Hey All,
It's time for the Thanksgiving edition of Note on a Pac 10 Scorecard. I hope your team hasn't been playing like turkeys this season. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Oregon 44- Arizona 41 2OT: This was a classic duel in the desert with the Arizona Wildcats looking for their first Rose Bowl berth ever in the biggest game played in Arizona since Dick Tomey roamed the sidelines in Tucson. However, Ducks QB Jeremiah Masoli led his team on impressive drives in the fourth quarter and overtime to put the Ducks on the verge of going to Pasadena. The Ducks forced overtime when Masoli led them on a 15 play, 80-yard drive where Masoli hit TE Ed Dickson with an 8-yard TD pass with :06 left. Then in the second overtime, Masoli took it in from one yard out to secure the victory for the boys from Eugene. After his run won the game, thousands of dejected Wildcat fans were left on the sideline, never getting to storm the field after a victory that didn't happen.
Telling Stat: He carried the team. In the fourth quarter and OT , UO QB Jeremiah Masoli threw or ran the ball in 31 of the Ducks 41 plays from scrimmage.
Oregon State 42- Washington State 10: The Beavers were the team who got to scrimmage with the Cougars this week. When it was over, the Beavers had barely broken a sweat and found themselves with a chance to play for a trip to Pasadena. OSU QB Sean Canfield hit on 22 of 29 passes for 231 yards and two TDs, while Jacquizz Rodgers lugged the leather 24 times for 165 yards and two TDs of his own in this laugher. The Beaver defense held the Cougars 192 total yards on the afternoon.
Telling Stat: It could have been worse. If OSU hadn't racked up 13 penalties for 107 yards, they could have hung 60 points on Wazzu.
California 34- Stanford 28: One week after thrashing USC and becoming the darlings of college football, the Stanford Cardinal were beaten by Cal in "The Big Game." The Golden Bears held the ball for almost 40 minutes in this game, but they still couldn't stop Stanford TB Toby Gerhart who ran for 136 yards and 4 TDs. However, Cal's Shane Vereen offset his efforts by rushing for 193 yards and 3 TDs of his own. However, it was Cal LB Mike Mohamed who etched his named forever into the rivalry with his interception of Stanford QB Andrew Luck on the Golden Bears goalline with a little over a minute to play to secure Cal's seventh win in the last eight yeas over Stanford.
Telling Stat: They had no home cookin'. Stanford's loss was their only one at home this season.
UCLA 23- Arizona State 13: Defense once again ruled the day for the bRuins as their defense outscored their offense 14-9 in their win at the Rose Bowl. The bRuin defense harassed ASU QB Samson Szakacsy all day. In the first quarter CB Alterraun Verner picked off a pass and took it to the house to give his squad a 7-0 lead. Then, in the second quarter DE Akeem Ayers returned a Szakacsy fumble nine yards for a touchdown. That was followed by another bRuin fumble recovery that the bRuin offense turned into a field goal. The bRuin offense managed to move the ball enough so that their defense could get a rest and UCLA came away with the win. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils couldn't get out of their own way for most of the day by committing nine penalties to go with six turnovers on the afternoon.
Telling Stat: ASU had 12 possessions in this game, they turned the ball over in six of those possessions.
Observations
...And then there were two. New Mexico finally enjoyed the taste of victory with a 29-27 win over Colorado State. So that leaves just Western Kentucky and Eastern Michigan as the only winless teams in the FBS.
...Simple Math: Week 2. 68 teams will make it to a bowl this season. As of this week, 70 of the 120 FBS teams are bowl eligible. Of the 50 teams leftover, only 8 still have a chance to become bowl eligible. here are those eight and who they have left to play...
1. Duke: 11/28 V. Wake Forest
2. Connecticut: 11/28 V. Syracuse, 12/5 V. South Florida
3. UAB: 11/28 V. Central Florida
4. Kent State: 11/27 V. Buffalo
5. Toledo: 11/27 @ Bowling Green
6. Western Michigan: 11/24 V. Ball State
7. Wyoming: 11/27@ Colorado State
8. Hawaii: 11/28 V. Navy, 12/5 Wisconsin
...Luke Lippincott gained 162 yards on 19 carries in Nevada's 63-20 blowout win over New Mexico State. With those 162 yards, Lippincott became the third member of the Wolfpack backfield this year to rush for 1,000 yards. That makes Nevada the only team in NCAA history to have three 1,000 rushers in the same season. QB Colin Kaepernick and RB Vai Taua are the other two members of this history making backfield.
...Washington. Oregon,and Stanford all have beaten USC this season, then lost their next game. The Cardinal were the latest victim of this trend as they followed up a win over USC with a loss to California in "The Big Game." So, who did UW and UO lose to after they beat USC? They both lost to Stanford. That's just a little ironic, huh?
...I feel sorry for the people across the country who didn't get to see the Oegon-Arizona game due to ABC's regional bias. It was a tough, great game.
...Colorado HC Dan Hawkins is most likely on his way out of Boulder with a 16-32 record over the past four seasons. Hawkins has been vilified over the last couple of seasons by the Buffalo faithful for starting his son Cody at quarterback. Things have deteriorated so much this season, that Hawkins benched his son. That opened the doors even wider for fans to pile on and call for the head of both Dan and Cody. I don't think there were many guys out there that wouldn't have wanted to play for their dad on a major college team. If they had won more, it would be a feel good story meriting national attention. Now, it's just sad.
...Note to the student section of the University of Arizona. Only get ready to storm the field when you've got a game won. You all looked really pathetic standing around during the sidelines during those two overtime periods.
...I still can't believe I didn't get to see the Stanford- Cal game because DirectTv dropped the Vs. channel.
...To hear Joe Paterno lobby for a BCS bowl for Penn State is sickening. The Big Ten is maybe the fifth best conference this year. TCU could crush Penn State.
...So, Jimmy Clausen got decked by an irate Irish fan late Saturday night after ND's loss to UConn. That was a classless act by rotten fan. That behavior has no place in sports.
...I used to write off the spread option and wildcat offenses as gimmick schemes that wouldn't last very long. However, it looks like these schemes will be around for awhile. I also am enjoying seeing a different kind of player at QB in these systems. It reminds of the old days of football where your QB as well as all your backs had to be triple threat guys who could run, pass, and catch the ball. Is the dropback passer on his way out, and the triple threat back making a comeback? Only time will tell.
...With USC playing in a lower tier bowl this season, I've heard some bad matchups being proposed out there. However, nothing sickens me more than a rematch with Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl.
...Boy, if this doesn't mean Charlie Weis is out at ND, I don't know what will convince you. Weis' west coast recruiting trip following ND's game at Stanford this week has been cancelled.
...I see LSU HC Les Miles has finally taken responsibility for his poor clock management at the end of the LSU-Ole MIss game. It only took two days and several camera angles showing his blowing it to change his mind. Paul Hackett couldn't have screwed up the Tigers final drive any better.
...I knew this game was big, and that thought was confirmed by an article sent to me by our field office in Salem, OR. The December 3rd Oregon-Oregon State game will be the most important game in the 113 year history of the this rivalry which is know as "The Civil War." Never has winning this game meant going to the Rose Bowl for both sides. This year it does. That says it all, folks.
Until next week folks, remember to practice proper clock management and pace yourselves at the table on Turkey Day!!!
-The Commissioner.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Week 11
Hey All,
It's time for your favorite column, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Stanford 55- USC 21: There weren't a whole lot of Trojan fans left in the Coliseum when the clock hit triple zero and the Cardinal had hung the most points ever on a USC team. Yes, even more than the 51 that ND hung on USC in'61 or the 52 that Russell White's California squad scored on USC in '91. Funny thing is that USC was actually in the game here, trailing only 28-21 at the start of the fourth quarter. That was when the roof fell in. The Trojan defense which had been poor all game, completely collapsed in the fourth quarter allowing the Cardinal to move the ball at will. Meanwhile, the offense continued to sputter. Couple that with a few gift interceptions thrown by QB Matt Barkley and you can see how this one got way out of hand. Not a lot of stats to talk about here. The Trojans were simply physically manhandled by Stanford. The Trojans got pushed around for three quarters, then quit in the fourth. Yes folks, the Trojans quit in the fourth quarter.
Telling Stat: 41/0. USC was held to 41 yards and 0 points in the fourth quarter of this debacle.
California 24- Arizona 16: A funny thing happened to the Wildcats on their way to this week's showdown with Oregon. The Golden Bears jumped up and slapped the Wildcats on Senior Day, in Berkeley. Cal kept UofA in check all day, holding an 18-16 lead thanks to four Giorgio Travecchio field goals and a Kevin Riley TD pass. However, the Bears found themselves staring defeat in the face as UofA had a third down and 3 to go at the Cal 25. Then came one of the biggest mistakes of the year by UofA QB Nick Foles. Foles threw a pass only to have it knocked back into his face. He caught the ball and then threw it again. That was two forward passes. That's illegal. After the penalty from the spot and loss of down, the Wildcats were staring at a 55-yard field goal attempt on fourth down. UofA went for the first down and failed to convert. Then on Cal's first play from scrimmage TB Shane Vereen took the ball 61 yards to house for the game-clinching TD.
Telling Stat: They missed Nic. Wihtout TB Nic Grigsby, Cal held Arizona to 73 yards rushing for the game.
UCLA 43- Washington State 7: The death march known as Washington State's football season continued with the bRuins dismantling the Cougars, in Pullman. Cougar QB, Marshall Lobbestael threw interceptions the first three times his team had the ball and the rout, as they say, was on. UCLA QB Kevin Prince threw for 314 yards and a TD while FB Chane Moline chipped in with three short TD runs to aid the bRuins cause. UCLA rakced up 28 first downs to Wazzu's seven. The bRuins also outgained the Cougars 556-181 in total yardage.
Telling Stat: Not in regulation. The Cougars have not led a game this year in regulation. Their only lead came when they won in overtime against SMU.
Oregon State 48- Washington 21: Mix two TD passes from QB Sean Canfield with two TD runs by Jacquizz Rodgers and throw in two TD receptions from James Rodgers and you have the recipe for a rout. This game wasn't as close as the score shows. The Beavers dominated this game, running up a 41-7 lead in the third quarter before emptying the benches and giving up a couple of late scores to the Dawgs.
Telling Stat: It was the worst. UW's 27 point loss was the Huskies worst to OSU in school history.
Oregon 44- Arizona State- 21: The Ducks got back in the win column in impressive style after suffering their first Pac 10 loss of the season to Stanford last week. The Ducks used three TD runs from TB LaMchael James and a TD pass from QB Jeremiah Masoli to build up a 31-7 halftime lead over the Sun Devils. The second half was a not much more than a glorified scrimmage with both sides emptying their benches in the final quarter. James finished the day as the Ducks offensive star with 150 yards rushing to go with his three TDs.
Telling Stat: 84/82. ASU rushed for a meager 84 yards in the game, but to make it worse, they were penalized for 82 yards.
Observations
...And then there were three. With Rice coming from behind to beat Buffet Bob Toledo's Tulane squad, only New Mexico, Eastern Michigan, and Western Kentucky remain winless this season.
...Simple math time. 34 bowls= 68 teams needed to fill those slots. As of today, only 61 teams are bowl eligible. Now factor in that 34 teams have already been eliminated, that leaves 25 teams to fight for the remaining seven bowl slots. So here's three games to watch this week with bowl eligibility hanging in the balance.
1. UCLA- ASU: The Sun Devils need a win to keep their bowl hopes alive, while a UCLA win would kill ASU's bowl hopes and earn bowl eligibility for the bRuins.
2. Nebraska- Kansas State: Big XII North Title is on the line in this, and KSU would reach bowl eligibility as well if they win.
3. Tennessee- Vanderbilt: Lane Kiffin can get to a bowl in first season as a HC and the Vols can be the 10th team in the SEC to become bowl eligible this season. Ahhh, playing those 1-AA schools does pay off, huh?
....Stanford HC Jim Harbaugh's try for two at the end of the USC-Stanford game was a Woody Hayes inspired, bush league manuever. However, continuing to score TDs wasn't. If a team can't stop a simple dive play at the end of the game, then that team deseves to get scored on.
...You always remember the games played in November, but do Florida and Alabama fans really want to remember watching their teams take on Florida International and UT Chatanooga this week? I doubt it.
...The Pac 10 has five teams ranked in the BCS top 25. That equals the total of the Big XII and the SEC combined.
...On the flip side of Pac 10 success is Washington State. They've only won 2 conference games in their last 17 tries with both of those wins coming against Washington.
...Norm Chow could get the Trifecta of coaching this year. As OC, his bRuins have already beaten Tennesee who is coached by Lane Kiffin, they have also beaten Washignton who is coached by Steve Sarkisian. A win over USC in two weeks and Norm Chow's team will have beaten his former boss and his two replacements at USC.
...I would like to welcome the Temple Owls back to the land of the living in college football. Remember folks, this was the same school that is the only team ever asked to leave a BCS conference because they were so bad. HC Al Golden has his team at 8-2 overall and 6-0 in MAC play. Somewhere, Bill Cosby is proud.
...The NCAA Division III playoffs start this week, and as always the Mount Union Purple Raiders are the team to beat. However, I will cheer for Cal-Lutheran because they are the only far western team in the playoff field.
...There are a few good rviarly games to be played this week across the country, and as with rivarly games, throw the records out the window, pride and bragging rights are at stake. In the Big Ten, Ohio State will take on Michigan, while Indiana will face Purdue with the old oaken bucket at stake. In the Pac 10, California and Stanford will meet in "The Big Game", while in the Ivy League, Harvard and Yale will meet in "The Game." There are a few others out there this week, but these games always appeal to me.
...I was at the supermarket last nigh and saw that the USC defense's picture on the back of my milk carton.
...Time to give a cheer for the Penn Quakers. The Quakers clinched the Ivy League title last week with a 17-7 over Harvard. The Ivy League schools don't participate in the FBS Subdivision playoffs, so the Ivy League title is a big deal indeed.
...The NCAA Division II playoffs are going into their second round this week. A lot of the usual D-II suspects are in the playoffs, but two outside teams to watch are Central Washington and Arkansas Tech. CWU is the only team from the far west left in the playoffs and Arkansas Tech could upset the whole bracket if they beat North Alabama this week.
...Would somebody tackle Stanford TB Toby Gerhart? He's still running at the Coliseum.
...Arizona has lost two games in Pac 10 play on the strangest of plays. First, they lose at Washington on the kicked/hit the ground interception at Washington, then they lose at California due to an illegal second forward pass. UofA could be 8-1 and 6-0 in the Pac 10.
Until Next Time Folks, watch for the draw on third and long and put a spy on the quarterback.
-The Commissioner
It's time for your favorite column, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Stanford 55- USC 21: There weren't a whole lot of Trojan fans left in the Coliseum when the clock hit triple zero and the Cardinal had hung the most points ever on a USC team. Yes, even more than the 51 that ND hung on USC in'61 or the 52 that Russell White's California squad scored on USC in '91. Funny thing is that USC was actually in the game here, trailing only 28-21 at the start of the fourth quarter. That was when the roof fell in. The Trojan defense which had been poor all game, completely collapsed in the fourth quarter allowing the Cardinal to move the ball at will. Meanwhile, the offense continued to sputter. Couple that with a few gift interceptions thrown by QB Matt Barkley and you can see how this one got way out of hand. Not a lot of stats to talk about here. The Trojans were simply physically manhandled by Stanford. The Trojans got pushed around for three quarters, then quit in the fourth. Yes folks, the Trojans quit in the fourth quarter.
Telling Stat: 41/0. USC was held to 41 yards and 0 points in the fourth quarter of this debacle.
California 24- Arizona 16: A funny thing happened to the Wildcats on their way to this week's showdown with Oregon. The Golden Bears jumped up and slapped the Wildcats on Senior Day, in Berkeley. Cal kept UofA in check all day, holding an 18-16 lead thanks to four Giorgio Travecchio field goals and a Kevin Riley TD pass. However, the Bears found themselves staring defeat in the face as UofA had a third down and 3 to go at the Cal 25. Then came one of the biggest mistakes of the year by UofA QB Nick Foles. Foles threw a pass only to have it knocked back into his face. He caught the ball and then threw it again. That was two forward passes. That's illegal. After the penalty from the spot and loss of down, the Wildcats were staring at a 55-yard field goal attempt on fourth down. UofA went for the first down and failed to convert. Then on Cal's first play from scrimmage TB Shane Vereen took the ball 61 yards to house for the game-clinching TD.
Telling Stat: They missed Nic. Wihtout TB Nic Grigsby, Cal held Arizona to 73 yards rushing for the game.
UCLA 43- Washington State 7: The death march known as Washington State's football season continued with the bRuins dismantling the Cougars, in Pullman. Cougar QB, Marshall Lobbestael threw interceptions the first three times his team had the ball and the rout, as they say, was on. UCLA QB Kevin Prince threw for 314 yards and a TD while FB Chane Moline chipped in with three short TD runs to aid the bRuins cause. UCLA rakced up 28 first downs to Wazzu's seven. The bRuins also outgained the Cougars 556-181 in total yardage.
Telling Stat: Not in regulation. The Cougars have not led a game this year in regulation. Their only lead came when they won in overtime against SMU.
Oregon State 48- Washington 21: Mix two TD passes from QB Sean Canfield with two TD runs by Jacquizz Rodgers and throw in two TD receptions from James Rodgers and you have the recipe for a rout. This game wasn't as close as the score shows. The Beavers dominated this game, running up a 41-7 lead in the third quarter before emptying the benches and giving up a couple of late scores to the Dawgs.
Telling Stat: It was the worst. UW's 27 point loss was the Huskies worst to OSU in school history.
Oregon 44- Arizona State- 21: The Ducks got back in the win column in impressive style after suffering their first Pac 10 loss of the season to Stanford last week. The Ducks used three TD runs from TB LaMchael James and a TD pass from QB Jeremiah Masoli to build up a 31-7 halftime lead over the Sun Devils. The second half was a not much more than a glorified scrimmage with both sides emptying their benches in the final quarter. James finished the day as the Ducks offensive star with 150 yards rushing to go with his three TDs.
Telling Stat: 84/82. ASU rushed for a meager 84 yards in the game, but to make it worse, they were penalized for 82 yards.
Observations
...And then there were three. With Rice coming from behind to beat Buffet Bob Toledo's Tulane squad, only New Mexico, Eastern Michigan, and Western Kentucky remain winless this season.
...Simple math time. 34 bowls= 68 teams needed to fill those slots. As of today, only 61 teams are bowl eligible. Now factor in that 34 teams have already been eliminated, that leaves 25 teams to fight for the remaining seven bowl slots. So here's three games to watch this week with bowl eligibility hanging in the balance.
1. UCLA- ASU: The Sun Devils need a win to keep their bowl hopes alive, while a UCLA win would kill ASU's bowl hopes and earn bowl eligibility for the bRuins.
2. Nebraska- Kansas State: Big XII North Title is on the line in this, and KSU would reach bowl eligibility as well if they win.
3. Tennessee- Vanderbilt: Lane Kiffin can get to a bowl in first season as a HC and the Vols can be the 10th team in the SEC to become bowl eligible this season. Ahhh, playing those 1-AA schools does pay off, huh?
....Stanford HC Jim Harbaugh's try for two at the end of the USC-Stanford game was a Woody Hayes inspired, bush league manuever. However, continuing to score TDs wasn't. If a team can't stop a simple dive play at the end of the game, then that team deseves to get scored on.
...You always remember the games played in November, but do Florida and Alabama fans really want to remember watching their teams take on Florida International and UT Chatanooga this week? I doubt it.
...The Pac 10 has five teams ranked in the BCS top 25. That equals the total of the Big XII and the SEC combined.
...On the flip side of Pac 10 success is Washington State. They've only won 2 conference games in their last 17 tries with both of those wins coming against Washington.
...Norm Chow could get the Trifecta of coaching this year. As OC, his bRuins have already beaten Tennesee who is coached by Lane Kiffin, they have also beaten Washignton who is coached by Steve Sarkisian. A win over USC in two weeks and Norm Chow's team will have beaten his former boss and his two replacements at USC.
...I would like to welcome the Temple Owls back to the land of the living in college football. Remember folks, this was the same school that is the only team ever asked to leave a BCS conference because they were so bad. HC Al Golden has his team at 8-2 overall and 6-0 in MAC play. Somewhere, Bill Cosby is proud.
...The NCAA Division III playoffs start this week, and as always the Mount Union Purple Raiders are the team to beat. However, I will cheer for Cal-Lutheran because they are the only far western team in the playoff field.
...There are a few good rviarly games to be played this week across the country, and as with rivarly games, throw the records out the window, pride and bragging rights are at stake. In the Big Ten, Ohio State will take on Michigan, while Indiana will face Purdue with the old oaken bucket at stake. In the Pac 10, California and Stanford will meet in "The Big Game", while in the Ivy League, Harvard and Yale will meet in "The Game." There are a few others out there this week, but these games always appeal to me.
...I was at the supermarket last nigh and saw that the USC defense's picture on the back of my milk carton.
...Time to give a cheer for the Penn Quakers. The Quakers clinched the Ivy League title last week with a 17-7 over Harvard. The Ivy League schools don't participate in the FBS Subdivision playoffs, so the Ivy League title is a big deal indeed.
...The NCAA Division II playoffs are going into their second round this week. A lot of the usual D-II suspects are in the playoffs, but two outside teams to watch are Central Washington and Arkansas Tech. CWU is the only team from the far west left in the playoffs and Arkansas Tech could upset the whole bracket if they beat North Alabama this week.
...Would somebody tackle Stanford TB Toby Gerhart? He's still running at the Coliseum.
...Arizona has lost two games in Pac 10 play on the strangest of plays. First, they lose at Washington on the kicked/hit the ground interception at Washington, then they lose at California due to an illegal second forward pass. UofA could be 8-1 and 6-0 in the Pac 10.
Until Next Time Folks, watch for the draw on third and long and put a spy on the quarterback.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Week 10
Hey All,
It's time for the column that takes up at least five minutes of your day, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. Boy, do we miss you Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 14- Arizona State 9: This was a truly ugly game. From sputtering offenses to referees throwing flags at will, this game was plain ugly. It would be fitting that an ASU mistake would give USC the halftime lead when much maligned ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw a pass that was picked off and returned for a TD by USC's Will Harris. USC led at the break 7-3. The Trojans broke out its' coma for one big play in the third quarter when WR Damian took a short screen pass and turned into a 75-yard touchdown to give USC a 14-3 lead. At this point the ASU faithful were stunned. The Sun Devils had controlled the game, yet were down double digits in the third quarter. Then the USC offense slipped back into its' coma and the defense held on for the tough win.
Telling Stat: They won? USC threw for only 112 yards, rushed for 146 more, had 98 yards in penalties, yet won.
Oregon State 31- California 14: The Golden Bears annual slide contiued with a bad home loss to the Beavers. Overshadowing the Bears' loss was the concussion suffered by TB Jahvid Best. Best took a wicked fall after leaping into the endoze to cut OSU's lead to 14-7 in the second quarter. Best layed motionless on the field until he was carted off by paramedics and then taken to a local hospital. The image of their fallen teammate took a visible toll on the Golden Bears as they were never in the game after that moment. OSU dominated the rest of the game with QB Sean Canfield completing 29 of 39 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
Telling Stat: They were freaked out. After Best's injury, the Golden Bears gained only 92 yards on their last eight possessions of the game with the 67 of those yards coming on a late fourth quartter drive when OSU had the game well in hand.
Arizona 48- Washington State 7: UofA's Travis Cobb took the opening kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown and the Wildcats never looked back in this rout of the Cougars. The Wildcats moved the ball at will on the Cougars. They racked up 648 yards of offense, 27 first downs and held the ball for 41:19. Meanwhile, the hapless Wazzu offense was held to 185 total yards and eight first downs. The lone bright spot for Wazzu continues to be punter Reid Forrest who punted 8 times in this game for nifty 44.6 yard average.
Telling Stat: They can't compete. Wazzu is winless in Pac 10 play, losing each game by an average of 32 points.
UCLA 24- Washington 23: The bRuins used two quarterbacks and a strong effort from their defense in the second half to get their first Pac 10 win of 2009. UCLA QB Kevin Prince built on his fine fourth quarter at Oregon State last week by lighting up the Husky secondary for 212 yards and a touchdown before he was knocked from the game with a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit from UW LB Donald Butler. Kevin Craft then came in and led the bRuins to their their final 10 points of the game and the win. The bRuin defense set the stage for a comeback by holding the Huskies scoreless for the final 26:52 of the game. UW QB Jake Locker threw for 235 yards and 2 TDs in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: They couldn't capitalize on 'em. UW forced five bRuin turnovers, but couldn't get the win.
Stanford 51- Oregon 42: Just one week after being hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread, the Oregon Ducks fell in a shootout on The Farm. The Duck defense had no answer for Cardinal TB Toby Gerhart who rushed the ball 38 times for 223 yards and three TDs. The Duck defense didn't have an answer for QB Andrew Luck either who threw for 251 yards and two TDs of his own. On the flipside of things, the Stanford defense managed to hold tough at critical times to ensure the win. However, Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli completed 21 of 37 passes for 334 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 55 yards and a touchdown as well.
Telling Stat: Both squads scored quickly. The longest scoring drive of the game lasted only 4:35.
Observations
...They've got trouble, trouble right now in Iowa City. Trouble with a capital T, that rhymes with P, which is before Q, which stands for Quarterback. Not only did the Hawkeyes' undefeated season get ruined in their 17-10 home loss to Northwestern, it looks like QB Ricky Stansi is lost as well. If Stansi can't make the trip to Columbus this week to face the Buckeyes, Iowa could go from #1 in the computer polls to #2 in the Big Ten in two short weeks.
...And then there were still four. New Mexico, Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky, and Rice are still winless this season with identical 0-9 records.
...Don't cry for me, West Virginia. You can still be Big East Champs. West Virginia's last three games are with Cincinnati, Pitt, and Rutgers. If the 'eers win out, they're BCS bound.
...So much for Duke having a shot at the ACC crown, The Blue Devils were whipped by North Carolina ,19-6 last week. The Blue Devils still need a win to be bowl eligible.
...There may be a bright golden haze on the meadow, but not much else to be happy about in Oklahoma right now. A season that held such promise in Norman has fallen apart as quickly as Sam Bradford's shoulder. Further evidence of how much Bradford is missed was last Saturday when his backup Landry Jones threw five interceptions in a 10-3 loss to arch-rival Nebraska.
...Quietly making noise this week are the Nevada Wolfpack. After starting out 0-3, the boys from Reno have won six straight and are undefeated in WAC play. If they get by Fresno State and New Mexico State, they will have a showdown with Boise State for the conference title.
...Oh, to dream the impossible dream. TCU is now #4 in the BCS ratings and has the best chance of any team outside fo the BCS to make it to the National Championship Game.
...Air Force is this year's couple of points team. Meaning, they're a couple of points away from being undefeated. The Falcons are 6-4 with all four losses coming by a total of 20 points. Two of their losses were in overtime to Navy and Utah.
...525,600 minutes? Well, it's been about twice that long that Norm Chow has been at UCLA and the bRuin offense has started to wake up in the last week or so. The question to the UCLA administrators and faithful is, do you step up and actually pay Chow a salary that matches his skills or do the bRuins stay low-budget and let him go with a thank you to the Tennessee Titans for the two-year rental?
...Way to go Navy! The middies played smart, tough, inspired football and beat Notre Dame. Best stat of this game was that Navy's QB threw the ball only three times, completing two of those passes with one going for a touchdown. Navy must have had a schematic advantage.
...It is a puzzlement as to how anybody could think that Wazzu should bring Paul Wullf back for another year as Head Coach of the Cougars. Nothing has improved in Pullman since he took over the program.
...One last note folks, 20 years ago last week, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner closed down. The Examiner had a great sports page with writers like Alan Malamud and Mel Durslag. With the age of newspapers is coming to an electronic end, I find myself more and more missing one of the great sports pages of Los Angeles.
Until next week folks, watch for bubble screens and the skinny post.
-The Commissioner
It's time for the column that takes up at least five minutes of your day, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. Boy, do we miss you Alan Malamud.
Summaries
USC 14- Arizona State 9: This was a truly ugly game. From sputtering offenses to referees throwing flags at will, this game was plain ugly. It would be fitting that an ASU mistake would give USC the halftime lead when much maligned ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw a pass that was picked off and returned for a TD by USC's Will Harris. USC led at the break 7-3. The Trojans broke out its' coma for one big play in the third quarter when WR Damian took a short screen pass and turned into a 75-yard touchdown to give USC a 14-3 lead. At this point the ASU faithful were stunned. The Sun Devils had controlled the game, yet were down double digits in the third quarter. Then the USC offense slipped back into its' coma and the defense held on for the tough win.
Telling Stat: They won? USC threw for only 112 yards, rushed for 146 more, had 98 yards in penalties, yet won.
Oregon State 31- California 14: The Golden Bears annual slide contiued with a bad home loss to the Beavers. Overshadowing the Bears' loss was the concussion suffered by TB Jahvid Best. Best took a wicked fall after leaping into the endoze to cut OSU's lead to 14-7 in the second quarter. Best layed motionless on the field until he was carted off by paramedics and then taken to a local hospital. The image of their fallen teammate took a visible toll on the Golden Bears as they were never in the game after that moment. OSU dominated the rest of the game with QB Sean Canfield completing 29 of 39 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
Telling Stat: They were freaked out. After Best's injury, the Golden Bears gained only 92 yards on their last eight possessions of the game with the 67 of those yards coming on a late fourth quartter drive when OSU had the game well in hand.
Arizona 48- Washington State 7: UofA's Travis Cobb took the opening kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown and the Wildcats never looked back in this rout of the Cougars. The Wildcats moved the ball at will on the Cougars. They racked up 648 yards of offense, 27 first downs and held the ball for 41:19. Meanwhile, the hapless Wazzu offense was held to 185 total yards and eight first downs. The lone bright spot for Wazzu continues to be punter Reid Forrest who punted 8 times in this game for nifty 44.6 yard average.
Telling Stat: They can't compete. Wazzu is winless in Pac 10 play, losing each game by an average of 32 points.
UCLA 24- Washington 23: The bRuins used two quarterbacks and a strong effort from their defense in the second half to get their first Pac 10 win of 2009. UCLA QB Kevin Prince built on his fine fourth quarter at Oregon State last week by lighting up the Husky secondary for 212 yards and a touchdown before he was knocked from the game with a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit from UW LB Donald Butler. Kevin Craft then came in and led the bRuins to their their final 10 points of the game and the win. The bRuin defense set the stage for a comeback by holding the Huskies scoreless for the final 26:52 of the game. UW QB Jake Locker threw for 235 yards and 2 TDs in a losing effort.
Telling Stat: They couldn't capitalize on 'em. UW forced five bRuin turnovers, but couldn't get the win.
Stanford 51- Oregon 42: Just one week after being hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread, the Oregon Ducks fell in a shootout on The Farm. The Duck defense had no answer for Cardinal TB Toby Gerhart who rushed the ball 38 times for 223 yards and three TDs. The Duck defense didn't have an answer for QB Andrew Luck either who threw for 251 yards and two TDs of his own. On the flipside of things, the Stanford defense managed to hold tough at critical times to ensure the win. However, Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli completed 21 of 37 passes for 334 yards and three TDs. He also ran for 55 yards and a touchdown as well.
Telling Stat: Both squads scored quickly. The longest scoring drive of the game lasted only 4:35.
Observations
...They've got trouble, trouble right now in Iowa City. Trouble with a capital T, that rhymes with P, which is before Q, which stands for Quarterback. Not only did the Hawkeyes' undefeated season get ruined in their 17-10 home loss to Northwestern, it looks like QB Ricky Stansi is lost as well. If Stansi can't make the trip to Columbus this week to face the Buckeyes, Iowa could go from #1 in the computer polls to #2 in the Big Ten in two short weeks.
...And then there were still four. New Mexico, Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky, and Rice are still winless this season with identical 0-9 records.
...Don't cry for me, West Virginia. You can still be Big East Champs. West Virginia's last three games are with Cincinnati, Pitt, and Rutgers. If the 'eers win out, they're BCS bound.
...So much for Duke having a shot at the ACC crown, The Blue Devils were whipped by North Carolina ,19-6 last week. The Blue Devils still need a win to be bowl eligible.
...There may be a bright golden haze on the meadow, but not much else to be happy about in Oklahoma right now. A season that held such promise in Norman has fallen apart as quickly as Sam Bradford's shoulder. Further evidence of how much Bradford is missed was last Saturday when his backup Landry Jones threw five interceptions in a 10-3 loss to arch-rival Nebraska.
...Quietly making noise this week are the Nevada Wolfpack. After starting out 0-3, the boys from Reno have won six straight and are undefeated in WAC play. If they get by Fresno State and New Mexico State, they will have a showdown with Boise State for the conference title.
...Oh, to dream the impossible dream. TCU is now #4 in the BCS ratings and has the best chance of any team outside fo the BCS to make it to the National Championship Game.
...Air Force is this year's couple of points team. Meaning, they're a couple of points away from being undefeated. The Falcons are 6-4 with all four losses coming by a total of 20 points. Two of their losses were in overtime to Navy and Utah.
...525,600 minutes? Well, it's been about twice that long that Norm Chow has been at UCLA and the bRuin offense has started to wake up in the last week or so. The question to the UCLA administrators and faithful is, do you step up and actually pay Chow a salary that matches his skills or do the bRuins stay low-budget and let him go with a thank you to the Tennessee Titans for the two-year rental?
...Way to go Navy! The middies played smart, tough, inspired football and beat Notre Dame. Best stat of this game was that Navy's QB threw the ball only three times, completing two of those passes with one going for a touchdown. Navy must have had a schematic advantage.
...It is a puzzlement as to how anybody could think that Wazzu should bring Paul Wullf back for another year as Head Coach of the Cougars. Nothing has improved in Pullman since he took over the program.
...One last note folks, 20 years ago last week, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner closed down. The Examiner had a great sports page with writers like Alan Malamud and Mel Durslag. With the age of newspapers is coming to an electronic end, I find myself more and more missing one of the great sports pages of Los Angeles.
Until next week folks, watch for bubble screens and the skinny post.
-The Commissioner
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Week 9
Hey All,
I hope you all still have Halloween candy left to munch on as you read the column you've been waiting for, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Oregon 47- USC 20: This loss wasn't just a loss for the Trojans, it was the worst loss for USC in the Pete Carroll era and one of the worst Trojan losses of all time. USC's clueless defense gave up 613 yards, allowed the Ducks to score on nine of their 11 drives, and allowed UO QB Jeremiah Masoli to roll up 386 yards of offense and score two TDs. Meanwhile, the USC offense collpased as the Oregon offense rolled. Highly touted TE Blake Ayles showed he was no Anthony McCoy with his poor game and USC's running game was rendered irrelevant as the Trojans fell farther behind. It truly was a Hallowen nightmare for USC.
Telling Stat: Oh, did they run. The Ducks rushed for 391 yards on 49 carries v. USC. That's a cool 8.0 yards per carry.
Oregon State 26- UCLA 19: For three quarters Oregon State dominated UCLA. The Beavers held a 16-0 halftime edge, then led 16-3 after a third quarter that looked like a controlled scrimmage. Then while OSU was making postgame party plans, UCLA found their offense. bRuin QB Kevin Prince hit on 69% of his passes in the fourth quarter. He threw two TD passes and two two-point conversions to tie the game at 19-19 with 2:06 to play. Then, the bRuin defense, which had been the strength of this year's squad, collapsed. OSU drove 70 yards in 1:22 for the winning TD which came on a James Rodgers 17-yard run. The bRuins are still winless in Pac 10 play.
Telling Stat: Who knew he could throw? In addition to being a great little RB, Jacquizz Rodgers showed off his arm when he threw a 14-yard TD pass to WR Brady Camp in the second quarter.
Notre Dame 40- Washington State 14: The hapless Cougars traveled to San Antonio for a paycheck and a beatdown from ND. ND QB Jimmy Clausen shredded the Wazzu secondary completing 22 of 27 passes for 268 yards and two TDs in three quarters wirht of work. With ND up 33-7 at the end of three quarters, the Irish faithful got to see their first glimpse of Clausen heir apparent Dayne Crist. He calmly came in and threw a 64-yard TD pass to put the Irish up 40-7 . ND is now 2-1 in Pac 10 play.
Telling Stat: They played keep away. ND held the ball for almost 41:00 while running up 592 yards and 32 first downs on Wazzu.
California 23- Arizona State 21: This had to be one of the sloppiest games played in the Pac 10 this season. The Golden Bears led 17-14 after a first half in which the two squads combined for four turnovers, five fumbles, several sacks, and 145 yards in penalties. The second half wasn't much better as the two squads kept trying to give the game away. ASU finally succeeded in that effort as they allowed the Golden Bears to take the ball with 3:19 to go and march 74 yards to the seven-yard line where PK Giorgio Travecchio nailed a 24-yard field goal with :21 seconds left to give Cal the win. Cal QB Kevin Riley was the offensive star of the day with 351 yards passing and two TDs, while much maligned ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw for 244 yards and a TD, but his two interceptions had the Sun Devil faithful booing him again.
Telling Stat: He did it when it counted. On Cal's game-winning drive, QB Kevin Riley completed five of six passes to put his team in position to win.
Observations
...Iowa has to be the worst undefeated team I have ever seen. If it weren't for miracle plays and a conference that is on par with WAC, the Hawkeyes would have at least four losses.
...And then there were four. There are four winless teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Rice, Eastern Michigan, New Mexico, and Western Kentucky are all 0-8. Of these four teams, it looks like New Mexico has the best shot of going winless. Rice, EMU, and WKU all play at least two under .500 teams the rest of the way. New Mexico still has 7-1 Utah, 6-2 BYU, and 8-0 TCU left to play. The Lobos only chance for a win will be in their next to last game v. 3-6 Colorado State.
...From the in case you missed it file, Houston beat So. Miss, 50-43 in a shooout where the two teams combined for a little over 1300 yards of offense. The Cougars have no defense which means that their upcoming game with SMU and the Mustangs' run and shoot offense could be a real numbers show.
...If Indiana only had to play first three quarters each week they'd be undefeated.
...I haven't seen a USC defense play that poorly in a very long time. In fact, nobody I know had ever seen USC give up that many yards in a game. Why, because the only game in which USC gave up more yards was in 1946. I talked to my mom. She wasn't at the game, so she didn't see it either.
...Maybe now, somebody on USC's defense might start covering the slot receiver.
...Is there a division worse in college football than the Big XII North? Kansas State is the cream of the division with a 3-2 conference record and is 5-4 overall with losses to Louisiana-Lafayette and UCLA. Texas fans should make their reservations for Pasadena right now.
...Somebody better tell Georgia to stop wearing uniforms that feature black instead of red. They just stink in the black uniforms.
...Hey now, let's give a cheer for Duke. The Blue Devils are on a three-game winning streak in the ACC. If they beat North Carolina this week, they will be GASP, CHOKE, GASP, bowl eligible. I don't know if the football world can handle the prospect of both Duke and Idaho being bowl eligible.
...Would somebody stop Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli? He's still running. USC hasn't stopped him yet.
...Just when UCLA QB Kevin Prince looks like he's getting his act together, the bRuin defense fails. Nore Dame now has two more conference wins than UCLA and Washington State combined.
...If a nine win Notre Dame team gets a BCS bid and Boise State and TCU end up both being undefeated and left home, oh what furor there will be.
...I don't care what anyone says, no Pac 10 team has ever been happy going to any bowl but the Rose Bowl.
...Boy, USC could sure use Broderick Green right now.
...Arizona State is the NCAA leader in most penalty yards per game with 84.4. Last week against Cal, the Sun Devils had 85 yards in penalties by halftime, with 75 of those yards coming on five personal fouls.
...The USC defense has given up over 1,500 yards in its' last three games. Last year, the Trojan defense gave up 2,983 yards in 13 games.
...If you don't want to see Cincinnati or Notre Dame in a BCS game, you better start rooting for Pitt. The Panthers have the best shot of beating both these teams down the stretch.
Until next week folks, remember to cover the slot receiver and make sure the ball carrier is wrapped up before you go for the strip.
-The Commissioner
I hope you all still have Halloween candy left to munch on as you read the column you've been waiting for, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Oregon 47- USC 20: This loss wasn't just a loss for the Trojans, it was the worst loss for USC in the Pete Carroll era and one of the worst Trojan losses of all time. USC's clueless defense gave up 613 yards, allowed the Ducks to score on nine of their 11 drives, and allowed UO QB Jeremiah Masoli to roll up 386 yards of offense and score two TDs. Meanwhile, the USC offense collpased as the Oregon offense rolled. Highly touted TE Blake Ayles showed he was no Anthony McCoy with his poor game and USC's running game was rendered irrelevant as the Trojans fell farther behind. It truly was a Hallowen nightmare for USC.
Telling Stat: Oh, did they run. The Ducks rushed for 391 yards on 49 carries v. USC. That's a cool 8.0 yards per carry.
Oregon State 26- UCLA 19: For three quarters Oregon State dominated UCLA. The Beavers held a 16-0 halftime edge, then led 16-3 after a third quarter that looked like a controlled scrimmage. Then while OSU was making postgame party plans, UCLA found their offense. bRuin QB Kevin Prince hit on 69% of his passes in the fourth quarter. He threw two TD passes and two two-point conversions to tie the game at 19-19 with 2:06 to play. Then, the bRuin defense, which had been the strength of this year's squad, collapsed. OSU drove 70 yards in 1:22 for the winning TD which came on a James Rodgers 17-yard run. The bRuins are still winless in Pac 10 play.
Telling Stat: Who knew he could throw? In addition to being a great little RB, Jacquizz Rodgers showed off his arm when he threw a 14-yard TD pass to WR Brady Camp in the second quarter.
Notre Dame 40- Washington State 14: The hapless Cougars traveled to San Antonio for a paycheck and a beatdown from ND. ND QB Jimmy Clausen shredded the Wazzu secondary completing 22 of 27 passes for 268 yards and two TDs in three quarters wirht of work. With ND up 33-7 at the end of three quarters, the Irish faithful got to see their first glimpse of Clausen heir apparent Dayne Crist. He calmly came in and threw a 64-yard TD pass to put the Irish up 40-7 . ND is now 2-1 in Pac 10 play.
Telling Stat: They played keep away. ND held the ball for almost 41:00 while running up 592 yards and 32 first downs on Wazzu.
California 23- Arizona State 21: This had to be one of the sloppiest games played in the Pac 10 this season. The Golden Bears led 17-14 after a first half in which the two squads combined for four turnovers, five fumbles, several sacks, and 145 yards in penalties. The second half wasn't much better as the two squads kept trying to give the game away. ASU finally succeeded in that effort as they allowed the Golden Bears to take the ball with 3:19 to go and march 74 yards to the seven-yard line where PK Giorgio Travecchio nailed a 24-yard field goal with :21 seconds left to give Cal the win. Cal QB Kevin Riley was the offensive star of the day with 351 yards passing and two TDs, while much maligned ASU QB Danny Sullivan threw for 244 yards and a TD, but his two interceptions had the Sun Devil faithful booing him again.
Telling Stat: He did it when it counted. On Cal's game-winning drive, QB Kevin Riley completed five of six passes to put his team in position to win.
Observations
...Iowa has to be the worst undefeated team I have ever seen. If it weren't for miracle plays and a conference that is on par with WAC, the Hawkeyes would have at least four losses.
...And then there were four. There are four winless teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Rice, Eastern Michigan, New Mexico, and Western Kentucky are all 0-8. Of these four teams, it looks like New Mexico has the best shot of going winless. Rice, EMU, and WKU all play at least two under .500 teams the rest of the way. New Mexico still has 7-1 Utah, 6-2 BYU, and 8-0 TCU left to play. The Lobos only chance for a win will be in their next to last game v. 3-6 Colorado State.
...From the in case you missed it file, Houston beat So. Miss, 50-43 in a shooout where the two teams combined for a little over 1300 yards of offense. The Cougars have no defense which means that their upcoming game with SMU and the Mustangs' run and shoot offense could be a real numbers show.
...If Indiana only had to play first three quarters each week they'd be undefeated.
...I haven't seen a USC defense play that poorly in a very long time. In fact, nobody I know had ever seen USC give up that many yards in a game. Why, because the only game in which USC gave up more yards was in 1946. I talked to my mom. She wasn't at the game, so she didn't see it either.
...Maybe now, somebody on USC's defense might start covering the slot receiver.
...Is there a division worse in college football than the Big XII North? Kansas State is the cream of the division with a 3-2 conference record and is 5-4 overall with losses to Louisiana-Lafayette and UCLA. Texas fans should make their reservations for Pasadena right now.
...Somebody better tell Georgia to stop wearing uniforms that feature black instead of red. They just stink in the black uniforms.
...Hey now, let's give a cheer for Duke. The Blue Devils are on a three-game winning streak in the ACC. If they beat North Carolina this week, they will be GASP, CHOKE, GASP, bowl eligible. I don't know if the football world can handle the prospect of both Duke and Idaho being bowl eligible.
...Would somebody stop Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli? He's still running. USC hasn't stopped him yet.
...Just when UCLA QB Kevin Prince looks like he's getting his act together, the bRuin defense fails. Nore Dame now has two more conference wins than UCLA and Washington State combined.
...If a nine win Notre Dame team gets a BCS bid and Boise State and TCU end up both being undefeated and left home, oh what furor there will be.
...I don't care what anyone says, no Pac 10 team has ever been happy going to any bowl but the Rose Bowl.
...Boy, USC could sure use Broderick Green right now.
...Arizona State is the NCAA leader in most penalty yards per game with 84.4. Last week against Cal, the Sun Devils had 85 yards in penalties by halftime, with 75 of those yards coming on five personal fouls.
...The USC defense has given up over 1,500 yards in its' last three games. Last year, the Trojan defense gave up 2,983 yards in 13 games.
...If you don't want to see Cincinnati or Notre Dame in a BCS game, you better start rooting for Pitt. The Panthers have the best shot of beating both these teams down the stretch.
Until next week folks, remember to cover the slot receiver and make sure the ball carrier is wrapped up before you go for the strip.
-The Commissioner
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