Roundup: Stanford delivers in the Coliseum
It’s always fun when Stanford and USC get together, and Saturday night was no different. The Cardinal upset then-No. 6 USC 41-31, a result that Chris Johnson of Sports Illustrated says shakes up the wild Pac-12 race.
Meanwhile, Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports believes that USC’s margin for error to make the College Football Playoff narrowed considerably after the loss to the Cardinal. Still plenty of season though, and three teams who made the College Football Playoff last year had one loss.
Well this could be big – Arizona hopes linebacker Scooby Wright could return Saturday against UCLA. College GameDay will be on hand for the top-20 battle between the Pac-12 South sides in Tucson.
The Bruins survived a major scare from then-No. 19 BYU, taking down the Cougars 24-23 at the Rose Bowl Saturday night, and Paul Myerberg of USA Today UCLA is a different football team this year, which is a good thing in his eyes.
Anthony Lepine of Sports Illustrated’s Campus Rush introduces you to Ralphie’s handlers. Also, Colorado linebacker Kenneth Olugbode was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for his 13 tackles and pick six that helped the Buffs beat rival Colorado State – on his 20th birthday, no less (keep making Bellarmine and San Jose proud, Kenneth).
An “extra motivated” Devontae Booker racked up 212 yards against Fresno State in Utah’s 45-24 win over the Bulldogs Saturday night. Dude had 156 rushing yards and 56 through the air against the school he thought he’d suit up for, but didn’t because he didn’t qualify academically. MONEY quote from Booker after the game when asked if he lived up to his expectations playing against Fresno State (courtesy of Matthew Piper of The Salt Lake Tribune) – “Oh, I think I met the requirements.” #zing
Crazy win for the Golden Bears Saturday, escaping Austin with a 45-44 win after the Texas kicker missed a game-tying extra point in the final 75 seconds. Jeff Faraudo details what we’ve learned about Cal football a quarter of the way through the season. After the game, former Texas quarterback Vince Young rocked a Cal football shirt with his name on it, making good on a bet he had with a former Cal player.
All of the attention has been heaped on Josh Rosen, but don’t forget about the freshman quarterback up on Montlake. Jake Browning has completed nearly two-thirds of his passes and has the fourth-best QB rating in the conference after leading the Dawgs to a 31-17 win over Utah State, and now Browning must go toe-to-toe with Cal’s Jared Goff, writes Adam Jude. Cal-Washington will be an intriguing one for sure.
Gina Mizell notes that all phases of the game helped the Beavers in their 35-21 win over San Jose State Saturday night thanks to an 88-yard drive, a recovery of a fumbled long snap and a pick six that led to 21 points over a four-minute span in the third quarter.
The Oregon defense has been leaky this year, recently surrendering 431 yards and 28 points to Georgia State, but Mark Helfrich says “a win” is what defines a good defense and, well, the Ducks did just that Saturday by blowing out the Sun Belt school 61-28.
Doug Haller grades Arizona State’s 34-10 win over New Mexico Friday night. Saturday night in Tempe should be intense with USC coming to town.
Despite entering the bye week on a two-game winning streak after upending Wyoming 31-14 Saturday, John Blanchette of The Spokesman-Review writes that it’s tough to get a gauge on how good Washington State will be this year.