ESPN College Football

SEATTLE -- Regardless of the weather, Washington running back Bishop Sankey is going to get his touches. He knows it; opposing defenses know it. It's fact.

Put the Huskies in a constant rain, throw in a gusting wind, and it's all Sankey, all the time. That was the case on Saturday as the junior ran for 161 yards on a school-record 40 carries to lift No. 16 Washington (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) past previously unbeaten Arizona (3-1, 01), 31-13.

"You play the hand that you're dealt, and those were the conditions we had and [Sankey] was awesome," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. "He didn't change, his focus was there, his body language didn't change from his first carry to his last one."

The 40 carries breaks the record (38) Corey Dillon set in the Apple Cup against Washington State in 1996, and if Washington hadn't pulled away in the fourth, Sarkisian would have kept calling Sankey's number. That would have been fine by Sankey, who said fatigue was not a factor.

"You just had to dig deep, and that's something that we preach here is mental toughness," said Sankey, the nation's No. 2 leading rusher coming in. "That's what I was trying to do for the team."

It didn't hurt that he was coming off what, by his standards, amounted to a game off last week against Idaho State. That four-carry, 77-yard performance was no accident, Sarkisian said. Keeping his workhorse fresh for the Pac-12 opener was part of the grand plan.

"That's why he had four carries last week and 40 tonight," he said. "We knew coming into the game that both were going to go fast."

The win brings Washington to 4-0 for the first time since 2001. That year the Huskies, as the No. 10-ranked team, lost the next week on the road at No. 7 UCLA and finished 8-4, which included a loss to Texas in the Holiday Bowl.

They'll face a similar challenge next week on the road at No. 5 Stanford.

After scheduling itself to a 3-0 record with games against Northern Arizona, UNLV and Texas-San Antonio, Arizona remained as much of a mystery as a 3-0 team could be. Coming into Saturday's game on the banks of Lake Washington, Arizona had the opportunity to prove its legitimacy. Instead, the Wildcats showed they have a lot to get cleaned up.

Offensively, it took time for Arizona to adjust to the step up in competition.

In the first quarter, the Wildcats finished with more plays (16) than total yards (11) and didn't complete a pass or register a first down. Their first eight possessions of the game netted no points -- not factoring in Washington's safety on a botched Arizona punt -- and just 75 yards.

"That's why you play in the Pac-12, because you have bigger, faster, athletes," Arizona quarterback B.J. Denker said. "But I don't think it was anything we couldn't handle. Our offensive line was fine. Ka'Deem [Carey] ran the ball well. When I got hit, it wasn't like my whole body broke. It hurt like every other hit. These guys weren't superhuman out there."

It wasn't until they were pressed for time did the Wildcats find any semblance of an offense. Given the ball at their own 14 with 2 minutes, 43 seconds left in the first half, the Wildcats marched 84 yards in 14 plays, and Carey scored from three yards out to make it 11-6.

It was the first touchdown Washington had allowed in the first half this year.

The Wildcats answered Washington's 95-yard touchdown drive to open the second half with a 72-yard one of their own, but after cutting the deficit to 18-13, Arizona couldn't keep pace.

"It would have been nice when we got the momentum going to get a stop on defense or anther big play on offense to get the lead," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said. "We never really made them face any adversity. You have to give them credit for that."

Carey, who led the nation in rushing a year ago, finished with 132 yards on 30 carries.

Arizona remains on the road next week at USC.

No. 16 Washington improved to 4-0 on the season with a 31-13 victory over Arizona.

Robert Smith picks Arizona at Washington as the under the radar game that fans need to keep an eye on in Week 5.

Arizona appears to be better on defense. We’ll find out more when the Wildcats travel to Seattle this weekend to face the new-look Washington Huskies. Helping lead Arizona’s defensive-resurgence is safety Tra’Mayne Bondurant, who is tied for the team lead with 19 tackles, including three for a loss and a sack. He also has a team-high three interceptions, two of them he’s returned for touchdowns. He took a few minutes this week to chat with the Pac-12 blog.

What’s working for you guys on defense? What’s been the difference so far this year?

Tra'Mayne Bondurant: We have a lot of experience. We’re more comfortable having another year in the system and getting that progression as a unit. We’re a family-oriented defense. We care about each other’s success. We want to make sure everybody is on the same page. Having that comfort aspect on the field, knowing who you are playing with, knowing they are going to do their job and you’re going to do yours, it makes us play even better. We’re a better defense just off of hard work. We know we’ve been through a lot and we want to make each other better.

How about you personally? What are you doing better this year?

TB: I’m just working harder. I have a stronger mindset and a lot of motivation behind me. I want to be a complete player and do what I can to help the team get victories and make plays. Over the summer I worked hard with the team and the trainers and made sure I put in the extra work. Right now it’s paying off for me and it’s something I take pride in.

Defensive coordinators who run the 3-3-5 always say it takes a couple of years for their players to completely get it. Do you feel like the team is grasping some of those bigger-picture concepts?

TB: I have a way better understanding having that familiarity with it and knowing the ins and outs. When you know what you have to do and focus on the big picture, it helps you go out and play fast. You know what you have to do and that makes everyone better and faster.

The defense took a lot of heat last year. Is that motivation for this year?

TB: Of course. We try not to pay attention to the media because people don’t know what we go through. But we know people were talking bad about us. It’s a new year for us to progress and we’ve figured it out over the summer. Everybody is making everyone accountable for everything. We know people will talk bad about us but we’re not worrying about that. We’re worried about going out there on Saturdays or whatever day we play and showing the world we are a better defense and we’re going to prove it every chance we get. It made us stronger as a defense and made us stronger as a family.

Do you feel like you guys have carved out your identity through these first three games?

TB: We wanted to go out these first three games and show we’re a good defense and a good football team as a whole. Every game we’ll get better. We haven’t reached our full potential. We’re going to keep getting better and work toward being that dominant defense we know we can be.

Two interceptions returned for touchdowns for you so far this year, that’s tied for first in the league. Can you explain to someone what it feels like to not only get an interception, but then to run one back?

TB: It’s the greatest thing to get a touchdown on defense. Your chances are very limited so when you do get your chance, you have to take advantage of it. I know the work I’ve put in is paying off. I’m just getting started. I’m trying to be consistent in my play so I can keep doing it.

You got the two touchdowns in back-to-back games. You said it doesn’t happen often, so that’s got to be like winning the lottery.

TB: It was a good two weeks for me. But I’m not at my potential yet. I’m just going to keep trying to get better every practice and every game and hopefully every game I can get one. I’m not going out there thinking about interceptions. I’m just playing for the team and if it happens, that will be great.

While Washington has answered many of its preseason questions with a tough early schedule, we still don't really know much about Arizona.

Pretty much every team plays true freshmen. But how much of an impact are those freshmen having on the game? Through four weeks, some have made immediate impacts. Others have seen some mop-up time. Across the ESPN blogosphere this morning, we’re looking at the five teams in each conference who have had freshmen make the greatest impacts on their team.

1. California: The quarterback is the most important position, and anytime you have a true freshman playing quarterback, it’s going to have a significant impact on the outcome of the game. So far, quarterback Jared Goff has risen to the occasion, even if it hasn’t translated into wins for the Bears. He leads the country in total offense. He’s completing 61 percent of his passes (103-of-168) and has seven touchdowns to four interceptions. Goff is one of seven true freshmen who have seen time for the Bears. Running back Khalfani Muhammad is tied for second on the team with 21 carries (97 yards, one touchdown).

2. UCLA: The Bruins have played 16 true freshmen so far, which, as of last week, was second in the country only to Texas A&M. Linebacker Myles Jack has had the biggest impact with 14 tackles, including two for a loss and a team-high four pass breakups. They are also getting good production from Eddie Vanderdoes, who had two tackles for a loss against New Mexico State, and offensive lineman Alex Redmond has started all three games at guard.

3. USC: The Trojans have gotten impact performances on both sides of the ball from their freshmen. Seven have seen the field for the Trojans. Safety Su’a Cravens has been as advertised so far with 18 tackles, half a tackle for a loss, and an interception. With Silas Redd out, running back Justin Davis has supplemented Tre Madden nicely. In four games, Davis has rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 47.2 yards per game and a team-high 5.9 yards per carry.

4. Washington State: The Cougars have gotten quality -- not necessary quantity -- out of their true freshmen. They have only played four. But two of them are getting quality playing time and making significant contributions. Cornerback Daquawn Brown made his first career start against USC and posted a team high 11 tackles while breaking up two passes. He also had an interception against Southern Utah. Wide receiver River Cracraft is fourth on the team with 10 catches for 111 yards.

5. Colorado: The Buffs aren’t going as young as they did last year, but they are still getting production from their rookies. And they have found something special in linebacker Addison Gillam. Through two games he’s the Buffs leading tackler with 20 stops -- including a sack, two tackles for a loss and five stops on third down. He also blocked a punt. Defensive end Jimmie Gilbert should also continue to see time. In 64 snaps he has three tackles and a sack.

Honorable mentions

These guys have been impactful, but chances are their teams would still have had success if they weren’t on the field based on quality of competition and/or depth at a position. But their contributions shouldn’t be overlooked.

• Oregon TE John Mundt: Five catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
• Oregon RB Thomas Tyner: 12 carries for 80 yards and three touchdowns.
• Arizona LB Scooby Wright: 13 tackles, three for a loss.
• Oregon State KR Victor Bolden: 19 returns, 365 yards, 19.2 average.
• Utah LS Chase Dominguez: Haven’t heard his name before? Good. You shouldn’t. He’s a long snapper.
• Arizona State K Zane Gonzalez: Has converted 4 of 7 field goals with a long of 40 and is 3-4 inside 40 yards. 13 of 13 on PATs.
• Washington KR John Ross: Six kick returns for 112 yards (18.7 average). Three punt returns for 16 yards (5.3 average).

If you don't like where you are in the Power Rankings, play better.

See last week's Power Rankings here.

1. Oregon: The power rankings are about reacting to the latest games as well as the cumulative body of work and general perception of butt-kicking ability. The Ducks are now tops in all three. And after witnessing Mark Helfrich's tour-de-force presser following his team's bludgeoning of Tennessee, reporters realized we've still got some Chip Kelly wiseacre to enjoy.

2. Stanford: Stanford falls behind due to style points. Of course, Stanford knows that winning, if continued, will conquer style. The Cardinal just needs to keep doing the former, starting with an interesting visit from Arizona State on Saturday.

3. UCLA: The Bruins now own the highest quality win in the conference with Saturday's emotional 18-point come-from-behind victory at Nebraska. Furthermore, how the Bruins took care of business -- 38 consecutive points? Are you kidding me?! -- was freaking impressive on both sides of the ball. Jim Mora and his staff seem to be pretty good in a halftime locker room.

4. Washington: The Huskies took care of business on the road against a solid Illinois team. After Idaho State, the visit from Arizona on Sept. 28 will present a big test for both teams.

5. Arizona State: The Sun Devils looked like the superior team against Wisconsin, but that doesn't change the fact they nearly blew it and -- let's face it -- got lucky with how things went down at the end with Pac-12 officials Larry, Curly and Moe. Still, it was a good win since the scoreboard says it was. Now, what can the Sun Devils do on the road against Stanford?

6. Washington State: The Cougars should improve to 3-1 on Saturday against Idaho. Then they get Stanford in Seattle, the first of four consecutive games against North Division foes. It's a tough stretch, but it certainly looks closer to a potential 2-2 run than it did in August. And two wins puts the Cougs one win away from bowl eligibility with four games to play.

7. Arizona: The Wildcats have been the quietest team in the conference because they played three weak nonconference opponents. They have looked pretty good, with an improved defense being particularly noteworthy. But we still don't know these guys and won't until they go to Washington on Sept. 28.

8. Oregon State: That was a big, clutch win at Utah. A potential season-changer. The preseason perception was the Beavers had a good shot at a 7-0 start. It's not unreasonable to be leaning toward ending up 6-1 now, particularly if QB Sean Mannion keeps doing his NFL QB-looking thing. Next up is a visit to a San Diego State team that can't -- please, Beavs, no! -- can't be overlooked.

9. USC: Not unlike Oregon State getting off the carpet, the way USC handled Boston College was enough to suggest it's premature to throw in the white towel for the Trojans' 2013 season. Clancy Pendergast's defense has been dominant, for one. And just maybe the offense is starting to figure things out.

10. Utah: Ouch. So many "what ifs" from the home loss to Oregon State. A great comeback, only to fall in overtime. Again, ouch. It's probably good news that a visit to BYU is up next. That's a big emotional game, and the Utes need to move on from a big emotional game.

11. Colorado: The grudge match with Fresno State was canceled due to major flooding -- unquestionably the right call, by the way -- so the renewed Buffs were on the sidelines and again will be off this week. It will be interesting to see how two consecutive weekends without a game will affect the visit to Oregon State on Sept. 28. That's a sneaky interesting game.

12. California: The Bears are the only team in the conference with a losing record, though that is a function of tough scheduling against a pair of ranked Big Ten teams in two of the three weeks. If Cal had played Arizona's schedule, it would be 3-0 and we'd be celebrating new coach Sonny Dykes and true freshman QB Jared Goff. But, as it is, the 1-2 record stands as the only available body of work. And that defense? Pretty yucky so far, injuries or not.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona receivers Austin Hill and David Richards erupt into cheers as Wildcats linebacker Marquis Flowers zeros in on a UNLV fumble. "Scoop and score, scoop and score!" they both shout, practically in unison. When Flowers gets tackled by his shoestring at the 9-yard line, they chortle a bit at their defensive teammate just missing a rare opportunity to celebrate in the end zone. Then the Wildcats' two best receivers become quiet.

Arizona's offense takes the field, but Hill and Richards do not. The Wildcats score two plays later to go up 17-0 in what will become an easy rout. They celebrate in the end zone and on the sideline, but Hill and Richards can absorb the scene in only two dimensions. They are watching the road game on a giant-screen television in the football players' lounge on Arizona's campus.

It's a cool space in the team's fancy new football building -- comfortable chairs, pool tables, two pop-a-shot games, cheesesteaks and fresh-baked brownies on hand -- but it's not the same as going to battle and scoring touchdowns with your teammates.

"It's not fun at all. I just wish I was out there," Hill said, before trying to lighten his morose sentiments. "Well, since we're not throwing the ball as much, maybe not."

Richards and Hill are injured. They didn't make the trip to UNLV because their presence would count against the travel roster limit of 70 players. Richards is eyeballing a return from his foot injury in two weeks -- in time for the Pac-12 opener at Washington.

Hill, the Pac-12's second-leading receiver in 2012, however, is out for the season after he tore his ACL on April 10 during the second-to-last session of a spring practice. As he remembers it, he was having a good day. Then he caught a pass on a crossing route, and backup safety Will Parks hit him high and from behind. He planted his left foot to brace himself.

"It just gave out," Hill said.

"At first I denied it," he said. "I've had friends tear their ACLs and they always said they felt or heard a pop. When it happened to me, I really didn't feel anything. It felt like I hyperextended it. It was just numb, felt weird. I was able to get up and start walking."

He didn't need to be helped off the field. He tried to convince himself it was just a tweak. A partial tear, at worst.

"Then when I got the news, I still denied it," he said." I probably denied it for a good day or so. I didn't want to believe it. I sat out in the middle of the field for a while, just trying to think, 'What am I going to do now?'"

That's just it. Football is the ultimate team game, but when a player gets injured, particularly when he's lost for an entire season, the team mantra becomes "next man in," and fans move on as well. A player not playing is forgotten. Surgery? It's just a word in a beat writer's notebook, not something scary that involves anesthesia and leaves permanent scars.

For that injured player, getting back to the game becomes an individual challenge, separate from the team. Football is taken away and it is replaced by the drudgery of rehabilitation. There's plenty of time to think. Maybe too much time.

In multiple interviews separated by three weeks, Hill alternated between optimism for the future and frustration at being outside looking in.

To read the rest of Ted Miller's story, click here.

Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas, Washington State cornerback Damante Horton and Arizona kicker Jake Smith have been named the Pac-12’s players of the week.

Here are some more details on the trio, per the Pac-12’s release:

Thomas, a junior from Los Angeles, Calif., had 11 carries for a game-high 124 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the Ducks’ 59-10 road win over Virginia on Saturday. He had touchdown runs of 1, 40 and 8 yards and reeled in one catch for another 28 yards. Thomas is averaging 8.7 yards per carry and is tied for 20th in the nation in rushing yards per game (126.0 ypg).

Horton, a senior from Oakland, Calif., led a spirited defensive effort by Washington State in the Cougars 10-7 win over No.22/25 USC Trojans in the first conference game of season. The cornerback stepped in front of a USC pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown to even the score at 7-7 just before halftime. Horton collected his second interception with less than a minute remaining to seal the victory for Washington State, ending the game with two interceptions for 75 return yards and a career-best two tackles for a loss for 12 yards. He was also tasked with covering USC All-American receiver Marqise Lee, who was limited to 27 yards on seven catches.

Smith, a senior place-kicker Philadelphia, Pa., set a school record with 16 points by kicking to help lead Arizona past UNLV 58-13 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The first-year kicker collected his first made field goal from 41 yards to put Arizona up 3-0 and went on to convert three of four on the night in addition to making all seven extra points he attempted. Smith also kicked off 11 times in the game with five touchbacks and a 63.3-yard average.

Also nominated for offensive player of the week honors were quarterbacks Travis Wilson of Utah, Taylor Kelly of Arizona State, Sean Mannion of Oregon State, and Jared Goff of Californa; running backs Ka'Deem Carey of Arizona, Tre Madden of USC and Tyler Gaffney of Stanford; and wide receiver Paul Richardson of Colorado. Also nominated for defensive player of the week honors were linebackers Jake Fischer of Arizona, Grandville Taylor of Arizona State, and Hardy Nickerson of California, safeties Jered Bell of Colorado, Ed Reynolds of Stanford and Dion Bailey of USC; defensive end Tony Washington of Oregon and defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi of Utah. Also nominated for special teams player of the week honors were kickers Vincenzo D'Amato of California and Andrew Furney of Washington State and Oregon State punter Keith Kostol.

The Pac-12 went 8-0 against nonconference competition in Week 2, setting the stage for some good showdowns in Week 3.