Hey all,
It is time for another edition of the column that makes Tuesdays feel like Saturdays, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Keith Jackson.
Summaries
USC 30- Washington State 14: Los Angeles, CA- All week long pundits were saying the Trojans needed to be on upset alert against the dangerous Cougars of Washington State. With 11:48 left in the second quarter, the Cougars had come back from 10 points down and held a 14-10 lead at the Coliseum. Fans were worried. An upset did indeed seem to be possible. The Trojan defense then took over the game. Over the final 41:38 the Trojan defense shutout the Cougars while the SC offense ground out a comeback win. A four-yard TD run form RB Travis Dye, 24-yard TD pass form QB Caleb Williams to WR Mario Williams and two FGs from PK Denis Lynch covering 27 and 31 yards provided the margin of victory for SC. Dye's running was once again the heart of the SC offense. He lugged the leather 28 times for 149 yards and a touchdown . Caleb Williams complimented Dye's efforts by completing 15 of 29 passes for 188 yards and two TDs. For the Cougars, QB Cam Ward completed 19 of 32 passes for 172 yards and two TDs in the loss.
Telling Stat: The final 41:38; Wazzu's final seven scoreless drives of this game featured four punts, a turnover on downs, and watching the time run out to end the 1st half and also to end the contest.
Oregon State 28- Stanford 27: Palo Alto- The Beavers came to The Farm looking to break a two-game losing streak while the Cardinal were hoping to snap their nine game losing streak against FBS foes. Something had to give and for three quarters the Beavers were doing the giving. The Cardinal held a 24-10 lead to start the fourth quarter. OSU QB Ben Gulbranson, getting the start for the injured Chance Nolan, was finding receivers but not paydirt. Oh, and OSU's long snapper was injured taking field goals away as an an option and forcing the Beavers to go for two if they managed to cross the double stripe late in the game. Well, OSU chipped away at Stanford's lead when Gulbranson connected with WR Silas Bolden for a 21-yard TD pass. The two-point conversion failed and the Beavers trailed, 24-16. Then OSU stopped Stanford's slow mesh offense. On the ensuing drive, the Beavers cut the lead to just 24-22 when RB Damien Martinez raced 43 yards to the end zone. The two-point conversion failed again and Stanford still led, 24-22. SU then killed most of the clock on a drive that led to a 46-yard field goal from PK Josh Karty. Trailing now, 27-22 with :58 left the Beavers conjured up a miracle. On 1st an 10 at their own 44-yard line, Gulbranson threw and ill-advised pass down the right sideline. WR Tre'Shaun Harrison leaped over the DB, grabbed the ball, turned around and outran the Cardinal defense to the end zone. The few Stanford fans in attendance were crushed while the Beavers celebrated. Stanford did have one last chance to try to get into field goal range, but QB Tanner McKee's pass was intercepted at the Cardinal 49-yard line. One kneel down later and OSU escaped Palo Alto with the win. Gulbranson finished the night with 20 completions in 29 attempts for 250 yards two TDs for the fortunate Beavers. Mckee completed 20 of 33 for 269 yards, two TDs and an interception in the bitter defeat.
Telling Stat: 3/3 = W; QB Ben Gulbranson completed all three passes he attempted on OSU's game-wining drive. Here's that 56-yard TD pass. Dagger in the heart!
UCLA 42- Utah 32: Pasadena, CA- Revenge had been a dish best served in the Rose Bowl for UCLA this year. The server for this matinee at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains was bRuins QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. UCLA had lost five straight games to the Utes by an average of 27 points. That streak ended when Thompson-Robinson and backfield mate RB Zach Charbonnet proved a one-two punch that the Utes couldn't handle. Thompson-Robinson roasted the Utes defense, completing 18 of 23 passes for 299 yards and four TDs and one bad interception. Charbonnet gashed the Utes gaining 198 yards on 22 carries with a TD of his own. UCLA never trailed in this game and it never felt like Utah was ever really in the game either. Utes RB Tavion Thomas gained 91 yards on 18 carries and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: Wasn't that close; If Utah DB Clark Phillips III doesn't grab a pick six with :31 left UCLA wins 42-25.
Arizona State 45- Washington 38: Tempe, AZ- Washington had lost their previous seven trips to Sun Devil Stadium and this game just ended up being another debacle in the desert for the Dawgs. Washington held a 10-3 lead midway through the first period when they were called for targeting ASU QB Emory Jones. Jones was knocked out of the game with an apparent concussion. That seemed to be a mortal blow to the Sun Devils chances for a victory. Instead, a little luck and a former fifth string, walk-on ended up giving ASU the win. The little luck came with 2:51 left in the second quarter. Husky QB Michael Penix, Jr. threw pass that deflected one of his O-lineman's helmet and was returned 38 yards for a TD by DB Jordan Clark. That would give the Sun Devils a 24-10 lead. ASU wouldn't not fall behind again. The former fifth string, walk-on QB Trenton Bourguet played like he had been the starter all along for ASU, slicing and dicing the Huskies secondary. This game ended up being a shootout. The Dawgs came back from a 38-24 deficit to tie the game at 38-38 when RB Cameron Davis picked up his third rushing TD of the game from five yards out with 12:09 to play. No problem for Bourguet who calmly marched the Sun Devils 82 yards in 10 plays for the game-winning score. That score was a two-yard pass from Bourguet to WR Elijah Badger. The ASU defense then held Washington for downs twice over the final 7:27 to pull off the upset. Bourget completed 15 of 21 passes for 182 yards, three TDs and an interception in relief of the injured Emory Jones. Penix, Jr. completed 33 of 53 passes for 311 yards in the loss.
Telling Stat: 8 not great; Washington's eighth straight loss at ASU hurts even worse when you see that the Huskies dominated every statistical category in this game, but the score.
Oregon 49- Arizona 23: Tuscon, AZ- The Ducks ran over around and through Arizona for the first three quarters, then took the final quarter off in their rout of the Wildcats. UO turned a 7-3 second quarter lead into a 28-13 halftime advantage on three short TD runs from QB Bo Nix, TE Moliki Matavao and RB Jordan James. The Quacks repeated that performance with three more rushing TDs in the third quarter. Nix had two of them that covered 25 and two yards They were sandwiched around RB Bucky Irving's 23-yard jaunt to the end zone. Oregon gashed the UofA defense, with six backs toting the rock a total of 41 times for 306 yards. Nix completed 20 of 25 passes for 265 yards, while rushing for 70 yards and three TDs. For the overmatched Wildcats, QB Jayden de Laura completed 24 of 42 aerials for 241 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: 7 is Heaven; All seven TDs for Oregon came on the ground in this laugher in the desert.
Observations
...Living on Illini time; Illinois is 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big Ten west and is in the running to make the Big Ten title game.
...Axing of assistants; Indiana HC Tom Allen fired OL coach/ running game coordinator Darren Hiller after the Hoosiers allowed seven sacks and rushed or just 19 yards in a 31-10 loss to to Michigan. Rutgers HC Greg Schiano fired OC Sean Gleeson after the Scarlet Knights lost to lowly Nebraska, 14-13 last Friday night. Just another reminder folks that coaching is a just temp job at best.
...Not Don James; After starting 3-0 , Husky fans thought they hired the second coming of Don James. Now that they are 3-3, those same are worried that they hired the second coming of Jim Lambright.
...The Pirate ain't a fan; Evidently, the caffeine is all that matters to Mississippi State HC Mike Leach in this sideline interview before his Bulldogs took on Arkansas. An overrated experience
...No way west; UCLA's beating of Utah nixed College Gameday coming to Salt Lake City this week for USC-Utah. Instead Gameday will shockingly in SEC country, Knoxville specifically for the Alabama Tennessee game. Hmmm must be the the third Saturday in October.
...A Colgate from true embarrassment; Thank God Colgate wanted a cool road trip to Stanford this year. If not, the Pac 12 could easily have been home to the only two winless teams in the FBS. Colorado is enough of an embarrassment to the league as it is. Wow.
...The purple team will win; TCU hosts Kansas State this week.
...Trojan stalwarts; Gotta love two of the greatest OT's ever getting together here. The Big Men
...Trophy on their long range radar; With Army and Navy failing to meet expectations, Air Force will claim full ownership of the Commander in Chief's trophy if they beat Army on 11/5.
...Cute and Weird; This costume is pretty crazy for a kid. Eight legs!
...Under the radar?; It's hard to be under the radar the SEC, but Ole Miss has quietly gone 6-0 while Bama, Georgia, and Tennessee have grabbed all the attention from the media.
…A man without a team; With the apparent dropping of the football program at Los Angeles Harbor College, every team I played for on the college level now no longer exists. Sigh.
...Big two in the midwest; Two huge games towards deciding the divisional races in the Big Ten will kickoff simultaneously at 9 AM PDT this Saturday. #10 Penn State travels to the Big House to take on the #5 Wolverines in a matchup of undefeated squads in the East division, while Minnesota heads to Illinois for a key Big Ten West showdown.
...Not this week; UCLA travels to Oregon on October 22nd. Had it in my head the game was this coming week. I was wrong. Both have a bye this week to get ready for each other.
...It's called defense; For Trojans fans out there, who haven't seen it in awhile, USC has shown signs of having a real defense again.
...Mean stat of the week; Ohio State scored seven touchdowns v. Michigan State last Saturday. Iowa has scored eight touchdowns all season.
...#1 in something; Colorado hasn't given up single yard on a kickoff return this year. That is tops in the FBS.
...No defense, no problem; North Carolina has given up 192 points already this year and more yardage than the Italian army, yet they are 5-1 and sit atop the ACC Coastal Division. Hmmmmmm
...Dumbo Jimbo; Texas A&M's final play call against Alabama was one of the worst in college football history. Aggie HC Jimbo Fisher has to be kicking himself for running that play.
...Burnt orange stampede; Texas destroyed Oklahoma, 49-0 in the Red River Showdown. Remember folks, Texas did not do this to Oklahoma. Lincoln Riley did, just ask any Sooner fan. Texas was just the innocent bystanders who hung 49 points, gained 585 yards of total offense and shutout the Sooners for the first time in the rivalry since 1965.
...Funny and scary; This spider costume for a dog would make me jump and run. Oh heck no!
...Just a rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that the Iowa defense has commenced divorce proceedings against the Iowa offense. The Hawkeyes defense already knows that they can't get any support from the offense.
...0 so long ago; Stanford just may not win a Pac 12 game this year. If they do, it will be the first time since 1960 that the Cardinal will have gone winless the conference. The 1960 Indians, as they were known then, went 0-10 on the year.
...A little cheeky; Facepalm from me and a question like, "Why the heck aren't you in the medical tent?' ran through my mind over this bizarre happening on the New York Giants sideline during their game in London v. the Green Bay Packers. A helping hand?
..,Jinxed; This intrepid reporter shed a little praise on UNLV and their 4-1 record last week, then the Rebels got smoked, 40-7 by San Jose State last Friday night. Sorry, Rebs.
...An update; In case anybody wanted to know, the Georgia Southern Eagles are 3-3 overall ad 0-2 in Sun Belt conference play under HC Clay Helton.
Pac 12 Overreactions
Stanford won't get another win this year.
Washington's honeymoon with their new HC is officially over.
UCLA will go 11-1.
Cal can't wait to play Stanford.
Colorado is sad that they won't play Stanford.
Oregon is still irrelevant thanks to Georgia.
Utah can't handle a running QB.
Arizona's record does not reflect their improvement as a program.
Washington State will lose three more games.
Oregon State is happy to be more lucky than good today.
USC will play to the level of their competition in every game this year.
Arizona State is now in the middle of a QB Controversy.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
They won the game, but lost the uniform battle. Arizona State wore these "desert sunrise inspired" tan togs v. Washington. The only thing this uniform inspires in me are memories of long barren stretches of I-10 on road trips. Yuk.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Wauwatosa, WI- This game comes from the D-III ranks where the Green Knights of St. Norbert College made a two-yard TD run by RB John Trinh hold up for a 7-0 win over the Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors. St. Norbert moved to 3-0 in North Central Athletic Conference play. In the second half Wisconsin Lutheran drove three times deep into St. Norbert's territory only to have the Green Knights defense step up and pick off three passes to kill those drives and get the win.
Blowout Game of the Week: Shepherdstown, WV- Let's take a trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Shepherd University Rams wiped out the Lockhaven Bald Eagles, 72-7. QB Tyson Bagent completed 16 of 21 passes for 211 yards and three TDs to lead the Rams to the easy win. The Rams amassed 592 yards on only 52 plays which is a nifty 11 yards per play average. Shepherd built up a 48-0 lead at the half and cruised from there. The 6-0 Rams are the #4 ranked team in D-II.
Razorback Report: Starkville, MS- Well, the Razorbacks came out flat early then got buried in the second half, falling to Mississippi State, 40-17. Bulldogs QB Will Rogers shredded the Hogs secondary, completing 31 of 48 passes for 395 yards and three TDs. QB Malik Hornsby completed only eight of 17 passes for 234 yards, a TD and two interceptions in the loss for the Hogs. The now 3-3 Razorbacks take a rare western road trip to BYU next week.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
The breakfast burrito is a true staple of life in Southern California.
I wish I could get Archway raspberry filled cookies here.
The number of pumpkins grown in the U.S. every year must be staggering.
Until next time, remember that sometimes a good defense is your best offense.
-The Commissioner
