Pac-12 Recap | #10 Oregon, #8 Stanford & #25 Washington Remain Undefeated in the Pac-12
Cal Golden Bears vs. USC Trojans:
Thursday night’s game pitting the Trojans against the Golden Bears was Cal’s opportunity to get out of their Pac-12 rut. It was their first Pac-12 home game and there was talk that they had a chance to beat USC this year. USC, on the other hand was coming into this game with only one loss but some doubt about their defense. Those doubts subsided during the first half of this game as the Trojan defense shut out the Golden Bears in the first half and only allowed one TD during the entire game. Cal’s offense turned the ball over five times (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries). The Golden Bears did have good defensive night holding the, typically strong, USC offense to 195 yards. With a combination of a good defensive performance from USC and capitalizing on Cal turnovers, the Trojans were able to run over the Golden Bears 30 – 9. USC did suffer a couple injuries in the process; Marqise Lee went out in the first half with a right shoulder injury and Marc Tyler went out in the second half with a shoulder injury.
Next up USC will take on Notre Dame. Cal will be looking forward to a home game against Utah on the 22nd. Over at the USC Fansided blog there is a great recap of the game; Reign of Troy: Trojans slay Bears 30-9 at AT&T Park
Utah Utes vs. Pittsburgh Panthers:
The Utes have been having a down season in the Pac-12. They have yet to win in the Pac-12 (they have played USC, Washington and Arizona State) although their stronger Pac-12 opponents came first in their schedule this season. This week they went up against Pittsburgh (Big East) and got a win and potential confidence boost. Coleman Petersen kicked four field goals to aid in the 26 – 14 Utah victory, an impressive show considering the 30 mph wind gusts. The Panthers only gained 120 total yards, turned the ball over three times and allowed their QB to get sacked six times. The Utes are having injury trouble at this point in the season. Their starting QB Jordan Wynn is out along with their leading receiver DeVonte Christopher. Utah’s strategy of holding onto the ball worked on Saturday, and so they finish with a win last weekend and look ahead to their match-up against Cal this weekend.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Washington Huskies:
Colorado has also been having a rough start in the Pac-12. This season their only win was against Colorado State. Over the weekend they battled Washington, but it didn’t prove to be much of a struggle for the Huskies. Keith Price was the star of the show for the Huskies; he had four touchdown passes in the first half. Washington couldn’t seem to stop scoring and put up an impressive 52 – 24 win over the Buffs. The Huskies are starting their season 5 – 1 and making an impressive statement on the Pac-12 this season. The first half of this game was magical for the Huskies, completing almost 400 yards and never kicking a punt. They dominated the Buffs and made it look easy. The Buffs’ running back Rodney Stewart left the game with a knee injury. Next up the Huskies will be tested as they take on #8 Stanford. The Buffs head to Eugene to battle the #10 Ducks.
Over at the Fansided Washington Husky blog Mark Knight gives us some insight on the game: The Husky Haul – Game Notes and Thoughts.
Oregon State Beavers vs. BYU Cougars:
The Beavs were going into last weekend’s game with a little more confidence after finally getting a win against Arizona the prior week. Their confidence could not hold them through their match-up against BYU and Oregon State fell 28 – 38 against BYU. Oregon State’s QB Sean Mannion was 27 of 43 passing for 306 yards, but also threw two interceptions against the Cougars. BYU also gave up three turnovers and it was a tied game going into halftime, but the Buffs were able to minimize the damage and take control of the second half. The Beavs defensive tackle, Castro Masaniai, suffered a fracture to his fibula in the first half. Struggling this year, Oregon State will be looking for a win against WSU this coming weekend.
Stanford Cardinals vs. Washington State Cougars:
It was another seemingly easy victory for the Cardinals over the weekend, but not until the second half. Things started out off for the Cardinals as Andrew Luck threw an interception on his first pass against WSU. Then the game stayed tight throughout the first half as the Cougars defense tightened things up and held Stanford to only 10 points going into halftime. The Cougs were looking good only down by three coming into the second half, but then it all changed. In the second half the Cardinal’s offense charged easily down the field, and Luck threw all four of his scoring passes in the second half of the game. Ultimately Luck ended up with 336 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinal defense looked strong throughout the game and they continued their streak of shutting out their opponents in the first quarter of play. Next up Stanford will match-up against #25 Washington and Washington State will look forward to Oregon State.
Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Oregon was able to pull away from the Sun Devils in an impressive second half showing despite losing QB Darron Thomas to a leg injury in the third quarter. Oregon beat ASU 41 – 27. I did a quick wrap-up of the game yesterday and later today we will have an in-depth look at the five plays that made this football game for Oregon. Next up Oregon will take on Colorado in Eugene Boulder and ASU will look ahead to Colorado on the 29th after their bye this week.