Pac-12 Scoreboard: August 30th

There were four Pac-12 games on the college football slate last night, featuring Utah, UCLA, Washington State, and Arizona State. Here is how each team fared in their first game of the 2012 season.

Utah Defeats Northern Colorado, 41-0

It was a huge opening win for the Utah Utes which showcases the defense on the scoreboard, but the offense showed up as well. The biggest star for the Utes came in the form of running back, John White. White rushed for 119 yards on 24 carries. He also had a five-yard touchdown run in the last seconds of the first half. Jordan Wynn started at quarterback for Utah. He recorded 200 passing yards on nineteen completions. He threw for two touchdowns (both of them to Jake Murphy). Joe Kruger capped off the night with a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown. Utah could be a huge surprise team in the Pac-12 this year.

BYU Defeats Washington State, 30-6

The first game of the 2012 season was not kind to Mike Leach as he began his campaign with the Washington State Cougars. The best word to describe the Cougar offense in their season opener would be sluggish. Their offense could not score a single touchdown and they had a net rushing yard total of negative-five yards. Jeff Tuel started the game at quarterback for WSU and threw two interceptions. The star for BYU was quarterback, Riley Nelson. Nelson recorded 285 passing yards on twenty-five completions and two touchdowns.

UCLA Defeats Rice, 49-24

Just like in the Utah game, this game was all about a Pac-12 running back. Jonathan Franklin had a tremendous game in the UCLA opener against the Rice Owls. Franklin rushed for 214 yards on fifteen carries, and three touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns were 70+ touchdowns. The redshirt freshman, Brett Hundley, started the game at quarterback for the Bruins. He recorded 202 passing yards on twenty-one completions and two passing touchdowns. Hundley also opened the scoring for the Bruins with a 78-yard touchdown run. Most importantly, this win in the first for Jim Mora as head coach of the UCLA Bruins.

Arizona State Defeats Northern Arizona, 63-6

The post-Brock Osweiler began in Tempe as the Sun Devils took on the Lumberjacks. Taylor Kelly took over as the new starting quarterback for the Todd Graham-era. He recorded 247 passing yards on fifteen completions, and he threw for one touchdown. The best word to describe Kelly’s perform is efficient. Marion Grice also had a big day for ASU as he rushed for 107 yards and had three rushing touchdowns. ASU’s defense was great as well as they knocked out Northern Arizona’s quarterback and leading rusher in the first half.

The main storyline of the day was new coaching era beginning in the Pac-12. It worked out for some and it did not work out for others.

Check out my vlog The Onside Kick on YouTube and Facebook. The Onside Kick covers all the biggest stories in the NBA, NCAA Basketball, NFL, NCAA Football, NHL and MLB.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

Follow the Autzen Zoo on Twitter @Autzen_Zoo and like us on Facebook at Autzen_Zoo.