Pac-12 Notes

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Pac-12 Notes – USC Week

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October 26th

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UCLA enters CU week on a two-game winning streak after defeating ASU, 42-32 

From ESPN … UCLA coach Chip Kelly has often said that when running back Joshua Kelley plays well, the Bruins have a shot of winning.

The senior running back had a career night Saturday, which is why the Bruins were able to beat a Top 25 team for the second time this season. Kelley scored a career-high four touchdowns and rushed for 164 yards in UCLA’s 42-32 victory over 24th-ranked Arizona State.

Kelley has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the past four games. He is the first Pac-12 player and fourth nationally this season to have four rushing touchdowns in a game.

“We needed a win here for sure. That was extra incentive for us,” said Kelley of the Bruins first home victory. “Us getting back-to-back wins is big for our young core.”

Kelly is also the first Bruin with four ground TDs since Myles Jack against Washington in 2013. He helped fuel a UCLA ground game that had 217 yards, marking the first time since 2014 it has had four straight 200-yard games.

“I think when everyone in the stadium knows you are going to run it and you are still able to do it, that’s a credit to the whole group,” Kelly said.

The Bruins (3-5, 3-2) scored on five of their first six drives, including four consecutive possessions from late in the first quarter to midway in the third to roar out to a 35-7 lead after it was tied at 7.

… Continue reading story here …

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Stanford (which has a bye before playing CU) takes down Arizona, 41-31

From ESPN … The final test for K.J. Costello came in the pregame warmups. If he could show he could hold and throw the football, he was a go.

Being forced to stand on the sidelines for the past three weeks took its toll on the senior quarterback, who returned to Stanford’s starting lineup and led the Cardinal to a 41-31 victory over visiting Arizona on Saturday.

“It doesn’t feel good. It’s awful,” Costello said of being sidelined. “Not playing a few weeks I have to challenge myself in terms of energy.”

An energized Costello threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns after missing three games with a thumb injury. He was 30 of 43 passing with no interceptions. Back-up Davis Mills, out with a calf injury, was unavailable.

“I feel a whole lot different playing than not playing. It’s everything,” Costello said. “When our offense plays the way we know we can, when we’re able to run the ball, you can see the full complexion of the offense and what we want to do.”

Showing no signs of discomfort, Costello rifled passes to 12 different receivers, including a pair of touchdown passes to Simi Fehoko and one to Brycen Tremayne, whose only two career receptions have both gone for touchdowns.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 25th – GameDay!!

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Predictions: USC in a blowout

From CBS Sports … Colorado joined the Pac-12 all the way back in 2011, and while the program has enjoyed some success at times out west, there it one event that has yet to occur: beating USC. The Buffaloes are 0-8 against the Trojans since they became a member of the conference, and what’s more, they’ve never even earned a victory over USC … period (0-13). Colorado will be looking to rewrite history on Friday night in that regard when it hosts USC in Boulder to help kickoff the Week 9 festivities.

The Buffaloes have come close twice. They lost 27-24 in Boulder during the 2015 season, and the next year at The Coliseum, USC slipped by 21-17. The other 11 meetings haven’t been as exciting as USC has won those games by an average of 23.1 points per game. Here’s hoping Friday night’s game will be a little more competitive than those contests.

… Weird things tend to happen in Friday night Pac-12 games, which makes Colorado an appealing pick here. The problem is Colorado’s defense has been abysmal in 2019. It’s allowing 34.9 points per game and ranked 119th nationally in defensive pass efficiency. That’s problematic against a USC team that’s running an Air Raid offense now. I’m not super confident in the pick, but I don’t see how you can comfortably take any side but USC’s in this spot. Pick: USC (-13.5)

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From Athlon Sports … Since joining the Pac-12, Colorado has yet to beat the Trojans. Most of their losses come by an average of 20 points, and they give up an average of 39 points to the Trojans. Only two of their games have been within five points since 2010. Hell, even a 5-7 Trojan team beat them by 11 last year. It’s been tough sledding for Colorado against USC, and this year isn’t likely to end much differently. The Buffs are currently sitting at No. 124 in the nation in total defense. Expect USC to come away with another big victory.

Prediction: USC 48, Colorado 22

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From SportsPac-12 …

What the Trojans Must Do to Win

The Trojans have weathered a parade of injuries, transitioning through three quarterbacks to find poised freshman Kedon Slovis. Now USC has gone through several running backs as well, including Markese Stepp, discovering yet another star in true freshman speedster Kenan Christon. Replacement linebacker Kana’i Mauga has also stepped up, recording a game-high 13 tackles last week against Arizona. USC will need another stellar performance from Mauga and others with safety Talanoa Hufanga and defensive end Drake Jackson out. The good news is the Trojans face a comparably banged-up Buffs team, which can’t begin to match USC’s depth. Given Colorado’s recent struggles, the Trojans mostly just need to not beat themselves. The primary culprits have been penalties and turnovers: USC committed 100 yards worth of infractions against the Wildcats, and rank last in the Conference in turnover margin at -5. With Oregon visiting the Coliseum in two weeks, the Trojans must stay focused on the job at hand in what could be a potential trap game.

What the Buffaloes Must Do to Win

The Buffs have lost so many players to injuries—and the transfer portal—that the distinction between “starter” and “backup” has been rendered meaningless. The player Colorado most expected to count on this season, quarterback Steven Montez, has floundered, throwing six interceptions with only two touchdown passes over the past two weeks. The fifth-year senior needs to shake off the nightmares of the Oregon and WSU games and play loose. His offensive line has been a bright spot, as has the play of running back Alex Fontenot, who has rushed for 568 yards. Colorado’s defense, which has given up 40 points in two straight games, must hold USC under its 30.7 per game average. The inconsistent Buffalo secondary needs to slow USC’s deep receiving group, led by Michael Pittman Jr. That may sound like Mission Impossible, with Colorado’s defense ranking 116th nationally in points allowed at 34.9, but upsets happen. CU’s best hope may be to create turnovers, an area in which the Trojans have proven susceptible.

What Happens on the Field

With both teams hit hard by injuries, USC’s superior depth and talent will tilt the game in Troy’s favor. Slovis will connect with his talented receivers virtually at will, exploiting Colorado’s secondary with long passing strikes. Christon will bust through for a couple of scores or more, and the Trojans will take an early lead, never looking back. Montez will have a better day passing for the Buffs, with wideout Tony Brown due for a big game. But neither their connection nor Fontenot’s continued success will keep pace with an onslaught of USC scores. The Trojans win big, handing Colorado its third-straight blowout loss.

Notes: USC leads the series 13-0, dating back to 1927. USC’s 13-game run is their current longest streak against a Pac-12 foe. At 8,625 career passing yards, Montez trails only Sefo Liufau, the all-time Colorado passing leader, with 9,746. USC held Arizona to 385 total yards after the Cats had been averaging 509.3 per game, ninth-best in the country. Alex Fontenot recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game last week. Christon scored his first career touchdown en route to his first career 100-yard game. CU’s Jack Shutack made his first career start, and is the first player to start as a walk-on since Ryan Moeller at Oregon in 2014. CB Dorian Hewett became the sixth true freshman to start a game for USC.

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USC freshman QB Kedon Slovis “overthinking”

From Sports Illustrated … Kedon Slovis had an off night versus Arizona. It was perhaps his toughest game, in terms of executing the offense. He uncharacteristically missed some easy throws, he was sacked a couple times when he could have scrambled, and he didn’t see the field like he typically does. And yet he still completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns without an INT. A great line for most QBs. But for Slovis, it was a game in which he and his coaches say there was a lot to learn from.

“More than anything, I think Kedon was overthinking,” offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said. “That’s something we fought with JT in the spring, not fought with but had to work with him quite a bit, he was overanalyzing everything. That’s what I tell him all the time. That’s what I tell all of them. It’s natural. Anytime you’ve been in the offense, Coach (Mike) Leach used to get on me about the same sort of deal. You try to do too much. You go, I can do this and this and that. Usually what we got called is going to work alright, and if you just see something you can attack, you go attack it.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 24th

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CSU indefinitely suspends MWC leading rusher

From the Coloradoan … Leading rusher Marvin Kinsey has been “suspended indefinitely” from Colorado State’s football team, coach Mike Bobo said Tuesday.

Bobo declined to share any additional information about the disciplinary measure.

Kinsey, a senior from Atlanta, was averaging a Mountain West-best 100.4 rushing yards a game for the Rams (2-5, 1-2 MW), which ranks No. 22 nationally among players at the FBS level. He has run for 703 yards and six touchdowns on 121 carries this season and for 1,629 yards and 17 touchdowns in his CSU career.

“He’s a great player; he’s one of the leading rushers in the country,” quarterback Patrick O’Brien said. “It’s going to be hard to replace him, but I think we have guys that can get the job done, and I think we’ve got a good mix of them.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 23rd

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HBO Special featuring Washington State’s preparation for CU to air tonight

From 247 Sports … Mike Leach is expected to be the main focus Wednesday when HBO Sports broadcasts its “24/7 College Football: Washington State Cougars” documentary. But WSU recruiting may end up being the star of the show. The one-hour episode will be shown tonight on the pay channel.

HBO cameras spent last week at WSU as it prepared for and then drilled Colorado 41-10 on Saturday.  HBO was also in Pullman filming during fall camp.

HBO’s “24/7” show is designed to give fans a look at what takes place on the other days of the week in addition to Saturdays. Tonight’s episode, based on the other three schools previously chronicled, will present WSU’s game week prep for CU, day by day.

It will undoubtedly provide Washington State a valuable recruiting tool to employ.

After the Arizona State episode on HBO was aired, Arizona Republic writer Bill Goodykoontz said the show may be the “ultimate recruiting tool” for the Sun Devils:

• “It’s so overwhelmingly positive as to be almost Pollyanna-ish in its portrayal of the student athlete preparing for battle. The production values are impeccable. The athletic facilities are amazing. Liev Schreiber narrates in dramatic fashion, because if you hire Liev Schreiber that’s what you’re paying him for. If this was all you knew of ASU you might think it was Harvard with a team that never lost a game. It may be the ultimate recruiting tool,” the article reads.

Wazzu is the last of four teams HBO is profiling in its first year of an all-access documentary college football series. HBO has previously aired its shows on Florida, Penn State and ASU.

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October 22nd

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USC star running back Markese Stepp out for CU game

From ESPN … Southern California running back Markese Stepp needs surgery and could miss up to five weeks due to an ankle injury suffered last weekend against Arizona.

Trojans coach Clay Helton said Monday that Stepp will need surgery to repair a torn ligament and is out at least three weeks.

Stepp, a redshirt freshman from Indianapolis, has rushed for 307 yards and three touchdowns in six games this season.

The 6-foot, 235-pound Stepp provided a physical presence to complement the spread passing component of the Air Raid offense in the previous three games before he was hurt Saturday in the third quarter of USC’s 41-14 win over the Wildcats.

Stepp’s injury is the latest blow to USC’s depth at running back. Redshirt junior Vavae Malepeai, who leads the team with 406 yards rushing and four touchdowns, remains out after undergoing knee surgery last week. Junior Stephen Carr did not practice Monday after sustaining a hamstring strain against the Wildcats.

Helton did not know if Carr, who has 266 yards rushing and two touchdowns, would be available to play Friday at Colorado.

“I’ve never lost three backs in one week in 25 years before, but, you know what, there’s a first time for everything,” Helton said.

Those injuries leave freshman Kenan Christon in line to start against the Buffaloes. Christon, the 2019 California high school 100-meter champion, had touchdowns runs of 55 and 30 yards against Arizona and finished with 103 yards rushing on eight carries.

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Pac-12 coaches’ salaries – Mel Tucker 9th in the Pac-12 (58th overall)

From USA Today …

The Pac-12 … (note: Stanford and USC are private universities – buyouts not disclosed):

• 20. Washington – Chris Petersen: $4,625,000  … Buyout: $21,770,833
• 21. Stanford – David Shaw: $4,613,707
• 27. Utah – Kyle Whittingham: $4,002,917 … Buyout: $12,250,000
• 33. Washington State – Mike Leach: $3,750,000 … Buyout: 4,900,000
• 38. UCLA – Chip Kelly: $3,500,000 … Buyout: $9,000,000 (pretty steep, for those thinking Kelly is on the hot seat)
• 43. USC – Clay Helton: $3,218,935
• 50. California – Justin Wilcox: $2,854,000 … Buyout: 13,608,334
• 56. Oregon – Mario Cristobal: $2,525,000 … Buyout: $7,035,000
• 58. Colorado – Mel Tucker: $2,400,00 … Buyout: $9,800,000
• 59. Arizona State – Herm Edwards: $2,380,000 … Buyout: $6,937,500
• 68. Arizona – Kevin Sumlin: $2,000,000 … Buyout: $10,000,000
• 69. Oregon State – Jonathan Smith: $1,900,008 … Buyout: $3,087,513

… and … in case you were wondering … 

• 72. Colorado State – Mike Bobo: $1,800,000 … Buyout: $5,500,000 (might be tough to come up with, when you are averaging 26,228 – through the first three games of 2019 – in your 41,000 capacity stadium)

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October 21st

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CU safety Aaron Maddox enters transfer portal

… According to twitter reports, senior transfer tight end Darrion Jones has also entered the transfer portal … 

From 247 Sports … Colorado junior safety Aaron Maddox on Monday entered the transfer portal, a source told 247Sports.

Maddox started Colorado’s first three games this season, but he’s only played in one game thus far in Pac-12 play (Oregon) after sustaining a leg injury in Week 3. Maddox did not travel with the Buffaloes on Saturday for their 41-10 loss to Washington State.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound former JUCO transfer has recorded 22 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pair of forced fumbles this season. Maddox ranks seventh on Colorado in total tackles despite playing significant reps in just three games.

Maddox would be eligible for a redshirt if he didn’t play another game for Colorado this season.

The No. 4 overall safety in the 2018 JUCO class played in all 12 games for the Buffaloes last year, recording 15 tackles and appearing in seven contests on defense. Maddox emerged as a starter this fall despite missing spring football for the second year in a row with an injury.

Maddox injured his leg on the second-to-last play of the third quarter in Colorado’s game against Air Force. Running a Falcon out of bounds, Maddox fell and crashed into a misting machine on the Air Force sideline. The collision caused a severe laceration to Maddox’s lower left leg, an injury that cost him the Buffaloes’ games with Arizona State and Arizona.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 20th

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Oregon and Utah move up in rankings; Washington drops out

From CBS Sports … It’s amazing how quickly things can change in college football. A turnover or injury can drastically change the course of an entire season. More than a few teams know about that after an eventful Week 8. What should we make of Alabama without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa? What about Wisconsin now that the Badgers were exposed in a stunning upset by Illinois? And is Texas really one of the Big 12’s two best teams?

Weeks like these always lead to overreactions, and that’s OK. We are creatures of the moment. Overreactions are just as much a part of the game as touchdowns. So with Saturday’s action mostly in the books, let’s look at the biggest overreactions from the action and how absurd — or completely warranted — they might be.

… USC is, oddly, quietly, the most interesting team: I’m not sure the Trojans’ 41-14 thrashing of Arizona tells us a whole lot about this team that we didn’t already know. And what we know is that, for as frustrating as USC is sometimes, it’s also a fun team to watch when it’s playing at a high level. This remains a supremely athletic team that, at 4-3, still controls its Pac-12 South destiny. Other than a Nov. 2 game vs. Oregon, the Trojans will probably be favored in their remaining games if they rattle off some wins. Does that mean they will win all of those games? Based on this team’s track record, not necessarily, but it creates an interesting possibility, especially with Clay Helton’s job on the line.

Cal quarterback Chase Garbers must have been the Pac-12 MVP: OK, so it’s definitely going to be someone else, but Cal has unquestionably suffered with Garbers out over the past few weeks. Since Garbers sustained an apparent shoulder/collarbone injury, the Bears are 0-3, including a 21-17 loss to Oregon State on Saturday, and have averaged less than 14 points per game. Will Cal win another game this season? Maybe, but this team went from Pac-12 North contender to fringe bowl team with a quickness without Garbers.

Associated Press poll … 

Others receiving votes: Memphis 87, Virginia 29, San Diego State 17, Pittsburgh 17, Washington 15, Navy 9, Texas A&M 6, Missouri 4, UCF 3, USC 3, Louisiana Tech 2, Tulane 1.

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Stanford football “an average program at best, and we’re trending toward rock bottom”

From SBNation … I’m an optimist. Don’t be believe me? Before the season began, I was fantasizing about a National Championship. I also said that with the talent we have, 7-5 would be a terrible year. Now I’m starting to believe that the only way we make it to 7-5 is if every team on Stanford’s remaining schedule fails to show up. Yes, Stanford has gone 2-1 in its last three games with an upset over #15 Washington. But I’m feeling even worse about the team now than I did after our loss to Oregon.

The football program is in shambles. Before the season, I worried that a bad season would signal the end of Stanford’s reign over college football. Now I know the reign is over. Stanford football is an average program at best, and we’re trending toward rock bottom.

During the off-season, Shannon Turley was mysteriously fired by Stanford—even after keeping our players healthy and hungry year after year. Without Turley, Stanford is becoming increasingly depleted, without the depth to replace our injured talent. Against UCLA, we had our third-string quarterback and six total offensive linemen available. Some might excuse this as a “down year,” but if we remained consistently healthy for the past decade—and suddenly aren’t now—maybe we should find somebody who can keep the team healthy?

The worst part, though, is the part I never saw coming. I never thought David Shaw would be part of Stanford football’s downfall. I once was worried that Stanford’s downfall would come after Shaw left for the NFL—leaving us to look back on how we lost the best football coach in Stanford history. Never in a million years did I imagine that Shaw would be at the helm as things fell apart.

… Bill Connelly commented in his preseason analysis that ever since Shaw took over from Harbaugh, Stanford “acted like a house settling into its foundation — on average, it sinks slightly each year.” But Stanford football is now sinking faster than we ever could’ve imagined—it’s as though Shaw built his foundation on top of quicksand. And the excuses are running out quickly. Maybe it’s a bad season—maybe we’ve had bad luck with recent recruits—maybe it was just a bad game against UCLA. But all of these excuses ignore the trends that were forming around this coaching staff for quite some time. The Stanford Empire has come to an end. And unless the coaching staff takes a hard look at itself, it’s not coming back.

… Read full story here …

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Arizona State head coach “embarrassed” by 21-3 loss to Utah

From SunDevilSource.com … After No. 17 Arizona State was dominated 21-3 by No. 13 Utah, head coach Herm Edwards expressed his disappointment with his how the Sun Devils played on Saturday night.

Opening statement:

“I was embarrassed with our football team when it came to the fouls. We lost our composure and I don’t believe in doing that kind of stuff. It just mars the football game. I’ve never been involved in a game where a team got 12 fouls. For some reason, we just lost our composure. I don’t know. I can figure that out, why, but I don’t know. That’s not the way we play and I apologized to [Utah] for that. With that being said I think we have to give these guys a lot of credit. They put a lot of pressure on our quarterback. They found ways to get to him and he was under duress most of the day.

(Junior running back) Eno (Benjamin) ran well at times. Defensively we kind of held in there for a while. I think a missed field got some air out of us. It would have helped us get to one score and then they hit a big run on us and that was about it for us. We were pretty much done. It was going to be pretty difficult to come back 18 points to a defense like this on the road so you’ve got to give these guys a lot of credit. I told the football team, ‘We’re going to find a lot about ourselves right now. We got the rest of the season left and we’ve got to find a way to regroup and go down to Los Angeles and play a football team that won this Thursday I believe it was. They won a game and they’ll be ready for us as well so I think second half of the season will tell a lot about us and where we’re at. They hit us in the mouth and they beat us up and credit to them.”

… Continue reading story here …

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This post, about the USC game, from the 2019 Season, is filed under Article.
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