Photo courtesy of UCLA Athletics
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) -
ARIZONA: Rich Rodriguez pushed his squad into the top-25 last week and kept the Wildcats there with a 56-0 rout of South Carolina State in week three. Arizona has now won five straight games dating back to last season. The win was also the first shutout by an Arizona team since 2008 and was the eighth- largest margin of victory in program history. Rodriguez's offensive revolution at Arizona continued with the Wildcats amassing 689 total yards, which passed the 624-yard effort in week one for the second most in school history and the most since 1969. The Wildcats had 43 first downs to just eight by South Carolina State. Matt Scott had an impressive outing, completing passes at a high rate (30-for-36) for 288 yards and three scores, while also rushing for 61 yards and a score. KA'Deem Carey had only 13 attempts but managed to rack up 71 yards and a score himself. With Rodriguez pulling many of his starters, six different rushers had at least two carries and 12 different receivers caught a pass in the game. The defensive effort was also dominating, as the Wildcats held SC State to 154 total yards and a 2-for-13 conversion rate on third down. Arizona did not play a defensive snap in the red zone and had six tackles for loss including a sack. Arizona will get a real test to see how far it has come when the Wildcats travel to Eugene to take on No. 3 Oregon in the Pac-12 opener.
ARIZONA STATE: In a rematch of an exciting overtime thriller that opened the 2011 campaign, the Sun Devils ended up on the losing end this time around with a 24-20 loss to Missouri on Saturday night. The loss came despite a strong comeback effort from the Sun Devils. Trailing 24-7 at the end of the third quarter, ASU score 14 unanswered points in the final period and had several chances to take the lead but were unable to do so, stalling on fourth and goal late in the contest. For a game that was supposed to feature impressive offense, it was a rather defensive struggle. The Sun Devils managed only 296 yards but allowed only 318. Taylor Kelly was essentially the entire offense for ASU, completing 12-for-23 yards for 178 yards, while also rushing for a team-high 59 yards. However, a costly interception in the fourth quarter marred the performance. Kelly had only 69 career rushing yards entering the game. Marion Grice scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but had only 24 total yards rushing. The game was won and lost on third down, as the Sun Devils converted only 2-of-12 attempts, while Missouri converted 10-of-22. Arizona State also failed to score on two of its four red zone trips. Linebacker Brandon Magee returned to the lineup in a big way with a game-high 12 tackles, 1.5 for loss and an interception. Pac-12 play begins next week for the Sun Devils with a home game against Utah.
CALIFORNIA: California did everything but capture a victory in an impressive effort on the road against a nationally ranked Ohio State squad. The 35-28 loss came despite the Bears out-gaining the Buckeyes by 100 yards (512-412). A breakdown in coverage allowed for the game-winning touchdown for OSU, with Devin Smith getting behind the Bears' secondary for a 72-yard touchdown pass that broke a 28-28 tie with just over three minutes in the fourth quarter. Brendan Bigelow showed off an impressive display of speed in the game, rushing for 160 yards and two scores on only four carries. Bigelow's 81-yard touchdown run was the longest play from scrimmage by the Bears since 2009. Zach Maynard struggled at times but still managed to complete 26-of-37 pass attempts for 280 yards and a score. Keenan Allen caught nine of those passes for a team- high 80 yards. He is now sixth all-time in receptions at Cal. The Bears were the more disciplined team in the game with only four penalties for 40 yards, while OSU committed 11 penalties for 101 yards. The Bears also won the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 35:10 to OSU's 24:50. Cal did not have the advantage in time of possession in its first two games. The Bears will begin Pac-12 play next weekend with a road game against USC, which is coming off its first loss of the season.
COLORADO: The Buffaloes are clearly in for a long season and after a 69-14 rout to Fresno State in week three that couldn't be more evident. Colorado couldn't do anything right on offense or defense in the first half, falling behind 55-7 at the break. Of 11 first half drives for the Buffaloes, eight ended in punts and two in interceptions. On the other side, Colorado allowed touchdowns on 8-of-10 first half possession for FSU. The Buffalo defense was abused, allowing 665 total yards in the game, while the offense managed only 278. The defense gave up two scoring plays of over 90 yards, a 97-yard reception and a 94-yard rush. The 516 yards and 55 points allowed in the first half were the most allowed by a Colorado team in program history. Colorado used three different quarterbacks (Connor Wood, Jordan Webb and Nick Hirschman) but none of the three had much success, with the trio combining for an 11-for-30 effort, for 173 yards and four interceptions. Josh Ford was the lead rusher in the game with 61 yards and a touchdown. Colorado will be in danger of giving up another huge offensive day next week against Washington State's Air Raid attack in the Buffaloes' Pac-12 opener.
OREGON: While the other Pac-12 squad in the top five of the polls was being upset, Oregon put together another blowout victory by posting a 69-14 final at home against Tennessee Tech. The gap between the two schools was evident throughout and could be seen on the box score with the Ducks out-gaining Tennessee Tech by a massive 652-177 margin. De'Anthony Thomas continued to show why he is one of the most explosive players in the nation in the win. The sophomore had 222 all-purpose yards with a pair of scores, despite only 10 touches all in the first half. Marcus Mariota threw for 308 yards and four scores on 21-of-28 passing to become the first Oregon freshman to throw for 300 yards in a single game. True freshmen Byron Marshall took advantage of extended playing time in the rout with a team-high 125 yards. The Ducks have now had a true freshmen rush for a 100 yards in a game in three straight seasons. Marshall is also the third different back to reach the century mark in a game this season. The defense was just as dominant in the game, especially on third down where the unit allowed on conversion on 17 attempts. The Ducks also collected three turnovers, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Oregon will finally get a real test against another strong offense when the squad begins Pac-12 play against No. 22 Arizona next weekend.
OREGON STATE: The Beavers had an extra week to celebrate their upset win against formerly nationally ranked Wisconsin in week two, as Oregon State had a bye this weekend. The extra time should help the Beavers with the squad opening up Pac-12 play on the road against No. 19 UCLA this weekend.
STANFORD: Who says Stanford needed Andrew Luck? For the fourth consecutive season the Cardinal downed USC with a thrilling 21-14 victory at Stanford Stadium on Saturday night. The then No. 2 Trojans are the highest ranked team Stanford has beaten since also besting a No. 2 USC squad in 2007. Without Luck, Stanford relied heavily on its defense and the unit delivered. The Cardinal allowed only 91 yards of total offense in the second half and held USC to 26 yards rushing on 28 carries. It was the sixth straight game in which Stanford has held an opponent under 100 yards rushing. The Cardinal also collected four sacks and 10 total tackles for loss. Stanford also slowed USC's vaunted passing attack, intercepting Matt Barkley twice, while holding him to a completion percentage under 50 percent (20-of-21) and without a touchdown pass. The Cardinal are the first squad to accomplish that feat since 2010. Barkley's counterpart. Josh Nunes also struggled to complete passes consistently (15-for-32, 2 INTs), but did throw for a pair of scores. Nunes also had the help of a strong rushing attack led by Stepfan Taylor, who piled up 153 yards and a score on 27 carries. Stanford, which catapulted to ninth in the top-25, will have a chance to capture another Pac-12 win this week when the Cardinal travel to Seattle to take on Washington.
UCLA: For the first time since 2009 the UCLA Bruins are 3-0 to begin a season after downing Houston 37-6 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. The Bruins have won 23 of their last 28 non-conference games at the Rose Bowl and have scored 36 points or more in three straight games for the first time since 2005. Yet again it was Brett Hundley and Johnathan Franklin who powered the UCLA offensive attack, which amassed 567 total yards. Hundley completed 27-of-42 passes for 320 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Hundley is the first UCLA freshman to throw for 300 yards in consecutive games. With his 110-yard performance Franklin moved to second on the all-time rushing list at UCLA. Even UCLA's defense got in on the offensive effort with defensive end Datone Jones catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter. The defense did allow 388 yards in the game but collected five interceptions and held Houston to a 6-of-20 effort on third down to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard. In all, the Bruins played just one snap on defense in the red zone. Jones didn't just score a touchdown but also led the squad with 3.0 tackles for loss, while Eric Kendricks had a team-high 5.5 tackles and Sheldon Price snagged three interceptions. UCLA's conference opener is this weekend against another upstart team in Oregon State.
USC: After a long summer of hype, it didn't take long for USC to get knocked from its perch as the Trojans took a 21-14 loss in week three to Stanford. It was the fourth straight season the Trojans have fallen to the Cardinal. It wasn't just the Trojans' national title hopes that took a hit in the game but Matt Barkley's Heisman candidacy. The senior quarterback was pressured all game and was unable to get into a rhythm, completing only 20-of-41 passes for 254 yards and a pair of interceptions. Barkley was also held without a passing touchdown for the first time since 2010 in the loss. Marqise Lee had a strong game receiving with eight receptions for 100 yards, but the rest of the receiving corps struggled with only 12 receptions combined among four other pass-catchers. The Trojans' offensive struggles also stemmed from an ineffective run game that managed only 26 yards on 28 carries for a 0.9 yards- per-carry average. Silas Redd scored both Trojan touchdowns, but had only 17 total yards, while Curtis McNeal led the team with 37 yards on the ground. Barkley was yet again a reason for the drop-off in run production, losing 42 yards mainly on four sacks. USC was also held to a 1-for-13 conversion rate on third down. The loss dropped the formerly No. 1 Trojans to 13th in the top-25.
UTAH: In a week in which former starting quarterback Jordan Wynn decided to leave the team, the Utes rallied and downed instate rival and nationally ranked BYU, 24-21. It was the eighth time in the last 11 matchups that the Utes have beaten BYU and their first victory against a top-25 team since 2010. The team's win was fueled by a 17-point third quarter highlighted by a 47-yard fumble recovery by Moe Lee. That score would help make up for a 312-345 deficit in total yards by Utah, which managed only 49 yards on the ground in the game. Stepping in for Wynn as the starting quarterback was Jon Hays, who completed 19-of-27 passes for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The ground game was so severely limited partially because of the absence of start running back John White, who hurt his ankle last week against Utah State. In his place, Jarell Oliver (24 yards) and Lucky Radley (22) were the primary ball carriers. On defense the Utes collected a pair of turnovers, four sacks and eight tackles for a loss and were led by Reggie Topps and Tyron Edwards- Morris, who each had eight tackles. Pac-12 play begins next week for Utah with a trip to Tempe and a date against Arizona State.
WASHINGTON: A game against an FCS opponent was just what Washington needed after being routed by LSU last weekend and the Huskies took advantage with a 52-13 win over Portland State. The Huskies scored early and often, racking up 45 points at half time, tying the school record for most points in a half. For the third straight game the Huskies scored on their opening drive, with a 15- yard run by Bishop Sankey 1:27 into the game. Overall the Huskies racked up 429 total yards split fairly evenly between the run (209) and pass (220). Sankey was a big reason for the offensive dominance with 103 total yards and a pair of scores. Erich Wilson (75 yards) and Dezden Petty (62) also had good games on the ground. Quarterback Keith Price had a solid game with 181 yards and three passing touchdowns, while completing 14-of-19 pass attempts. The Huskies dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 38:38 while surrendering only 261 total yards to Portland State. The defense also stood tall on third down with Portland State only able to convert 3-of-14 attempts. Defensive back Shaq Thompson led the team with seven tackles, including two for loss in the game. Thompson wasn't the only member of the secondary to have a strong outing, with Marcus Peters and Justin Glenn each collecting interceptions. Washington will need to ride the momentum of this balanced effort next week when the Huskies host Stanford.
WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars seem to be beginning to find their way in new head coach Mike Leach's offensive system. After managing only 30 total points in its first two games, Washington State posted a 35-27 win on the road over UNLV over the weekend. The majority of the scoring for both teams came in the first half with the Cougars holding a 28-20 edge going into the locker room. The Cougars and Rebels were practically even in offense output in the game, with the Cougars holding a slim 461-460 edge in total yards. Connor Halliday got the start at quarterback in the game after Jeff Tuel was the starter in the team's first two outings. The redshirt sophomore completed 26-of-45 passes for 378 yards and four scores, but was intercepted twice. Marquess Wilson finally looked like the threat he was last season by catching five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Gabe Marks (six receptions, 126 yards, TD) also gave a solid effort in the passing game. Carl Winston rushed for 58 yards for the Cougars, who ran the ball only 21 times. Despite allowing so many yards to the Rebels, Washington State's defense was able to hold on for the win by collecting a pair of interceptions, while holding UNLV to a 5- of-14 conversion rate on third down. Next weekend the Cougars begin their Pac-12 schedule with a matchup at home against Colorado.