Pac-12 Notebook: Oregon Does the Unthinkable at Husky Stadium
You don’t score 35 points in Seattle against Washington, which has led the Pac-12 in scoring defense each of the past three seasons.
You don’t come back from a 14-point, second-half deficit to beat a Chris Petersen team in Husky Stadium.
You don’t do snow angels on the Washington logo in the middle of Husky Stadium if you’re an opposing player.
Oregon ignored all three directives in its 35-31 victory at Washington that gave the Ducks a commanding two-game lead in the Pac-12 North.
Never in Jimmy Lake’s four years as Washington’ defensive coordinator had an opponent scored more than 30 points against the Huskies in Husky Stadium. Until Saturday, that is, as Justin Herbert threw four touchdown passes to reach the 35-point level.
Never had a Petersen-coached Washington team, known for its fundamental efficiency, lost a game at home in which it led by 14 points in the second half. But on Saturday, Oregon outscored the Huskies 21-3 over the last quarter and a half to pull out the road win.
That led to Oregon linebacker Troy Dye celebrating the win by lying down on the “W” in the middle of the field and flapping his arms snow-angel style after virtually everyone had left. Check out John Canzano’s account in the Oregonian.
The Utah Stonewall
There were questions about Utah’s defense after it gave up 30 points on September 20 to a USC team playing with a third-string quarterback.
But in the three games since then -- against Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona State -- the Utes have yielded just two touchdowns, and one of those was scored by the Beavers with less than a minute left while Utah was holding a 52-0 lead.
The Utes’ 21-3 victory over Arizona State on Saturday ended the Sun Devils’ run of 125 consecutive games scoring in double digits, which was the active FBS record until the Utes ended it. It was also ASU’s lowest scoring output since 2008.
Utah is fourth in the nation in total defense and second in rushing defense, behind only Wisconsin.
The Utes’ one concern is the health of quarterback Tyler Huntley, who left Saturday’s game with an injury.
USC's Freshman Flash
A fifth-string true freshman running back was the star of USC's 41-14 victory over Arizona.
Already playing with a second-string freshman quarterback (Kedon Slovis), the Trojans suffered a rash of injuries at the running back spot.
Leading rusher Vavae Malepeai is scheduled for knee surgery. Stephen Carr had to leave Saturday’s game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, and Markese Stepp left with an ankle problem in the third quarter.
After Quincy Jountti, a former walk-on, fumbled on his first carry, head coach Clay Helton turned to freshman Kenan Christon, a California high school champion at 100 and 200 meters last year.
He carried just eight times in less than two quarters of playing time, but amassed 103 rushing yards and scored on runs of 55 and 30 yards.
The guy is F-A-S-T.
Cougars Look Good for HBO
Many coaches would fear the distraction of having a film crew document virtually every move his team makes for several days during the season, but Washington State was ready for its close-up.
HBO spent the past week in Pullman, Wash., doing interviews and filming Washington State’s preparation for Saturday’s game against Colorado.
The Cougars performed well in the TV spotlight on Saturday, crushing Colorado 41-10 to end the Cougars’ three-game losing streak.
You can bet quotable WSU coach Mike Leach will get plenty of air time in the documentary, which is scheduled to air on Wednesday.
Evan Weaver’s Good, Bad Statistic
Cal linebacker Evan Weaver again leads the nation in tackles, averaging 15.0 tackles per game after collecting 21 stops in the loss to Oregon State on Saturday.
But is his national standing a good thing for the Bears?
Only one of other players ranked among the nation’s top nine in tacklers plays for a team with a winning record, and none of the top 30 tacklers in the country plays on a top-25 team.
You see, when the opponent has the ball a lot there are more opportunities to rack up tackle numbers.
