Pac-12 Football Notebook: USC's Home Woes; Utah-Arizona State Game Pivotal
The four Pac-12 games this week did not decide much, leaving us to ask 10 questions (plus one additional question):
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1. Has the Pac-12 become a running-backs conference?
Five Pac-12 players rushed for more than 100 yards this weekend, and two teams had two players run for over 100 yards apiece. Four of the five player who reached the century mark averaged better than seven yards a carry in the process.
The five who surpassed 100 yards: Oregon State’s B.J. Baylor (145 yards, 8.1 yards per carry), Oregon State’s Deshaun Fenwick (127 yards, 8.5 per carry), Utah’s Tavion Thomas (113 yards, 7.1 per carry), UCLA’s Brittain Brown (146 yards, 12.2 per carry), UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet (117 yards, 5.6 per carry).
Falling just short was Arizona State’s Rachaad White, who ran for 96 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry.
UCLA and Oregon State had virtually no passing game, but the Beavers barely lost and the Bruins won by rushing for 329 yards, the most rushing yards by a UCLA team in eight years.
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2. Did Alabama’s loss affect the chances of a Pac-12 team getting into the College Football Playoff?
No. Unless the Tide loses again, a one-loss Alabama squad will get a CFP berth before any Pac-12 squad. The more significant game for the Pac-12 was Oklahoma’s win over Texas when the Sooners overcame a 21-point deficit. A one-loss Oregon squad might get the nod over a one-loss Oklahoma team, but as long as the Sooners stay unbeaten, the Ducks remain behind Oklahoma as well as Georgia, Cincinnati, Iowa and Alabama for the four national semifinal berths.
Oregon had a bye and dropped one spot to No. 9 in this week's AP poll, while Arizona State moved up four spots to No. 18 and might have as good a chance as Oregon of landing a CFP berth.
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3. Who’s in charge here?
The winner of next Saturday night’s game in Salt Lake City between Utah and Arizona State will be the only team unbeaten in Pac-12 play and will provide us with the front-runner in the South Division.
The North is less clear cut. Oregon State remains in first place despite losing to Washington State, but Oregon presumably remains the favorite despite looking vulnerable in every game except its road win against Ohio State.
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4. What’s with USC at home?
The Trojans have been impressive on the road, winning the two games away from home by margins of 31 and 23 points, looking like their preseason ranking of No. 15.
But at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Trojans are 0-3 against Pac-12 teams. USC was favored in all three, but lost all three decisively, giving up more than 40 points in each of them.
“Three losses in the Coli, it’s not a good feeling at all,” USC center Brett Neilon said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “They all just kind of feel like deja vu.”
Each of those three home losses seems historic. The Trojans were ranked No. 14 and were 17-point favorites when they got blown out 42-28 by Stanford, which had a freshman quarterback making his first collegiate start (Tanner McKee). Oregon State stomped on the Trojans 45-27 while beating USC in L.A. for the first time in 61 years. Utah’s convincing 42-26 win Saturday was the Utes’ first victory over USC in Los Angeles since 1916. You may recall the Trojans had defeated Sherman Institute and Santa Fe Athletic Club before they lost to Utah in L.A. 105 years ago.
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5. When is the wrong thing the right thing?
Occasionally, and we have two examples:
Example 1:
Utah faced a fourth-and-1 at the USC 37-yard line with 17 seconds left in the first half, when Utes coaches called for a run, hoping to get in position for a field goal. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising read the wrong wristband and believed the call was a flea-flicker. During the timeout, Rising realized his error, but he liked the flea-flicker call, and he, Kyle Whittingham, and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig decided to stick with the flea-flicker. The flea-flicker play resulted in a 37-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left, giving the Utes a 21-10 lead. It was the biggest play of the game.
Example 2
Stanford trailed 21-10 when a Tanner McKee pass was picked off by Jack Jones. With a Cardinal player on his back, Jones flipped the ball to teammate Deandre Pierce, who ran 27 yards for a touchdown that increased the Sun Devils’ lead to 28-10 early in the third quarter.
Coaches typically frown upon laterals in those situations, because they often lead to unhappy endings.
“That's the kind of stuff you do on instinct,” ASU coach Herm Edwards said afterward. “I'm glad it worked. Because if we had fumbled it, you'd have seen a mad head coach.”
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6. Is UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson playing with significant injuries?
TV broadcasters Rod Gilmore and Dave Fleming suggested several times during the UCLA-Arizona game that Thompson-Robinson seemed to be limited physically. His numbers suggested he was not right. He was just 8-for-19 for 82 yards, one touchdown and one interception and ran for only 28 yards. In the first half, when the Bruins' play calls seemed to be protecting Thompson-Robinson, he was 1-for-8 for a mere 3 yards, one TD and one interception, and he ran for only 9 yards.
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7. When will Arizona win a game?
The Wildcats have lost 17 in a row, the longest active losing streak in the country. Connecticut and UNLV are the only other two winless FBS teams.
Arizona seems to be improving, and its next game, on the road against Colorado, may be the Wildcats’ best chance for a win. But I am guessing they will be without quarterback Jordan McCloud, who was on crutches after getting injured in the fourth quarter Saturday night.
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8. Is USC’s Drake London the best receiver in the country?
London had 16 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. He leads the nation in receptions with 64 (eight more than anyone else) and receiving yards with 832.
Can a wide receiver on a team headed nowhere be named Pac-12 offensive player of the year? London's hurdle for a touchdown is the kind of highlight that earns awards?
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9. How much will the loss of running back CJ Verdell hurt Oregon?
We'll get a hint on Friday when Oregon hosts Cal, but the Ducks still have a quality back in Travis Dye, who has nearly as many rushing yards as Verdell (406 for Verdell, 386 for Dye) and averages 6.4 yards per carry compared to Verdell's 5.2 yards per attempt.
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10. Will Washington's edge Zion Tupuola-Fetui make his 2021 debut on Saturday against UCLA?
Hard to say, but it's possible. The talented edge rusher is getting closer to returning after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in the offseason. He was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection last season when he led the conference in sacks with seven in just four games.
If he plays and is close to his old self, the Huskies will be a threat to the Bruins and the rest of the Huskies' opponents.
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Plus-One question. Will Nick Rolovich's request to get a religious exemption from having to get a vaccination be accepted?
Rolovich, the Washington State coach, confirmed he has requested a religious exemption to the state mandate to get vaccinated for COVID-19. But will his request be accepted by the October 18 deadline? If it is denied, he has to be dismissed. The requests are supposed to be blind, which means the people making the decision will not know the identity of the person making the exemption request. We're guessing -- just guessing -- that his request will be accepted.
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The Pac-12 top five teams:
1. Oregon (4-1) – I'm not sure the Ducks are the best team, but that roa win over Ohio State still gives them the best resume.
2. Arizona State (5-1) – The Sun Devils are the only team unbeaten in Pac-12 play.
3. UCLA (4-2) – The Bruins' win over LSU is losing its luster.
4. Oregon State (4-2) – Losing to Washington State is not a good look.
5. Utah (3-2) – Utes' game against Arizona State next week will tell us how good Utah is.
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Pac-12 Player of the Year Standings
1. Jayden Daniels, Arizona State quarterback – He just seems to provide what the Sun Devils need.
2. B.J. Baylor, Oregon State running back – He is 10th in the nation in rushing and the Beavers are still atop the Pac-12 North.
3. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA quarterback – DTR is doing it with his heart.
4. Drake London, USC wide receiver -- His numbers are too impressive not to include him.
5. Anthony Brown, Oregon quarterback -- The quarterback of a top-10 team has to be here even if his stats are mediocre.
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Cover photo of Jayden Daniels is by Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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