Around the Pac-12: Week 6
The Pac-12 completed another week of action, and now the Oregon loss likely unseats it from the playoff conversation.
Stanford pulled off a massive upset, Arizona State and Herm Edwards could be the front runners to win the South division and UCLA has lost two of its last three.
It was a bad week for the Pac-12’s playoff hopes, but nonetheless, let’s dive into all the action.
No. 3 Oregon Upset By Stanford
The Ducks got upset by David Shaw’s Cardinals in a matchup that saw Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee post 230 yards and three touchdowns as he out dueled Anthony Brown, who posted 186 yards and an interception.
The Ducks still rushed all over the Stanford defense, posting over 200 yards rushing and a touchdown between running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye. Brown also posted two scores on the ground.
Ultimately, that wasn’t enough, though, as Stanford kept it close and played its best football in the second half and overtime. The Ducks got knocked back down to reality and now will have to hope for utter chaos if they want to make the College Football Playoff.
The Sun Devils Are Heating Up
While one Pac-12 team falls, another heats up.
No. 22 Arizona State demoralized UCLA this week in a 42-23 win. Going into the second half, the score was 24-23 ASU, but the defense found a rhythm holding the Bruins scoreless in the last two quarters.
Anthonie Cooper posted 2.0 sacks and 2.0 TFLs, leading the charge for the Sun Devils defense, which had 4.0 sacks and 7.0 TFLs.
The offense rushed for 177 yards combined and three touchdowns, and Jayden Daniels showed out, going 13-19 with 285 yards, two touchdowns and an impressive average of 15.1 yards per attempt.
The Sun Devils got going, and if they can continue to produce well-orchestrated performances like this the rest of the way, they could roll to a division title.
USC Gains Momentum, Colorado Looks Lost
Three weeks removed from firing Clay Helton, the Trojans finally look to have established some momentum.
They romped Colorado 37-14 in a game that saw Kedon Slovis throw three touchdowns and Drake London continue his case for best receiver in the country with 130 yards and a score.
The team still looked sloppy, though, with 12 penalties for 125 yards, but USC looked to finally establish itself this week.
On the other sideline, Colorado looked like a shell of the 4-2 team from last season.
Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis was sacked five times and the team put up only 242 yards in comparison to USC’s 494 yards.
The team has not looked great all season, and its only win came against FCS competition.
Game of the Week: Stanford vs No. 22 Arizona State
Last week saw two ranked teams go down, and now the two upsetors will go head to head this week.
Stanford will look to assert itself as a contender, and the Sun Devils will look to continue their momentum at home.
Dylan Price is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
