Hey All,
It's time for another edition of the column that makes Tuesdays brighter, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Mel Durslag.
USC 45- Fresno State 17: Los Angeles, CA- Many bus loads of Fresno supporters, band and cheerleaders descended upon the Coliseum in hopes of watching their Bulldogs upset the #7 ranked Trojans. They were left to make that late night crawl back up Highway 99 after being beaten by Trojans. USC's offense was pretty much unstoppable as the Trojan defense gave up enough chunk plays and drives to make the game tighter than it should have been. The Men of Troy were nursing a 21-10 lead with 13:15 to go in the third quarter when on a 1st and 10 at the USC 47-yard line Fresno State QB Jake Haener was sacked, fumbled and injured. Fresno lost seven yards, the ball and Haener for the rest of the contest due to a high ankle sprain. USC QB Caleb Williams then led the Trojans on a five play, 46-yard TD drive to make the score 28-10. Fresno Backup QB Logan Fife then led the Bulldogs on a TD drive which was capped off by a 32-yard TD run from RB Malik Sherrod and Fresno State was back in the game at 28-17. The Trojans answered right back with a 75 yard TD drive of their own. RB Travis Dye finished it off with a rumbling 25-yard run through the Bulldogs defense. FSU then missed a field goal on their next drive and the Trojans made them pay for the miss when Williams hooked up with TE Malcolm Epps for 10-yard TD pass that put USC up 42-17. Those who stayed to the end watched USC snuff out one final Fresno State scoring chance with a goal line stand. It was a stand that this defense needed for confidence down the road. SC's Williams completed 25 of 37 passes for 284 yards and two TDs while teammates Travis Dye and Austin Jones both toted the rock for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Fresno State RB Jordan Mims rushed for 114 yards and a TD on 15 carries in the loss.
Telling Stat: A 0 and a 0; USC held Fresno State scoreless over the last 22:13 of the game. That ensured a Trojan victory and that Fresno State HC Jeff Tedfiord would remain winless at the Coliseum v. USC.
Notre Dame 24- California 17: South Bend, IN- Marcus Freeman picked up his first victory as HC of the Fight Irish, but it didn't come without one really bad call to aid his squad. After Cal took a 7-0 lead over the Irish early in the second quarter, a few calls from the ND's home officiating crew went against the Golden Bears. None was worse than this one. At the 9:36 mark of the second quarter ND PK Blake Grupe missed a 45-yard field goal, then a late flag appeared. Cal was called for offsides. Nobody from Cal was offsides, even the NBC broadcast team had no idea how that call was made. The Irish were handed a first down and scored a TD on the next play to even up the game at 7-7. Yes, there was plenty of time left in the game and Cal did have their chances to win. They even had a a couple of big replays go their way to keep their hopes alive, but this bad call changed the game.
Telling Stat: 1+7=W; One phantom flag plus the TD that helped hand ND the win.
Offsides? I could not get my video of the play to load, but I will send it to those who want it. This pic is is from right at the snap, I don't see anybody close to being offsides. The yellow line was drawn by ND football broadcast analyst and former Cowboys HC Jason Garrett to show that nobody was offsides.
Oregon 41- BYU 20: Eugene, OR- The Cougars came into Autzen Stadium feeling like world beaters after their OT upset of Baylor in Provo. They came out of this one feeling decidedly worse after the Ducks smacked them around in Eugene. The Quacks held BYU for downs on their opening drive on the UO 36-yard line. Four plays later, the Ducks had a 7-0 lead on two-yard run by QB Bo Nix. A 28-yard FG by PK Camden Lewis extended their lead over the Cougars to 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. BYU would cut their deficit to just 10-7 when TE Isaac Rex capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 28-yard scoring strike from QB Jaren Hall. BYU would never be this close to Oregon again. Another 2-yard rush to paydirt form Nix and 15-yard TD pass from Nix to TE Terence Ferguson would put Uncle Phil's interns up 24-10 at the break. The Quacks then found the end zone on both of their first two drives of the second half while their defense held BYU for downs on their first two drives which put the game out of reach at 38-7. The Cougars managed a couple of late cosmetic scores, but this game and the day belonged to the Men of Oregon. Nix had himself a heck of a game completing 13 of 18 aerials for 222 yards and two TDs to go with 35 yards rushing on nine carries and three more trips to the end zone. Hall completed 29 of 41 passes for 305 yards and two TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: Denied; Oregon's defense held BYU for downs four times and that allowed the Ducks to turn this game from a close affair into an easy win.
UCLA 32- South Alabama 31: Pasadena, CA- The bRuins came into this one as a sizable favorite over the Jaguars. It became apparent early that nobody told the Jags that they were just supposed to be another tune up for UCLA. As UCLA stumbled and bumbled South Alabama played well enough to control the game and found themselves up 31-29 with 3:24 left in regulation. Facing a 4th and 2 at the UCLA 22-yard line, the Jaguars decided they would try a field goal to go up by five and make a UCLA comeback a more difficult proposition. However, the Jags ran a fake field goal that didn't fake out anybody. The Holder, Tanner McGee was sacked for an 11 yard loss and the bRuins had one last shot to avoid embarrassment with 2:52 to play. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson drove the bRuins 66 yards to the South Alabama six yard line where PK Nicholas Barr-Mira kicked the chip shot field goal for the win as time ran out. In the too close for comfort win, Thompson-Robinson completed 20 of 30 passes for 263 yards and three scores. South Alabama RB La'Danian Webb led all rushers with 124 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown in the tough loss.
Telling Stat: 9-0 gets them 3-0; UCLA outscored South Alabama 9-0 in the final period to win the game and go 3-0 on the season.
Minnesota 49- Colorado 7: Minneapolis, MN- Buffalo football's slide into something worse than mediocrity continued Saturday at the school that served as the fictional Grand Lakes University for Rodney Dangerfield's comedy classic, Back to School. The Golden Gophers schooled the Buffs in all aspects of football as they ran out to a 35-0 halftime lead. The Gophers would tack on two more scores before allowing a late TD that only saved CU the humiliation of being shutout. Minnesota RB Mo Ibrahim stampeded all over the Buffaloes defense, gaining 202 yards rushing on 23 carries with three TDs. His teammate QB Tanner Morgan threw only 16 passes but completed 11 of those for 157 yards and three TDs. The Maroon and Gold defense stifled the CU offense allowing just 82 yards in the first three quarters before emptying the benches. TE Austin Smith scored the Buffs lone TD on a four-yard pass from QB J.T. Shrout long after the game was decided.
Telling Stat: 145/7 for not; 145 of Colorado's 227 total yards and only score came after they had fallen behind 49-0 and Minnesota had emptied their benches.
Washington State 38- Colorado State 7: Pullman, WA- Would the Cougars suffer a hangover after upsetting Wisconsin last week and find themselves battling just to grab a win over a lesser opponent? Ummmm, No. The Cougars started fast building up. a 21-0 first quarter lead that turned into a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter. QB Cameron Ward accounted for all of those 28 points on four TD passes. The Cougs then tacked on a 22-yard FG from PK Dean Janikowski to start the third period and this game was over. Ward finished the game with 24 completions in 34 pass attempts for 299 yards, four TDs and an interception. The Wazzu defense did allow one late score, but they made sure the that there would no threat of a CSU comeback by forcing two turnovers and holding the Rams to just 2 of 13 on third down conversions. In the loss, QB Clay Millen completed 25 of 35 passes for 212 yards, a TD and an interception for the Rams.
Telling Stat: Could have been worse; Instead of being down 31-0 early in third period, CSU could have been down 42-0 if Wazzu had not failed to convert one key third down and fumbled on an earlier drive.
Oregon State 68- Montana State 28: Providence Park, Portland, OR- There were folks that thought the Beavers could get caught looking ahead to hosting USC next week and might stumble against the Bobcats of the Big Sky Conference. They didn't. While the Bobcats did put up a TD each quarter, the Beavers left little doubt as to how this game would play out. With renovations being done to Reser Stadium, the only uncomfortable part of the game for HC Jonathan Smith's team was not playing at home. They ran out to a 54-21 lead through three quarters then coasted the rest of the way for the win. QB Chance Nolan skinned the Bobcats, completing 19 of 25 passes for 276 and four TDs. He also ran four times for 25 yards and another score. WR Tre'Shaun Harrison was Nolan's favorite target hauling in nine balls for 63 yards and a TD. QB Tommy Mellot was most of the MSU offense throwing for 101 yards and three picks to go with 135 yards rushing 18 carries while RB/QB Sean Chambers scored three of the Bobcats four TDs.
Telling Stat: 9 for 10 = Rout; OSU scored TDs on nine of their first 10 drives to whip the Bobcats.
Washington 39- Michigan State 20: Seattle, WA- A big second quarter provided enough of a cushion for the Dawgs to withstand a late comeback by the Spartans on Montlake. UW took the opening kickoff and promptly drove the ball 77 yards in seven plays to take a 7-0 lead. QB Michael Penix, Jr. capped off the drive with an eight-yard TD pass to WR Ja'Lynn Polk. The Spartans were forced to punt on the ensuing possession and the Huskies went right down the field again only for the Spartans to make a great goal line stand and take over possession on their own two-yard line. The Husky defense then stuffed MSU RB Jarek Broussard for a safety. UW then took the ball after the free kick ands drove 50 yards for another TD and a had 16-0 lead with 13:49 left in the second quarter. The shell shocked Spartans never recovered. Two more TD passes from Penix, Jr, sandwiched around seven-yard Spartan TD pass from QB Payton Thorne to WR Keon Coleman gave there Dawgs a 29-8 halftime lead. After a stalemate of a third quarter, Sparty did make a bit of a comeback, but it was not enough and the Huskies picked up their first big win for HC Kalen DeBoer. Penix, Jr. torched the MSU secondary completing 24 of 40 passes for 397 yards and four TDs. Thorne completed 30 of 42 passes for 323 yards, three TDs and an interception in defeat. The UW defense squashed the Spartans rushing attack, allowing just 42 yards on the ground.
Telling Stat: They never got started; Washington owned the ball early holding it for 13:11 of the first 17:11 of the game. During that time, they put Michigan State in a 16-0 hole that they couldn't dig out of.
Arizona 31- North Dakota State 28: Tucson, AZ- The mighty Bison of NDSU came to the desert southwest with plans to embarrass the seemingly vulnerable Wildcats. Instead, UofA beat the Bison. NDSU had won nine of the previous 11 FCS national titles and had also won their last six games v. FBS teams. So, it was not a big surprise that the Bison held a 28-24 lead with 8:52 to play. However, the Wildcats did something they had not done in a long time, they rallied to win. After the Arizona defense held NDSU for downs, QB Jayden deLaura's arm and RB Jonah Campbell's legs drove the Wildcats 50 yards to the Bison's 22-yard line. de Laura then put the Wildcats ahead to stay when he connected with WR Jacob Cowing for a touchdown. The Bison went three and out on the ensuing possession. UofA then ran the final 2:48 off the clock for the win. de Laura finished connecting on 20 of 28 tosses for 229 yards and a touchdown for UofA. FB Hunter Luepke ran for 115 yards and two TDs on just 18 carries to spearhead the Bison's attack in the tough loss.
Telling Stat: Bruised, but not beaten; The Arizona defense gave up 283 yards rushing to South Dakota State. However, they gave up just three yards rushing and five yards total on NDSU's last two drives to secure a tough win.
Utah 35- San Diego State 7: Salt Lake City, UT- When SDSU was pretty much manhandled at home by Arizona to start the season, hopes weren't high for the Aztecs to pull off a win at Utah. After a first 20 minutes of play where the teams traded defensive blows, the Utes made a few adjustments and put up 21 points to finish off the first half. QB Cameron Rising threw three TD passes to account for the 21 points. His TD tosses covered 30, 13 and 15 yards to TE Brant Kuithe, WR Solomon Ends and WR DeVaughn Vele. Utah then came out and put the game away with TDs other first two drives off the third period. RB Tavion Thomas raced 18 yards for the first score and Rising threw his fourth and final TD pass of the game for the second score. That one was a short three-yard pass Vele for his second TD catch of the game. SDSU was able to avoid the big goose egg when QB Kyle Churm threw an 18-yrd TD pass to WR Josh Nicholson with 3:56 left to play. Rising's four TD passes were part of his 18 completions in 30 tosses for 224 yards. Churm led the stagnant SDSU offense completing five of 16 passes for 53 yards and that lone Aztec TD.
Telling Stat: Punting ain't winning; Six of SDSU's first eight drives ended in punts. The other two ended in turnovers. That's how the Aztecs ended up on the wrong end of a 35-0 score and facing a big fat L in the middle of the third quarter.
Eastern Michigan 30- Arizona State 21: Tempe, AZ- It was a game that fell under the category of Pac 12 After Dark at ASU. However, it turned out to be lights out for ASU HC Herm Edwards after his Sun Devils were embarrassed by the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Eagles from Ypsilanti were as tough as their factory worker history as they literally ground out a victory. RB Samson Evans, who had never run for over 100 yards in a game, torched the Sun Devils for 258 yards and a TD on 36 carries. EMU built top a 24-14 halftime advantage thanks to Samson's TD, a four yard run from RB Jaylon Jackson, six-yard TD pass from QB Austin Smith to WR Hassan Beydoun and a 27-yard FG from PK Jesus Gomez. The second half was defensive stalemate with ASU scoring the half's only TD, but it wasn't enough to stave off the upset at the hands of the Eagles. ASU's last chance for a comeback died when WR Jaylin Conyers fumbled at the EMU 30-yard line with 2:01 left to play. ASU QB Emory Jones completed 20 of 32 passes for 182 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: They ground out the victory; RB Samson Evans carried the ball on 12 of EMU's final 15 plays, racking up 119 yards to help kill the clock and ASU's chances of escaping an embarrassing loss.
Observations
...So long Herm; There will be no miracle at Sun Devil Stadium for Herm Edwards as he was relieved of his duties as the HC of Arizona State this past Sunday afternoon. The Sons of Sparky suffered an embarrassing loss to Eastern Michigan and that was apparently the last straw for the ASU admin. Well that, and the fact that ASU is under the gun from the NCAA for numerous recruiting violations during Edwards time in Tempe. So long, Herm
...This just in; Iowa is the worst 2-1 team in the FBS.
...Fashionably late; Being a member of the great unwashed in society I don't know if the season at Newport has ended, but the Ivy League has finally kicked off their season. Everyone but Yale won their non-conference opener. The Bulldogs got whipped, 42-17 by Stephen F. Austin.
...More Herm; We all know how former SC HC Lane Kiffin was Tarmaced after a bad loss to ASU, but now former ASU HC Herm Edwards may have been end zoned in his own stadium. End Zoned
...Unexpected big one; Suddenly, Oregon's game at Wazzu this week could be a great one.
...He didn't even get a Tammy Wynette; Colorado HC Karl Dorrell didn't even get the classic "Stand By Your Man," press release from CU AD Rick George. Changes are coming at the foot of the Flatiron Mountains. Check out the non-vote of confidence in this press release. No Tammy is no good
...Opportunity going to waste here; This kicker pictured below is BYU's Jake Oldroyd. Can somebody get this guy a NIL deal with Preparation H?
...Hindsight is a tough mistress; Northwestern fans were pretty happy when they came from behind to beat what was believed to be a resurgent Nebraska team a few weeks ago. Now, the Wildcats are 1-2 after a loss to Southern Illinois and Nebraska is winless, rudderless and has fired their HC one week and their DC the next.
...Feeling all Peaches and Herb; The reunited combo of Washington HC Kalen DeBoer and QB transfer Michael Penix, Jr. is working out great for the Huskies. Penix, Jr. has led the Dawgs to a 3-0 record and has already thrown for over 1,000 yards. DeBoer was Penix, Jr's OC back at Indiana in 2019.
...Irish eyes not smiling; ND OC Tommy Rees was not happy with QB Drew Pyne's effort midway through their contest with Cal last Saturday. These lips are easy to read. Words of Encouragement
... Three for four the hard way; The Nevada-Iowa game featured three different weather delays that lasted a little over four hours. The game started at 6:40 PM Saturday ended at 1:39 AM Sunday with with Hawkeyes defeating the visiting Wolfpack, 27-7. The only other game FBS still being played when this game finished was Duquesne at Hawaii.
...Panic under the dome; You knew it was dire in South Bend when Lou Holtz and Mantei Teo showed up to help the team dig out from their 0-2 hole. They even broke out a really ugly set of green jerseys. If they had lost, I wonder if they would have had dug up Knute Rockne and popped him up on the sidelines for their next home game. Hmmmmm
...Cowboys up; Let's hear it for Ragtime Cowboy Joe! Wyoming is 3-1 and 1-0 in the Mountain West with a win over Air Force last Friday.
...Tough divison; Everyone in the Big Ten East is 3-0 with exception of Michigan State at 2-1. Yes folks, Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers are all 3-0 along with TheeeOSU, Michigan and Penn State. Wow.
...Troy not pleased; Former UCLA QB Troy Aikman was not happy with his alma mater's attendance and level of play v. South Alabama. Empty seats, lots of empty seats
...Wrong again; This intrepid reporter wondered why Penn State was a three point favorite at Auburn. I, and Auburn HC Bryan Harsin didn't see the Nittany Lions, 41-12 beatdown of the Tigers coming.
...Gameday Fail; We all know that ESPN sold its' soul to the SEC years ago, so I understand why College Gameday will be at Tennessee this week. I still they should be at Kansas this week where the 3-0 Jayhawks will host 3-0 Duke.
...Not a stellar trifecta; For the first time in school history, Colorado has lost its' first three games by 25 points or more.
Pac 12 Overreactions
USC is a defensive line away from being a playoff caliber team.
UCLA is better than most people think.
Utah still has two huge losses looming.
Colorado has one of the worst offenses of all time.
ASU's downhill slide has just begun, this may go for years.
Wazzu is an 8-4 team.
Washington is the best Pac 12 team north of Los Angeles.
Oregon State is a 9-3 team.
Stanford still thinks they should of beat SC. They're wrong.
Oregon could go 11-1 and stay irrelevant because of Georgia.
Cal's offense is two levels better than CU's offense and that's not a good thing.
Arizona is a 5-7 team.
Good Looking Uniform Combo of the Week
The all-purple Washington Huskies uniforms mixed with the all-white Michigan State uniforms on the green Husky Stadium field turf made for a visually appealing game.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Owensboro, KY- This game comes to us from Division-II where the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers got downright defensive in an 11-6 win over the Missouri S&T Miners. The Panthers did not give up a point on defense as Mo S&T's only points came on a late punt return. In fact, thanks to a safety, the Panthers defense outscored the Miners, 2-0. Kentucky Wesleyan allowed only 118 total yards and just eight first downs. They also held the Miners to 0 for 10 on third down conversions.
Blowout Game of the Week: Alamosa, CO- This game is from the the D-III ranks. The Orediggers of Colorado Mines opened their season at 0-2 with a pair of frustrating three point losses to the #5 and #7 teams in D-III. They took all their frustrations out on Adams State, spanking the Grizzlies, 84-10. It was the opener of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play for both schools. Oredigger QB Josh Matocha cooly completed 16 of 20 passes for 211 yards and four TDs in one half of work. RB's Michael Zeman and Landon Walker combined for 277 yards rushing on 23 carries and five TDs. Colorado Mines punted only once and their PK Matthew Eich scored 12 points the hard way, converting on all 12 of his PAT attempts.
Razorback Report: The Hogs did almost too good a job of making former HC Bob Petrino feel welcome on the Fayetteville sidelines. Petrino's Missouri State Bears held a 27-17 lead with just 12:04 to play. Then in a span of just over two minutes the Razorbacks crossed the double stripe on a 73-yard TD pass and an 82-yard punt return to take the lead for good at 31-27. Throw in an insurance TD run from QB KJ Jefferson and Arkansas escaped with a 38-27 victory. Jefferson finished the day with 385 yards passing and two TDs with 40 yards rushing and a TD on the ground. Up next for the Razorbacks is a trip to Death Star in Arlington to take on Texas A&M.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
The onshore breeze has a chill to it and the sun angle has changed just enough that I don't need a calendar to tell me that Autumn is here.
Harris Ranch beef never disappoints.
We only got two pumpkins out of our garden this year, but they do look good in our Fall display.
Until next time folks, remember that when you stray away from your rushing game, your offense will stall.
-The Commissioner
