Hey all,
The last Saturday of October has come and gone. That means you get to enjoy your Halloween candy while reading another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Tom Kelly.
Summaries
USC 50- California 49: Berkeley, CA- The last game for the foreseeable future between these two old rivals was a crazy one played in near perfect weather at Memorial Stadium. The start of the game was delayed for a good 10 minutes or so thanks to a protest from Cal students who sat down at midfield. Here's the story on the protest Midfield sit in. The game then started out favorably for the Men of Troy as they picked up a 23-yard FG from PK Denis Lynch and then a two-yard TD jaunt from RB MarShawn Lloyd for an early 10-0 lead. That TD was made possible by a Cal fumble on their own 42-yard line. The Trojans prosperity would be short lived however as USC's sieve of a defense gave up four straight TDs. The first three of those TDs belonged to RB Jaydn Ott who scored on runs of 43, 61 and four yards. The fourth one was a 17-yard TD pass from QB Fernando Mendoza to WR Trond Grizzell. USC did manage to score on a six-yard pass from QB Caleb Williams to RB Austin Jones in the middle of the Cal point onslaught to make the score 28-17 Golden Bears at the half. Or so we thought. At the end of the second quarter USC TE Lake McRee hauled in a 29-yard pass as time seemed to expire in the half. Both teams headed to the locker room, except for Trojan HC Lincoln Riley who had stopped the refs to issue a challenge that there was still time left on the clock and that his team should be granted a time out with :01 left. While the Cal band played their halftime show, Riley and Cal HC Justin Wilcox, (who was brought out of the locker room), waited to find how the review would go. Much to Wilcox's consternation, SC was granted that one last play. However, with both teams in the locker room already for a good while, it was announced by the officials that when the teams emerged for the second half, USC would run one more play to finish off the first half before the start of the third quarter. All the sound and fury that came about because of this added untimed down ended up signifying nothing as Lynch shanked a 33-yard FG attempt. USC then held Cal for downs to start the third quarter. Four plays later, Williams raced into the end zone from six-yards out to cut SC 's deficit to 28-23. Unwilling to learn from last week's failures, SC went for two and failed. The Trojans were then able to grab the lead back two possessions later when LB Eric Gentry came up with an interception at the the Golden Bears 22-yard line. Williams then turned that turnover into a TD on a 22-yard pass to WR Brenden Rice. SC held a 29-28 lead after another failed two-point conversion. Cal then took the lead right back on the next drive that was aided by two USC pass interference penalties. Mendoza did the honors by rushing two yards for the TD and then connecting with Grizzell for the two-point conversion and a 36-29 lead. Mendoza then stretched Cal's lead to 43-29 when he found paydirt from a yard out. Things looked dire the Trojans down but 14 with 14:56 to play with a defense that could not stop anyone. However, SC found a way to win. A one-yard TD run form Williams cut Cal'as lead to 43-36. Then after SC forced a Cal punt on their next possession, the Cal defense stiffened and forced the Trojans to punt with 7:30 left. The punt was fielded by Cal PR Nohl Williams who was hit and fumbled. SC LB Tackett Curtis made the recovery and the Trojans had a 1st and 10 at the Cal 18-yard line. Three plays later Lloyd rumbled nine yards for a TD and the score now stood tied at 43-43. The teams then traded fumbles before the Trojans stuffed the Bears on fourth down at SC's 37-yard line. On first down Lloyd took off around the right side and sprinted 57 yards down to the Cal seven-yard line. On the next play, RB Austin Jones ran untouched into the end zone. USC now led 50-43 with 3:33 left to play. Now trailing, the Golden Bears moved easily down the field and scored on a 13-yard screen pass to RB Jaivian Thomas. USC now led 50-49 with :58 left. Instead of kicking the PAT, Cal went for two-points and the win. Mendoza's pass for the conversion was swatted away by USC Safety Jaylin Smith. USC then recovered the ensuing onside kick and then ran out the clock to escape Strawberry Canyon with the victory. For the Trojans, Williams compared 23 of 40 passes for 369 yards and two TDs. He also ran for two scores. Williams favorite target was WR Tahj Washington who caught five passes for 102 yards. Lloyd carried the ball 17 times for 115 yards and two TDs to also aid the Trojans cause. For the heartbroken Golden Bears, Mendoza completed 25 of 39 passes for 292 yards, two TDs and an interception. He also ran for 48 yards a pair of TDs as well. Ott led all rushers with 153 yards on 21 carries and three TDs.
Telling Stat: Turnovers Kill; USC forced four Cal turnovers and that was the difference on the game.
Oregon 35- Utah 6: Salt Lake City, UT- College Gameday came to the Great Salt Lake. The ESPN hype machine was in full gear touting how the Utes were making their run at a third straight Pac 12 title and they would really give the Ducks a hard time of it at Rice-Eccles Stadium. What transpired when toe met leather was Utah being smashed by the Webfoots in the cold light of a late October day. Six plays into the game, the Ducks had driven 75 yards and held a 7-0 lead on one-yard run by QB Bo Nix. Utah cut the UO lead to 7-3 after a Duck fumble recovery led to a 32-yard FG by PK Cole Becker. Utah would never be that close again. Oregon went top 14-3 late in the first period when WR Jordan James caught an 18-yard scoring strike from Nix. On Utah's next drive, DB Tysheem Johnson picked off UU QB Bryson Barnes deep in Utah territory. Nix cashed in the interception for a TD an a 21-3 lead when he hit WR Tony Franklin for short TD toss of three yards. Utah would get another Becker FG to trail 21-6 at the half. The third quarter saw a repeat of earlier in the contest. The Quacks got a nine-yard TD run from Irving followed by Johnson's second interception of Barnes. RB Traeshon Holden found paydirt form five yards out and with 6:08 left in the third quarter, the game was essentially over with the Men of Oregon holding a 35-6 lead. The rest of the game was a glorified scrimmage with no further scoring. For the now 7-1 Ducks, Nix completed 24 of 31 passes for 248 yards and two TDs. He also ran for one. Irving led all rushers with 83 yards on 14 carries with a TD. There was not real offense to speak of for the Utes.
Telling Stat: 0 for 30:00; The Oregon defense pitched a second half shutout while rendering the Utah offense inert in the process. Utah only crossed the 50-yard line once in the second half.
Washington 42- Stanford 33: Palo Alto, CA- Another week, another close call for the Huskies. The Dawgs scored on their first drive of the game in a quick trip down the field that covered 50 yards and was capped off with a one-yard TD plunge from TE Jack Westover. Then nothing really went easily for the Huskies for the rest of the game. Stanford stayed on UW's heels. Three times the Cardinal got to within two-points of the Dawgs at scores of 21-19, 28-26 and 35-33. The Huskies were able to walk out of Palo Alto with a W thanks to big drop with 3:20 left to play in the final period. Stanford had a 4th and 2 at their own 28-yard line. They lined up in a tight run formation. QB Ashton Daniels pitched the ball back to WR Tiger Bachmeier who then passed the ball to wide open WR Jayson Raines. Raines dropped the ball. The Huskies took over on downs. Four plays later, RB Dillion Johnson ran 13 yards for the game-clinching TD. In the close win UW QB Michael Penix, Jr. completed 21of 37 passes for 369 yards, four TD an an interception. WR Ja'Lynn Polk caught five of Penix Jr.'s passes for 148 yards and two TDs. For the Cardinal, QB Ashton Daniels completed 31 of 48 passes for 367 yards and a TD. Daniels also ran the ball 18 times for 81 yards and two more scores.
Telling Stat: The Drop did 'em in; The drop by WR Jayson Raines was the difference in the game. Wide Open
UCLA 28- Colorado 16: Pasadena, CA- This game was billed as a sellout, but did not look like one from the aerial shots of the Rose Bowl. Whether it was a sellout or not, it can be agreed that those who did attend saw a sloppy game where the bRuins slowly pulled away from the Buffaloes. CU PK Alejandro Mata booted FGs of 31 and 39 yards on either side of an interception of UCLA QB Ethan Garbers to give the Buffs a 6-0 early lead. With 14:19 left in the second quarter, UCLA took a 7-6 lead on a three-yard TD pass from Garbers to RB Carson Steele. The score would stay that way until intermission. Two more UCLA turnovers killed off a pair of promising drives while the bRuins defense easily shutdown the Buffs offense. Two plays into the third quarter, the bRuins extended their lead to 14-6 on a 26-yard TD pass from Garbers to TE Maliki Matavo. With 4:13 left in the third period, Mata made his third FG of the game, a 34-yarder, to cut CU's deficit to 14-9. UCLA then took control of the game going on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that was capped with a three-yard TD run by RB T.J. Harden for a 21-9 lead. On their next drive, UCLA backup QB Collin Schlee knifed through the Buffs defense from seven yards out for a TD and a 28-9 lead. At that point, the handful of fans left headed for the exits. The Buffaloes would get their only TD of the night with 2:37 left when QB Shedeur Sanders hit WR Jimmy Horn, Jr. with an 18-yard scoring strike. UCLA's Garbers finished the evening completing 20 of 27 passes for 269 yards with two TDs and an interception while backfield mates Steele and Harden combined to carry the ball 31 times for 153 yards and a TD. For the Buffs, Shedeur Sanders completed 27 of 43 passes for 217 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: Can't complete passes on your back; UCLA sacked Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders seven times in this sloppy, grinding win for the Sons of Westwood.
Arizona State 38- Washington State 27: Tempe, AZ- What had the makings of a shootout in the first half turned into a defensive struggle in the second half with the Sun Devils doing just enough to get their second win of the year. There were six TDs scored in the firs half with WSU QB Cam Ward responsible for all three WSU tallies on TD runs of three and 11 yards and a nine-yard toss to WR Lincoln Victor. ASU's trips to the end zone came on runs of one yard and 13 yards by RB DeCarlos Brooks and two-yard slash from fellow RB Cameron Skattebo. Then, unlike the USC-Cal game, the refs managed to hash out whether ASU WR Jaylin Conyers did get his knee down before the clock ran out to end the half. After it was established he did indeed get down by the refs, Sun Devils PK Dario Longhetto connected on a 51-yard FG on the final play off the half put ASU up 24-21. ASU extended their lead to 31-21 as they marched 75 yards in 12 plays for a TD on the opening drive of the second half. WR Elijah Badger scored from six yards out on a neat little end around play to finish the drive. This is where the ASU defense came up big when they had to. WSU put together a pair of long drives only to see the Sun Devils shut them down in the red zone. The Cougars settled for a pair of field goals covering 31 and 34 yards from PK Dean Janikowski. Meanwhile ASU tacked on one more TD when Brooks rambled eight yards to the end zone to start the fourth quarter. The Sons of Sparky then held the Cougars scoreless the rest of the way to secure the victory. In the win, ASU QB Trenton Bourguet completed 19 of 26 aerials for 274 yards while Brooks and Skattebo combined to tote the rock 22 times for 188 yards and four TDs. For the Cougars, Ward completed 35 of 50 passes for 315 yards and a TD. His favorite target was WR Kyle Williams who caught eight passes for 77 yards.
Telling Stat: They bent but didn't break; In the second half the ASU defense gave up drives into their red zone that covered 60, 48 and 72 yards, yet only gave up six points.
Arizona 27- Oregon State 24: Tucson, AZ- The Beavers were expected to physically dominate the Wildcats and grind out a victory. Instead it was the Wildcats that ground the Beavers down to grind out the win with little help from an unforced error by OSU. With :03 left in the first half, the game stood tied at 10-10. OSU's 10 points came on a 22-yard TD pass from QB D.J. Uiagalelei to TE Jack Velling and a 35-yard FG from PK Atticus Sappington while UofA's10 points came on a seven-yard TD pass from QB Noah Fifita to WR Tetairoa McMillan and 51-yard FG from PK Tyler Loop. Now, let's gets back to :03 left in the second quarter. Oregon State had a 3rd and 10 at the Cats 16-yard line. They sent the FG unit out to try and take a 13-10 lead into the half. Instead the Beavers ran a fake field goal with Sappington carrying the ball. He was tackled at the UofA seven-yard line to end to half. The Wildcats took a 13-10 lead on the opening drive of the third quarter when Loop split the uprights from 25 yards out. OSU then would take a 17-13 lead early in the final period when WR Silas Bolden ran around UofA's end for eight yards and a TD. This is when Arizona physically took control of the game. On the next four drives, Arizona scored two TDs while their defense forced two OSU punts. The first TD was a nifty toss from Fifita to RB Michael Wiley who tightroped down the sideline 40 yards to the end zone. The second TD also came on a pass to Wiley. This one covered three yards and gave the Wildcats a 27-17 lead with 2:22 to play. OSU then got up off the deck and torched Arizona's prevent defense by traveling 75 yards in just four plays with Uiagalelei hitting TE Jimmy Velsin III with a 20-yard TD pass. The Cats recovered the ensuing onside kick and then ran out the clock to secure the 27-24 win. Fifita had a great night completing 25 of 32 passes for 275 yards, three TDs and an interception. McMillan was was the game's leading receiver catching eight balls for 80 yards and a score. For the Beavers, Uiagalelei completed 16 of 30 passes for 218 yards and two scores. His backfield mate, RB Damien Martinez led all rushers with 87 yards on 14 carries.
Telling Stat: Just kick it; If Oregon State doesn't mess around with that fake field goal attempt, they could have sent the game to overtime with a chance to win.
Observations
...#1 to me; Yes, they have a weak schedule this year, but until two-time defending National Champion Georgia is beaten, they are still #1.
...Parity nightmare; Somebody went to the trouble to figure out a way that all seven Big Ten West teams can finish tied for the division title with identical 4-5 records in league play. Facepalm.
..Paperless; For anyone who has ever ridden the BART in the Bay Area, come November 30th no more paper tickets will be issued. I know some of you still have a few of those old tickets as souvenirs of Weekenders past.
...Just a rumor; There is no truth to the rumor that Oregon QB Bo Nix is eligible to receive Social Security benefits for his many years as an NCAA QB.
...Worms going viral; Rice had a guy that hands to gummy worms to players on the sideline and now he's gone viral. Gummies!
...Oddball stat; Neither of the two QBs in Kansas' 38-33 upset of Oklahoma threw a TD pass. OU's Dillon Gabriel and KU's Jason Bean did combine to throw three interceptions however.
...Trivia Time; LSU QB Jayden Daniels this week has the chance to be only the second QB to defeat a Nick Saban team two times in a row in his college coaching career. Who was the only QB to beat Saban twice a row?
...Beaten and poorer for it; The game was not the only thing lost by Colorado at UCLA. During the game somebody broke into the Buffaloes locker room and stole a bunch of the players jewelry. Ripped Off
...A familiar refrain; I say it every year, but I do believe that October is by far the prettiest month of the year in California.
...He got mad; Clemson HC Dabo Swinney went on a near five minute rant on his radio show Monday after a caller asked why he's getting paid 11 million a year while his team is only 4-4. Hot Swinney
...No more farewells; With their heart-stopping win at Cal, USC has finished their farewell tour of the Pac 12,. The Trojans went 7-1 against the teams they will not see on the gridiron again for quite some time.
...So long, son; Iowa OC and son of Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz, Brian Ferentz has been fired as per the end of the season according to the school. Brian Ferentz's punchless offenses have been a laughing stock of the college football world these past few years. Pack your bags, kid
...Trivia Time Answer; In 1998 and 1999 QB Drew Brees of Purdue beat Saban's Michigan State Spartans.
..Yellow Flagged Snow; Colorado State fans got their team penalized 15 yards for throwing snowballs at the Air Force bench last Saturday. Snowball Fight!
...More snow; I just wanted to show this cool picture from the Air Force- Colorado State game.
CFL Update
It is playoff time north of the border! In the Eastern Semi-Final the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will travel to Montreal to take on the Allouettes. The winner gets a trip to play Toronto in the Eastern Final. The Western Semi-Final features the Calgary Stampeders at the British Columbia Lions. The winner of that game gets to go to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers in the Western Final.
Pac 12 Overreactions
USC is a 7-5 team.
Washington will continue to play to the level of their opponent.
UCLA is a few pick sixes away form the CFP.
Colorado won't go bowling.
Nobody wants to play Arizona right now.
Oregon really really really wants another shot at Washington.
Cal wishes they had kick the PAT with :58 left.
Stanford is the 2-10 team that could have easily been 5-7.
Oregon State won't try a fake field goal again for years.
Only Pepperidge Farm remembers when Wazzu was 4-0.
ASU will be bowl eligible... in 2024.
Utah fans hate the entire state of Oregon.
Uniform Error of the Week
UTEP's equipment manager blew it and packed the Miner's home blue jerseys for their road game at Sam Houston State. The result was full on color v color game that almost looked like an NFL color rush game.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Waltham, MA- This week's game features action in the Northeast-10 Conference of D-II. The Bentley Falcons had just tied their game with the Franklin Pierce Ravens at 10-10 on a 17-yard TD pass from QB Mark Waid to WR Pat Damon with 3:23 to play in the fourth quarter when LB Nick Pucillo won the game for Falcons on the ensuing kickoff. Pucillo nailed the KR and forced a fumble that the Ravens recovered in their win end zone for safety. Bentley now held a 12-10 lead and would get the ball back. The Falcons offense managed to run out the clock and grab a two point win.
Blowout Game of the Week: Jacksonville, IL- For the second consecutive week the Illinois College Blue Boys appear in this space. Last week they won a road game, 72-0. This week they did their pounding of an opponent at home as the Blue Boys trounced the Grinnell College Pioneers, 93-0. QB Chance Destin had another big game, completing 21 of 33 passes for 415 yards and seven TDs. In the past two games, Destin has thrown for 880 yards an 15 TDs without an interception.
Razorback Report: The Hogs had a bye this past Saturday an will travel to The Swamp to take on Florida on 11/4.
This Week's Three Notes About The Weekender...
Harris Ranch is still a great road trip stop.
The Burger at Causwells in San Francisco is pretty darn awesome.
A road trip is the best way to experience the many facets of California.
Until Next time, remember that an ugly win is still better than a beautiful loss.
-The Commissioner
