Hey All,
Here's your last Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard for 2022. Enjoy. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summary
Pac 12 Championship Game
Utah 47- USC 24: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV- The Trojans looked good to start in this one, building up a 17-3 lead over the Utes. Then QB Caleb Williams' injury dramatically shifted the game along with the Trojan defense's inability to make a tackle. Still, as bad as the Trojans looked, they still only trailed 27-24 with 10:52 left in the fourth quarter after Williams, who was playing basically on one leg, hit WR Mario Williams with a 12-yard TD toss. However, just two plays later the SC defense gave up a 60-yard TD pass where Utah TE Thomas Yasmin broke about a dozen tackles along the way. SC would couldn't recover from that score. Utah would run over SC on their final two drives and take the Pac 12 title in impressive fashion. For the Utes, RBs Ja'Quinden Jackson and Micah Bernard combined for 193 yards on 24 carries and three TDs while QB Cam Rising completed 22 of 34 passes for 310 yards and three scores. For the now Cotton Bowl bound Trojans, Williams completed 28 of 41 passes for 363 yards, three TDs and an interception.
Telling Stat: Wasting those 14 points again; In the last 10 seasons USC has gone 64-5 after establishing a 14 point lead on an opponent. Four of the five losses are to Utah. It happened twice this season alone. Facepalm.
Observations
...Can't stop 'em; This year's USC defense has been poor all year, but to miss 30+ tackles in the Pac 12 title game was just embarrassing.
...Fourth time the charm?; West Virginia QB J.T, Daniels has entered the transfer portal again. If granted a waiver, he would be playing for his fourth school. There's no truth to the rumor that the NCAA is going to give him a transfer portal lifetime achievement award. Door #4
...Flatirons meets Primetime; Deion Sanders is the new HC at Colorado. He's already named one of his sons the new QB there and told the current team to go hit the transfer portal. Gee, that's pure class, Deion.
...Just shut up, Nick; Alabama HC Nick Saban's constant whining on how Alabama deserved to be in the playoff is just embarrassing. Alabama didn't even win their division of the SEC. Years ago he made the argument that if you didn't make it to your a conference title game, you didn't deserve to make the playoff. What a hypocrite he is.
...Walter Camp would be proud; At Granada Hills High in SoCal where John Elway once filled the sky with passes way back when, the Highlanders have reached the CIF Division 4-A State Championship game without completing a single pass. The Highlanders are 0-7 on pass attempts this season. Wow. Grounded
...Another thought on Primetime; Deion Sanders could end up being the crypto currency of football coaches. Amazing upside just on the edge of a horrific downfall.
...Living Large in Orange; Tennessee playing Clemson in the Orange Bowl makes this game the most orange of Orange Bowls in the history of oranges and bowls.
...100 mile move; Cincinnati has hired Scott Satterfield away from Louisville to be the next HC of the Bearcats. The schools are about 100 miles apart and they are slated to play each other in the Fenway Bowl on December 17th. #Awkward.
...2 in 61; New Mexico State is bowl eligible for the second time in 61 years. The 5-6 Aggies were granted a waiver by the NCAA to play in a bowl after their game with San Jose State was cancelled this year after the death of a Spartan player the week prior to the game. Oh, and for good measure the Aggies beat FCS also-ran Valparaiso, 65-3 in a makeup game to go 6-6 on the season. Go Aggies!
...Not first this year; Two schools form the first state to ratify the U.S Constitution, Delaware and Delaware State were outscored 64-12 in the NCAA playoffs in the FCS and D-III this weekend. Ouch.
...Diggin' those Diggers; The Orediggers of the Colorado School of Mines are headed to the semifinals of the Division II playoffs after a 42-24 upset win over Angelo State.
...Hornets still stinging; Sacramento State is 12-0 after beating Richmond, 38-31 in the FCS playoffs. The Hornets will host Incarnate Word in the Quarterfinal Round this Saturday at Hornet Stadium. Former Cal QB Troy Taylor is the HC of Sac State.
...Flood gates now open; The Transfer Portal opened up officially on Monday and over 1,000 players have entered. Many more will follow. There has two be a better way to handle this. How about opening up the portal after bowl season for starters? Hmmmmmmmmm.
...Failing upward; Penn State finished at 10-2 and third place in the Big Ten East and got a Rose Bowl bid after the two teams they lost to made the playoff. Washington finished at 10-2 with the second best record in the Pac 12 and are headed to the Alamo Bowl. Sigh.
...The stigma; UCLA got the one bowl bid nobody wants in the Pac 12; the Sun Bowl. It's the only bowl not carried by the Disney/ESPN industrial complex. That's where the swag bags the players get include a hair dryer and a sticker. Ouch.
...The West sits atop the Mountain; Fresno State went to Boise and spanked the Broncos to claim the Mountain West Championship. I hear the statue for Jeff Tedford to placed outside Bulldog Stadium is already being built.
...Viva Las O!; The "sources say" rumor mill is saying the Ed Oregon is one of the finalists for the UNLV HC job. Coach O in Vegas would be awesome. Elvis is still The King
...A different rivalry; This is my annual plea for you all to watch the Army-Navy game this Saturday. These young men choose to serve the country and love the game of football too. As I have written and said many times to anyone who would listen, football practice is the toughest thing most college players do all week. For Academy kids football is the easiest thing they do all week. From the march on of the Corps of Cadets and the Midshipmen hours before the game to the ceremonial prisoner exchange of exchange students at each academy to the family reunions to the game itself, this is an incredible piece of Americana to experience. So, pull up a chair and watch the spectacle unfold.
Pac 12 Bowl Schedule
12-17-2022
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
Washington State v. Fresno State
Las Vegas Bowl
Oregon State v. Florida
12-28-2022
Holiday Bowl
Oregon v. North Carolina
12-29-2022
Alamo Bowl
Washington v. Texas
12-30-2022
Sun Bowl
UCLA v. Pittsburgh
1-2-2023
Cotton Bowl
USC v. Tulane
Rose Bowl
Utah v Penn State
Cool Football Helmet of the Week
You gotta be tough to have a jackass on your helmet with a lit stick of dynamite it its' mouth. Colorado School of Mines is a tough. This helmet is classic.
Departments
Best Game (Almost) Nobody Saw Last Week: Allendale, MI- With 1:04 left, PK Eddie Jewett booted an 18-yard FG to lift the Ferris State Bulldogs to a 24-21 win over the Grand Valley State Lakers in a D-II quarterfinal game. Ferris State DB C. Williams intercepted GVS QB Cade Peterson on the Bulldogs goal line as time ran out to end the game. The Bulldogs were outgained by 60 yards and had only 11 first downs in the game but managed to grab the win.
Blowout Game of the Week: In the second round of the FCS playoffs, William & Mary wiped out Gardner-Webb, 54-14. W&M QB Darius Wilson completed 14 of 24 passes for 240 yards and three TDs while nine different backs including Wilson combined to rush the ball 48 times for 306 yards and three more scores in the rout.
Razorback Report: The Hogs are headed to the Liberty Bowl to take on the Kansas Jayhawks on 12/28. There's no truth to the rumor that the loser of the game has to drop kansas from their name.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
My train set is so much fun to run at Christmas.
Homemade rolls, with butter and boysenberry preserves are always great.
Funyuns are my go to chip with a hot pastrami sandwich.
Until next year, remember that the games, players, wins, losses, cheers and tears come and go but it is this extended football family of ours that really makes everything great. We will meet here again next year when it's time for another ride on the ol' coaching carousel. I wish you all peace and happiness in the New Year.
-The Commissioner
