Hey All,
Inhale, now exhale. whewww. Several BCS schools can now relax after getting by some close calls this past weekend. So from East Lansing to Tuscaloosa to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, here's this week's edition of Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 42- Oregon State 36: The Trojan offense continued to improve, with great efforts from QB Matt Barkley, TB Alan Bradford, and WRs Ronald Johnson and Damian Williams. However, the defense was turned to swiss cheese by OSU's passing game and that gave the fans a game that wasn't decided until the Trojans were able to run out the clock. Oregon State QB Sean Canfield lit up the Trojan defense to the tune of 329 yards and 3 TDs in the losing effort. However, the bigger news from this game may be that the Trojans have found themselves a power back to fill in for the injured Stafon Johnson. Alan Bradford rumbled through the Beaver defense for 147 yards on 15 carries and 2 huge touchdowns. It turned out to be a game where the offense had to carry the defense for USC and they did.
Telling Stat: 3 first downs= W. USC's biggest drive of the game came when they picked up 3 first downs to run the final 5:41 off the clock an preserve the victory.
Oregon 43- Washington 19: The Ducks went into Seattle and got their sixth win in a row over the Huskies. After a sluggish first quarter, the Ducks woke up when Tyrell Irvin fell on a blocked punt in the endzone. The Ducks followed that with a two-point conversion by Nate Costa and never looked back. Up 15-3 at the half, UO then scored on their first three possessions of the third quarter to go up 36-6. The Huskies did score two cosmetic TDs late, but this one was over early. TB LaMichael James ran for 154 yards and two TDs to lead the Duck offense, while QB Jeremiah Masoli threw for 157 yards and ran for 54 more along with 3 TDs on the afternoon.
Telling Stat: They do it quickly. UO put 43 points with only a little over 26 minutes T.O.P.
California 49- Washington State 17: Golden Bear QB Kevin Riley threw three passes in the first quarter and all three went for touchdowns. Thrown in a 76-yard punt return for a TD by Jeremy Ross and Cal was up 28-3 at the end of the period. Then, as they say, the rout was on. Cal then turned the rest of the game into a glorified scrimmage and cruised to an easy win. Wazzu did manage to throw for alomst 400 yards on Cal, but the Cougars were in pure passing mode from about five minutes into the game.
Telling Stat: They averaged a first down per play. The Golden Bears only ran 50 plays in the game, but they ran up 559 yards of offense, that's 11.18 yards per play.
Stanford 33- Arizona State 14: SU TB Toby Gerhart carried the ball 27 times for 125 yards and a touchdown while Fr. QB Andrew Luck hit on 17 of 28 passes for 236 yards to lead the Cardinal to an easy win over the Sun Devils. Stanford's defense shut down the ASU in the first half while the offense built up a 24-0 halftime lead. Even though the Sun Devils did try to make a game of it in the second half, this one was never in doubt. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Stanford V. ASU.
Telling Stat: They shut 'em down. Stanford forced four punts and a fumble in ASU's five first half drives.
Arizona 27- UCLA 13: Once again UCLA's defense and special teams showed up, but their offense didn't in this ugly loss in Tucson. The bRuin defense forced five, count 'em five, Wildcat turnovers and their offense couldn't turn any of those into scores. Heck, UCLA's only TD came off a fumble return for a TD. Meanwhile, the Wildcats got just enough offense to win. UofA QB Nick Foles did throw for three interceptions, yet his two TD passes and 247 yards in the air helped his squad avoid a very embarrassing loss.
3=O TDs = LOSS. The bRuins three QBs completed only 15 of 35 passes for 146 yards and zero TDs in this embarrassing loss.
Observations
...And then there were five. That's the number of winless teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Rice and Miami of Ohio are 0-8, while Eastern Michigan, New Mexico, and Western Kentucky are all 0-7.
...I was eight years old and listening to the old Prudential Colllege Scoreboard (hosted by Dave Dyals) when Iowa State last went into Nebraska and got a win. That was 1977. The Cyclones forced eight Cornhusker turnovers in a 9-7 win last Saturday, in Lincoln. The Cyclones are now 5-3 on the season and one big win away from being bowl eligible.
...While everyone has been talking about undefeated Cincinnati as being the greatest thing since sliced bread in the Big East, the Pitt Panthers are quietly sitting at 7-1 after dismantling South Florida, 41-14. The Pitt-Cincinnati game on December 5th could be have bigtime BCS implications.
...Taylor Mays' game has deteriorated over the last few weeks. He has forsaken coverage and potential interceptions for a quest to make a "sportcenter hit." That's a bad thing for USC.
...Speaking of teams below the radar, the Arizona Wildcats are 5-2 with their only two losses coming on the blown call interception return at Washington and a 10 point loss at undefeated Iowa. However, the Wildcats still face the toughest part of the schedule with tough road games at Cal and USC and a home date with Oregon.
...It's funny how USC's penalty numbers returned to a more normal level when the director of Pac 10 officiating attended the game.
...Well, Idaho's great season took a big hit with their 70-45 loss to Nevada.
...They can now go bowling. Here's the list of bowl eligible schools by conference.
ACC: Georgia Tech
Big XII: Texas, Oklahoma State
Big East: Pitt, Cincinnati, West Virginia
Big Ten: Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State
SEC: Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, LSU
Pac 10: USC, Oregon
C-USA: Houston
MAC- Central Michigan
Mountain West: TCU, Utah, BYU
WAC: Boise State, Idaho
Sun Belt: NONE
...Notre Dame has more Pac 10 wins (1) than UCLA and Washignton State combined (0). This week the Whining Irish take on Wazzu at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX.
...Wow, I knew the bRuin faithful were not happy with Norm Chow, but when your own players start calling you names and talking bad about you to recruits, you're in trouble. I really don't think Norm stays in Westwood after this season. However, Randall Carroll has become a new great recruiting force for USC.
...Damian Williams' punt returns have been a great surprise for the Trojan faithful. After a rough start it seems, the Trojan special teams are getting better every week.
...After all the talk about how Miami was the best one-loss team in the nation, they now have two after losing 40-37 in OT to Clemson. I don't which was a bigger surprise, the fact that Miami lost or that Clemson actually won a game that mattered.
...It was great to see Alan Bradford have a breakout game. He's a tough, inside runner who gets better as the game goes on. Note to Jeremy Bates: Give Alan the ball at least 15 times a game.
...For those who love this stuff, it does look like the SEC and the Big XII protect their big teams, while the Pac 10 doesn't. Alabama and Florida are 7th and 9th in penalty yardage in the SEC. Texas is 7th in penalty yardage in the Big XII. Meanwhile, USC is 3rd in penalty yardage in the Pac 10.
...Gameday will be in Eugene this week for the USC-UO game. I guess this will make up for the Berkeley snub earlier this year.
...It's good to see TCU ahead of Boise State in the BCS standings. I think the Mountain West Conference deserves a BCS automatic berth. I also thing the Big East should have their berth taken away.
...I see Notre Dame has weakend their schedule even more for 2010 in the school's great quest to reach a BCS bowl with Mr. Schematic Advantage at the helm. The Whining Irish have added Western Michigan and Tulsa to next year's slate. Why don't they just schedule Occidental and Whittier and get it over with?
...I know the UCLA defense is less impressed with Norm Chow than Randall Carroll.
...It was great to see Stafon Johnson at the Coliseum last Satruday night. I just still wish he was in uniform. You are greatly missed, Stafon.
Until next week folks, when tackling remember to stick, stay, wrap, and grab.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Week 7
Hey All,
After a great trip to South Bend that produced another great Trojan victory over Notre Dame and Charlie Weis' schematic advantage, it's time for the column you all love to read, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 34- Notre Dame 27: This roller coaster of a game had everything. A true freshman that threw for almost 400 yards. A tight end that had five catches for over 150 yards, a fake filed goal, numerous missed calls, bad calls, and replays. It also had sacks, big runs, big hits and late hits. It also had one big goal line stand by the Trojans. A stand in which USC had to win the game on the final play twice. After four hours, the Trojans walked away with their eighth straight win over the Fighting Irish. Once again Matt Barkley continued his incredible freshman year by throwing for 380 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, the USC defense led it's young defensive line consistently put pressure on Irish QB Jimmy Clausen.
Telling Stat: Mr. Schematic advantage is now 0-5 Vs. USC.
Arizona 43- Stanford 38: In this shootout of a game, the Cardinal held a 38-29 lead at the end of third quarter and looked well on their way to a big Pac 10 win. Then the Wildcats stepped it up and dominated Stanford in the fourth quarter and got a win to keep pace with the top teams in the Pac 10. UofA's defense stopped Stanford twice on fourth down deep in their own territory to give their offense a chance. The Wildcat running game, which had been dormant for most of the game, then came alive. First it was TB Greg Nwoko with a 43-yard TD to put UofA within two points at 38-36. Then, with 2:57 to play, TB Nic Grigsby broke a 57-yard TD run to put the Wildcats up to stay at 43-38. There were big stats for the QBs in this one. Stanford's Andrew Luck threw for 423 yards and three TDs, while Wildcat QB Nick Foles threw forn 415 yards and three TDs of his own.
Telling Stat: They did it in two plays. The two long TD runs that won the game for UofA accounted for 110 of the Wildcats 138 total rushing yards in the game.
California 45- UCLA 26: The Golden Bears put up big numbers with some big plays to spank the bRuins at the Rose Bowl. Cal scored five first half TDs on the bRuins, but none was bigger than TB Jahvid Best's 93-yard TD run with 5:05 to go in the half. The funny thing is except for that run, UCLA held him check, as he finished with 102 yards on 18 carries for the day. On the offensive side of things for UCLA, they got a a decent effort out of TB Jonathan Franklin who ran for 101 yards on 11 carries and two TDs. bRuin QB Kevin Prince did manage to have a decent day as well throwing for 311 yard and a TD, but his interception that was turned in to CAL's last TD of the day was plain horrible. The win gave CAL HC Jeff Tedford his first win in the Los Angeles area. Until then he had gone 0-7 combined Vs. UCLA and USC at the Rose Bowl and Coliseum.
Telling Stat: Who needs to get into the red zone? CAL's five offensive TDs were on plays that covered 42, 43, 51, 93, and 24 yards.
Arizona State 24- Washington 17: Another week, another cardiac finish for the Huskies. After punting to ASU with 22 seconds left, it looked like the game was headed to overtime tied at 17 all. Then, embattled Sun Devil QB Danny Sullivan let one fly and amazed the crowd in Tempe. Sullivan stepped up in the pocket threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Chris McGaha with five seconds left to give the Sun Devils a 24-17 win. The Sun Devils had seen their 17-7 third quarter lead evaporate after a Chris Polk 23-yard TD run and a Erik Folk 29-yard field goal tied the game with 3:50 to play. Then came the bomb. The TD pass was McGaha's only reception of the game for the Sun Devils who remain a factor in the Pac 10 race with the win.
Telling Stat: All it takes is one. Until the TD pass, the Husky defense allowed only three points since the early in the second quarter.
Observations
...And then there were six. There are six winless teams left in the FBS. Rice, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Western Kentucky, and New Mexico are all still looking for that elusive first win.
...Just how bad can the officiating get in the Pac 10? The Pac 10 crew that worked the USC-Notre Dame game was just plain awful.
...Is it any surprise that according to Pollspeak.com, a website that tracks college football polling, Scott Wolfe of the Los Angeles Daily News is always rated as one of the worst voters in the AP Poll every week?
...With their 35-23 win over Hawaii last week, Idaho is bowl eligible for the first time this century. The Vandals are the only team with a wining record left on Boise State's schedule.
...I found out a rather disturbing fact from one of the officials from the USC-Notre Dame game last week. He told me that the replay booths in college football aren't equipped with HD setups. That means that all of us at home are looking at better views of the game than the replay officials. That's scary.
...I guess it's time for everybody to take notice of Arizona. The Wildcats are 4-2 with their only losses coming on the road to undefeated Iowa and on a bad call at Washington.
...Oh, by the way, the crew that blew the call that cost Arizona the game at Washington was the same lousy crew that worked the USC-Notre Dame game.
...Alabama looks like the most complete team in the nation right now.
...Outside of Idaho, the most surprising 6-1 team this year has to be Pittsburgh. However, big games against South Florida, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati still loom large on the Panthers' schedule.
...I think we can officially announce the end of Jimmy Clausen's 2009 Heisman Trophy hopes.
...Wouldn't it be neat if Tennesse beat Alabama this week?
Until next time folks, watch for fake field goals and the quarteback draw.
-The Commissioner
After a great trip to South Bend that produced another great Trojan victory over Notre Dame and Charlie Weis' schematic advantage, it's time for the column you all love to read, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 34- Notre Dame 27: This roller coaster of a game had everything. A true freshman that threw for almost 400 yards. A tight end that had five catches for over 150 yards, a fake filed goal, numerous missed calls, bad calls, and replays. It also had sacks, big runs, big hits and late hits. It also had one big goal line stand by the Trojans. A stand in which USC had to win the game on the final play twice. After four hours, the Trojans walked away with their eighth straight win over the Fighting Irish. Once again Matt Barkley continued his incredible freshman year by throwing for 380 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, the USC defense led it's young defensive line consistently put pressure on Irish QB Jimmy Clausen.
Telling Stat: Mr. Schematic advantage is now 0-5 Vs. USC.
Arizona 43- Stanford 38: In this shootout of a game, the Cardinal held a 38-29 lead at the end of third quarter and looked well on their way to a big Pac 10 win. Then the Wildcats stepped it up and dominated Stanford in the fourth quarter and got a win to keep pace with the top teams in the Pac 10. UofA's defense stopped Stanford twice on fourth down deep in their own territory to give their offense a chance. The Wildcat running game, which had been dormant for most of the game, then came alive. First it was TB Greg Nwoko with a 43-yard TD to put UofA within two points at 38-36. Then, with 2:57 to play, TB Nic Grigsby broke a 57-yard TD run to put the Wildcats up to stay at 43-38. There were big stats for the QBs in this one. Stanford's Andrew Luck threw for 423 yards and three TDs, while Wildcat QB Nick Foles threw forn 415 yards and three TDs of his own.
Telling Stat: They did it in two plays. The two long TD runs that won the game for UofA accounted for 110 of the Wildcats 138 total rushing yards in the game.
California 45- UCLA 26: The Golden Bears put up big numbers with some big plays to spank the bRuins at the Rose Bowl. Cal scored five first half TDs on the bRuins, but none was bigger than TB Jahvid Best's 93-yard TD run with 5:05 to go in the half. The funny thing is except for that run, UCLA held him check, as he finished with 102 yards on 18 carries for the day. On the offensive side of things for UCLA, they got a a decent effort out of TB Jonathan Franklin who ran for 101 yards on 11 carries and two TDs. bRuin QB Kevin Prince did manage to have a decent day as well throwing for 311 yard and a TD, but his interception that was turned in to CAL's last TD of the day was plain horrible. The win gave CAL HC Jeff Tedford his first win in the Los Angeles area. Until then he had gone 0-7 combined Vs. UCLA and USC at the Rose Bowl and Coliseum.
Telling Stat: Who needs to get into the red zone? CAL's five offensive TDs were on plays that covered 42, 43, 51, 93, and 24 yards.
Arizona State 24- Washington 17: Another week, another cardiac finish for the Huskies. After punting to ASU with 22 seconds left, it looked like the game was headed to overtime tied at 17 all. Then, embattled Sun Devil QB Danny Sullivan let one fly and amazed the crowd in Tempe. Sullivan stepped up in the pocket threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Chris McGaha with five seconds left to give the Sun Devils a 24-17 win. The Sun Devils had seen their 17-7 third quarter lead evaporate after a Chris Polk 23-yard TD run and a Erik Folk 29-yard field goal tied the game with 3:50 to play. Then came the bomb. The TD pass was McGaha's only reception of the game for the Sun Devils who remain a factor in the Pac 10 race with the win.
Telling Stat: All it takes is one. Until the TD pass, the Husky defense allowed only three points since the early in the second quarter.
Observations
...And then there were six. There are six winless teams left in the FBS. Rice, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Western Kentucky, and New Mexico are all still looking for that elusive first win.
...Just how bad can the officiating get in the Pac 10? The Pac 10 crew that worked the USC-Notre Dame game was just plain awful.
...Is it any surprise that according to Pollspeak.com, a website that tracks college football polling, Scott Wolfe of the Los Angeles Daily News is always rated as one of the worst voters in the AP Poll every week?
...With their 35-23 win over Hawaii last week, Idaho is bowl eligible for the first time this century. The Vandals are the only team with a wining record left on Boise State's schedule.
...I found out a rather disturbing fact from one of the officials from the USC-Notre Dame game last week. He told me that the replay booths in college football aren't equipped with HD setups. That means that all of us at home are looking at better views of the game than the replay officials. That's scary.
...I guess it's time for everybody to take notice of Arizona. The Wildcats are 4-2 with their only losses coming on the road to undefeated Iowa and on a bad call at Washington.
...Oh, by the way, the crew that blew the call that cost Arizona the game at Washington was the same lousy crew that worked the USC-Notre Dame game.
...Alabama looks like the most complete team in the nation right now.
...Outside of Idaho, the most surprising 6-1 team this year has to be Pittsburgh. However, big games against South Florida, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati still loom large on the Panthers' schedule.
...I think we can officially announce the end of Jimmy Clausen's 2009 Heisman Trophy hopes.
...Wouldn't it be neat if Tennesse beat Alabama this week?
Until next time folks, watch for fake field goals and the quarteback draw.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Week 6
Hey All,
After enjoying a great bye week, here's the column you just can't wait to read, Notes On a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Washington 36- Arizona 33: Every year in the Pac 10 one team plays in more than it's share of heart-stoppers. This year that team is Washington. With 2:37 to play and trailing 33-28, The Huskies' Mason Foster intercepted a pass that deflected off the foot of Arizona WR Delashaun Dean and returned it 37-yards for the game winning touchdown. The Wildcats took control of this game in the third quarter. They built up a 27-14 lead behind the strong arm of QB Nick Foles and the strong leg of Alex Zendejas. Foles threw for 384 yards and a TD, while Zendejas kicked 4 field goals. However , the Huskies managed to hang around. They got 232 yards running and passing along with 3 TDs from QB Jake Locker, while their defense slowed the Wildcats down just enough to get the win.
Telling Stat: Not enough TDs. UofA settled for field goals four times in the red zone, when one more TD would have given the Wildcats the win.
Oregon 24- UCLA 10: After a boring, mundane, utterly lackluster first half preformance, UCLA led, 3-0. Then came 26 seconds of pure excitement from the Ducks. First, UO's Kenjon Barner took the second half kickoff back 100 yards for a TD. Then, two plays later, UCLA's Kevin Prince threw a pass that was intercepted by Talmadge Jackson III who took it back 32-yards for another Duck TD. UO was up 14-3 and UCLA was on the ropes. The Bruins did show some signs of life when DE Akeem Ayers made one of the most athletic plays of the season when he intercepted a Nick Costa pass in the endzone for a TD. However, UCLA couldn't muster much offense after that and the Ducks got the win at the Rose Bowl.
Telling Stat: No need for playbooks. The two teams combined to score one offensive touchdown in the game.
Oregon State 38- Stanford 28: On the first play from scrimmage, Stanford QB Andrew Luck executed a great play action fake and threw a perfect strike 50 yards down field to wide open WR Chris Owusu. Owusu, with paydirt in site, dropped the ball. That opening dropped pass signaled the beginning of a nightmare of a first half for the Cardinal as they watched Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers lead the Beavers to a 31-7 halftime lead. The Cardinal managed to make a game of it in the second half, but they just couldn't overcome the first half deficit. Rodgers ran the ball 33 times for 189 yards and 4 TDs for Beavers. Meanwhile the Beaver defense kept SU's offense in check for most of the game. Stanford's last score with :25 made the game look closer than it really was.
Telling Stat: They limited his impact. OSU's defense held Stanford star TB Toby Gerhart to under 100 yards rushing with his two TD runs coming well after the game had been decided.
Arizona State 27- Washington State 14: This was one of the ugliest games played in the Pac 10 in a very long time. The two schools combined to commit 16 penalties, turn the ball over 10 times, and converted on only 5 of 29 third downs. The ASU offense did manage to get out of its' own way to build up a 19-0 lead in the third quarter behind two Danny Sullivan TD passes and a Dimitri Nance 9-yard TD run. The Sun Devils did manage to miss two of the PAT attempts that followed those scores. Wazzu's best play of the game happened when QB Jeff Tuel hit WR Johnny Forzani with pass that he took to the house for a 99-yard touchdown. The play was the longest scoring pass in Cougar history.
Telling Stat: They got most of it in one play. Wazzu's 99-yard TD pass accounted for a little over half the Cougars 181 yards of total offense.
Observations
...As I was reading over the AP Poll for this week, I stumbled upon an unfamiliar name among "others receiving votes." Idaho got a single vote to be in the top 25. The Vandals are now 5-1 after a thrilling 29-25 win over the San Jose State Spartans. Idaho is one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time this century. Who thought Idaho would have a better chance for a bowl this year than Wazzu?
...UCLA's Kevin Prince looked worse against Oregon than USC's Aaron Corp did against Washington.
...Wow, I'm sure glad that DirecTv dropped the Vs. Channel. I guess I really don't want to see the other teams in the Pac 10 play. It makes it feel like the 1970s. Maybe I can watch a rerun of the John McKay Show for the full effect.
...Not to say I told you so, but the Arkansas-Auburn game was the best game in the SEC last week.
...Florida State is suffering with the pain of living with a legend in his twilight. Bobby Bowden deserves to leave FSU on his own terms, but it won't happen.
...And then there were seven. There are seven winless teams left in the FBS. Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, Ball State, New Mexico, Rice, Florida Atlantic, and Western Kentucky are all still searching for their first win of the year.
...What do Iowa and Alabama have in common? Well, they're both undefeated and they're the only two teams that are bowl eligible with identical 6-0 records.
...With the way the Illinois is playing right now, the Illini's appearnace in the Rose Bowl just may be viewed in the same light as Indiana's miracle appearance in the 1968 Rose Bowl.
...With their dismal effort against Alabama, Ole Miss has officially blown its' chance to be a factor in the SEC for at least a decade.
...Okay, Notre Dame will play four Pac 10 schools this year. I think the Irish will have a better Pac 10 record than Wazzu.
...I think Arkansas Razorback fans can get used to their team scoring over 40 points a game. They just need a defense. Where's Billy Ray Smith when you need him?
...Keeping track of tackles is one of the most worthless stats in football. Often the wrong person is creditied with getting one. Heck, after watching the Illinois-Michigan State game I saw they'd given me credit for two of 'em.
...I know the Cincinnati-South Florida game is a big game in the Big East, but I couldn't care less. To quote my old college roommate, "I'd rather watch instant replays of chess moves."
...Is it more amazing that Idaho got a vote to be in the top 25 or that the vote didn't come from Idaho Statesman college football beat writer, Mike Prater?
Until Next week folks, remember you have inside help from the safety in cover two.
-The Commissioner.
After enjoying a great bye week, here's the column you just can't wait to read, Notes On a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Washington 36- Arizona 33: Every year in the Pac 10 one team plays in more than it's share of heart-stoppers. This year that team is Washington. With 2:37 to play and trailing 33-28, The Huskies' Mason Foster intercepted a pass that deflected off the foot of Arizona WR Delashaun Dean and returned it 37-yards for the game winning touchdown. The Wildcats took control of this game in the third quarter. They built up a 27-14 lead behind the strong arm of QB Nick Foles and the strong leg of Alex Zendejas. Foles threw for 384 yards and a TD, while Zendejas kicked 4 field goals. However , the Huskies managed to hang around. They got 232 yards running and passing along with 3 TDs from QB Jake Locker, while their defense slowed the Wildcats down just enough to get the win.
Telling Stat: Not enough TDs. UofA settled for field goals four times in the red zone, when one more TD would have given the Wildcats the win.
Oregon 24- UCLA 10: After a boring, mundane, utterly lackluster first half preformance, UCLA led, 3-0. Then came 26 seconds of pure excitement from the Ducks. First, UO's Kenjon Barner took the second half kickoff back 100 yards for a TD. Then, two plays later, UCLA's Kevin Prince threw a pass that was intercepted by Talmadge Jackson III who took it back 32-yards for another Duck TD. UO was up 14-3 and UCLA was on the ropes. The Bruins did show some signs of life when DE Akeem Ayers made one of the most athletic plays of the season when he intercepted a Nick Costa pass in the endzone for a TD. However, UCLA couldn't muster much offense after that and the Ducks got the win at the Rose Bowl.
Telling Stat: No need for playbooks. The two teams combined to score one offensive touchdown in the game.
Oregon State 38- Stanford 28: On the first play from scrimmage, Stanford QB Andrew Luck executed a great play action fake and threw a perfect strike 50 yards down field to wide open WR Chris Owusu. Owusu, with paydirt in site, dropped the ball. That opening dropped pass signaled the beginning of a nightmare of a first half for the Cardinal as they watched Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers lead the Beavers to a 31-7 halftime lead. The Cardinal managed to make a game of it in the second half, but they just couldn't overcome the first half deficit. Rodgers ran the ball 33 times for 189 yards and 4 TDs for Beavers. Meanwhile the Beaver defense kept SU's offense in check for most of the game. Stanford's last score with :25 made the game look closer than it really was.
Telling Stat: They limited his impact. OSU's defense held Stanford star TB Toby Gerhart to under 100 yards rushing with his two TD runs coming well after the game had been decided.
Arizona State 27- Washington State 14: This was one of the ugliest games played in the Pac 10 in a very long time. The two schools combined to commit 16 penalties, turn the ball over 10 times, and converted on only 5 of 29 third downs. The ASU offense did manage to get out of its' own way to build up a 19-0 lead in the third quarter behind two Danny Sullivan TD passes and a Dimitri Nance 9-yard TD run. The Sun Devils did manage to miss two of the PAT attempts that followed those scores. Wazzu's best play of the game happened when QB Jeff Tuel hit WR Johnny Forzani with pass that he took to the house for a 99-yard touchdown. The play was the longest scoring pass in Cougar history.
Telling Stat: They got most of it in one play. Wazzu's 99-yard TD pass accounted for a little over half the Cougars 181 yards of total offense.
Observations
...As I was reading over the AP Poll for this week, I stumbled upon an unfamiliar name among "others receiving votes." Idaho got a single vote to be in the top 25. The Vandals are now 5-1 after a thrilling 29-25 win over the San Jose State Spartans. Idaho is one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time this century. Who thought Idaho would have a better chance for a bowl this year than Wazzu?
...UCLA's Kevin Prince looked worse against Oregon than USC's Aaron Corp did against Washington.
...Wow, I'm sure glad that DirecTv dropped the Vs. Channel. I guess I really don't want to see the other teams in the Pac 10 play. It makes it feel like the 1970s. Maybe I can watch a rerun of the John McKay Show for the full effect.
...Not to say I told you so, but the Arkansas-Auburn game was the best game in the SEC last week.
...Florida State is suffering with the pain of living with a legend in his twilight. Bobby Bowden deserves to leave FSU on his own terms, but it won't happen.
...And then there were seven. There are seven winless teams left in the FBS. Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, Ball State, New Mexico, Rice, Florida Atlantic, and Western Kentucky are all still searching for their first win of the year.
...What do Iowa and Alabama have in common? Well, they're both undefeated and they're the only two teams that are bowl eligible with identical 6-0 records.
...With the way the Illinois is playing right now, the Illini's appearnace in the Rose Bowl just may be viewed in the same light as Indiana's miracle appearance in the 1968 Rose Bowl.
...With their dismal effort against Alabama, Ole Miss has officially blown its' chance to be a factor in the SEC for at least a decade.
...Okay, Notre Dame will play four Pac 10 schools this year. I think the Irish will have a better Pac 10 record than Wazzu.
...I think Arkansas Razorback fans can get used to their team scoring over 40 points a game. They just need a defense. Where's Billy Ray Smith when you need him?
...Keeping track of tackles is one of the most worthless stats in football. Often the wrong person is creditied with getting one. Heck, after watching the Illinois-Michigan State game I saw they'd given me credit for two of 'em.
...I know the Cincinnati-South Florida game is a big game in the Big East, but I couldn't care less. To quote my old college roommate, "I'd rather watch instant replays of chess moves."
...Is it more amazing that Idaho got a vote to be in the top 25 or that the vote didn't come from Idaho Statesman college football beat writer, Mike Prater?
Until Next week folks, remember you have inside help from the safety in cover two.
-The Commissioner.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Week 5
Hey All,
I'm back form a great and victorious trip to Berkeley where the Trojans won, I was on TV and shook Pete Carroll's hand before the game. Now, here's the column you've all been waiting for, Notes On a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 30- California 3: In an elimination game in the Pac 10, USC went up to Berkeley and crushed the Golden Bears. The Trojan defense set the tone in this one, limiting Cal's star TB Jahvid Best to 55 total yards and rendering the Bears version of the wildcat offense toothless. As for the Trojan offense, the true freshman QB Matt Barkley continued to impress by connecting on 20 of 35 passes for 283 yards. His passes along with a 119 yard, 2 TD effort from TB Joe McKnight enabled USC to hold the ball for almost 37 minutes of T.O.P. Throw in an electrifying punt return for a TD by Damian Williams and it was another great road win for the Trojans.
Telling Stat: Number two had a big one. USC's Taylor Mays' big first quarter interception in the endzone deflated the Golden Bears. They never recovered.
Notre Dame 37- Washington 30 OT: Well, it was another close game in South Bend. The Huskies gave ND all they could handle and should have won this game. If the Huskies had just taken care of business on two of their trips inside ND's 5-yard line, the Huskies would have wins over both USC and the Whining Irish this year. The Huskies defense couldn't cover ND WR Golden Tate. He caught nine passes for 244 yards and a TD. His big receiving day was a part of ND QB Jimmy Clausen's 422 yard, two touchdown day. UW QB Jake Locker threw for 281 yards and one TD in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: They couldn't stop 'em when it counted. UW held ND to only 108 yards rushing and 2 of 10 on third down, yet lost.
Oregon 52- Washington State 6: Oregon dismantled the hapless Cougars up in Eugene. The Ducks raced out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter behind two LaMichael James rushing touchdowns and a 26-yard TD pass from QB Jeremiah Masoli to TE Ed Dickson. Things only got worse from there for the Cougars. When it was over, the Ducks held the Cougars to 158 totl yards, four first downs, and a give away TD late in the third quarter. offensively, 14 different Ducks handled the ball, racking up 514 yards of offense and holding the ball for over 35 minutes. Adding injury to insult for the Cougars is that QB Jeff Tuel, named starter for this week, was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a hip pointer.
Telling Stat: That's the definition of ineptitude. WSU punted as many times, (9) as they completed passes in the game.
Oregon State 28- Arizona State 17: The Beavers went into Tempe and did something they hadn't done since September 27, 1969. The Beavers won the game. On an 88 degree afternoon in which Sun Devil Stadium was only half full, the Beavers jumped out to an early lead on two TD runs by Jacquizz Rodgers. The runs covered one yard and yards and they put OSU up 14-0 with 8:58 left in the first quarter. ASU never woke up and got into the game. The Beavers took a 21-3 halftime lead on a 25-yard pass from Sean Canfield to James Rodgers. OSU then managed to keep the listless Sun Devils at bay for the the second half.
Telling Stat: They bent, but didn't break. OSU gave up 338 passing yards to ASU, but didn't give up a passing TD until the game with :11 left and the game already won.
Stanford 24-UCLA 16: The bRuin defense couldn't really stop TB Toby Gerhart and the rest of the Cardinal offense, losing for the first time to the Cardinal since 2003. Gerhart carried the ball 29 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns while freshman QB Andrew Luck hit on 14 of 20 passes for 198 yards in the winning effort. Stanford held a 24-6 lead before giving up 10 fourth quarter points when the bRuins mounted a furious comeback that ended when Stanford stopped UCLA on fourth down with 1:07 to play.
Telling Stat: They couldn't keep it going. UCLA converted on only 2 of 10 third downs in the game.
Observations
...Arizona State looked listless against Oregon State last week. The Sun Devils seem to be using Cal's method for getting over a tough loss.
...Nevada finally won a game this year and they did it in grand style. The Wolfpack whipped the UNLV Rebels, 63-28 and took home the Fremont Cannon. The big win got them the big trophy as the cannon weighs in at 1,100 pounds and is fully functional. More impressive than the size of the cannon was the Wolfpack offense. The boys from Reno ran up 773 yards of offense. 559 of those came on the ground where three different Wolfpack backs ran for over 100 yards.
...When was the last time that both USC and Notre Dame had a bye week before they played each other? That's a weird quirk in the schedule.
...In Houston's 58-41 loss to UTEP, Cougar QB Case Keenum completed 51 of 76 passes for 536 yards and 5 TDs. Keenum had more completions, attempts, and yards passing than the combined totals of Army, Navy, Air Force, Tulane, Washington State, and New Mexico State last week.
...And then there were eight. There are eight winless teams left in Division 1-A football. My pick for a winless season, Virginia, got up off the deck and stunned North Carolina. So, that leaves New Mexico as my new pick to go 0-12. The eight winless teams are Rice, Miami OH, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, New Mexico, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, and Florida International.
...Cincinnati is the BCS's worst nightmare. The Bearcats just keep winning. An undefeated Bearcat club would be a bigger problem for the BCS than if USC, Florida, Texas, and Alabama all ended the year with one loss.
...Up to through this point of the season it's clear that in the Pac 10 Stanford's Chris Owusu is the best KR, USC's Damian Williams is the best PR, UCLA's Kai Forbath is the best PK, and WSU's Reid Forrest is the best P.
...I noticed a lot of blue and gold flags flying around the top of Cal's Memorial Stadium. They were all blank panels of either blue or gold. I guess when you haven't gone to the Rose Bowl since January of 1958 and haven't even shared a league title since 1975, I guess there just aren't that many championship banners to hang up.
...Navy took a big step towards winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with their 16-13 overtime win over Air Force.
...Why is it that Matt Leinart was ridiculed for taking only one class during his final football season at USC, but when it was revealed that Tim Tebow is doing the same thing at Florida he has been praised as being a selfless player who came back to help his team. Give me a bleeping break.
...It's official, Cal's Memorial Stadium is the worst stadium in the Pac 10. I'll take remoteness of Martin Stadium in Pullman or the man-eating moths and bats at Arizona Stadium in Tucson anytime over that rundown, piece of garbage in Berkeley.
...Whoo-Hooo for Idaho!!!! The Vandals are 4-1 for the first time this century. The Vandals stopped a two-point conversion attempt with 1:49 left to get the win over Colorado State last week at the Kibbee Dome. HC Rob Akey is really making strides with this program. Hey, you thought it was hard to get kids to come to Pullman, WA.? Try getting them to come to Moscow, ID.
...Cal's Kevin Riley and Illinois' Juice Williams get my nod as two of the most overrated QBs this season. As I'm writing this, I just found that Williams has been benched for this week's game. I guess I'm right.
...The Iowa-Ohio State game could be the game in which the Big Ten Champion is crowned.
...The Florida-LSU game will not be the best game in the SEC this week. The Arkansas-Auburn game will be.
...The excessive celebration call levied on Georgia's A.J. Green was ridiculous. It was such a bad call, I thought Pac 10 officials were working the game.
Until Next week, keep your helmet pumped up and your ankles taped.
-The Commissioner
I'm back form a great and victorious trip to Berkeley where the Trojans won, I was on TV and shook Pete Carroll's hand before the game. Now, here's the column you've all been waiting for, Notes On a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 30- California 3: In an elimination game in the Pac 10, USC went up to Berkeley and crushed the Golden Bears. The Trojan defense set the tone in this one, limiting Cal's star TB Jahvid Best to 55 total yards and rendering the Bears version of the wildcat offense toothless. As for the Trojan offense, the true freshman QB Matt Barkley continued to impress by connecting on 20 of 35 passes for 283 yards. His passes along with a 119 yard, 2 TD effort from TB Joe McKnight enabled USC to hold the ball for almost 37 minutes of T.O.P. Throw in an electrifying punt return for a TD by Damian Williams and it was another great road win for the Trojans.
Telling Stat: Number two had a big one. USC's Taylor Mays' big first quarter interception in the endzone deflated the Golden Bears. They never recovered.
Notre Dame 37- Washington 30 OT: Well, it was another close game in South Bend. The Huskies gave ND all they could handle and should have won this game. If the Huskies had just taken care of business on two of their trips inside ND's 5-yard line, the Huskies would have wins over both USC and the Whining Irish this year. The Huskies defense couldn't cover ND WR Golden Tate. He caught nine passes for 244 yards and a TD. His big receiving day was a part of ND QB Jimmy Clausen's 422 yard, two touchdown day. UW QB Jake Locker threw for 281 yards and one TD in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: They couldn't stop 'em when it counted. UW held ND to only 108 yards rushing and 2 of 10 on third down, yet lost.
Oregon 52- Washington State 6: Oregon dismantled the hapless Cougars up in Eugene. The Ducks raced out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter behind two LaMichael James rushing touchdowns and a 26-yard TD pass from QB Jeremiah Masoli to TE Ed Dickson. Things only got worse from there for the Cougars. When it was over, the Ducks held the Cougars to 158 totl yards, four first downs, and a give away TD late in the third quarter. offensively, 14 different Ducks handled the ball, racking up 514 yards of offense and holding the ball for over 35 minutes. Adding injury to insult for the Cougars is that QB Jeff Tuel, named starter for this week, was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a hip pointer.
Telling Stat: That's the definition of ineptitude. WSU punted as many times, (9) as they completed passes in the game.
Oregon State 28- Arizona State 17: The Beavers went into Tempe and did something they hadn't done since September 27, 1969. The Beavers won the game. On an 88 degree afternoon in which Sun Devil Stadium was only half full, the Beavers jumped out to an early lead on two TD runs by Jacquizz Rodgers. The runs covered one yard and yards and they put OSU up 14-0 with 8:58 left in the first quarter. ASU never woke up and got into the game. The Beavers took a 21-3 halftime lead on a 25-yard pass from Sean Canfield to James Rodgers. OSU then managed to keep the listless Sun Devils at bay for the the second half.
Telling Stat: They bent, but didn't break. OSU gave up 338 passing yards to ASU, but didn't give up a passing TD until the game with :11 left and the game already won.
Stanford 24-UCLA 16: The bRuin defense couldn't really stop TB Toby Gerhart and the rest of the Cardinal offense, losing for the first time to the Cardinal since 2003. Gerhart carried the ball 29 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns while freshman QB Andrew Luck hit on 14 of 20 passes for 198 yards in the winning effort. Stanford held a 24-6 lead before giving up 10 fourth quarter points when the bRuins mounted a furious comeback that ended when Stanford stopped UCLA on fourth down with 1:07 to play.
Telling Stat: They couldn't keep it going. UCLA converted on only 2 of 10 third downs in the game.
Observations
...Arizona State looked listless against Oregon State last week. The Sun Devils seem to be using Cal's method for getting over a tough loss.
...Nevada finally won a game this year and they did it in grand style. The Wolfpack whipped the UNLV Rebels, 63-28 and took home the Fremont Cannon. The big win got them the big trophy as the cannon weighs in at 1,100 pounds and is fully functional. More impressive than the size of the cannon was the Wolfpack offense. The boys from Reno ran up 773 yards of offense. 559 of those came on the ground where three different Wolfpack backs ran for over 100 yards.
...When was the last time that both USC and Notre Dame had a bye week before they played each other? That's a weird quirk in the schedule.
...In Houston's 58-41 loss to UTEP, Cougar QB Case Keenum completed 51 of 76 passes for 536 yards and 5 TDs. Keenum had more completions, attempts, and yards passing than the combined totals of Army, Navy, Air Force, Tulane, Washington State, and New Mexico State last week.
...And then there were eight. There are eight winless teams left in Division 1-A football. My pick for a winless season, Virginia, got up off the deck and stunned North Carolina. So, that leaves New Mexico as my new pick to go 0-12. The eight winless teams are Rice, Miami OH, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, New Mexico, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, and Florida International.
...Cincinnati is the BCS's worst nightmare. The Bearcats just keep winning. An undefeated Bearcat club would be a bigger problem for the BCS than if USC, Florida, Texas, and Alabama all ended the year with one loss.
...Up to through this point of the season it's clear that in the Pac 10 Stanford's Chris Owusu is the best KR, USC's Damian Williams is the best PR, UCLA's Kai Forbath is the best PK, and WSU's Reid Forrest is the best P.
...I noticed a lot of blue and gold flags flying around the top of Cal's Memorial Stadium. They were all blank panels of either blue or gold. I guess when you haven't gone to the Rose Bowl since January of 1958 and haven't even shared a league title since 1975, I guess there just aren't that many championship banners to hang up.
...Navy took a big step towards winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with their 16-13 overtime win over Air Force.
...Why is it that Matt Leinart was ridiculed for taking only one class during his final football season at USC, but when it was revealed that Tim Tebow is doing the same thing at Florida he has been praised as being a selfless player who came back to help his team. Give me a bleeping break.
...It's official, Cal's Memorial Stadium is the worst stadium in the Pac 10. I'll take remoteness of Martin Stadium in Pullman or the man-eating moths and bats at Arizona Stadium in Tucson anytime over that rundown, piece of garbage in Berkeley.
...Whoo-Hooo for Idaho!!!! The Vandals are 4-1 for the first time this century. The Vandals stopped a two-point conversion attempt with 1:49 left to get the win over Colorado State last week at the Kibbee Dome. HC Rob Akey is really making strides with this program. Hey, you thought it was hard to get kids to come to Pullman, WA.? Try getting them to come to Moscow, ID.
...Cal's Kevin Riley and Illinois' Juice Williams get my nod as two of the most overrated QBs this season. As I'm writing this, I just found that Williams has been benched for this week's game. I guess I'm right.
...The Iowa-Ohio State game could be the game in which the Big Ten Champion is crowned.
...The Florida-LSU game will not be the best game in the SEC this week. The Arkansas-Auburn game will be.
...The excessive celebration call levied on Georgia's A.J. Green was ridiculous. It was such a bad call, I thought Pac 10 officials were working the game.
Until Next week, keep your helmet pumped up and your ankles taped.
-The Commissioner
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