Hey all,
it's time once again for the column that makes your Tuesdays feel like Saturdays, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 43 - Arizona 41 3OT: Los Angeles, CA- This game ended up as a Cardiac Kids win at the Coliseum when it had all the earmarkings of an Arizona blowout early on. How bad was SC being beaten in this game? Well, with 12:36 left to play in the second quarter, the Trojans trailed 17-0 and had been outgained by the Wildcats 210 yards to 0. Yes. folks, 210 yards for UofA and bupkis for the Men of Troy. The crowd in the Ol' Gray Lady sat mostly in stunned silence. I say mostly because a contingent of Arizona fans were pretty ecstatic near the east end zone. It would take a great deal of determination and grit to comeback from this deficit and somehow the Trojans dug deep an did it. However it was an ugly fight to the end. The Trojans started their climb back with an assist from the defense when CB Jacobe Covington picked off UofA QB Noah Fifita on the Wildcats 36-yard line and returned it to the 12. Two plays later, SC QB Caleb Williams serpentined his way through the defense for a four-yard TD run. USC would cut their deficit to 17-14 right before the half when Williams hit WR Kyron Hudson with a five-yard TD pass that really did not look like a catch, but somehow survived the review process. The third quarter saw the SC defense give up yards like the Italian Army, but somehow limit the Wildcats to just a FG. SC managed to take a 21-20 lead in the final period on a drive that featured a pair of 15-yard penalties on the Wildcats. That drive was topped off with a nine-yard sprint to the end zone from RB MarShawn Lloyd. The Trojans then extended their lead to 28-20 on their next possession. They marched 77 yards in 11 plays with the TD coming on a one-yard run by Williams where he simply refused to be taken down by an Arizona defender. However, prosperity would not last for SC as the Wildcats moved down the field with ease and a scored a TD and a 2-point conversion running the same pass route two-times in a row. Then, After forcing a missed 50-yard FG attempt from UofA PK Tyler Loop, the Trojans then took over the ball and moved quickly down to the Wildcats six-yard line as time was running out in regulation. With a chip shot FG attempt seemingly assured, the SC offense went into a Keystone Kops routine. Two bad option reads that resulted in a bad pass and a fumble that Williams luckily recovered was followed up with one of the worst FG attempts in history. The snap was high and PK Denis Lynch was stuck standing there and barely got off a wounded duck of a kick that ended being blocked and fallen on as the clock struck zero. On to overtime now and the teams traded TDs in the first OT and in the second. From the third OT on in college football dueling two-point conversion attempts are made by each team until a winner is decided. USC was up first and Williams made a mad dash to the pylon for two points on a busted trick play. That left Arizona with a shot to take this to a fourth OT. That wouldn't happen. USC LB Mason Cobb knifed into the backfield and led a stop of RB D.J. Williams. The conversion failed and the Trojans escaped with a gritty, ugly win. Caleb Williams had one of his worst passing days for SC, completing only 14 of 25 passes for 219 yards and a TD. He ran well though scrambling for 41 yards on 12 carries with three TDs and a two-point conversion. Lloyd finished the game with 86 yards rushing on 15 carries and a TD of his own. For the hard luck Wildcats, Fifita completed 25 of 35 passes for 303 yards five TDs and an interception. WR Jacob Cowing caught 20 passes for 88 yards and four TDs. Wildcat RB Jonah Coleman led all rushers with 143 yards on 22 carries.
Telling Stat: All but one; Arizona dominated this game in every category except one, the scoreboard.
UCLA 25- Washington State 17: Pasadena, CA- When discussing any Chip Kelly coached team defense is rarely ever mentioned. Kelly's defense is going to be mentioned a lot now with the way they handcuffed the Cougars at the Rose Bowl. It was the UCLA's offensive struggles that kept this game close. Wazzu led at the half because the bRuins offense gave the points away. QB Dante Moore threw an interception on UCLA's first drive of the game to set Wazzu up at the bRuins 19-yard line. The Cougars couldn't move the ball and settled for a 32-yard FG and a 3-0 lead. The Sons of Westwood took a 9-3 lead on a TD pass from Moore and a 37-yard FG from PK R.J. Lopez. It then looked like the bRuins would take a larger lead into the break just before intermission, but Wazzu DB Kapena Gushiken picked off Moore and took it back 88 yards for a TD on the last play of the first half for a 10-9 Wazzu lead. The third quarter saw UCLA forge back ahead 12-10 on a 32-yard FG from Lopez. Wazzu then took back the lead at 17-12 on their only TD drive of the game. The Cougars drove 74 yards in just four plays with Ward hitting RB Nakia Watson with a five-yard scoring pass. The Wazzu offense wouldn't really be heard from again.
UCLA regained the lead and then extended the lead on a pair of TD runs covering 13 and 22 yards by WR/RB Keegan Jones. Wazzu's last chance to send the game to OT ended when Ward was stuffed on a QB sneak on 4th & 1 at the bRuins 40-yard line with 1:38 left to play. Moore had a decent day completing 22 of 44 passes for 290 yards, a TD and two interceptions. RB Carson Steele was the workhorse of the bRuins offense lugging the leather 30 times for 140 yards. For the Cougars, Ward completed 19 of 39 passes for 197 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: There is a D in Westwood; The UCLA defense held WSU to 10 points and 216 total yards which allowed the offense to do just enough to win the game.
Oregon State 52- California 40: Berkeley, CA- The game that was billed as a battle of two really good defenses ended up being a shootout. Early on though it looked OSU would be doing all the shooting. Leading 7-3, the Beavers then went up 14-3 early in the second quarter when QB Aidan Chiles, subbing in a series for starter D.J. Uiagalelei, hit WR Silas Biden with an 11-yard scoring strike. The Beavers then went to take a stranglehold on the game with an onside kick. That strategy failed miserably as Cal LB Ryan McCulloch scooped up the kick and returned it 26 yards to the Oregon State 19-yard line. Five plays later Cal QB Fernando Mendoza connected with RB Isaiah Infanse for a nine-yard score to cut OSU's lead to 14-10. The Cal defense then asserted itself on the next drive forcing a Beaver fumble. Ifanse found the end zone from a yard out on the ensuing drive to give Cal a 17-14 lead. OSU rallied to take a 21-17 lead into the half on a three yard TD pass from QB D.J. Uiagalelei to TE Jack Veiling. The shootout was on after that with Cal's defense not being heard from again. Mendoza, who got the start for Cal in place of Ben Finley and Sam Jackson V, did a fine job running the Cal offense in his first college start, but he couldn't keep up with what Uiagallelei did for OSU. He led the Beavers on five straight scoring drives to start the second half. Every one of the 31 points on those drives was needed too. Cal was hanging right in there with OSU until they turned the ball over twice in the final quarter. For OSU Uiagalelei completed 19 of 25 passes for 275 yards and five TDs. WR Anthony Gould caught seven of those passes for 117 while Velling hauled in three TD tosses. For the Golden Bears, Mendoza complete 21 of 32 passes for 207 yards two TDs and an interception. He also ran for 41 yards on four carries. Cal's RB duo of Ifanse and Jaydn Ott combined to tote the rock 24 times for 171 yards and two TDs.
Telling Stat: 31 made easy; OSU was unstoppable in the second half scoring on their first five drives. The only reason they didn't score on their sixth drive is that it was the one where they took a knee to kill the clock at the end of the game.
Colorado 27- Arizona State 24: Tempe, AZ- The traveling circus known as Colorado football made a stop in the desert and in addition to their usual antics picked up a win over a scrappy Sun Devils squad. This game was bit of a train wreck from the start. Sloppy play on both sides of the ball was punctuated with penalties, trash talk, hard hits and occasional trips to the end zone. ASU took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive of the game when QB Trenton Bourguet drove his squad 65 yards in nine plays to paydirt. Bourguet did the scoring honors himself on a two-yard plunge. With 2:03 left in the first quarter, Colorado tied the game on a one-yard RD run by WR Xavier Weaver. The teams traded TDs in the second quarter with RB Cameron Skattebo scoring from one yard out for ASU while the Buffs evened the score on a 16-yard run from QB Shedeur Sanders. ASU took a 17-14 lead into the break on a 33-yard FG from PK Dario Longhetto. The third quarter was scoreless as neither team could pick up any momentum. Colorado managed to take control of the game in the final period when they forged ahead on a nine-yard TD pass from Sanders to WR Javon Antonio and 42-yard FG from PK Alejandro Mata. Up 24-17, CU seemed to have put the game away when they blocked a 52-yard FG attempt by ASU's Longehetto. However, the Buffs couldn't run out the clock and the Sun Devils got the ball back with 3:26 to play. Bourguet then led ASU on a drive to tie the game. It was a march of 13 plays where the Bourguet complered eight passes, got a huge 4th down conversion run from Skattebo and PI call on CU. His last pass was 15-yard TD toss to WR Troy Omeire. CU got the ball back with just :50 left at their own 25-yard line. On first down, Sanders hit a wide open Antonio for a 43-yard gain to the ASU 32-yard line. Another completion to Antonio of seven yards set up the Buffs for a game-winning FG try. Mata's kick was good from 43-yards out and Colorado walked out of the Valley of the Sun with a win. Sanders completed 26 of 42 passes for 239 yards and a TD. He also ran for a score. Antonio caught eight passes for 81 yards and a TD. For the now 1-5 Sons of Sparky, Bourguet completed 32 of 49 passes for 335 and a TD. He also ran for a tally. WR Elijah Badger was Bourguet's favorite target, catching 12 passes for 134 yards.
Telling Stat: One more play; This game was so even statistically that one play decided the outcome and CU QB Shedeur Sanders made that play to put his team in position to win.
Observations
...Gauntlet dropped; The new Big Ten list of conference games for each school from 2024-2028 has been released. Throw in LSU and Notre Dame to SC's slate and you have one of toughest schedules ever in 2024. Rough Sledding
...Maize and Blue world; Michigan is the #1 team in the nation right now.
...They ain't back; Texas' last minute choke job against Oklahoma means that Texas sure is back alright, back to the Alamo Bowl.
...He ain't wrong; Kentucky HC Mark Stoops was pretty clear on what he needs to compete with Georgia in the SEC. Dollars
...6-0 in goodbyes; Going back to last year, USC is 6-0 against the teams they won't be playing for the considerable future as the Pac 12 fades away into history. There are two more goodbye games left on the schedule as the Trojans host Utah on 10/21 and go to Cal on 10/28.
...And then there were two; Sam Houston State and Nevada are the only winless teams left in the FBS.
...Welcome to 7,220 feet; Fresno State came into Wyoming with the nation's longest winning streak at 14 games and left with a one game losing streak. The Cowboys led 24-0 at the half and held on for the 24-19 win. Way to go Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
...Man down!; Even the photographers weren't safe in the Wisconsin-Rutgers game. Painful
...No O, but 5-1; Iowa is 5-1 on the year despite being in desperate need of an offense transplant.
...It was that bad; I knew things were going very poorly for SC Saturday night when my normally calm wife lost it in the third quarter and screamed, "That play hasn't worked all game!"
...Futility on display; The Nebraska-Illinois game featured one of the most forgettable second halves ever played. The only scoring was a FG by the Cornhuskers. The rest of the half featured three punts, five turnovers, two turnovers on downs and a kneel down to end the game.
...NIL craziness; Utah's Crimson Collective handed out 2024 Dodge Ran Bighorn trucks to all 85 scholarship players on the Utes roster. Wow. Ram-a-lam-a- NIL
...On the lee side; The last couple of seasons, I've enjoyed a better degree of calm in the stands at SC games. Am I older now, more mature, more willing to go with the ebb and flow of a game? Oh heck no, there's a guy across the aisle in our section and a couple of rows back that comes completely unglued every game and I get to just sit back and let him scream for me. It's a great in-game coping mechanism.
...To kneel or not to kneel; That isn't a a question for most coaches, but Miami HC Mario Cristobal eschewed taking a knee to kill the clock v. Georgia Tech and it cost the Hurricanes the game. Kneeless in Miami
...Ho hum XII; It looks like a slow weekend upcoming in the Big XII when the marquee match is Kansas at Oklahoma State.
...Just rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that Minnesota HC P.J.Fleck and Texas HC Steve Sarkisian are clients of the guy who was Pee Wee Herman's tailor.
...Innovators again; Back in 1894 Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hearing impaired in Washington D.C., invented the huddle when they formed a tight circle before plays to keep teams from stealing their hand signals. Now, they are taking play calling to the next level with these 5G helmets they have developed with AT&T. View Screen!
...A Chicago man; Only George Halas can identify stronger with the orange and navy blue of the Chicago Bears than Dick Butkus. Even though he lived many years of his life just up PCH from here in Malibu, Dick Butkus was Chicago. Hard to find a tougher player to have ever played the game. RIP Mr. Butkus.
Pac 12 Overreactions
USC is a 9-3 team.
Oregon and Washington got to obsess over each other for an extra week.
Cal still hasn't learned to play offense and defense well at the same time.
Stanford was just happy to have a bye.
Arizona is kicking themselves for not going for two in the fourth quarter.
Utah had fun with their new trucks all week.
Colorado is a 6-6 team.
UCLA wishes they had this year's defense last year.
Oregon State is scary.
ASU is a 3-9 team.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
After their coaching induced choke job, this Miami all black ensemble is ugly and sad.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Redlands, CA- We stay local this week as this game comes from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in D-III. The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens held on for a 10-9 upset win over the Redlands Bulldogs. QB Nick Kim threw a three-yard TD pass to go along with a 39-yard FG by PK Cameron Shirang to stake the Sagehens to a 10-0 halftime lead. Late in the third quarter, Redlands QB Tyler Tremain ran the ball in from four yards out to cut Pomona's lead to 10-7. Redlands had a chance to tie the game late, but PK Vicente Garcia's 31-yard FG attempt was blocked. However, the kick traveled forward and a Pomona player fell on the ball at his own three-yard line with :48 left. After a couple of kneel downs, Pomona was faced with a 3rd and 12 at their own one-yard line with :03 left on the clock. Kim took the snap on third down and watched the clock hit :00 before taking a knee in his own end zone. The intentional safety allowed Pomona to walk away with the 10-9 upset victory. It was only the third win for the Sagehens over Redlands in their last 31 meetings.
Blowout Game of the Week: River Forest, IL- We stay on the D-III level but mover to the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference where the Spartans of Aurora University wiped out the Concordia University of Chicago Cougars, 91-0. The Spartans scored on a punt return and an interception return to go with 11 offensive TDs in this laugher. RB Zack Russel rushed for just 53 yards, but he found the end zone four times. The Spartans were a perfect 11 for 11 in red zone scoring on the day.
Razorback Report: Oxford, MS- What can we say here? Another game, another almost win for the Hogs. QB K.J. Jefferson showed flashes of brilliance again only to spoil it by throwing two more interceptions. Arkansas outgained the Rebels by almost 150 yards and still lost. This edition of the Razorbacks just can't get over the hump. That's making HC Sam Pittman's seat pretty hot in Fayetteville. Up next for the Hogs is a bye week followed by a trip to Alabama.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I never knew that Pineapple Sage blooms were a brilliant red.
Foghorns are now a part of the soundtrack of our mornings again.
Why do items you order on different days from different places all arrive on the same day?
Until next time folks, remember that one man can't carry your team all season.
-The Commissioner
