UCLA and USC are uncomfortably intertwined more than just about any other college football rivalry. They share a city, not just a state. Many of the players know each other, having played together or against each other during their high school careers in Southern California. Many of them cross paths on a regular basis around town.
More often than not, they exchange a fist bump and leave the posturing stares to overzealous fans. And they do chat. So, yes, it's likely that during the four days since USC fired Lane Kiffin, the topic has come up and there's been a degree of Bruins curiosity.
Or not.
While UCLA second-year coach Jim Mora has repeatedly expressed sympathy for Kiffin's plight, he also denies that his players give a flip about the goings-on across town.
"We don't worry about that stuff," Mora said. "We don't talk about it. We don't think about it. It's not in our orbit. That's another team. We worry about our team. Our players worry about our team. They couldn't care less what's going on over there. It doesn't matter to us. It's not going to affect us. We don't play them until late November. It doesn't matter to us. It's a non-factor."
Mora has a point, too. Any focus on USC distracts from the present purpose: His team pays a visit to Utah on Thursday as the No. 12 Bruins open their Pac-12 schedule with a South Division showdown.
It's an interesting matchup with more than a few notable connections.
Start with UCLA’s win in last year’s meeting, with the Bruins bouncing back from a blowout loss to woeful California the week before. At the time, Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley, a redshirt freshman, was beginning to establish himself as a budding star. In the opposite huddle, true freshman quarterback Travis Wilson was making his first career start. Wilson would throw for more yards than Hundley -- 220 vs. 183 -- but was far less efficient. And Hundley just killed the Utes defense with his running, accounting for 68 yards on 15 carries.
Hundley's offensive coordinator is Noel Mazzone, who was hired by Mora because of the work he did with Brock Osweiler running an up-tempo, pass-happy spread offense at Arizona State.
This offseason, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham decided he wanted to adopt an up-tempo, pass-happy spread offense. So he hired Mazzone's former boss at Arizona State, Dennis Erickson, who is one of the fathers of the up-tempo, pass-happy spread offense.
Erickson has done wonders with the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Wilson, whom Mora this week compared to the 6-foot-8, 240-pound Osweiler, who is now with the Denver Broncos.
UCLA's offense, very good last year, is putting up ridiculous numbers this season with Hundley in his second year as a starter. It ranks second in the nation in total offense (614 yards per game) and third in scoring (52.7 points per game). Balance? The Bruins are 13th in the nation in rushing (284.3 ypg) and 12th in passing (330 ypg). Efficiency? UCLA leads the nation with an eye-popping 68 percent conversion rate on third down.
Said Whittingham: "They are doing everything right on offense."
Yet perhaps no offense in the nation is as improved as Utah's. Last year, the Utes averaged 324 yards and 26.7 points per game. This year, they are averaging 505 yards and 42 points per game. Utah passed for a conference-worst 190.7 yards per game in 2012. This year it's 286 yards per game. The Utes had 16 touchdown passes all of last season. They have nine through four games this fall.
"Dennis has his handprints all over that," Mora said.
Obviously, the linchpin has been Wilson, whom Whittingham admits has thus far exceeded expectations. Wilson simply is a different player than he was as a true freshman trying to negotiate a Pac-12 schedule.
"I think there are quite a few differences," Whittingham said. "No. 1, his confidence level, his poise level, his command of the offense. He's playing very confidently right now. He's really progressed and matured a lot faster than any of us thought he would. His numbers and Hundley's numbers are almost the exact same."
That is, perhaps surprisingly, true. Wilson is third in the Pac-12 and 15th in the nation in passing efficiency, while Hundley is fourth and 16th. Hundley ranks 11th in ESPN's Total QBR while Wilson is 16th. Hundley is averaging 282.7 yards passing per game with eight TDs and three interceptions, while Wilson is averaging 279.5 yards per game with nine TDs and three picks.
Wilson has rushed for 257 yards. Hundley 157.
"That will be an intriguing matchup, to see how the quarterbacks match up against each other," said Whittingham, making an accurate statement that no one would have said in August.
When you add up all these sparkling numbers, you figure this game won't end up 21-14, with the teams combining for less than 700 yards of offense.
Of course, the defenses will have their say, too. The Bruins have a clear advantage there, yielding 18 points per game compared to 24.2 for the Utes, but it's difficult to truly measure things based on the nonconference schedule.
As always, turnovers will be a key, something that typically starts with quarterback play. But also pay attention to third down. As previously noted, the Bruins are great at converting them on offense, but they also are pretty salty thwarting them on defense (26.7 percent). The Utes convert just 35 percent of their third downs and are at 36.6 percent on third-down defense.
For UCLA, this is the first step toward winning the South Division. Utah, on the other hand, is trying to gain traction in year three in the conference. The previous two years, the Utes started Pac-12 play at a dismal 0-4. Beating the Bruins not only would prevent them from heading toward that early-opher direction again, it would make a strong statement.
As in: The Utes now have a Pac-12 QB, so now they are ready to advance in the conference pecking order.
More often than not, they exchange a fist bump and leave the posturing stares to overzealous fans. And they do chat. So, yes, it's likely that during the four days since USC fired Lane Kiffin, the topic has come up and there's been a degree of Bruins curiosity.
[+] Enlarge
Bruce Thorson/USA TODAY SportsBrett Hundley has accounted for 10 touchdowns this season for UCLA.
While UCLA second-year coach Jim Mora has repeatedly expressed sympathy for Kiffin's plight, he also denies that his players give a flip about the goings-on across town.
"We don't worry about that stuff," Mora said. "We don't talk about it. We don't think about it. It's not in our orbit. That's another team. We worry about our team. Our players worry about our team. They couldn't care less what's going on over there. It doesn't matter to us. It's not going to affect us. We don't play them until late November. It doesn't matter to us. It's a non-factor."
Mora has a point, too. Any focus on USC distracts from the present purpose: His team pays a visit to Utah on Thursday as the No. 12 Bruins open their Pac-12 schedule with a South Division showdown.
It's an interesting matchup with more than a few notable connections.
Start with UCLA’s win in last year’s meeting, with the Bruins bouncing back from a blowout loss to woeful California the week before. At the time, Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley, a redshirt freshman, was beginning to establish himself as a budding star. In the opposite huddle, true freshman quarterback Travis Wilson was making his first career start. Wilson would throw for more yards than Hundley -- 220 vs. 183 -- but was far less efficient. And Hundley just killed the Utes defense with his running, accounting for 68 yards on 15 carries.
Hundley's offensive coordinator is Noel Mazzone, who was hired by Mora because of the work he did with Brock Osweiler running an up-tempo, pass-happy spread offense at Arizona State.
This offseason, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham decided he wanted to adopt an up-tempo, pass-happy spread offense. So he hired Mazzone's former boss at Arizona State, Dennis Erickson, who is one of the fathers of the up-tempo, pass-happy spread offense.
Erickson has done wonders with the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Wilson, whom Mora this week compared to the 6-foot-8, 240-pound Osweiler, who is now with the Denver Broncos.
UCLA's offense, very good last year, is putting up ridiculous numbers this season with Hundley in his second year as a starter. It ranks second in the nation in total offense (614 yards per game) and third in scoring (52.7 points per game). Balance? The Bruins are 13th in the nation in rushing (284.3 ypg) and 12th in passing (330 ypg). Efficiency? UCLA leads the nation with an eye-popping 68 percent conversion rate on third down.
Said Whittingham: "They are doing everything right on offense."
Yet perhaps no offense in the nation is as improved as Utah's. Last year, the Utes averaged 324 yards and 26.7 points per game. This year, they are averaging 505 yards and 42 points per game. Utah passed for a conference-worst 190.7 yards per game in 2012. This year it's 286 yards per game. The Utes had 16 touchdown passes all of last season. They have nine through four games this fall.
"Dennis has his handprints all over that," Mora said.
Obviously, the linchpin has been Wilson, whom Whittingham admits has thus far exceeded expectations. Wilson simply is a different player than he was as a true freshman trying to negotiate a Pac-12 schedule.
"I think there are quite a few differences," Whittingham said. "No. 1, his confidence level, his poise level, his command of the offense. He's playing very confidently right now. He's really progressed and matured a lot faster than any of us thought he would. His numbers and Hundley's numbers are almost the exact same."
[+] Enlarge
Chris Nicoll/USA TODAY SportsUtah QB Travis Wilson has seen improvement this season working with Dennis Erickson.
Wilson has rushed for 257 yards. Hundley 157.
"That will be an intriguing matchup, to see how the quarterbacks match up against each other," said Whittingham, making an accurate statement that no one would have said in August.
When you add up all these sparkling numbers, you figure this game won't end up 21-14, with the teams combining for less than 700 yards of offense.
Of course, the defenses will have their say, too. The Bruins have a clear advantage there, yielding 18 points per game compared to 24.2 for the Utes, but it's difficult to truly measure things based on the nonconference schedule.
As always, turnovers will be a key, something that typically starts with quarterback play. But also pay attention to third down. As previously noted, the Bruins are great at converting them on offense, but they also are pretty salty thwarting them on defense (26.7 percent). The Utes convert just 35 percent of their third downs and are at 36.6 percent on third-down defense.
For UCLA, this is the first step toward winning the South Division. Utah, on the other hand, is trying to gain traction in year three in the conference. The previous two years, the Utes started Pac-12 play at a dismal 0-4. Beating the Bruins not only would prevent them from heading toward that early-opher direction again, it would make a strong statement.
As in: The Utes now have a Pac-12 QB, so now they are ready to advance in the conference pecking order.
I go to parties sometimes until four
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody's so different I haven't changed.
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody's so different I haven't changed.
- Arizona expects to get a reenergized USC team next week.
- It's been a long road back for Arizona State RB Deantre Lewis.
- California has an "OR" between QBs Jared Goff and Zach Kline on its depth chart, though Goff is expected to start against Washington State.
- Colorado remains upbeat and is focused on Oregon.
- Oregon isn't worried about the altitude at Colorado.
- Oregon State coach Mike Riley reiterated that he's not interested in the USC job.
- Stanford isn't thinking revenge against Washington.
- UCLA WR Shaq Evans is mellow until he gets on the field.
- Interim coach Ed Orgeron and USC are fired up for a fresh start.
- Utah QB Travis Wilson pays tribute to his buddy, former UCLA player Nick Pasquale.
- K/P Travis Coons is making a big contribution to Washington.
- Notes & quotes from Washington State's practice.
Travis Haney looks at teams with plenty of room left to improve in October and November.
ON DEC. 31, 2011, I spoke to Jim Mora at the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and then watched UCLA lose to Illinois 20-14. The Bruins looked pitiful offensively, gaining 219 total yards, 18 on the ground. Mora was only a spectator, having been hired just three weeks earlier to resurrect a program nearing rock bottom.
That day at AT&T Park in San Francisco, the former coach of the Falcons and Seahawks made his priorities clear: Turn the Bruins into a tougher team, mentally and physically, and find an offensive coordinator to build an up-tempo system that can compete in the high-scoring Pac-12. And while he didn't specifically say "beat SC," I've been around the conference long enough to know that it was understood.
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Pac-12 reporter Kevin Gemmell takes a look at some of the storylines in the conference this week.
I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers.
- Rich Rodriguez says B.J. Denker is Arizona's best quarterback option.
- Taylor Kelly and Jaelen Strong are building chemistry.
- A California notebook including Sonny Dykes' thoughts on the dismissal of Chris McCain.
- The Buffs are excited for their opportunity against Oregon.
- Mark Helfrich weighs in on Lane Kiffin, plus other Oregon notes.
- Oregon State's offensive line is starting to get healthy.
- The Cardinal look like Stanford circa 2011.
- UCLA's offensive coordinator is quite familiar with Utah's offensive coordinator.
- Some potential candidates for the USC job.
- Utah-UCLA will put two of the league's rising quarterback stars on center stage.
- Steve Sarkisian says USC's opening won't be a distraction.
- The Cougars are moving on following their loss to Stanford.
- Athlon offers up some Pac-12 stats for your consideration.
Some Pac-12 numbers for your review.
Number to the left is national rank.
Scoring offense
2. Oregon, 59.8 points per game
3. UCLA, 52.7
11. Arizona State, 44.3
19. Utah, 42.0
20. Oregon State, 41.6
T21. Stanford, 41.3
Total offense
2. UCLA, 614.3 yards per game
3. Oregon, 599.3
5. Washington, 574.0
15. Arizona State, 505.0
16. Utah, 504
19. California, 498.3
Note: Ten Pac-12 offenses average more than 400 yards per game. But Cal shows how yards aren't the end-all. It ranks 10th in the conference in scoring with 29.2 points per game. It would seem we'll see a lot of offense Thursday night when UCLA visits Utah. But you know what should raise the most eyebrows? Stanford averaging 41.3 points per game. The Cardinal averaged 27.9 ppg last year and won the Pac-12.
Rushing offense
1. Oregon, 332.5 yards per game
9. Arizona, 291.5
11. Washington, 288.8
13. UCLA, 284.3
Passing offense
2. Oregon State, 420.6
4. California, 373.0
7. Arizona State, 358.8
12. UCLA, 330.0
14. Washington State, 327.4
25. Colorado, 295.7
Note: On the downside -- Of this group, only UCLA is running the ball well, too. The other five are the bottom five in the conference in rushing, though at No. 8, Arizona State is respectable with 146.2 yards rushing per game.
Scoring defense
T4. Oregon, Washington, 10.8 points per game
12. Arizona, 14.3
29. UCLA, 18.0
Total defense
13. Washington, 288.0
19. USC, 306.8
23. Oregon, 320.5
25. Washington State, 323.8
Yards yielded per play (FBS foes only)
3. Washington, 3.80 yards per play
T4. Oregon, 3.82
18. UCLA, 4.42
19. Arizona, 4.47
23. Stanford, 4.64
29. USC, 4.81
31. Washington State, 4.83
Pass efficiency defense
2. Washington
9. Oregon
13. Arizona
22. USC
Note: What's becoming increasingly clear is Washington's Justin Wilcox is not just a good defensive coordinator, he ranks among the nation's best. He has transformed the Huskies. Of course, the Huskies face Stanford, Oregon and Arizona State over the next three weeks. That will be three HUGE tests for Wilcox and his defense.
Rushing
1. Bishop Sankey, Washington, 151.8
3. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona, 143.7
5. Jordan James, UCLA, 141.3
17. Tre Madden, USC, 116.6
Note: Three of the nation's top five rushers in the Pac-12? Pretty impressive. It will be interesting to see if James and Madden remain among the nation's top rushers. If the Bruins and James continue to run well, Noel Mazzone's offense will be tough to stop. If the Trojans run the ball as effectively as they did at Arizona State, the passing game with Cody Kessler might get some room to breathe.
Pass efficiency
11. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
12. Keith Price, Washington
15. Travis Wilson, Utah
16. Brett Hundley, UCLA
17. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
21. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Note: Again, Hogan atop this list should worry all Pac-12 teams. Mannion's 21 TD passes is four more than anyone else in the country, and his second interception of the season, thrown against Colorado, bounced off his receiver's chest. It's not unreasonable to say that if the Beavers hadn't lost to Eastern Washington in the opener, Mannion would be getting a raised eyebrow or two as a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Receiving yards per game
1. Paul Richardson, Colorado, 162.3
2. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State, 161.4
14. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State, 108.3
22. Dres Anderson, Utah, 101.0
Note: Strong is looking every bit like the budding star coach Todd Graham predicted he'd be. Cooks decisively won the battle with Richardson last weekend. If you're looking for a WR to replace USC's Marqise Lee in the Biletnikoff discussion, Cooks is your guy. He's not only stepped out of Markus Wheaton's shadow, he's starting to look like he's better than Wheaton.
Random notes: Stanford and Arizona are tied for second in the nation in tackles for a loss allowed, surrendering just 3.25 per game. Oregon is tied for eighth at 3.75. ... The much-maligned Oregon State defense is 15th in the nation in third down percentage (0.286). The Beavers are also eighth in the nation with eight interceptions. ... UCLA is No. 1, Washington No. 3 and Stanford No. 7 in the nation in third-down conversion percentage on offense. ... Eight of the top 25 players in all-purpose yards come from the Pac-12.
Number to the left is national rank.
Scoring offense
2. Oregon, 59.8 points per game
3. UCLA, 52.7
11. Arizona State, 44.3
19. Utah, 42.0
20. Oregon State, 41.6
T21. Stanford, 41.3
Total offense
2. UCLA, 614.3 yards per game
3. Oregon, 599.3
5. Washington, 574.0
15. Arizona State, 505.0
16. Utah, 504
19. California, 498.3
Note: Ten Pac-12 offenses average more than 400 yards per game. But Cal shows how yards aren't the end-all. It ranks 10th in the conference in scoring with 29.2 points per game. It would seem we'll see a lot of offense Thursday night when UCLA visits Utah. But you know what should raise the most eyebrows? Stanford averaging 41.3 points per game. The Cardinal averaged 27.9 ppg last year and won the Pac-12.
Rushing offense
1. Oregon, 332.5 yards per game
9. Arizona, 291.5
11. Washington, 288.8
13. UCLA, 284.3
Passing offense
2. Oregon State, 420.6
4. California, 373.0
7. Arizona State, 358.8
12. UCLA, 330.0
14. Washington State, 327.4
25. Colorado, 295.7
Note: On the downside -- Of this group, only UCLA is running the ball well, too. The other five are the bottom five in the conference in rushing, though at No. 8, Arizona State is respectable with 146.2 yards rushing per game.
Scoring defense
T4. Oregon, Washington, 10.8 points per game
12. Arizona, 14.3
29. UCLA, 18.0
Total defense
13. Washington, 288.0
19. USC, 306.8
23. Oregon, 320.5
25. Washington State, 323.8
Yards yielded per play (FBS foes only)
3. Washington, 3.80 yards per play
T4. Oregon, 3.82
18. UCLA, 4.42
19. Arizona, 4.47
23. Stanford, 4.64
29. USC, 4.81
31. Washington State, 4.83
Pass efficiency defense
2. Washington
9. Oregon
13. Arizona
22. USC
Note: What's becoming increasingly clear is Washington's Justin Wilcox is not just a good defensive coordinator, he ranks among the nation's best. He has transformed the Huskies. Of course, the Huskies face Stanford, Oregon and Arizona State over the next three weeks. That will be three HUGE tests for Wilcox and his defense.
Rushing
1. Bishop Sankey, Washington, 151.8
3. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona, 143.7
5. Jordan James, UCLA, 141.3
17. Tre Madden, USC, 116.6
Note: Three of the nation's top five rushers in the Pac-12? Pretty impressive. It will be interesting to see if James and Madden remain among the nation's top rushers. If the Bruins and James continue to run well, Noel Mazzone's offense will be tough to stop. If the Trojans run the ball as effectively as they did at Arizona State, the passing game with Cody Kessler might get some room to breathe.
Pass efficiency
11. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
12. Keith Price, Washington
15. Travis Wilson, Utah
16. Brett Hundley, UCLA
17. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
21. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Note: Again, Hogan atop this list should worry all Pac-12 teams. Mannion's 21 TD passes is four more than anyone else in the country, and his second interception of the season, thrown against Colorado, bounced off his receiver's chest. It's not unreasonable to say that if the Beavers hadn't lost to Eastern Washington in the opener, Mannion would be getting a raised eyebrow or two as a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Receiving yards per game
1. Paul Richardson, Colorado, 162.3
2. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State, 161.4
14. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State, 108.3
22. Dres Anderson, Utah, 101.0
Note: Strong is looking every bit like the budding star coach Todd Graham predicted he'd be. Cooks decisively won the battle with Richardson last weekend. If you're looking for a WR to replace USC's Marqise Lee in the Biletnikoff discussion, Cooks is your guy. He's not only stepped out of Markus Wheaton's shadow, he's starting to look like he's better than Wheaton.
Random notes: Stanford and Arizona are tied for second in the nation in tackles for a loss allowed, surrendering just 3.25 per game. Oregon is tied for eighth at 3.75. ... The much-maligned Oregon State defense is 15th in the nation in third down percentage (0.286). The Beavers are also eighth in the nation with eight interceptions. ... UCLA is No. 1, Washington No. 3 and Stanford No. 7 in the nation in third-down conversion percentage on offense. ... Eight of the top 25 players in all-purpose yards come from the Pac-12.
MISSION HILLS, Calif. -- When the final horn sounded Friday night, ESPN Junior 300 receiver Desean Holmes (Mission Hills, Calif./Alemany) immediately sought out a familiar face.
There was something the highly coveted athlete had to do before making his way toward the postgame handshake line. Holmes eventually spotted former teammate Steven Mitchell, a freshman at USC, on the sideline. He smiled at him and put up two fingers. Mitchell returned the gesture, and the good friends later came together just like old times.
A week earlier, the 5-foot-11 Holmes added a scholarship offer from Oklahoma to his list, bringing his total to eight. USC, a school he strongly considered committing to when it offered in early May, has long been a favorite, especially with Mitchell in the fold.
- Desean Holmes
- Wide receiver
- 2015
- Uncommitted: List
A week earlier, the 5-foot-11 Holmes added a scholarship offer from Oklahoma to his list, bringing his total to eight. USC, a school he strongly considered committing to when it offered in early May, has long been a favorite, especially with Mitchell in the fold.
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Here's a quick look at Week 6 in the conference. All times are ET.
Thursday
No. 12 UCLA (3-0, 0-0) at Utah (3-1, 0-1) 10 p.m. FoxSports1: UCLA leads the series with Utah 9-2 and the Bruins are 3-2 in Salt Lake. Utah, however, has won two of the last three games, winning in 2007 and 2011 before losing last year 21-14. Utah's leading receiver Dres Anderson’s father Flipper played receiver for UCLA from 1984-87. Flipper Anderson led the Bruins in receiving yards in 1986 and 1987 and ranks 10th in UCLA history with 2,023 career yards. He went on to a 10-year NFL career. Dres Anderson has three straight 100-yard games (103 yards vs. Weber State, 101 vs. Oregon State and a career-high 141 vs. BYU). Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is 6-2 coming off regular-season byes with both losses coming in Pac-12 play (to Washington in 2011 and USC in 2012). Utes QB Travis Wilson is 15th in the nation in passing efficiency. UCLA QB Brett Hundley is 16th. Hundley is 19th in the nation with 282.7 yards passing per game. Wilson is 23rd with 279.5. Both teams also run well. The Bruins average 284.3 yards rushing per game. Utah averages 218.8. Both teams were off last weekend.
Saturday
Washington State (3-2, 1-1) at California (1-3, 0-1) 4 p.m. FoxSports1: California leads the series 44-25-5 and has won eight consecutive meetings. The teams have not met in Berkeley since 2009 after playing the 2011 meeting in San Francisco at AT&T Park, home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Cougars’ last win in the series came at Memorial Stadium, a 48-38 victory in 2002 behind Jason Gesser’s 432 yards and four touchdowns along with Eric Coleman’s blocked punt he returned for a touchdown. Both teams prefer to throw the ball. Cal ranks fourth in the nation with 373 yards per game, while the Cougars are 14th with 329.3 yards per game. Neither runs well, with Cal ranking 97th in the nation in rushing and the Cougs at 121st. Both teams were forced to make QB changes in losses last weekend -- Bears QB Jared Goff due to fumble issues and Connor Halliday due to injury. Nonetheless, it appears that neither team will change starters.
No. 2 Oregon (4-0, 1-0) at Colorado (2-1, 0-1) 6 p.m. Pac-12 Network: Oregon leads the series 9-8, including a 70-14 win last year. The most notable meeting, of course, was the Ducks’ 38-16 win in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2001 season, when Oregon would finish No. 2 behind Miami. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring offense with 59.8 points per game. They are third in the nation in total offense with 599.3 yards per game. The Ducks lost their first two turnovers of the season last weekend in torrential showers against California. Colorado throws the ball well but can't stop the pass -- it yields 300 yards passing per game. It stops the run well -- 10th in the nation in run defense -- but ranks 103rd in the nation in rushing. That run defense figures to be challenged by the Ducks, who rank No. 1 in the nation with 332.5 yards rushing per game.
No. 22 Arizona State (3-1) vs. Notre Dame (3-2) at AT&T Stadium, 7:30 p.m. NBC: The Sun Devils have lost both previous games with Notre Dame, going down in 1998 and 1999 by scores of 28-9 and 48-17, respectively. In the history of USC and Notre Dame football, a team has played both programs in consecutive weeks on 12 separate occasions. No team has ever won both of those contests. ASU RB Marion Grice has 12 touchdowns through four games this season. In his last seven games dating back to last season, Grice has found the end zone 18 times (13 rushing, five receiving) -- scoring at least one touchdown in each of those contests. In 2013, he is averaging a touchdown every 7.3 times he touches the ball (12 TDs on 87 touches/13.8 percent of touches). Jaelen Strong is off to one of the best starts for a WR in school history, amassing 433 yards (108.2 ypg) on 31 receptions (7.8 rpg) in his first four games. Twenty of those 31 receptions this season have resulted in first downs. He has also drawn six pass interference penalties against him this season, four of which have resulted in first downs, giving him a total of 24 of ASU’s 104 first downs this season (23.1 percent). QB Taylor Kelly is one of just three FBS quarterbacks in 2013 to pass for over 300 yards in each of their starts this season (Sean Mannion of Oregon State and Keith Wenning of Ball State being the others). The Sun Devils haven’t fared well against the run the past three weeks, making Saturday’s matchup intriguing as Notre Dame hasn’t done well running the ball this season. The Fighting Irish rank 93rd nationally in rushing offense (135.5 ypg) while ASU is ranked 92nd nationally in rushing defense (192.3 ypg)
No. 15 Washington (4-0, 1-0) at No. 5 Stanford (4-0, 2-0) 10:30 p.m. ESPN: Washington leads the series 41-38-4 but Stanford had won six of the previous seven games before the Huskies notched a 17-13 upset of the No. 8 Cardinal last year. The Huskies won that game due to a great defensive effort and two big offensive plays: a 61-yard run from Bishop Sankey on a fourth-and-one play and a 35-yard TD catch from Kasen Williams in the fourth quarter. Sankey enters the week as the nation’s No. 1 rusher with 151.8 yards per game. He broke Corey Dillon’s UW record with 40 carries (for 161 yards) last week vs. Arizona. He’s rushed for 100 or more in seven of the last nine and for 200 in two of his last five. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan is 11th in the nation in passing efficiency. Huskies QB Keith Price is 12th. Washington has run over 80 plays in all four games (85, 85, 81, 86).
Thursday
No. 12 UCLA (3-0, 0-0) at Utah (3-1, 0-1) 10 p.m. FoxSports1: UCLA leads the series with Utah 9-2 and the Bruins are 3-2 in Salt Lake. Utah, however, has won two of the last three games, winning in 2007 and 2011 before losing last year 21-14. Utah's leading receiver Dres Anderson’s father Flipper played receiver for UCLA from 1984-87. Flipper Anderson led the Bruins in receiving yards in 1986 and 1987 and ranks 10th in UCLA history with 2,023 career yards. He went on to a 10-year NFL career. Dres Anderson has three straight 100-yard games (103 yards vs. Weber State, 101 vs. Oregon State and a career-high 141 vs. BYU). Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is 6-2 coming off regular-season byes with both losses coming in Pac-12 play (to Washington in 2011 and USC in 2012). Utes QB Travis Wilson is 15th in the nation in passing efficiency. UCLA QB Brett Hundley is 16th. Hundley is 19th in the nation with 282.7 yards passing per game. Wilson is 23rd with 279.5. Both teams also run well. The Bruins average 284.3 yards rushing per game. Utah averages 218.8. Both teams were off last weekend.
Saturday
Washington State (3-2, 1-1) at California (1-3, 0-1) 4 p.m. FoxSports1: California leads the series 44-25-5 and has won eight consecutive meetings. The teams have not met in Berkeley since 2009 after playing the 2011 meeting in San Francisco at AT&T Park, home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Cougars’ last win in the series came at Memorial Stadium, a 48-38 victory in 2002 behind Jason Gesser’s 432 yards and four touchdowns along with Eric Coleman’s blocked punt he returned for a touchdown. Both teams prefer to throw the ball. Cal ranks fourth in the nation with 373 yards per game, while the Cougars are 14th with 329.3 yards per game. Neither runs well, with Cal ranking 97th in the nation in rushing and the Cougs at 121st. Both teams were forced to make QB changes in losses last weekend -- Bears QB Jared Goff due to fumble issues and Connor Halliday due to injury. Nonetheless, it appears that neither team will change starters.
No. 2 Oregon (4-0, 1-0) at Colorado (2-1, 0-1) 6 p.m. Pac-12 Network: Oregon leads the series 9-8, including a 70-14 win last year. The most notable meeting, of course, was the Ducks’ 38-16 win in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2001 season, when Oregon would finish No. 2 behind Miami. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring offense with 59.8 points per game. They are third in the nation in total offense with 599.3 yards per game. The Ducks lost their first two turnovers of the season last weekend in torrential showers against California. Colorado throws the ball well but can't stop the pass -- it yields 300 yards passing per game. It stops the run well -- 10th in the nation in run defense -- but ranks 103rd in the nation in rushing. That run defense figures to be challenged by the Ducks, who rank No. 1 in the nation with 332.5 yards rushing per game.
No. 22 Arizona State (3-1) vs. Notre Dame (3-2) at AT&T Stadium, 7:30 p.m. NBC: The Sun Devils have lost both previous games with Notre Dame, going down in 1998 and 1999 by scores of 28-9 and 48-17, respectively. In the history of USC and Notre Dame football, a team has played both programs in consecutive weeks on 12 separate occasions. No team has ever won both of those contests. ASU RB Marion Grice has 12 touchdowns through four games this season. In his last seven games dating back to last season, Grice has found the end zone 18 times (13 rushing, five receiving) -- scoring at least one touchdown in each of those contests. In 2013, he is averaging a touchdown every 7.3 times he touches the ball (12 TDs on 87 touches/13.8 percent of touches). Jaelen Strong is off to one of the best starts for a WR in school history, amassing 433 yards (108.2 ypg) on 31 receptions (7.8 rpg) in his first four games. Twenty of those 31 receptions this season have resulted in first downs. He has also drawn six pass interference penalties against him this season, four of which have resulted in first downs, giving him a total of 24 of ASU’s 104 first downs this season (23.1 percent). QB Taylor Kelly is one of just three FBS quarterbacks in 2013 to pass for over 300 yards in each of their starts this season (Sean Mannion of Oregon State and Keith Wenning of Ball State being the others). The Sun Devils haven’t fared well against the run the past three weeks, making Saturday’s matchup intriguing as Notre Dame hasn’t done well running the ball this season. The Fighting Irish rank 93rd nationally in rushing offense (135.5 ypg) while ASU is ranked 92nd nationally in rushing defense (192.3 ypg)
No. 15 Washington (4-0, 1-0) at No. 5 Stanford (4-0, 2-0) 10:30 p.m. ESPN: Washington leads the series 41-38-4 but Stanford had won six of the previous seven games before the Huskies notched a 17-13 upset of the No. 8 Cardinal last year. The Huskies won that game due to a great defensive effort and two big offensive plays: a 61-yard run from Bishop Sankey on a fourth-and-one play and a 35-yard TD catch from Kasen Williams in the fourth quarter. Sankey enters the week as the nation’s No. 1 rusher with 151.8 yards per game. He broke Corey Dillon’s UW record with 40 carries (for 161 yards) last week vs. Arizona. He’s rushed for 100 or more in seven of the last nine and for 200 in two of his last five. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan is 11th in the nation in passing efficiency. Huskies QB Keith Price is 12th. Washington has run over 80 plays in all four games (85, 85, 81, 86).
So how do your Pac-12 reporters stack things up after the season's first five weeks?
Glad you asked.
Kevin's top-25 vote for the ESPN.com power rankings.
And here's mine:
Glad you asked.
Kevin's top-25 vote for the ESPN.com power rankings.
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Stanford
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Clemson
7. Louisville
8. UCLA
9. Washington
10. Florida State
11. Texas A&M
12. LSU
13. Oklahoma
14. Michigan
15. Miami
16. South Carolina
17. Northwestern
18. Baylor
19. Florida
20. Texas Tech
21. Oklahoma State
22. Maryland
23. Arizona State
24. Fresno State
25. Northern Illinois
And here's mine:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oregon
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State
6. Florida State
7. Georgia
8. Louisville
9. UCLA
10. Texas A&M
11. Washington
12. Oklahoma
13. Baylor
14. LSU
15. South Carolina
16. Northwestern
17. Miami
18. Oklahoma State
19. Florida
20. Texas Tech
21. Arizona State
22. Fresno State
23. Maryland
24. Michigan
25. Northern Illinois
Pac-12 lunch links: Washington-Stanford
September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
2:30
PM ET
By
Ted Miller | ESPN.com
I will let you go, Ricky. But first, I want you to say..."I ... love ... crepes."
- The firing of USC coach Lane Kiffin might not be a good thing for Arizona.
- Arizona State made a South Division statement with its win over USC.
- California's woes continue with DE Chris McCain getting kicked off the team.
- Colorado WR tries to stay patient after a quiet game at Oregon State.
- Oregon is flashy, yes, but it is also mentally tough.
- The bye week comes at a perfect time for Oregon State, which needs to get healthy.
- Stanford shows a new side with a more dangerous passing game.
- UCLA is rising and USC is falling, but it's no time for the Bruins to gloat (Bruins fans, of course, feel free to let loose with barbaric yawps).
- The challenge now for USC? Hiring the right coach, which is easier said than done.
- Utah's big test will be slowing down UCLA QB Brett Hundley.
- Washington's visit to Stanford features an A-list battle of unbeatens.
- Some thoughts on Washington State's, er, difficult game with Stanford.
Video: One Good Thing -- Pac-12 teams
September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
2:00
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
ESPN.com's Kevin Gemmell discusses one good thing in the Pac-12: the conference has five teams ranked in the top 25 and four in the top 15.
Taking stock of Week 5 in the Pac-12.
Team of the week: Arizona State’s home victory over USC was an announcement to the rest of the country that the Sun Devils deserve to be ranked, and the country responded by putting ASU back in the Top 25 at No. 22. More important than national perception, however, is that the Sun Devils didn’t fall to 0-2 in conference play, which would have been devastating for the team’s season-long goals. They picked up a South Division win and are still in control of their destiny in the division. One last nonconference game next week against Notre Dame and then it’s all league games the rest of the way -- including a pivotal Oct. 19 game against Washington and the all-important No. 23 game at UCLA.
Best game: In a week where the average margin of victory was 29 points in the five games, the “closest” was Washington’s 18-point victory over visiting Arizona. But there was a sense Washington was in control all 60 minutes. Oregon was fun to watch simply for the fact that not even Mother Nature could play defense against the Ducks. Stanford was fun to watch because the Cardinal looked explosive. Oregon State was fun to watch because it was a complete performance. But the ASU-USC game probably had the most drama. We had an idea of what was at stake, and even when USC cut it to 48-34 with 9:54 left in the game, there was still that lingering thought that maybe it wasn’t over. Of course, ASU scored two more touchdowns to put it away. And the end result was Lane Kiffin’s dismissal.
Biggest play: After USC took a 21-20 lead in the opening minute of the second half, the Sun Devils responded 21 seconds later with a 74-yard touchdown from Taylor Kelly to D.J. Foster. But that wasn’t the biggest play. On USC’s next series, less than a minute later, Alden Darby jumped a Cody Kessler pass and returned it 46 yards for a score, giving the Sun Devils a 34-21 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter. He had two picks on the day, and the pick-six was a massive momentum swing, and it happened while Pat Haden and USC decision-makers were huddling to decide Kiffin’s future.
Offensive standout: Tough to ignore the kind of numbers Sean Mannion is putting up. After matching a school record two weeks ago at Utah with five touchdown passes, he surpassed the record by throwing for six touchdowns and 414 yards in the blowout win over Colorado. He did have an interception, but only because his receiver’s hands and chest got in the way and it was tipped in the air. Mannion now has 21 touchdowns on the year to just two picks.
Defensive standout: Has to be Darby, who totaled seven tackles to go with his two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Defensive standout 1B goes to Stanford’s Trent Murphy. Is there any outside linebacker with better hands? Or does he only show them off at CenturyLink Field? Saturday he intercepted a point-blank pass in the backfield from Austin Apodaca and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. If that looked familiar, he did the same thing last year at the CLink against Washington.
Special teams standout: With four games in the Pacific Northwest Saturday, weather was dominant storyline when it came to special teams. We saw numerous fumbles, bad snaps and weather-induced wackiness. But there was nothing wacky about Oregon’s Bralon Addison, who returned two punts for touchdowns. The first was a 75-yard return in the second quarter that was pure sideline speed. The second, a 67-yard return, required a little more dancing and cutting -- and avoiding being knocked down by his teammate before the play even got started.
Smiley face: The Pac-12 once again has five teams ranked in the Top 25 in both polls with ASU’s victory over USC. And Oregon State is receiving votes in the coaches poll.
Frowny face: Injuries always get a frowny face -- and Saturday saw two of the league’s superstars go down with injuries. Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas was injured on the kickoff and didn’t return. And USC wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a knee injury that hopefully looked worse than it really is.
Thought of the week: The Beavers are back, sort of. Oregon State finally strung together a game where its defense matched the offense. And Colorado is a much-improved team from last season. Are the Buffs bowl bound? Probably not. But they aren’t the Buffs of last year, which gives a little credence to Oregon State’s dominating performance. The initial thought was that the Beavers would be 7-0 or 6-1 heading into their Oct. 26 showdown with Stanford. And they might still be (though Washington State isn’t going to make it easy). Not suggesting you go all-in on the Beavers. Remember, they are only a week removed from a miraculous win over San Diego State. But don't sell just yet, either.
Question of the week: The Trojans have a bye week to patch holes and put “Operation: Changing Lanes” in action. Do they look to an NFL name or a college name? UCLA is showing that a former NFL coach can have success in Los Angeles, even if he’s not an alumnus. USC is an attractive gig, and you can bet there were a lot of back-channel phone calls going out over the past 72 hours.
Team of the week: Arizona State’s home victory over USC was an announcement to the rest of the country that the Sun Devils deserve to be ranked, and the country responded by putting ASU back in the Top 25 at No. 22. More important than national perception, however, is that the Sun Devils didn’t fall to 0-2 in conference play, which would have been devastating for the team’s season-long goals. They picked up a South Division win and are still in control of their destiny in the division. One last nonconference game next week against Notre Dame and then it’s all league games the rest of the way -- including a pivotal Oct. 19 game against Washington and the all-important No. 23 game at UCLA.
Best game: In a week where the average margin of victory was 29 points in the five games, the “closest” was Washington’s 18-point victory over visiting Arizona. But there was a sense Washington was in control all 60 minutes. Oregon was fun to watch simply for the fact that not even Mother Nature could play defense against the Ducks. Stanford was fun to watch because the Cardinal looked explosive. Oregon State was fun to watch because it was a complete performance. But the ASU-USC game probably had the most drama. We had an idea of what was at stake, and even when USC cut it to 48-34 with 9:54 left in the game, there was still that lingering thought that maybe it wasn’t over. Of course, ASU scored two more touchdowns to put it away. And the end result was Lane Kiffin’s dismissal.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Rick ScuteriD.J. Foster played a part in Arizona State's offensive explosion against USC.
Offensive standout: Tough to ignore the kind of numbers Sean Mannion is putting up. After matching a school record two weeks ago at Utah with five touchdown passes, he surpassed the record by throwing for six touchdowns and 414 yards in the blowout win over Colorado. He did have an interception, but only because his receiver’s hands and chest got in the way and it was tipped in the air. Mannion now has 21 touchdowns on the year to just two picks.
Defensive standout: Has to be Darby, who totaled seven tackles to go with his two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Defensive standout 1B goes to Stanford’s Trent Murphy. Is there any outside linebacker with better hands? Or does he only show them off at CenturyLink Field? Saturday he intercepted a point-blank pass in the backfield from Austin Apodaca and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. If that looked familiar, he did the same thing last year at the CLink against Washington.
Special teams standout: With four games in the Pacific Northwest Saturday, weather was dominant storyline when it came to special teams. We saw numerous fumbles, bad snaps and weather-induced wackiness. But there was nothing wacky about Oregon’s Bralon Addison, who returned two punts for touchdowns. The first was a 75-yard return in the second quarter that was pure sideline speed. The second, a 67-yard return, required a little more dancing and cutting -- and avoiding being knocked down by his teammate before the play even got started.
Smiley face: The Pac-12 once again has five teams ranked in the Top 25 in both polls with ASU’s victory over USC. And Oregon State is receiving votes in the coaches poll.
Frowny face: Injuries always get a frowny face -- and Saturday saw two of the league’s superstars go down with injuries. Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas was injured on the kickoff and didn’t return. And USC wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a knee injury that hopefully looked worse than it really is.
Thought of the week: The Beavers are back, sort of. Oregon State finally strung together a game where its defense matched the offense. And Colorado is a much-improved team from last season. Are the Buffs bowl bound? Probably not. But they aren’t the Buffs of last year, which gives a little credence to Oregon State’s dominating performance. The initial thought was that the Beavers would be 7-0 or 6-1 heading into their Oct. 26 showdown with Stanford. And they might still be (though Washington State isn’t going to make it easy). Not suggesting you go all-in on the Beavers. Remember, they are only a week removed from a miraculous win over San Diego State. But don't sell just yet, either.
Question of the week: The Trojans have a bye week to patch holes and put “Operation: Changing Lanes” in action. Do they look to an NFL name or a college name? UCLA is showing that a former NFL coach can have success in Los Angeles, even if he’s not an alumnus. USC is an attractive gig, and you can bet there were a lot of back-channel phone calls going out over the past 72 hours.
Tom Luginbill breaks down the biggest recruiting rivalry in the Pac 12.
If you don't like where you are in the Power Rankings, play better.
See last week's Power Rankings here.
1. Oregon: Another week, another blowout win. The only worry is RB De'Anthony Thomas' ankle. A visit to Colorado on Saturday doesn't promise much of a test for the Ducks.
2. Stanford: A dominating win in the rain against Washington State. The maturation of a downfield passing game should worry the rest of the Pac-12. The Cardinal look like a team without any obvious holes.
3. Washington: After winning impressively over unbeaten Arizona, the Huskies move up with the Bruins idle. They are 4-0 for the first time since 2001 and have yet to trail this season.
4. UCLA: UCLA had a bye this week, so it got to watch things go splat for its friends at USC. Sure that greatly pained them. At this point, the Bruins top challenger in the South Division appears to be Arizona State. See below. Up next is a potentially tricky trip to Utah on Thursday.
5. Arizona State: While we can speculate on what USC brought to Tempe, the Sun Devils' offense positively dominated a defense that had been the Trojans' lone bright spot. The ASU run defense, however, continues to be a major concern.
6. Oregon State: The Beavers have steadily climbed since their opening loss to Eastern Washington. Sean Mannion to Brandin Cooks is the best pass-catch combination in the conference, and the defense seems to be finding itself. A week off to get healthy is a good thing.
7. Utah: The Utes were off over the weekend. UCLA visits Salt Lake City on Thursday. Utah, meet opportunity. Opportunity, meet Utah.
8. Arizona: There was some grit shown on both sides of the ball at Washington, but the Wildcats got worn down. The defense is better, yes, but it's not ready to dominate. And the offense shows few signs of having a Pac-12-quality passing game.
9. Washington State: Stanford showed the Cougars how far they are from the top third of the conference. A visit to California on Saturday could, however, show how far the Cougs are from the bottom now. Seems like a critical game for bowl hopes.
10. Colorado: The Buffaloes looked rusty at Oregon State, but they also looked overmatched. While the 2-0 start was encouraging, the start of conference play reminded folks that this is still a major rebuilding job.
11. California: A mix of torrential rain and a pass-happy offense is not a good thing. It's even worse when the opponent is No. 2 Oregon. The Bears could use a more manageable foe. Washington State could provide that. But is there a QB controversy?
12. USC: When your coach gets fired midseason, you end up right here. Of course, some USC fans feel better today than they did a week ago.
See last week's Power Rankings here.
1. Oregon: Another week, another blowout win. The only worry is RB De'Anthony Thomas' ankle. A visit to Colorado on Saturday doesn't promise much of a test for the Ducks.
2. Stanford: A dominating win in the rain against Washington State. The maturation of a downfield passing game should worry the rest of the Pac-12. The Cardinal look like a team without any obvious holes.
3. Washington: After winning impressively over unbeaten Arizona, the Huskies move up with the Bruins idle. They are 4-0 for the first time since 2001 and have yet to trail this season.
4. UCLA: UCLA had a bye this week, so it got to watch things go splat for its friends at USC. Sure that greatly pained them. At this point, the Bruins top challenger in the South Division appears to be Arizona State. See below. Up next is a potentially tricky trip to Utah on Thursday.
5. Arizona State: While we can speculate on what USC brought to Tempe, the Sun Devils' offense positively dominated a defense that had been the Trojans' lone bright spot. The ASU run defense, however, continues to be a major concern.
6. Oregon State: The Beavers have steadily climbed since their opening loss to Eastern Washington. Sean Mannion to Brandin Cooks is the best pass-catch combination in the conference, and the defense seems to be finding itself. A week off to get healthy is a good thing.
7. Utah: The Utes were off over the weekend. UCLA visits Salt Lake City on Thursday. Utah, meet opportunity. Opportunity, meet Utah.
8. Arizona: There was some grit shown on both sides of the ball at Washington, but the Wildcats got worn down. The defense is better, yes, but it's not ready to dominate. And the offense shows few signs of having a Pac-12-quality passing game.
9. Washington State: Stanford showed the Cougars how far they are from the top third of the conference. A visit to California on Saturday could, however, show how far the Cougs are from the bottom now. Seems like a critical game for bowl hopes.
10. Colorado: The Buffaloes looked rusty at Oregon State, but they also looked overmatched. While the 2-0 start was encouraging, the start of conference play reminded folks that this is still a major rebuilding job.
11. California: A mix of torrential rain and a pass-happy offense is not a good thing. It's even worse when the opponent is No. 2 Oregon. The Bears could use a more manageable foe. Washington State could provide that. But is there a QB controversy?
12. USC: When your coach gets fired midseason, you end up right here. Of course, some USC fans feel better today than they did a week ago.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Arash Markazi
Arash Markazi joined ESPNLosAngeles.com as a columnist and writer after five years with Sports Illustrated. Markazi has also written for Slam, King, Vibe and Playboy and is on the board of directors for the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.
Ramona Shelburne
Ramona Shelburne is a columnist and writer for ESPNLA.com. She spent seven years as a columnist and sportswriter at the Los Angeles Daily News.
2013 TEAM LEADERS
| PASSING | ATT | COMP | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Hundley | 92 | 61 | 848 | 8 |
| RUSHING | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD |
| J. James | 62 | 424 | 6.8 | 4 |
| B. Hundley | 32 | 157 | 4.9 | 2 |
| RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD |
| S. Evans | 13 | 210 | 16.2 | 3 |
| D. Fuller | 12 | 135 | 11.3 | 1 |
| TEAM | RUSH | PASS | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 284.3 | 330 | 614.3 |
| TEAM | PF | PA | MARGIN |
| Scoring | 52.7 | 18 | 34.7 |