We move to middle of October where fall has taken hold with frost on the pumpkins, decorations on the houses and meaningful football game being played. Let's take look at the weekend that was in college football with another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Notre Dame 48- USC 20: South Bend, IN- The main narrative this year has been that USC's defense was the weakest link on a team that underwhelmed the fans and the rest of the nation at large. Nobody really thought the that QB Caleb Williams and the OL would ruin the Trojans chances in South Bend, but they did. The offensive line's inability to hold out a simple four man rush, much less a fifth man blitzing led to three first half interceptions by Williams. Those three picks were turned into TDs by the Fighting Irish and USC trailed at the half, 24-6. The third quarter saw the USC offense make some strides even though the OL just couldn't block anyone. Nevertheless, the Trojans only trailed 31-20 with 11 minuted to play after WR Brenden Rice hauled in a seven-yard TD pass from Williams. Then on the ensuing kickoff, USC's suspect special teams failed. ND KR Jadarian Price took the ball back 99 yards untouched for a game-breaking TD. ND would add a FG before the Men of Troy handed ND a final TD when WR Mario Willams fumbled on the SC 15-yard line. CB Xavier Watts scooped up the ball and dashed 15 yards to end zone. ND could have broken 50 points, but instead they chose to kneel down at SC's 26-yard line to kill the clock on their final drive. For the Irish, QB Sam Hartman completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and two TDs while RB Audric Estime toted the rock 22 times for 95 yards and two scores. The ND defense sacked Caleb Williams six times and forced five turnovers. For the unprepared looking Trojans, Williams completed 23 of 37 passes for 199 yards, a TD and three interceptions, while RB MarShawn Lloyd ran for 46 yards on eight carries with a score.
Telling Stat: 5+6= W; Notre Dame's defense forced five Trojans turnovers and sacked USC QB Caleb Williams six times to pave the way for a big W for the Fighting Irish.
Stanford 46- Colorado 43 2OT: Boulder, CO- This game looked pretty like it had the makings of a Buffaloes Blowout and it was... for half. The Buffs did just about everything right in the first half. The CU defense made the Cardinal look completely inept. Stanford's offense couldn't cross the street without the help of a Boy Scout. Meanwhile, QB Shedeur Sanders toasted the Stanford secondary. He threw three TD passes that covered nine, 24 and 39 yards. Two of those went to WR Xavier Weaver who also ran for a 14-yard TD. WR/DB Travis Hunter had returned from injury for CU and had a TD catch and also completely shutdown SU's WRs. Up 29-0 at the break, this one seemed over. Heck, even Shedeur Sanders' people put out instagram ads for his clothing line during the break. Then the second half started and Colorado left their game in the locker room. The Cardinal just kept chipping away at the lead with a couple of plays that the Buffs could not stop. WR Elic Ayomanor torched the CU secondary with a 97-yard TD catch and a 60-yard scoring strike. Tack on a two-yard run by WR Bryce Farrell and suddenly Stanford trailed just 29-19 with 4:45 left in the third period. In the fourth quarter, QB Justin Lamson bulled his way to paydirt from one yard out to cut CU's lead to 29-26. The crowd had turned from rowdy to nervous to deeply concerned and quiet only to regain a bit of swagger when Sanders hit WR Javon Antonio with a four-yard TD toss to stake CU to a 36-26 lead. However, the Cardinal was still able to keep their comeback bid alive thanks to a TD catch by Farrell and their defense which forced the Buffs to punt with 2:55 to play. Stanford took over possession on their own one-yard line and marched 71 yards to the CU 28-yard line. As time ran out PK Josh Karty split the sticks from 46-yards out and the game went to OT at 36-36. CU took the ball first in OT and scored when Sanders found Antonio in the end zone form four yards out. After starting their half of the OT with a False Start penalty, Stanford QB Ashton Daniels threw for Ayomanor down the sideline. Ayomanor reached around the head of Hunter for a 30-yard TD grab that was one of the best catches you'll ever see. Yeah, he caught it. That TD brought us to the second OT where CU started with the ball again and instead of throwing the ball away on third down to at least get a field goal attempt out of the possession, Sanders threw a lazy spiral into the end zone that was picked off by Stanford Safety Alaka'i Gilman. Dead silence enveloped Folsom Field. Four plays later, Karty's 31-yard FG attempt was good. The Cardinal had pulled off the miracle comeback. The Buffs were stunned and the small gathering of Cardinal fans in the visitor's section was ecstatic. For the miracle men from Palo Alto, Daniels completed 27 of 45 passes for 396 yards and four TDs. His top target was Ayomanor who caught 13 passes for 294 yards and three TDs. For the now 4-3 Buffaloes, Sanders completed 33 of 47 passes for 400 yards and five TDs. Hunter caught 13 off those passes for 140 yards and two scores.
Telling Stat: 0 to Hero; Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor had zero catches in the first half. He finished the game with 13 catches for 294 yards and three TDs. The 294 yards are a new Stanford single game record.
Utah 34- California 14: Salt Lake City, UT- With QB Cameron Rising still out, Utah has leaned on a stingy, hard-hitting defense and robust rushing attack to throttle teams into submission. This was no different except for the RB who did the most damage to the Golden Bears. Safety Sione Vaki was switched to RB and all he did was rush for 158 yards and two TDs on 15 carries to lead the Utah offense. QB Bryson Barnes managed the offense well, completing 15 of 21 passes for 128 yards on the day. Cal held a 7-0 into the second quarter on a 48-yard TD pass from QB Fernando Mendoza to RB Jaydn Ott. Utah took a 14-7 lead into the half on short TD runs by Vaki and fellow RB Ja'Quinden Jackson. Up 24-14 in the fourth quarter, Utah put the game away with a 72-yard TD run form Vaki and a 38-yard FG from PK Cole Becker. In the loss, Mendoza completed 10 of 17 passes for 149 yards, two TDs and an interception.
Telling Stat: Can't win without the ball; Utah held the ball for almost 38 minutes and held Cal to just 4 of 12 on 3rd Down Conversions.
Washington 36- Oregon 33: Seattle, WA- The big game in the Pac 12 this week was just that a big game. Two really good teams fought toe-to-toe for a full 60 minutes. Ironically a misplaced toe decided the outcome. Husky Stadium was rocking as the Dawgs took an early 7-0 lead when QB Michael Penix, Jr. threw a dart to WR Giles Jackson for a 26-yard TD. Oregon answered on the ensuing possession with a 14-play, 90-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 12-yard TD run from RB Bucky Irving. UO then took an 8-7 lead on a two-point conversion run by TE Patrick Herbert. Then next four drives would end in scores with UW then having the ball and a 22-18 lead with 2:04 left in the second quarter. Penix, Jr. then threw an interception to DB Jahlil Florence at the UO 49-yard line. Seven plays later, the Quacks faced a 4th and Goal at the two-yard line with :02 left before the half. The Ducks decided to go for it and QB Bo Nix's pass was broken up and fell incomplete. UW forced an Oregon punt to start the third quarter then Penix, Jr. hit WR Rome Odunze with a 17-yard TD pass for a 29-18 lead. On the next possession the Webfoots drove down to the shadow of the UW goal only to be faced with another 4th and Goal. Again the Ducks went for it and again Nix's pass was broken up and fell incomplete. UW seemed to be in total control of the game at that point, That control lasted seven plays. After forcing a Husky punt, Nix connected with WR Troy Franklin for a 30-yard TD. Nix then threw to WR Tez Johnson for the two point conversion. The Ducks now trailed just 29-26 with 1:36 left to play still in the third period. UW couldn't move the ball on their next possession and had to punt again. The Ducks then marched 80 yards to regain the lead. RB Jordan James cut through the Huskies from 10 yards out for the go ahead score. Now trailing 33-29, the Dawgs needed to answer with a score and they almost did. The Huskies were faced with a 4th and Goal at the UO one-yard line with 6:33 left. They went for it and RB Tybo Rogers was hit in the backfield for a one yard loss. However, the Webfoots couldn't run out the clock. They went for the knockout blow on 4th and 3 at the UW 47-yard line. Like on the goal line, this Nix pass failed too and the Dawgs had one last chance. Penix, Jr. then threw two passes. One went for 35 yards to WR Ja'Lynn Polk down to the UO 18-yard line. His next pass found Odunze down the sideline for an 18-yard TD. Now UO was down 36-33 with 1:38 left and Nix rallied his squad one final time. He marched his team down to the UW 25-yard line. With :04 left on came PK Camden Lewis for 43-yard FG try to send to the game to OT. Lewis' kick sailed just wide right and the Huskies came away with the win. For the still undefeated Huskies, Penix, Jr. completed 22 of 37 aerials for 302 yards, four TDs and an interception. Two of his receivers broke the century mark with Odunze catching eight passes for 128 yards and two TDs while Polk caught six balls for 118 yards and a score of his own. Husky RB Dillon Johnson ran for 110 yards on 20 carries and a TD too. For the deflated Ducks, Nix complerted 33 of 44 passes for 337 yards and two TDs. His favorite receiver was Troy Franklin who hauled in eight passes for 154 yards and a TD. Ducks RB Bucky Irving led all rushers with 127 yards on 22 carries and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 4th Down Blues for the Green and Gold; Oregon went 0 for 3 on 4th down conversions. Converting any one of those would have meant victory for the Men of Oregon.
Arizona 44- Washington State 6: Pullman, WA-After being an onside kick away from a chance to beat Washington two weeks ago and then taking USC to triple OT last week before losing, many wondered if HC Jedd Fisch's Wildcats would escape the cycle of pain that moral victories provide. UofA did that in emphatic fashion with a complete dismantling of the Cougars at Martin Stadium. The Cougs did take the early lead at 6-0 when RB Nakia Watson crossed the double stripe from a yard out. The Wazzu offense would never be heard from again. Meanwhile, the Wildcats offense methodically kept piling up yards and scores. UofA calmly put up 10 points in each of the first three quarters then gave the knockout blow to the Crimson clad Cougs with 14 more points in the final period. QB Noah Fifita completed 34 of 43 passes for 342 yards while a trio of RBs were responsible for finding the end zone. Rayshon Luke rushed for 71 yards on 10 carries and a TD, Jonah Coleman gained 70 yards on 11 carries with three TDs and D.J. Williams ran for 37 yards on 12 carries with a TD. Coleman also led all receivers with four catches for 98 yards. For the shellshocked Cougars, QB Cameron Ward completed 22 of 30 passes for 192 yards and an interception.
Telling Stat: 0 for 55:01; After giving up a 75-yard TD drive in the first 4:59 of the game, the Arizona defense held Wazzu scoreless the rest of the way allowing only 159 yards and forcing three turnovers.
Oregon State 36- UCLA 24: Corvallis, OR- The bRuins came into this game with a statistically stellar defense that had held opponents to just a shade over 12 points per game. However after bRuins QB Dante Moore threw a pair of first quarter interceptions deep in his own territory, the Beavers held a 13-0 lead. Moore would lead UCLA back into the game. The Sons of Westwood trailed just 16-10 in the second quarter but Moore then threw a third interception. This one was returned 67 yards for a TD by DB Ryan Cooper, Jr. OSU led 23-10 and would pretty much keep that cushion the rest of the way. The teams traded blows to the end, but OSU managed to bring home the win. QB D.J.Uiagalelei completed 14 of 24 passes for 266 yards and two TDs, while PK Atticus Sappington kicked FGs covering 36, 43 and 26 yards. For the hard luck bRuins, Moore completed 14 of 33 passes for 164 yards, a TD and three huge interceptions. UCLA RB Carson Steele lugged the leather 22 times for 110 yds and TD to lead all rushers.
Telling Stat: Turnovers kill; UCLA QB Dante Moore's three interceptions sunk the bRuins in Corvallis.
Observations
...Fit-fita for the job; Arizona HC Jedd Fisch has to keep Noah Fifita as his starting QB when Jayden de Laura comes back from injury. Fifita owns the huddle and ruins the offense efficiently.
...Lost in the noise of Boulder; While the Stanford comeback made waves across the nation, Rutgers came back from being down 24-6 in the fourth quarter to beat Michigan State, 27-24. Go Scarlet Knights!
...Just rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that USC is replacing its' offensive line with a set of turnstiles just to save wear and tear on uniforms.
...Tough Love; Colorado Assistant and former Trojan great Dennis Thurman laid it out on the line for the players the day before the Stanford game. (Note: First Six minutes or so are Thurman's speech.) 1.5
...Wasn't drawn up that way; Kent State decided to surprise Eastern Michigan with an onside kick to start the game. It didn't go well. Facepalm
...Dull as stale popcorn; Much has been made of Iowa's moribund offense and the fact that OC Brian Ferentz had a clause added to his contract that his offense has to average 25 points per game or he loses his job. After the Hawkeyes 15-6 win over Wisconsin, it's possible that the team can finish 11-1 and make the Big Ten title game with Ferentz losing his job in the process. Wow.
...A feeling from a different time; An afternoon Arizona Fall League baseball game had me thinking that this must be what spring training was like the '60s-'70s.
...Long drought over; North Dakota walloped perennial FCS power North Dakota State, 49-24 for the Fighting Hawks first win over the Bison in 20 years. What does this win mean for the UND? Check out their emotional HC here. Two Decades
...Penn State of Mind; If the Nittany Lions don't beat TheeeOSU at the Horseshoe this week, they will be rendered irrelevant again on the national landscape.
...Six the hardway; Nobody thought USC's Caleb Williams and UCLA's Dante Moore would each throw three interceptions last week.
...D-II rumbler; The first player to reach 1,000 yards rushing this year in the NCAA is Shen Butler Lawson, Jr. from Minnesota State- Mankato in Division II. The Mavericks RB has 1,026 yards on 141 carries with 12 TDs. That's a nifty 7.27 yards per carry average. Whoa.
...X marks the game; Anyone else find it odd that the Oregon-Washington game featured opposing QBs whose last names ended with the letter X? Hmmm.
...Even the refs hit; USC's bad night was so bad that even the refs took a shot at the Trojans. Tough Zebra
...Jones-ing for Prime; One of the best parts of my weekend was watching ESPN play-by-play man Mark Jones have to call Stanford's second half miracle comeback against Colorado. You could feel Jones' depression when Stanford was making their comeback. It totally went against his narrative that Deion Sanders is the greatest coach who ever lived. Funny, and I thought national play-by-play guys were supposed to be neutral. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
...Zooming to great heights; At 6-0, Air Force is the top team in the Mountain West. They now enjoy a week off before they travel to Navy.
...1-5 is fine; The Patriots are 1-5 and I'm totally cool with that.
...Has to be nuts; If anyone told you back in August the UNLV-Air Force game on 11/18 has the chance to be one of the biggest games of the year in the Mountain West, you would have had them committed.
CFL Update
With two weeks to go in the regular season, all the drama is in the West Division. The Wiinnipeg Blue Bombers and the B.C. Lions are fighting it out for the division title while Saskatchewan and Calgary are clashing for the final playoff spot. The East Division belongs to Toronto with Montreal and Hamilton in second. and third place. The Commissioner's favorite team, the Edmonton Elks are 4-13 and will once again not make the playoffs. Keep up on all the CFL action at 3 Down Nation. 110 yards
Pac 12 Overreactions
Washington will go to the CFP.
Oregon will finish 10-2.
Stanford fans just went all in on HC Troy Taylor.
USC is an 8-4 team.
ASU worked on their tans during the bye week.
Colorado still wonders what happened.
Arizona is on the rise.
Wazzu is in shock.
Oregon State is a 9-3 team.
Cal wants to just play home games.
UCLA is two pick sixes away from being undefeated.
Utah is what Stanford was by necessity, not by choice.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
The Quacks came up little short against Washington on the field, but their uniforms came up way short. These duck eggshell togs just look like a bunch of guys came to play right form their job as house painters. Yuk.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Kutztown, PA- This week's game comes from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in Division II. The Kutztown State Bears beat the Shippensburg State Raiders, 9-6 in Overtime. In the rain and wind the teams managed to trade 34-yard field goals during the first 60 minutes. In the OT period, the Raiders eschewed going for it on 4th and inches from the K-State two-yard line. Instead they settled for a 19-yard FG from PK Jaxson Montross. The Raiders regretted that decision one play later when Bears QB Judd Novak ran 25 yards for a TD on K-State's first play in OT. The win gives the Bears a 5-2 overall record and first place in the PSAC East with a 4-0 league mark.
Blowout Game of the Week: Surprise, AZ- This game come from the Golden State League in the NAIA. The Ottawa University (AZ) Spirit crushed the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, 83-0. The 83 points scored are a new school record for OUAZ. QB Luke Giron completed 18 of 21 tosses for 282 yards and four TDs while his backfield mate, Jordan Willmore ran the ball 18 times for 211 yards and four scores of his own. OUAZ also set a school record with 608 yards of offense.
Razorback Report: Tuscaloosa, AL- Another week, another almost win form the Hogs. This one happened at Alabama. The Hogs lost 24-21. Sam Pittman is a good HC, but all the single digit losses are painful to watch. This week the Razorbacks host Mississippi State.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Most intersections in Phoenix don't have limit lines. That's just weird to this Californian.
You could spend a ton of cash on Candy at Cracker Barrel.
The Act It Out deck on the phone game Heads Up is a blast.
Until next time, remember that if you don't have an offensive line, you don't have an offense.
-The Commissioner
