Oregon and USC needed second-half comebacks to improve to 2–0, while Pac-12 refs made a curious call that cost Oregon State against Washington.
The Pac-12 got creative and was able to pull off five games this weekend thanks to a bit of nimbleness from UCLA and Cal. The Bruins and Bears saw their opponents (Utah and Arizona State, respectively) get knocked out of action earlier in the week due to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, so the conference decided on Friday to plan an impromptu game between the two sides for Sunday morning (more Pac-12 After Dawn!).
That type of flexibility is exactly the approach the conference needs in order to maximize the scarce weeks left on the schedule, so the league earns points for finding a way. Of course, the news was not all rosy Friday, as the Pac-12 announced that errors in game day testing protocols led to Stanford quarterback Davis Mills receiving a false positive test result. Mills didn’t play in the Cardinal’s season-opening loss to Oregon, and didn’t practice until Thursday this week ahead of Stanford’s loss to Colorado. As is frequently the case with the Pac-12: one step forward, two steps back.
With that eventful lead-up out of the way, let’s get to the week that was in Pac-12 football:
Team of the week: If you just looked at the stats, you’d be forgiven for thinking Colorado and Stanford switched jerseys prior to kickoff on Saturday. The Buffaloes did their best impression of a vintage David Shaw–coached team, out-gaining Stanford on the ground by over 100 yards (177 to 70). Mills threw the ball 56 times and actually led the team in rushing yards (36), with Stanford running backs combining for just 34 yards on 15 carries.
Colorado, meanwhile, averaged a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry but stayed committed to the run all day, rushing on 45 of their 69 plays. The Buffs didn’t have a run of longer than 18 yards, instead using a death-by-paper-cuts approach to wear Stanford’s defense down. Colorado led, 35–16, early in the fourth quarter before staving off a late Stanford comeback attempt to hang on with a 35–32 win. Identity theft may not be a joke, but the Buffs are 2–0 under new head coach Karl Dorrell and, more importantly, have earned “team of the week” honors in this space for the second consecutive week.
Best game: Ducks fans might not be the most pleased after watching their team struggle with an inferior opponent in Washington State, but neutral observers were treated to an exciting shootout on the Palouse that saw Oregon come out on top, 43–29. Each team went on its own run of 19 unanswered points or more, and the fourth quarter featured a combined 32 points from both sides.
Quarterbacks Tyler Shough and Jayden de Laura traded blows, but Shough had the backing of an impressive Oregon rushing attack that proved to be the difference. The Ducks ran for 269 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per carry, which overwhelmed a plucky Washington State defense. Oregon has issues to clean up (it lost the turnover battle, 3–0) and needs to be more dominant to earn serious consideration for the College Football Playoff, but the Ducks remain the conference’s top team two weeks into the season.
Highlights of the week: Oregon gets two entries here, as it relied on two long passing plays at critical parts of the game. The first came just before halftime with Washington State ahead, 19–7. The Ducks took over at their own 40-yard line with 20 seconds left when Shough found Jaylon Redd for a 57-yard pass to the Washington State 3-yard line. CJ Verdell punched it in on the next play to make the halftime deficit 19–14 and keep Oregon within striking distance.
Fast forward to the fourth, and the Ducks faced a third-and-six from their 29-yard line with 8:37 remaining and clinging to a 28–22 lead. This time, Shough found running back Travis Dye on a wheel route and hit him in stride for a 71-yard touchdown strike to give Oregon a two-possession lead.
#Pac12AfterDark moment of the week: Washington’s scheduled season opener against Cal last week was canceled, so the Huskies debuted on Saturday night’s #Pac12AfterDark (which debuted a snazzy new logo) showcase against Oregon State. Unsurprisingly, chaos ensued.
The Huskies’ first drive stalled, forcing them to punt from the Oregon State 40-yard line. The snap sailed over punter Race Porter’s head, leading to a comedy of errors that ended with a Beavers touchdown and felt perfectly fitting for a game that kicked off after 8 p.m. local time.
Controversy corner: Because it’s the Pac-12, Friday’s admission by the league of a testing protocols error was not the only eyebrow-raising moment of the weekend. The latest came early in the fourth quarter of Washington’s 27–21 win over Oregon State, with the Beavers facing a fourth-and-one at the Washington 5-yard line and trailing, 24-21. Running back Jermar Jefferson appeared to make the line to gain, but the officials spotted him inches short, much to the surprise of the Fox broadcast booth (and likely anybody who was watching the play):
Washington later added a field goal, and the Beavers were denied on their potential go-ahead drive as the Huskies hung on. Jefferson was miffed after the game about how he was ruled short of the first-down line. The play was reviewed, but there was no definitive angle showing where Jefferson actually was forced down, in large part because Husky Stadium had only six camera angles—which is the minimum requirement—in place for the game Saturday night, according to John Canzano of The Oregonian. The Pac-12 has not addressed the apparent missed call as of yet, but it was a bad look for a conference that’s drawn its fair share of officiating criticism in recent years.
Offensive players of the week: Shough was impressive in his second career start, throwing for 312 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 81 yards. The trio of Washington running backs deserves recognition as well, as Sean McGrew, Kamari Pleasant and Richard Newton combined for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. Colorado quarterback Sam Noyer again led the way for the Buffaloes’ offense, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns while adding two scores on the ground.
Defensive players of the week: Washington State’s Ayden Hector was a one-man wrecking crew for the Cougars. He came up with two fumble recoveries and had an interception in the first half, also adding four tackles. Washington linebackers Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Edefuan Ulofoshio terrorized the Oregon State offense. Tupuola-Fetuihad had two sacks and two forced fumbles, while Ulofoshio made 10 tackles, deflected four passes and had one fumble recovery.
Special teams player of the week: It’s not often you see a punt returner block a kick, but that’s exactly what happened on Oregon State’s first touchdown of the game against Washington. After Washington’s punter corralled the bad snap, he attempted to actually get the punt off but was denied by Oregon State return man Hamilcar Rashed Jr., who raced across the field to block the punt and set up the Beavers for a scoop and score.
Big picture: Whatever becomes of the Pac-12’s playoff fate, the league was delightfully entertaining from start to finish in its second week in action. The poster team for this ideal has been USC, which twice now has sleep-walked through 56 minutes of game action before snatching an improbable win in the game’s final moments. This time, the Trojans eked out a 34–30 win at Arizona thanks to two touchdown drives in the final four minutes, capping the comeback on an 8-yard touchdown run by Vavae Malepeai with 25 seconds left. USC and (to a lesser degree) Oregon need to look more dominant (or, in the Trojans’ case, consistently competent) in order to gain some traction in the polls. Beyond postseason implications, here’s hoping the league continues to provide compelling games on a weekly basis.
Lookahead: Before looking ahead, a pause to acknowledge UCLA’s dominant 34-10 win over Cal on Sunday morning. The Bruins’ defense held the Bears to 176 total yards and constantly harassed Cal quarterback Chase Garbers. It was an encouraging performance after UCLA’s poor showing against Colorado in the season opener, and the Bruins will face a stiffer test next week when they visit Oregon.
Speaking of next week, the Pac-12 will need to keep plenty of backup plans for its schedule at the ready. Utah has yet to take the field, and the Utes had 17 active COVID-19 cases and another 11 members quarantined due to contract tracing as of Friday. They’re slated to face USC at home, but whether or not that game proceeds as planned is a massive uncertainty. The conference has already canceled the Arizona State-Colorado game this week, so we’ll be monitoring the contingency plans that come next. USC and Colorado are slated to play in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, so if the Trojans and Utes are unable to play this weekend, the Pac-12 could bump USC-Colorado up a week early.