Week 2

Hey All,

It's time for that column that makes Tuesdays in fall a little more fun, Notes on a Pac 10 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.

Summaries

USC 17- Virginia 14: The game started late in the evening and the Trojans never really got started at all in a game that should have been a blowout. You name it, missed assignments, penalties, dropped passes, no running game, and no tackling kept this one tight until the end. QB Matt Barkley led the way for USC by throwing for 202 yards and 2 TDs on the night. Throw in a late Joe Houston field goal and the Trojans escaped with a win over the Cavaliers.

Telling Stat: It was a flag fest. The two squads were flagged 22 times for 251 yards in a sloppy, sloppy game.

Washington State 23- Montana State 22: The Cougars turned the ball over three times in the first three quarters and were looking at a 22-7 deficit as the the third quarter ended. Then, Wazzu QB Jeff Tuel put together two drives ending in TD passes and cut MSU' s lead to 22-20 with a liitle over six minutes to play. On the ensuing possession, Wazzu's Alex Hoffman-Ellis picked off a Bobcat pass to set PK Nico Grasu's 18-yard game winning field goal. Tuel ended the day with 18 out of 29 passing for 204 yards and 2 TDs, while TB Jeff Montgomery ran for 116 yards on 20 carries and a TD to lead the Cougars' offense.

Telling Stat: It's about time: The win was Wazzu's first in regulation time since beating Portland State, 48-9 way back on 9-20-2008.

California 52- Colorado 7: The Golden Bears gave the Buffaloes a reason or two to reconsider joining the Pac 1o after whipping them in all phases of the game. QB Kevin Riley got the Bears off to their usual fast start by throwing for TD passes to RB Shane Vereen and WR Marvin Jones. As that was going on, the Cal defense was busy holding CU to negative yards in that quarter. In fact, CU didn't make a first down until the 10:00 minute mark of the second quarter. The Bears went up 31-0 by halftime and this game was over. Riley finished the day with 15 of 24 completions for 197 yards and four TDs.

Telling Stat: CU had no O. Of their 17 possessions, the Buffs scored one TD, missed a FG, turned it over 6 times, punted 7 times, and ran the clock out twice.

Arizona State 41- Northern Arizona 20: The Lumberjacks of NAU gave ASU all they could handle for three quarters last Saturday. Then, ASU pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win. Sun Devil QB Steven Threet completed 33 of 49 passes for 3 TDs in ASU's new look offense. It was in the fourth quarter that the ASU defense shined. They held the Lumberjacks to 23 yards and forced three punts while Threet was busy leading the team to two TDs to sela the win.

Telling Stat: Flags everywhere. ASU committed 13 penalties for 131 yards in the contest. ASU practically gave NAU a TD by committing 40 yards of penalties on one drive alone.

Michigan 28- Notre Dame 24: It was a classic battle in South Bend, but not matter how tough the Irish played, the story of this game is Wolverine QB Denard Robinson. He threw for 244 yards and ran for 258 yards which accounted for 502 of UM's 532 total yards in the game. He also led his team on a 12 play, 72 yard drive that ended with him scoring the winning TD with :27 left. Robinson is now the leading candidate for the Heisman.

Telling Stat: That's two in a row. For two straight years, the Wolverines have scored a TD in the final seconds to beat Notre Dame.

Arizona 52- The Citadel 6: The Wildcats showed up for a mild workout before their game with Iowa next week and smacked around a perennial FCS doormat in front of the home folks. OB Nick Foles threw for 214 yards and a TD, while TB Nic Grigsby gained 107 hyards and scored three TDs of his own. The UofA defense did well, holding The Citadel to 171 total yards, only 21 of those coming through the air.

Telling Stat: Everyone got their letter. 3 different QBs threw passes, 10 different players carried the ball, and 11 different players caught passes for the Wildcats in this rout.

Washington 41- Syracuse 20: With 4:29 left in the first quarter, the Orange held a 10-0 lead and a little panic had started to set in among the faithful at Husky Stadium. Then, the Huskies woke up and dominated the middle two quarters en route to their first victory of the season. The Huskies outscored the Orange, 27-0 in the second and third quarters. Heisman candidate Jake Locker threw for 289 yards and 4 TDs for UW. Jamaal Kearse was Locker's favorite target. He caught nine balls for 179 yards and three TDs. On the ground, Chris Polk went for 117 yards and a TD of his own. As for the Orange, QB Joe Nassib threw for 202 yards and a TD. He also ran for another TD in the losing effort.

Telling Stat: They bent, but didn't break. The Husky defense held SU to just a field goal in the second and third quarters despite allowing them to gain 152 yards in those quarters.

Stanford 35- UCLA 0: The Cardinal ended their six game losing streak at the Rose Bowl in impressive fashion, whipping the bRuins in the early season Pac 10 opener for both schools. The Cardinal defense was the story of this game as they smacked the bRuin offense around all game long. SU held UCLA to 233 total yards and forced four turnovers. One of which, was turned into a TD when LB Michael Thomas basically took the handoff from UCLA QB Kevin Prince in the backfield and raced 21 yards for a score to put the Cardinal up 28-0 late in the third quarter. Meanwhile, QB Andrew Luck threw for 151 yards and two TDs and ran for 63 yards as well to lead the Cardinal attack.

Telling Stat: The year was 1974. That was the last time the Cardinal record a shutout win on the road. That day they beat Oregon, 17-0.

Oregon 48- Tennessee 13: After going down 6-0, then having to wait out an hour long lightning delay, the Ducks came out and whipped the Volunteers, in Knoxville. The Ducks went in at the half with the game tied 13-13, then came out and blew the doors off the Vols in the second half. The Ducks put up 35 unanswered points that sent the home folks to the exits early. UO QB Darron Thomas threw for 202 yards and 2 TDs while LaMichael James ran for 134 yards and a score of his own. Oregon got the big plays in the second half. They had a 72-yard run, a 76-yard interception return, and an 80-yard punt return that all went for touchdowns.

Telling Stat: UO's 48 points were the most scored by a nonconference opponent at Tennessee since Wazzu beat the Vols, 52-24 back in 1988.

Observations

...The worst loss in Boise State history happened last week and they didn't even play. Virgnia Tech's embarrassing 21-16 loss to FCS also-ran James Madison is all the eastern sportswriters need to keep BSU out of the title game even if they go 13-0.

...And our winner for first team out of the Rose Bowl race in the Pac 10 this year is UCLA.

...Here's a feat of clay. Wisconsin TB John Clay has at least 100 yards rushing and a touchdown in eight straight games going back to 2009.

...It's time to cheer for everyone from old Nassau, to Franklin Field. The Ivy League begins play this week. I think the Harvard Crimson will take the league crown.

...What for me was most impressive about Air Force's 35-14 win over BYU wasn't the fact that the Falcons rushed for 409 yards, held the ball for almost 37 minutes, or completed a couple of passes on the day. It was the fact that after giving up 193 yards and two TDs in the first quarter, the Falcon defense shutout the Cougars the rest of the way, giving up only 116 yards over the last three quarters.

...Va Tech Part II: They were seriously talking about a National Title around Lane Stadium this year. Va Tech has been the most overrated team of the last 15 years.

...It must be something about shades of red and gold. USC and ASU are 1-2 atop the NCAA leader board in penalties. They have the same number of penalties with 24, but USC holds the yardage edge over ASU.

...And then there were 21. There are 21 winless teams left in FBS play after two full weeks of games. The Sun Belt Conference leads the way in losing as five of the league's nine teams are winless. The Big Ten, Big XII, ACC, and Big East have no winless teams.

...Wake Forest gave up 487 yards and 48 points in a 54-48 win over Duke last week. Next up for the Demon Deacons is a date at Stanford. Last year, the Deacs got some home cookin' from the refs and walked away with a win over the Cardinal. I don't think they'll get those call on The Farm this week.

...He's a one man gang. Wolverine QB Denard Robinson has rushed and passed for 885 of Michigan's 1005 total yards gained this season. Wow.

...Stanford is a big, physical, tough team. Just ask the bRuins.

...In the battle of the seas, the Coast Guard Academy beat the Merchant Marine Academy, 10-8.

...After being crushed by Oklahoma last week, do you think the fans at FSU really miss Bobby Bowden right now?

...I think it's clear after being whipped like a stray dog by Cal, that Colorado HC Dan Hawkins will only see the Buffaloes play as a full fledged Pac 10 member if he buys a ticket. Get that resume ready, Dan.

...This week the Arkansas Razorbacks host the Georgia Bulldogs. A big win by the Razorbacks would vault them near the top ten and make QB Ryan Mallett a true Heisman candidate.

...Hawaii made the longest road trip in school history last week by traveling 5,000 miles to take on Army at West Point. The Warriors came away with a 31-28 win and a very long flight home. The Warriors trip east covered seven time zones.

Until next week folks, remember to hit the hole quick and then run to daylight.

-The Commissioner