Around the Pac-12: Week 9
Another week has come and gone for west-coast football. Last week saw No. 7 Oregon and UCLA produce a great game that cemented the Ducks as the runaway Pac-12 favorites.
Coming off an upset over Arizona State a week earlier, Utah lost to Oregon State, and USC dropped a tight one to No. 11 Notre Dame.
Lastly, Cal is back in the win column after locking down Colorado.
There’s a lot to unpack, so here is a closer look at where things stand in the Pac-12 after this week and moving forward.
No. 7 Oregon fends off the Bruins
After taking a 17-14 lead into the half, the Ducks showed resilience, making adjustments and walking away with a win.
Both teams played sloppily with three turnovers a piece and 17 combined penalties. Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown accounted for two of those with interceptions, but found a rhythm after a tough start finishing the game with 295 yards passing, 85 rushing and a score on the ground.
The story for the Ducks was running back Travis Dye who had 71 yards scrimmage yards and four rushing touchdowns.
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Brittain Brown combined for three rushing scores, but the Ducks defense made the big plays when needed, led by 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble from one of top NFL draft prospects, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Now, Oregon will take on Colorado as it looks to get back into the College Football Playoff conversation.
Who Can Stop USC’s Drake London?
The Trojans traveled to South Bend this past weekend in a matchup few expected them to win. In the final quarter of the game, the team picked up some steam, but still dropped the game 31-16.
The biggest takeaway, though, was yet another dominant performance from Trojan wide receiver Drake London. Of 27 completions thrown by Kedon Slovis, 15 went to London.
London received a majority of the secondary’s attention and still racked up 171 yards with an average of over 11 yards per reception.
London now sits at 79 receptions for 1,003 yards and 5 touchdowns, ranking him second in college football in receiving yards and receptions.
With five games remaining, London is approaching USC record book territory needing 39 receptions to break the single-season record held by Marqise Lee.
London is in the midst of a monster season, and it only figures to continue as he marches towards being a likely early NFL draft pick in a few months.
The Golden Bears lockdown the Buffaloes
The battle of 2-4 Colorado and 1-5 Cal saw the latter come out on top in emphatic fashion.
From the start Colorado looked outmatched, allowing Cal to score 13 unanswered.
Cal quarterback Chase Garbers went 22-for-29 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Garbers also rushed for 96 yards, leading Cal to 438 yards.
Cal’s defense did a masterful job shutting down Colorado, holding the team to 104 yards of total offense.
Cal’s Elijah Hicks had himself a game putting up 2.5 TFLs, 1.0 sacks and an interception.
After a statement win, Cal hosts Oregon State as it looks to continue its momentum.
Game of the Week: UCLA vs Utah
Coming off losses, both programs will look to avoid dropping back-to-back games.
Utah will look to avoid falling to .500 by taking care of the Bruins and locking themselves in at second place in the South division.
As for the Bruins, they dropped a close one to Oregon proving that when everything clicks they are still a powerhouse in the conference. They’ll look to reclaim second in the division on the road.
Dylan Price is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
