortable for SC died when the Trojans safely recovered an onside kick with 1:02 to play. The clear difference in the game was Caleb Williams. The top candidate for the Stiffarm Statue frustrated the Domers with his ability to keep plays alive. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 232 yards and a TD to go with 35 yards on nine carries and three scores. Williams' teammate RB Austin Jones led all rushers with 154 yards on 25 carries. As for the vanquished Irish, they were held to just 90 yards rushing by the Trojan defense. However, QB Drew Pyne torched the SC secondary, completing 23 of 26 tosses for 318 yards and three TDs with an interception and a fumble.
Telling Stat: 14 point swing; ND QB Drew Pyne's fumble early in the third period sunk his team. Instead of getting a TD to cut SC's lead to 17-14, the Trojans took the turnover and scored to take a 24-7 lead that they would not relinquish.
UCLA 35- California 28: Berkeley, CA- It was an interesting back and forth game between the kids form Berkeley and their Southern Campus little brothers. UCLA piled up yards and points, but Cal hung in there thanks to big plays. Cal scored four TDs while entering the red zone once all game. Cal QB Jack Plummer threw long TD passes of 46, 38 and 22 yards. He also threw an eight-yard TD pass for Cal's only red zone score in the final period. The real story of the game was UCLA's ability to run the ball and Cal's inability to hold on to it. The bRuins pummeled the Bears with 352 yards rushing on 64 carries. Cal, who didn't have many ball control problems all year, turned the ball over twice. The second of those turnovers came with a little over a minute to play. It was fumble by RB Jadyn Ott that ended Cal's last chance to win the game. The bRuins got out of Strawberry Canyon with a little harder than expected victory. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 21 of 30 passes for 189 yards and a TD while also running for 88 yards and two more scores. bRuin RB Zach Charbonnet led all rushers with 119 yards on 24 carries and a TD. For the Bears, Plummer completed 24 of 34 passes for 294 yards and four TDs.
Telling Stat: Nine for Westwood; UCLA has won nine games in a season for the first time since Jim Mora guided the bRuins to a 10-3 mark in 2014.
Arizona 38- Arizona State 35: Tucson, AZ- For the first time since 2016 The Territorial Cup resides in Tucson. It was a barn burner of a contest that featured a brawl between the mascots in the middle of the game and and a fight between the actual players at the end of the game that resulted in five ejections. In between the brawls, both squads played some pretty good football. The teams traded interceptions in a defensive first half that saw ASU take a 14-10 lead into the break on a four-yard run form RB Xazavian Valladay and a TD pass from QB Trenton Bourget to WR Elijah Badger that also traveled four yards. UofA 's 10 points came on a 51-yard gallop to the end zone from RB Michael Wiley and a 29-yard FG from PK Tyler Loop. The third quarter saw both offenses come to life and trade scores with the Wildcats getting the better of it. Their running game asserted itself in the third period with Wiley breaking off TD runs of 12 and 72 yards to go with a nine-yard ground strike from RB Jonah Coleman. ASU got another Bourget TD pass and a 1-yard plunge into the end zone from Valladay at the end of the quarter. The score stood 31-28 Wildcats to start there final stanza. ASU's defense forced a quick punt and then their offense drove 65 yards in eight plays to take a 35-31 lead on Bourget's third TD pass of the day. UofA then drove for the game-winning score on a drive that saw the Sun Devils pick up 29 yards in penalties when they committed pass interference and a face mask. RB DJ Williams slashed into the end zone from six yards out to cap off the drive. The Sun Devils had two more chances to win. the game, but the Wildcats forced a fumble on a sack of Bourget then intercepted Bourget on ASU's final drive to end the game. For the winnng Wildcats, Wiley was almost unstoppable lugging the leather. He had 12 carries for 214 yards and three TDs. His QB, Jayden de Laura completed 12 of 23 passes for 200 yards. For the now Territorial Cup-less Sun Devils, Bourget completed 37 of 49 passes for 376 yards, three TDs, two interceptions and a fumble while Valladay gained 97 yards on 24 carries and two TDs.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill; ASU turned the ball over five times and that was the reason they lost.
Oregon State 38- Oregon 34: Corvallis, OR- With 4:46 to go in the third quarter, the Ducks held a 31-10 lead over the Beavers. It looked like the Webfoots had stamped their ticket to the Pac 12 title game. This edition of the rivalry formerly known as the Civil War seemed firmly in the win column for the Men of Oregon. Then, the great Beaver comeback of 2022 happened. It was a comeback that was made possible by a special teams error, an incredible kickoff and some hubris from UO HC Dan Lanning. Up 34-24 with 12:24 to play and punting from his own goal line, UO punter Alex Bales muffed the snap. The Beavers tackled Bales at the two-yard line. Two plays later OSU QB Ben Gulbranson snuck in to cut the Duck lead to 34-31. The ensuing kickoff from OSU PK Everett Hayes hit at the UO one-yard line and backed up like a perfect chip shot in golf. A forced return by the Ducks pinned them at their own 10-yard line. The Quacks moved the ball out to the 29-yard line where they faced a fourth down and one. Instead of punting Lanning kept his offense on the field. UO QB Bo Nix was then nailed for a one-yard loss. That put OSU in business at the Quacks 28-yard line. Four plays later, RB Isiah Newell rumbled six yards to the end zone to put the Beavers up 38-34. Oregon had one last shot to win the game and drove to the shadow of the OSU goal. The Beavers then dammed up the end zone. OSU's completed a great goal line stand when Nix's fourth down pass fell harmlessly to the turf. A first down and a few kneel downs later, OSU had the upset victory. Not a great deal of aerial offense for the Beavers in the win as Gulbranson completed just six of 13 passes for 60 yards and two interceptions. However, OSU did own the running game, with seven backs combining for 268 yards on 43 carries with five TDs. For the devastated Ducks, Nix completed 27 of 42 passes for 327 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: Short fields help to make a comeback; OSU three fourth quarter TDs came on drives of 36, 2 and 28 yards.
Utah 63- Colorado 21: Boulder, CO- The Utes ended their regular season in grand fashion with a destruction of the hapless Buffaloes in Boulder. Utah built up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter then put up 28 points more in the second quarter to take a 42-0 lead into the break. Three TD passes from QB Cam Rising, two rushing scores from RB Ja'Quinden Jackson and one ground score from RB Micah Bernard accounted for the 42 points. The second half saw the Utes empty their benches and the Buffs find the end zone a few times well after the game had been decided. Rising finished the game completing 17 of 19 passes for 234 yards and three TDs. Jackson toted the rock 10 times for 117 yards and three TDs to lead all rushers. For the now 1-11 Buffaloes, QB Maddox Kopp completed 15 of 28 aerials for 123 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: Not a Fab Four; Colorado has lost their last four games by an average of almost 42 points per game.
Washington 51- Washington State 33: Pullman, WA- Most of the nation was sound asleep as the Huskies took back ownership of the Apple Cup. Oh, the Dawgs also got the extra benefit of eliminating Oregon from the Pac 12 title game to go with their victory. The first half was basically an offensive exhibition with the teams combining for 635 yards of offense and 55 points. UW held a 28-27 going into the third period. The second half saw Wazzu not be able to keep pace with the Huskies despite forcing a couple of turnovers. Up 44-33 with 1:28 left, the Purple Gang held the Cougars for downs. A couple of plays later RB Wayne Taulapapa put snuffed out any remaining hopes of a Cougars victory when he took a handoff to the house from 40 yards out. The player of the game was easily Husky QB Michael Penix, Jr. He completed 25 of 43 passes for 485 yards with three TDs and an interception. He also ran for 34 yards and two more scores. His backfield mate, Taulapapa ran for 126 yards on 13 carries and score of his own. For the Cougars, QB Cam Ward completed 33 of 52 passes for 322 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat; Double the fun; Washington got the thrill of winning back the Apple Cup and knocking Oregon out of the Pac 12 title tilt all in the same game.
BYU 35- Stanford 26: Palo Alto, CA- What ended being the last game on the sidelines for Cardinal HC David Shaw was yet another loss in this lost campaign up on The Farm. The Cougars found paydirt on each of their four first half possessions. QB Jaren Hall accounted for the first score on a 19-yard run, then RB Hinckley Ropati raced 43 yards through the Cardinal defense for the second TD. That was followed by two TD catches by TE Isaac Rex on passes of 1 and 43 yards. A pair field goals by SU PK Josh Karty and a one-yard TD run by RB Mitch Glieber left the score 28-12 Cougars at the break. Both defenses dominated the third quarter. However, BYU would get one more score, a 28-yard run from WR Puka Nacua to start the final quarter. BYU now led 35-12 and that would be enough of lead for the Cougars to hold off a late Cardinal comeback bid. For the victorious Cougars, Hall connected on seven of 11 passes for 93 yards and two TDs while RB Christopher Brooks rushed for 164 yards on 23 carries to spearhead a BYU rushing attack that gashed Stanford for 358 yards on 50 carries. In the loss, Cardinal QB Tanner McKee completed 31 of 40 passes for 313 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: They dialed long distance; BYU's five TD drives covered, 75, 75, 75, 73 and 87 yards.
Tough Turkeys 7- Cranberry Crushers 7: San Pedro, CA- It was a rough and tumble tilt at Yube Ursich Field. Elbows were scraped, bodies hit the ground, and flags were pulled off those that didn't have the ball in another tight defensive thriller. After picking off a Tough Turkeys pass, the Cranberry Crushers took a 7-0 lead on a TD pass from Robert Weissler to Margaret Lenker on their first series of the game. That's the way the score stood until just over two minutes to play when Tough Turkeys tied the game. A short pass from Maureen Lenker to Lee Ursich was the game-tying score. Fun was had by all.
Telling Stat: Flagged 'em down; The addition of sets of flags for the players to wear ended most disputes over where a players was marked "down" on each play.
Observations
...A youngster at the helm; Arizona State has hired Oregon OC HC Ken Dillingham as the next HC of the Sun Devils. Dillingham is an ASU alum and is just 32 years old.
He's Home
...Four letter agenda; After Nick Saban sounded off on how Alabama needs to be in the CFP, watch for ESPN to sing Bama's praises all week. I'm sure the directive has already come down to all the talking heads.
...A cool credential; This pic is a shot of the credential given to USC recruits for the game last week. I edited the player's name off it. If you're a Trojan you know what is cool about this credential. For everyone else, it's a mock up of the Trojan head with a ruby on it that's placed on the Jeweled Shillelagh rivalry trophy for each Trojan victory over the Fighting Irish.
...He's human after all; Stanford PK Josh Karty missed a PAT wide left in the second quarter v. BYU last Saturday. It was his first miss of the year. Karty had been perfect all year to that point on FG and PAT attempts.
...It is his to lose; At this point of the season, the Heisman Trophy is within USC QB Caleb Williams' grasp. He just need to seal the deal this week.
...New Rhuler in Lincoln; Former Carolina Panthers HC Matt Rhule is now the new headman of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. His contract is for 74 million dollars over eight years.
New Corn King
...10-2 and silence; Penn State is 10-2, ranked 11th in the nation and nobody cares outside of Happy Valley.
...Freeze on the plains; Auburn has hired Hugh Freeze away from Liberty University to be their next HC. This is the same Hugh Freeze that lost his job as the HC at Ole Miss back in 2017 because a number of the calls on his school-issued cellphone were to an escort service. Can't wait to see the signs at Auburn road games in 2023.
...Messing with Joseph Smith; The Stanford Band took a few shots at the Mormon religion in their halftime show v. BYU last Saturday and the athletic department has issued an apology. This is the second time an apology to BYU has been issued. Back in 2004, the Stanford Band did a halftime show on Polygamy. Seriously folks, it's Stanford. The band that has been banned from Disneyland, Notre Dame and almost everywhere else. Just take the jokes, beat the hell out of the football team on the field and move on.
Apology
...Bonked; Iowa State Long Snapper Drew Knoblauch air mailed this punt snap in the second quarter v. TCU and hit the Center Judge. Check it out here.
Botched!
...Firings List; Tulsa fired HC Philip Montgomery who had gone 43-53 insight seasons with the Golden Hurricane. Western Michigan is firing HC Trim Lester who went 37-32 in six seasons with the Broncos. UNLV fired HC Marcus Arroyo after three seasons. His Rebel teams went 7-23 overall. Florida Atlantic fired Willie Taggart after going 19-18 in three seasons with the Owls.
...Not since JR; USC HC Lincoln Riley has become the first head man at Troy to defeat both UCLA and Notre Dame in his first season since John Robinson did it in 1976.
...Staying in Minneapolis; The Paul Bunyan Axe stays with the Minnesota Golden Gophers after their 23-16 win over the Wisconsin Badgers.
...Trojan Trivia; USC went 11-1 in 1976 with a win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Who beat the Trojans that year?
...The Purple Rose of Pasadena; If USC beats Utah in the Pac 12 title game, most folks think the Grandaddy of Them All will send Washington an invitation to play at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains on January 2nd.
...Speaking of Roses; The fate of the Rose Bowl and its' role in the expansion of the College Football Playoff should be known according to the folks at Sports Illustrated. They say the Rose Bowl wants to host a semi-final two out of every three years.
A Roses Roadblock?
...12 and done; After 12 years on The Farm, Stanford HC David Shaw is hanging up his whistle. Shaw went 96-54 in his Stanford tenure. The last two years saw his Cardinal squads go just 6-18 overall and 3-15 in Pac 12 play.
..,A Golden farewell; Cal's loss to UCLA marked the end of a broadcasting era as Joe Starkey called his last game for Cal. Starkey has been the radio voice of the Golden Bears since 1975. In those 48 years at the mic, he only saw Cal claim a share of two Pac 8/10/12 titles and never saw them make it to the Rose Bowl. However, Starkey was a class act in the booth all those years. He did experience a great deal of success as the radio play-by-play man for the San Francisco 49ers during the Bill Walsh- George Sefiert years, but everyone knows that Joe is a Golden Bear at heart. Happy retirement and Roll on, Joe Starkey.
...0 for North America; Northwestern went 1-11 this year with their only win coming over Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland.
...Badgers not fickle on Luke; Cincinnati HC Luke Fickell is now the HC at Wisconsin. Many thought that Fickell would one day lead TheeOSU, however it was the Badgers who snapped him up. Word is that Fickell will get six million a year to walk the sidelines of Madison.
...Disciplined Middies; Navy is number one in the nation with fewest total penalty yards and fewest total penalties committed this year.
...He's gone; Pac 12 Referee Mike Mothershed has retired. Cheers of joy could be heard from Pullman to Tucson and all Pac 12 points in between when the announcement was made during the UCLA-Cal game. Glasses Ref now has a retirement buddy.
...Mediocrity; Georgia Southern is bowl-eligible with a 6-6 record. That's the greatness of HC Clay Helton on full display.
...Pac 12 head scratchers; Cal still wonders how they lost to Colorado the same way Washington wonders how they lost to ASU and how UCLA wonders how they lost the Arizona.
...No zeroes; For the first time in awhile, nobody will go winless in the FBS. However there were four teams that went 1-11. Those teams are USF, Northwestern, UMass and Colorado.
...Trivia Answer; The Trojans lost the 1976 home/season opener to Missouri, 46-25. Two years later the Tigers would upset Notre Dame, 3-0 in the Irish's home opener.
...The last time; On many a college campus this past weekend and the weekend prior many football players played their final game ever. The joys, sorrows, work and just plain fun of playing the game is out of their loves forever. While they may never line up together again as brothers against a common foe, what they will always have is the bonds they've formed and the love of the game. It is just those things that keep the game going. That's how teammates from many years ago can have a chance meeting and all the years melt away and they see each other as those young men who played the game for the love of it. It is indeed a grand game.
The Power Five Title Game Matchups
(Note: all times PST)
Friday 12/2
Pac 12: Utah v. USC- Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV -5:00 PM on Fox
Saturday 12/3
Big 12: Kansas State v. TCU- AT&T Stadium, Arlington TX- 9:00 AM on ABC
SEC: LSU v. Georgia- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA- 1:00 PM on CBS
Big Ten: Purdue v. Michigan- Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN- 5:00 PM on Fox
ACC: Clemson v. North Carolina- BofA Stadium, Charlotte, NC- 5:00 PM on ABC
Pac 12 Overreactions
Washington has found their next Don James
Arizona is an eight win team next year.
Wazzu needs a defense.
Colorado needs a complete rebuild from the AD on down.
Cal still doesn't know how they lost to Colorado.
Oregon State has found their next Mike Riley.
Utah fans and admin live in fear of Kyle Whittingham's eventual retirement.
Oregon has wasted Uncle Phil's money this month.
USC has found their next Pete Carroll.
ASU will hit the transfer portal hard this offseason.
UCLA is Alamo Bowl Bound.
Stanford might drop football.
Rivalry Quiz
Just match the rivalry game with the trophy associated with that rivalry.
1. USC-UCLA A. Bridger's Rifle
2. Indiana-Purdue B. Fremont Cannon
3. Nevada- UNLV C. Territorial Cup
4. Minnesota- Wisconsin D. Iron Skillet
5. Arizona- Arizona State E. Victory Bell
6. SMU- TCU F. Paul Bunyan's Axe
7. Utah State-Wyoming G. Old Oaken Bucket
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Going to the NFL for this hideous look worn by the Cleveland Browns. These togs are just so bad. If the 1975 Cleveland Indians all-red polyester uniforms made the players look like running blood clots, then what do these uniforms make the Browns players look like? Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Des Moines, IA- In the NAIA Quarterfinals, the Grand View University Vikings came form behind for a 10-7 win over Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders. The Blue Raiders took a 7-0 lead in the first period on a four-yard run by RB Kobe Blecher. Grand View tied it up early in the second quarter on a five-yard TD toss from QB Johnny Sullivan to WR Damon Street. Then the teams fought to a standoff all the way until the 2:54 mark of the final quarter when PK Nathan Hamilton split the uprights from 48 yards out to put the Vikings ahead to stay. The Blue Raiders had a chance to win the game, but WR Manny Scott was stopped at he Grand View two-yard line as time ran out.
Best Game (Almost) Nobody Saw Last Week: Golden, CO- After falling behind early 21-7, the Colorado Mines Orediggers came back to beat the Minnesota State Mavericks 48-45 to advance to the Division II Quarterfinals. The Game featured almost 1,000 yards of offense and plenty of big plays. CSM QB John Matocha completed 21 of 37 passes for 307 yards and four TDs in the win, but MSU QB Hayden Ekern competed 22 off 37 passes for 377 yards and four TDs in the tough loss.
Razorback Report: Columbia, MO- An up and down regular season ended on a down note as the Razorbacks fell to Missouri, 29-27. QB K.J. Jefferson completed 20 of 27 passes with two TDs and an interception while also running for 38 yards and another score in the loss. Up next for the Hogs is to wait and see which bowl game they end up in to finish the year.
Rivalry Quiz Answers: 1-E, 2-G, 3-B, 4-F, 5-C, 6-D, 7-A
This Week's Three Notes About Thanksgiving...
It was a large gathering this year and one of the most fun ever.
The profound silence at the table about 15 minutes into the Thanksgiving meal is an interesting thing. The collective full, fat and happy feel of the room is very cool.
Our Sunday dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers is easily the best meal of the year.
Until next time, remember teams that run the ball well, win the big games.
-The Commissioner
