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Pac-12 Primer Week 10: Super Showdown Lives Up To Hype

Evan Budrovich |
November 4, 2012 | 1:20 p.m. PST

Staff Writer

Johnathan Franklin (23) has had an impressive season for UCLA. (Shotgun Spratling/NT)
Johnathan Franklin (23) has had an impressive season for UCLA. (Shotgun Spratling/NT)
Ten weeks into the college football season: USC has been dethroned, Oregon remains impressive while Oregon State is most certainly the surprise team of the conference.

Four teams in the South Division had the opportunity to take control of the crowded Pac-12 race. In the North, the teams from Oregon continued their strong seasons, with the ever-looming matchup in Corvallis likely to decide the title.

The Heisman discussion (because let's face it, Heisman talk is a large part of what makes college football so exciting) has some new Pac-12 faces, not to mention that some of the big dogs might have fallen from their pedestals.

Here is a synopsis of this weekend's action from the Pac-12, especially what it means moving forward in the grand scheme of college football.

UCLA Left Arizona in the Tucson Dust

Plain and simply, Arizona’s quarterback Matt Scott should not have played in Saturday’s game versus UCLA.

After throwing up on the sideline against USC a week earlier, forcing him to leave the game with a concussion, Scott returned to action at the Rose Bowl.

Scott's performance was not bright as he only completed 15 passes for 124 yards, this after scorching USC for more than 400 yards of total offense.

The QB was sacked numerous times on the night by the aggressive UCLA defense that limited Rich Rodriguez's dual-threat offense to a season-low 228 yards.

As for the Bruins...

Quarterback Brett Hundley looked superb once again, passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns with only five incompletions.

The key for Hundley this season has been the deep ball. Hundley has averaged 7.8 yards per attempt, which ranks him third in the conference.

The threat of a deep passing game has cleared holes for RB Johnathan Franklin, who racked up 162 yards rushing on the night. If Franklin continues to play at this pace, he could enter the conversation for the Heisman as one of the best running backs in the nation.

OUTLOOK: UCLA is a legitimate contender for the Pac-12 South title, while Arizona ruined a tremendous opportunity to take possession of first place in the division. Moving forward, look out for UCLA, especially if they keep playing defense at this level under coach Jim Mora. U of A fans, do not panic. When healthy, Matt Scott can be one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation.

Stanford Keeps On Rolling

Stepfan Taylor scored two touchdowns Saturday. (Jerry Ting/NT)
Stepfan Taylor scored two touchdowns Saturday. (Jerry Ting/NT)
With a matchup against the nation's worst defense, Stanford decided to switch things up at quarterback.

Keith Hogan entered the game against Colorado with a 7-0 lead and never looked back, putting up four more touchdowns before half time en route to a 48-0 win. Hogan finished the game with two passing touchdowns with a 72 percent completion rate.

These numbers may be inflated by the horrendous Buffaloes defense, but do not take lightly the bigger picture that Josh Nunes was benched for this man.

To help out the Stanford quarterbacks, the Cardinal running game rushed for 206 yards, something that has been an asset for Stanford the last four seasons. The Cardinal defense pitched a shutout and made a tremendous interception return for a touchdown, building upon their success last week against WSU.

All I have to say to Colorado: thank you for not quitting and continuing to play despite the terrible circumstances surrounding your program.

For you, Stanford, keep running the football and playing strong defense. If you go away from this formula, the next three games against Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA will all be losses.

Prediction: Colorado finishes with the worst defense in the nation but keeps their head coach, while Stanford loses three straight games to finish the season at 7-5.

Oregon State is No Fluke

After losing their first game of the season last week against Washington, Oregon State responded with a strong win over Arizona State 36-26.

QB Sean Mannion threw four interceptions last week so Cody Vaz took the reins once again for Oregon State. Vaz struggled early in the contest but finished with three touchdown passes.

For those of you who don’t know, Vaz is a strong-armed gunslinger who struggles under pressure. The junior is now 3-0 as the Beavers' starting quarterback because he continues to feed the team’s wide receiver duo.

Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton, who returned from a concussion last week, led the Beavers with a combined 214 yards receiving on 10 receptions. My favorite player in the Pac-12, Oregon State running back Storm Woods, did not play due to injury but backup Josh Ward filled the void with no loss in step.

But for Arizona State, after a 5-1 start to begin the season, Pac-12 title hopes were flying high for Todd Graham’s club. Three straight losses to Oregon, Oregon State and a last-second loss to UCLA have made the road extremely challenging.

Quarterback Taylor Kelley has been the one bright spot for the ASU offense, collecting 253 of ASU's 303 total yards of offense. Kelley has been an excellent replacement to Brock Osweiler, showing more poise and leadership especially under pressure.

The Sun Devils stand tied for first in the Pac-12 South with USC, Arizona and Washington State on the docket. If ASU wants to remain in the title hunt, they must repeat their victory against USC from 2011.

Oregon Makes a Statement

 

Barner set a new Oregon record for rushing yards in a game. (Scott Enyeart/NT)
Barner set a new Oregon record for rushing yards in a game. (Scott Enyeart/NT)
When Riverside native Kenjon Barner escaped the clutches of USC in recruiting, Oregon received quite the package. Barner is a more explosive version of LaMichael James and showed that he is the best back in the conference.

Barner’s record 321-yard night was outstanding and spoke to the effectiveness of Chip Kelly’s read option offense. The Oregon offensive line established the line of scrimmage all night, allowing Barner to gain positive yards before contact on almost every play.

The Trojans defense allowed more than 700 yards on offense, no joke folks, for the first time in 'SC history. Monte Kiffin will be asked lots of questions in the coming days as another explosive offense in ASU comes to Los Angeles next weekend.

With the schedule shaping up with high-quality opponents in Oregon State, Stanford and the Pac-12 Championship, Oregon controls their own destiny for the BCS. Oregon was finally tested for 48 minutes and proved that this year's team can play bigger, stronger fronts and prosper with relative ease.

The Trojans showcased why lack of depth and a poor scheme can turn the simplest mistake into a record-breaking performance. I will not unleash blame to the offense because, quite simply, 51 points should be enough to win football games.

Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 Defense is (1) too complex for college and (2) forces USC to transition into many base defense fronts that do not account for mobile quarterbacks.

Cal and Washington Played Their Best Defense on Themselves

 The California Bears and Washington Huskies combined for over 900 yards of offense but could only muster 34 points.

What was the cause of this madness? Turnover City in Berkeley ruled the night. Both teams committed four turnovers, including three straight in one minute of game time. Head coaches Jeff Tedford of Cal and Steve Sarkisian of Washington will definitely be heading in two different directions after this contest.

For Cal, another loss leaves the Bears in one of the most disappointing seasons in recent years. In their defense, Cal has lost 23 players to injury this season for a combined 95 games of action. Results may be poor, but not even the best teams in the country could survive that plague of injuries. Cal now stands at 3-7.

Washington has won two in a row while developing Bishop Sankey into the elite runner to complement quarterback Keith Price in this offense. Washington has finally finished their brutal stretch of competition and will finish the season with Utah, Colorado and Washington State.

Expect the Huskies to win out and finish the season 8-4 with a trip to the Sun Bowl calling their name. Sorry Cal, but you will not be bowling this year; it also looks like you will have to go fishing for a new head coach.

Good Job, John White IV 

Utah won their second straight game in convincing fashion by dismantling Washington State. John White IV was the man on the night, rushing for 101 yards and two scores.

Freshman quarterback Travis Wilson is starting to adjust to life as a starter. He has thrown back-to-back games with a tremendous completion percentage and is doing an excellent job of evading pressure with his feet.

I remember Wilson being a great leader and distributor of the football in Trent Dilfer’s Elite 11 last season, so expect this man to continue to improve up in Salt Lake City.

Mike Leach's performance in Pullman this year grades out as about average. The 2-7 record looks concerning, but with the talent Leach has to work with, he has done a good job of getting his players to buy into the system.

WSU is committing fewer penalties and scoring more points than ever before, a recipe that will allow them to become a regular competitor in the Pac-12.

 

Reach Staff Writer Evan Budrovich here or follow him on Twitter.



 

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