Hey All,
Happy Tuesday! It's time again for yet another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 56- Stanford 10: Los Angeles, CA- If this game was a movie script, the title would be Over in 30 Minutes. The USC offense, defense and special teams came out with a ferocity not seen in the Coliseum in a long time and crushed the Cardinal in short order. USC went up 7-0 on a 21-yard TD run by QB Caleb Williams that capped off an eight play, 75-yard drive to open the game. Three plays later, SC had the ball again at the SU 19-yard line after an interception by DB Max Williams. RB MarShawn Lloyd turned that pick into six points less than a minute later when he found the end zone on a five-yard run. After an exchange of punts, the Trojans started out a drive from their own seven-yard line. 12 plays later RB Austin Jones found paydirt from a yard out and the rout was on. SC would score 28 more points in the second quarter to take a 49-3 lead into the half. The much maligned Trojan defense throttled the Cardinal in the first half allowing just three points while forcing two turnovers and knocking Stanford's starting QB, Ashton Daniels out for the rest of the game. Two of SC's four second quarter TDs came from 75 yards out. One was a punt return TD by freshman phenom, Zackariah Branch and the other was a bomb from Williams to WR Brenden Rice. The second half turned into a glorified scrimmage with SC QB Miller Moss subbing for Williams at the start of the third period. However, the SC defense did manage to make make a goal line stand to keep the Trees out of the end zone in the third quarter before allowing a TD in the final stanza. In one half of work Williams compared 19 of 21 passes for 281 yards and three TDs. He also ran for a score. Lloyd led all rushers with 77 yards on nine carries and a TD of his own. For the hapless residents of Palo Alto, QB Justin Lamson completed eight of 18 passes for 121 yards and ran for 36 yards on 10 carries. He also scored his team's only touchdown.
Telling Stat: 49 is oh so fine; USC's 49 first half points were the first time the Trojans scored 49 points in half since the second half of the 1974 Notre Dame game.
Utah 20- Baylor 13: Waco, TX- Utah came into the triple digit heat at Baylor still without the services of QB Cam Rising and several other key starters, but managed to escape Waco with a win. Baylor came into this one after being embarrassed by the Texas State Bobcats a week earlier. The Bears had the upper hand in this one as they were nursing a 13-6 lead to start the fourth quarter. Utah's offense has been held in check, managing only one long FG drive and getting their other FG off a Baylor turnover. However, the Utes stayed in striking distance and managed to tie the game on a drive led by QB Nate Johnson. Johnson marched his squad 88 yards in 15 plays to tie the game with 1:59 to play when he ran right though the middle of the Baylor defense for a TD from seven yards out. Baylor then got the ball back and had their chance to win the game when disaster struck. On third down and 16 at their own 20-yard line BU QB Sawyer Robertson saw his pass intercepted by S Cole Bishop. Six plays later, RB Jaylon Glover found the end zone from 11 yards out and the Utah had their first lead of the game at 20-13. However, Baylor wasn't dead just yet. A 47-yard pass from Robertson WR Hal Presley gave the Bears a first down at the Utah 22 with :01 left. Sawyer's pass on the next play fell incomplete as the Baylor bench and fans howled for a pass interference call. No flag fell and Utah escaped with the win. For the Utes, Johnson completed six of seven passes for 82 yards and ran for 32 yards and a TD. His backfield mate, RB Ja'Quinden Jackson led all rushers with 129 yards on 19 carries. For the now 0-2 Bears, Robertson completed 12 of 28 passes for 218 yards and two huge interceptions.
Telling Stat: 0 in 22:48; Utah's defense shutout Baylor over the final 22:48 of the game, which allowed their offense to find a way to win.
Colorado 36- Nebraska 14: Boulder, CO- The Buffs have been the toast of college football since beating TCU and they remain that way after gradually pulling away from a Cornhusker team still is needed of an offense donor. The game was a scoreless stalemate until late in the second quarter. At the 5:32 mark, Husker QB Jeff Sims fumbled a snap at his own 29-yard line. Colorado turned that miscue into a 31-yard FG from PK Jace Feely to take a 3-0 lead. On the ensuing possession, Sims threw a pass to the wrong color jersey and Colorado had a first and 10 at the Nebraska 30-yard line. Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders then threw a 30-yard TD pass to WR Tar'Varish Dawson for a 10-0 lead. CU tacked on another FG from Feely to go up 13-0 at the half. It might as well as been a 50-0 halftime lead, because you just knew the Cornhuskers did not have an offense capable of coming back. And they didn't. Sims ran for a 57-yard score to start the second half to cut the deficit to 13-7, but CU just pulled away. The Buffs overpowered a Nebraska defense that was on the field too long. Sanders threw for another TD and then ran for one to put this game firmly in the win column. Sanders completed 31 of 42 passes for 393 yards and two TDs while running for another for the media darling Buffaloes. Sims threw for 106 yards and rushed for 67 and a score in defeat for the Huskers.
Telling Stat: They couldn't move the chains; The Colorado defense held Nebraska to just 4 of 13 on third down conversions and 0 for 2 on fourth down conversions.
Washington 43- Tulsa 10: Seattle, WA- While they didn't execute nearly as well as they did against Boise State last week, the Huskies still did more than enough well to put a hurt on the Golden Hurricane. The Dawgs hit the ground running by taking the opening kickoff and driving 65 yards in just six plays to take a 7-0 lead on a two-yard TD toss from QB Michael Penix, Jr. to WR Rome Odunze. Washington then sandwiched another TD around a 44-yard FG from Tulsa's Chris Meyer. The second UW Score came on a 27-yard run from WR Ja'Lynn Polk. The game then got a little ragged at this point for both squads. Turnovers and turonvers on downs filled the second stanza, but UW would tally one more score when Penix, Jr. hit WR Jalen McMillan from nine-yards out. Throw in a two-point conversion and the Dawgs would go into the half up 22-3. The Huskies crossed the double stripe twice more in the third quarter to take a 36-3 into the final period. The fourth quarter served as garbage time with each team tallying one final touchdown. Penix, Jr. finished the afternoon with 28 completions on 38 attempts for 409 yards, three TDs and an interception. McMillan and Odunze combined to catch 15 of Penix, Jr.'s passes for 227 yards and two TDs. For Tulsa, QB Roman Fuller completed 12 of 18 passes for 85 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: 40:10 for the win; Despite their lackadaisical play at times, the Husky defense held Tulsa scoreless for a 40:10 span from midway through the first quarter to a few minutes into the fourth quarter to ensure victory.
Oregon 38- Texas Tech 30: Lubbock, TX- Coming off their 74 point win over Portland State last week, the Ducks were a bit surprised to be trailing, 7-0 to Texas Tech just a few minutes into the game. After all, the Red Raiders blew a late lead last week in a loss at Wyoming. They should not have been a tough matchup for the Sons of Nike. However, the Red Raiders made this a back and forth affair that came down to the final drive. Up 20-18 with 6:45 left in the third quarter, the Red Raiders held Oregon on downs at their own 17-yard line. They then marched down the field in just four plays extend their lead to 27-18 when QB Tyler Shough threw a 34-yard TD pass to WR Jerand Bradley. UO answered that score with a 17 play, 75 yard TD march that cut Tech's lead to 27-25. The TD was three-yard gallop across the double stripe from RB Bucky Irving. After that, it became a battle of field goals. PK Camden Lewis kicked a 23-yarder to give the Webfoots a 28-27 lead only to see Tech PK Gino Garcia give his squad the lead at 30-28 on a 45-yard kick on the next possession. Undaunted, the Quacks drove into FG range on their next drive and Lewis was good from 34 yards to grab the lead back at 31-30. That left Texas Tech with 1:10 left to try and win the game, but the Red Raiders managed to throw not one, but two interceptions during that timespan to hand the Webfoots the win. The first one was returned 45 yards for a TD by LB Jeffrey Bassa and the second ended the Red Raiders last hope to send the game to OT. For the Ducks, QB Bo Nix completed 32 of 44 passes for 359 yards and a pair of scores, while Shough competed 24 of 38 passes for 282 yards, three TDs and three interceptions. He also ran for 101 yards on 23 carries and another TD.
Telling Stat: Turnovers Kill; Texas Tech was -4 in turnovers and that cost them the game.
Washington State 31- Wisconsin 22: Pullman, WA-The Badgers came to the Palouse to avenge last year's embarrassing upset loss in Madison. However, the Badgers found themselves trailing the Cougars 24-9 at the half thanks to two TD tosses by WSU QB Cameron Ward that covered one and four yards along worth a two-yard fumble return for a TD by DE Brennan Jackson and a 46-yard FG from PK Dean Janikowski. Then the second half came and Wazzu nearly Coug'd it. The Sons of Bucky owned the third quarter with a two-yard TD run form RB Chez Mellusi and a 16-yard TD pass from QB Tanner Mordecai to WR Skyler Bell. Wisconsin failed on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, but they trailed just 24-22 entering the final period. The fourth quarter seemed to be moving in the Badgers favor, but a fumble by Melliusi was recovered by WSU DB Jackson Lataimua at the Cougars 43-yard line with 9:39 left. Ward then engineered a 10-play, 57-yard TD drive to put the game away. RB Nakia Watson broke through the Wisconsin line from a yard out to put WSU up 31-22. The Cougar defense then held for downs at their own 46-yard line to extinguish the Badgers last chance to comeback. Ward finished the game with 20 completions in 32 passing attempts for 212 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 43 yards on 17 carries. In the tough loss, Mordecai hit on 25 of 40 aerials for 278 yards and a touchdown.
Telling Stat: He took ownership of the game; On Wazzu's game-clinching drive, QB Cam Ward accounted for 45 of the 57 yards. His run of 14 yards on third and one at the Wisconsin 15-yard line set up the winning score.
Mississippi State 31- Arizona 24 OT: Starkville, MS- It was a a very emotional night at Davis Wade Stadium where the Bulldogs played their first game after the sudden death of HC Mike Leach last December. New MSU HC Zach Arnett had his team ready and they took an early 14-0 on a 23-yard TD pass from QB Will Rogers to WR Lideatrick Griffin and one-yard TD plunge from RB Jo'Quavious Marks. UofA did get back in it despite the fact that QB Jayden de Laura kept throwing passes to the other team. The game stood tied at 21-21 when de Laura threw an 11-yard TD pass to Tetairoa McMillan. After MSU took a 24-21 lead on a 36-yard FG from PK Kyle Ferrie, the Wildcats needed a drive to at least force the game to overtime and they got it. de Laura started off the drive with a 49-yard pass to McMillan to put the ball at the MSU 27-yard line. Four plays later, PK Tyler Loop split the uprights from 36 yards out to send the game to OT. In the OT MSU had the ball first and Rogers saved what looked like a disastrous set of downs when he threw a 29-yard scoring strike toWR Jeffrey Pittman. The Wildcats half of the OT would not go so well. de Laura was forced to scramble on 4th an 10 from the 25-line. He was awarded the first down only to have the call reversed by replay as he was found to be down just short of the line to gain. At that point the cowbells reached deafening levels in Starkville. In the win, Rogers completed 13 of 17 tosses for 162 yards an three TDs while his backfield mate, Marks lugged the leather 24 times for 123 yards and a score of his own. In the tough defeat de Laura competed 32 of 46 passes for 342 yards, two TDs and four interceptions.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill part II; Arizona found out that you can't be -4 in the turnover department and win a game.
UCLA 35- San Diego State 10: San Diego, CA- Last week, UCLA had a two QB problem as neither starter Ethan Garbers or heralded freshman Donte Moore took control of the offense in a tough win over Coastal Carolina. This week there was no problem as Moore got the start and shredded the SDSU defense. UCLA got on the scoreboard first when Moore took advantage of a busted Aztec coverage and hit WR Josiah Norwood over the middle for a good 15 yards and the WR took it the other 66 to paydirt. SDSU answered with drive of their own to tie the game at 7-7 when QB Jaylen Mayden found WR Mekhi Shaw for a 21-yard score. That would be the last time the game was truly competitive. Moore led UCLA on two classic Chip Kelly drives that covered 75 and 68 yards to take a 21-7 lead. RB Carson Steele scored the first of the TDs won a 14-yard jaunt and RB T.J. Harden scored the second one when he ran through a hole you could drive a truck through for a 59 yards. The bRuins would take a 28-10 lead into the break on Moore's second TD toss of the day. It was a 24-yard pass to WR Logan Loya. SDSU did have a major chance to get back into the game when Moore fumbled near his own goal line. The Aztecs recovered for what looked like a touchdown, but a very questionable review of the play overturned the TD and placed the ball outside the the goal line. Three plays later, Mayden's pass was intercepted by LB Darius Muasau in the end zone for a touchback. Moore then drove his bRuins 80 yards in seven plays for another TD. Moore hooked up with RB Carsen Ryan for a six yard score. Moore then took the fourth quarter off as Carson Schlee played out the garbage time at QB. Last week's starter, Ethan Garbers never saw the field. Moore completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 yards and three TDs, while Steele and Harden combined to rush for 175 yards and two TDs on 21 carries. For the Aztecs, Mayden completed 19 ion 37 passes for 196 yards, a TD and three interceptions.
Telling Stat: Nowhere to run; UCLA held SDSU's usually strong running game to just 63 total yards on 33 carries. Thats a nifty 1.9 yard per carry.
Oregon State 55- UC Davis 7: Corvallis, OR- The Beavers celebrate a near fully completed remodel of Reser Stadium with an easy rout of the Aggies from the Big Sky Conference of the FCS. After a UC Davis interception on their opening drive, Oregon State scored one play later when RB Damien Martinez took a handoff and raced 64 yard to the end zone. A few minutes later, OSU QB D.J. Uiagalelei knifed into the end ozone form three yards out and the competitive portion of this contest was all but over. Another TD pass by Uiagalelei and 65-yard punt return for a TD from PR Silas Bolden highlighted a 24 point second period that would give the Beavers a 38-0 lead at the intermission. The second half saw Uiagalelei and most of the starters watch all their teammates earn their letters against the overmatched Aggies. Uiagalelei threw for 107 yards and two TDs and ran for another in one half's worth of work. Meanwhile eight different Beavers combined to rush for 269 yards on 37 carries with three scores. For Davis, QB Grant Harper completed four of seven passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Telling Stat: Never a threat; 75 of UC Davis' 166 total yards and their only score came after OSU had built up a 55-0 lead.
Auburn 14- California 10: Berkeley, CA- This game was a grinding defensive struggle that Auburn didn't deserve to win, but then again, neither did Cal with the way they kicked this one away. Cal was snake bit form the start when on the third play form scrimmage Aubrun QB Payton Thorne fumbled on his own 35-yard line. Cal LB Jackson Sirmon scooped up the ball and took it back for an apparent touchdown. The TD was apparent to all but the one ref that whistled the play dead at the 35-yard line instead of letting it run its' course. That call cost the Golden Bears four points as they were only to turn that turnover into a 39-yard field goal by PK Michael Luckhurst. That would be the last good thing to happen to Luckhurst all night. He would go on to miss three other field goals attempts and have a good one that covered 52 yards wiped off the board by a holding call. Through all those misses and three turnovers by the offense, the Cal defense was stellar. They forced four turnovers and held Auburn to just 230 total yards. However, after Luckhurts's third missed kick, they gave up the game-winning TD drive. It was the only long drive they gave up all game while clinging to a 10-7 lead. The Tigers marched or rather stumbled 69 yards in 10 plays with Thorne hitting TE Rivaldo Fairweather with a 5-yard TD toss to take the lead with 6:31 left to play in the final period. Cal's last shot to overcome all their mistakes and pull out a win ended when QB Sam Jackson V's pass was intercepted in the end zone. For the Tigers, Thorne completed nine of 14 passes for 94 yards, two TDs and an interception. For the hard luck Golden Bears, Jackson completed 14 of 27 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions while RB Jaydn Ott rushed for 78 yards and a TD on 20 carries before an ill-advised attempt to hurdle Auburn defenders resulted in an injury that knocked him out of the game in the third quarter.
Telling Stat: W+3+1= L; The bad whistle, three missed field goals and the one good one taken off the board by penalty add up 16 points. Those 16 points would have been more than enough to beat the Tigers.
Oklahoma State 27- Arizona State 15: Tempe, AZ- The Cowboys used a combo of three quarterbacks and a stingy second half defense to grab a win in the Valley of the Sun. ASU owned a 15-10 halftime lead on a 13-Yard TD scamper from RB Cameron Skattebo, a 65-yard TD pass from QB Jaden Rashada to WR Elijah Badger and a two-point conversion from Skattebo. The second half saw Okie State render the ASU offense insert while their offense scored the final 17 points the game to earn the win. WR De'Zhaun Stribling caught a there-yard pass from QB Gunnar Gundy for the go ahead score in the third quarter. Then, a 22-yard field goal from PK Alex Hale and a 16-yard TD pass from QB Brennan Presley to WR Garrett Rangel in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach. The Cowboy QB trio of Gundy, Rangel and Alan Bowman combined to complete 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards and two TDs. Rashada completed 16 of 29 passes for 167 yards a TD and an interception in the loss for ASU.
Telling Stat: 2nd half shutout; Okie State's defense forced two punts, held for downs three times and picked off a pass to keep ASU off the scoreboard in the second half.
Observations
...Always uncomfortable; On the sidelines Utah HC Kyle Whittingham looks like a guy who has come to realize that eating gas station sushi was a poor decision and the nearest restroom is two miles away.
...Extreme buyers remorse; Don't know how anyone affiliated with Texas A&M isn't regretting the hiring of Jimbo Fisher.
..Good Cheddar; Evidently Cougar Gold is a fine sharp cheddar cheese produced on the Wazzu campus. Heck even most of these Wisconsin fans give it a thumbs up. Dairy Goodness
...Not in along while; Haven't seen a USC team come out with that kind of killer instinct in years. Wow.
...Devastating; This picture I grabbed off the internet shows the worst bad beat I've ever seen in Fantasy Football ever. I have no idea who the person who lost is, but I feel so sorry for them.
...A win put in perspective; SC's 66-14 win over Nevada in week one feels a little different after the Wolfpack was hammered 33-6 at home this week by Idaho of the FCS.
...He's gone; Michigan State HC Mel Tucker has been suspended without pay after being accused of sexually harassing a sexual awareness advocate and rape victim, Brenda Tracy. Off the sidelines This most likely end up with Tucker fired without cause and MSU canceling the remaining 80+ million dollars left on his contract.
...Trap game; A lot of folks in Big Ten Country are looking forward to Iowa at Penn State on 9/23. The Nittany Lions need to not look past their Big Ten opener at Illinois this week.
...Big man with skills; Colorado Mesa OL Cooper Mumford threw a TD pass against University of San Diego. He's got a cannon!
...Blah week; This upcoming week in the Pac 12 has only one marquee matchup and that game is now diminished a bit to say the least. That matchup is Washington at Michigan State. Sigh.
...Just a rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that the ACC has rescinded their invitations to Stanford, Cal and SMU after last Saturday's games.
...He's from the North Side; The Bears and Packers opened up the season 28 years ago and this happened. I remember watching this live and it still flips me out. High School Baller
...Schadenfreude; I'm thoroughly enjoying Alabama losing and Boise State being 0-2.
...Please read this next sentence in your best Dean Wormer voice; Committing five turnovers a game is no way to go through life, Arizona.
...Some relief; For those of us who aren't fans of the DJ who's been at the SC games the last couple of years, watching him get reprimanded by the Ref was pretty cool. It was the best thing I've seen from a Pac 12 ref at the Coliseum in years. Scolded!
...A win for the Pac 2; Oregon State and Washington State took the Pac 12 to court and got a restraining order granted to keep the league from holding any board meetings until further notice. The two remaining Pac 12 schools want to prevent any votes about the future of the league by those schools who are leaving. TRO
...Pretty happy now; I think Colorado has pretty much gotten over losing Mel Tucker to Michigan State a few years ago.
.,.Achilles is a bar tab; Aaron Rodgers torn Achilles fed into the joy and then sadness in this Wisconsin bar. Pay Up!
...The world is upside down; Army threw a 59-yard touchdown pass last Saturday v. Delaware State.
...Chowder heads; SUNY Maritime beat Massachusetts Maritime, 14-7 to win their rivalry game known as the Chowder Bowl. I just want to know since the New York school won, do they celebrate with Manhattan style chowder?
...That just wrecked your new car feeling; In the weather delay in the Notre Dame- NC State game, the brand new scoreboard at Carter-Finley Stadium shorted out after a lightning strike. It never really recovered. Zapped!
...His old squad; Stanford HC Troy Taylor will look across the sideline and see his old team as the Cardinal host Sacramento State this week.
..Thus just in; UCLA QB Dante Moore is really good.
...Rivalry week!; This Saturday New Mexico and New Mexico State will face each other in the 113th edition of the Rio Grande Rivalry. This series dates back to 1894. That's 16 years before New Mexico became the 47th state.
...Breakfast of Champions; Notre Dame didn't have enough food for their team during the almost two hour weather delay at NC State, so the training staff went out to stadium concession stands and bought hot dogs and brats for the them. On behalf of hot dog lovers everywhere, I salute you, Notre Dame.
...Fashionably late; With the summer season winding down in Newport, the Ivy League becomes the last conference to start their season this week.
Pac 12 Overreactions
Colorado is an eight win team.
Oregon just wanted to give Puddles some rest this week.
USC will go as far as their defense takes them.
Cal is UCLA with a better defense.
UCLA is Cal with a better offense.
Utah is the Iowa of the Pac 12.
Oregon State is a 10-win team.
Stanford will go 2-10.
Arizona needs a rushing game.
Wazzu is sneaky good.
ASU is a 5-7 team.
Washington is so happy they aren't Michigan State.
CFL Update
Up in the Great White North, the Toronto Argonauts (10-1) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-3) have both clinched playoff berths while enjoying comfortable leads atop the East and West divisions. Meanwhile the Commissioner's favorite team, the Edmonton Elks are 3-10 and have taken up residence in the cellar of the West Division.
Most Debated Uniform of the Week
This blackout look by Kansas caused quite a debate between my wife and I last Friday night. She liked it and believed that if schools can use white as a background color then black should be ok to use as well in that capacity. I just rejected it on principal because if black is not part of your school's main color scheme, then you should not be wearing all-black uniforms. You all can judge for yourselves.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Brockport, NY- We go to the D-III where the Susquehanna River Hawks got some late heroics to pull out a 6-5 win over the SUNY-Brockport Golden Eagles. Thanks to a blocked punt for a safety earlier the fourth quarter, Susquehanna trailed 5-3. Then needing a miracle, the River Hawks faced a third and nine at the 50-yard line with :15 left on the clock. QB Josh Ehrlich then provided a miracle when his pass found WR Kyle Howes for a 49-yard gain to put Susquehanna on the Brockport one-yard line with two seconds left. PK Christopher Colas then came in and sent an 18-yard field goal through the uprights to propel the River Hawks to victory. The River Hawks had to find a way to pull out the win despite holding Brockport to 135 total yards and just seven first downs.
Blowout Game of the Week: New London, CT- The Coast Guard Academy Black Bears evened their season record at 1-1 with a 93-24 dismantling of the Anna Maria College Amcats. The Black Bears got out to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter, enjoyed a 56-10 lead at half and then led 70-24 win the third period before tacking on another 23 points to finish off the day. CGA QB Joey Armentrout completed 12 of 19 passes for 374 yards and four TDs in this laugher before an announced crowd of 724.
Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- It was not pretty, but the Razorbacks managed to find their way to a 28-6 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes. The methodical Hogs scored a TD per quarter to achieve victory. QB K.J. Jefferson completed 13 of 19 passes for 136 yards and two TDs to pace the Hogs offense. Up next for the Razorbacks is home date with BYU.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Of all the Halloween themed food that is out, I do dig the Halloween Oreos.
The Arnold Palmer is still a great drink.
It's just about time to change the doormats and garden flags out for fall.
Until next time, remember that losing the turnover battle is the easiest way to lose a game.
-The Commissioner
