Pac-12 Week 4 Roundup
It was a big week in the Pac-12 with important games in both divisions. USC played for control of the South Division, UCLA found an opponent they could beat and the death march that Colorado and Arizona call September continued. Let’s go over the highlights in the Week 4 Pac-12 Roundup.
BIGGEST WIN: Washington played Cal for control of the #3 spot in their division (which probably doesn’t sound good, but that’s not bad sharing a division with Oregon and Stanford.). The Huskies won at home on a gritty goal line stand in the final seconds. Oregon kicked their offense into high gear in Arizona and evoked memories of 2010. But this week’s biggest win had to be ARIZONA STATE’s statement win over USC.
As has been mentioned here before, the Devils came into this season on a 1-13 streak against ranked opponents, and hadn’t beaten USC this century. I predicted that Brock Osweiller would lead a culture change at ASU and reverse those trends. Through four games the Sun Devils have proven me correct. ASU now has two wins over ranked opponents in its first four games, and broke it’s much ballyhooed losing streak against USC.
Both teams showed why they were predicted to finish at the top of the South division with great athletes all over the field, and in terms of total yardage, the game was very close. But Arizona State dominated where it mattered: on third downs and in the Red Zone. On third downs the Devils got USC’s offense off the field at will in the 1st half with the Trojans kicking to end every possession but a Barkley Intereception.
In the 2nd half, USC’s offensive line started winning the line of scrimmage and opening big holes for Mark Tyler. With a balanced attack, USC scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives and appeared to have taken control of the game. But after USC took the lead 22-21, Osweiler and company responded with an 8 play 76 yard touchdown drive that appeared to be the beginning of a 2nd half duel.
Actually, it was the end.
USC’s offense appeared to still have pleanty of momentum, but the Trojans turned the ball over on their NEXT FOUR POSSESSIONS, the first two following long
drives deep in ASU territory. ASU capitalized on the Trojans mistakes making the final score look lopsided, A glace through the stat sheet reveals the reason.
ASU scored TDs on 75% of its trips to the Red Zone. USC, did so only one third of the time, and turned the ball over twice inside the ASU 20.
ASU’s next big test is in two weeks when they can take total control over the South Division with a win over Utah in Salt Lake City. They’ve stepped up when it mattered against two tough opponents at home. Time will tell if they can do it on the road.
WORST LOSS: Hate to keep dwelling on the same game, but no loss will prove more costly this week than USC’s @ ASU. Cal’s loss in Seattle probably showed that the Bears aren’t ready for prime-time just yet, but USC’s loss will likely prove to be a back-breaker.
The South Division crown was the only thing USC had to play for this season and unless Utah’s offense gets a lot better, ASU just ripped that crown from USC’s hands. Teams on probation with no post-season frequently lose motivation when things begin to go wrong and pack it in emotionally.
Now that USC knows it couldn’t come through when it mattered on the road against Arizona State, the other big road games on the schedule will start to look like mountains to climb. @ Cal now looks like a challenge, @Notre Dame looks tough and @Oregon and v. Stanford look like huge mountains.
USC may well remain competitive this season, but it’s more likely the Trojans have lost their mental edge and they’re only two games into the conference season. Don’t be surprised if USC fans are starting to think about next year sooner than later.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: When you rush for over 200 yards against Missouri State, I can overlook it. When you rush for nearly 300 on the road at Arizona, everyone has to take notice. LAMICHAEL JAMES’ brilliance is somewhat overshadowed by Andrew Luck in the national media, but he’s the second best player in the Pac-12 and he reminded us why on Saturday.
The final score was 56-31, but in reality, it was nowhere near that close. The Ducks lead 35-9 at halftime and sort of fell asleep. Arizona made a 3rd quarter comeback that cut Oregon’s lead to nine points, but it was like watching a championship arm wrestler pause briefly to smile at an over-matched opponent before slamming his fist to the table. The Ducks answered with two more touchdowns in the next six minutes to put the game away.
James, who became Oregon’s all-time leading rusher earlier this season, also broke Oregon’s school record for most rushing touchdowns (42) on Saturday with scoring runs of 12 and 19 yards to give him 43 and counting.
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL: Thee Pac-12 teams have losing records, but for two of them, things may be about to change. 1-3 ARIZONA has played four games this season, but three of them have been against teams in the AP top 10 (Oregon, Stanford, Oklahoma State). The Cats have a difficult, but winnable game @USC this week, and their next two games are against winless Oregon State and a home game against a crumbling UCLA team. The bad news for the Cats is they are starting from behind in a difficult conference. The good news is, they won’t be significant underdogs again this season and if they push a mental reset button, could easily redeem their season.
COLORADO’s schedule hasn’t been as tough as Arizona’s but they did begin their season with a non-conference game v. Cal, a four-time zone road trip to Hawai’i, and a visit to Ohio State. Given that the Buffs were competitive against Cal (losing in OT), they should stand a good chance to win their first official conference game when the Washington State Cougars visit on Saturday. The Buffs were everyone’s pick to finish last in the South this season, but aside from games v. Oregon and Stanford, they should be competitive in the rest of their games.
In Corvallis, that light in the tunnel is a train coming at 80 miles per hour. The Beavers lost at home to flailing UCLA on Saturday and they may not have a better chance to get a win all season. They play Washington State on the road and don’t play Colorado. BYU isn’t looking too good and they visit Reeser Stadium on October 15. If the Beaves don’t win that one, they may be looking at an 0-12 season.