Recapping the best and worst of Week Seven in the Pac-12 …
Themes of the week: Comebacks and
close callsThree of the five games were decided by a touchdown or less and three featured come-from-behind victories. Oregon rallied to beat Cal 24-17. Utah erased a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Arizona State 35-21. And Washington State came from behind twice to topple Stanford 34-31. All in all, it was one of the most compelling weekends thus far.
Game of the week: Oregon 24, Cal 17Oregon dodged a major upset with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter Friday night, then kept the Bears out of the end zone in the final minute on eight plays from inside the 10-yard line. Wobbly as they have looked lately, the Ducks remain on track for the playoff … if they win out.
Team of the week: Washington StateThe Cougars won their third consecutive game, all against North rivals, and their fifth in a row over Stanford. In contrast to the opening weeks, when they couldn’t hold second-half leads, the Cougars refused to wilt after a terrible call (pass interference) helped Stanford score the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. WSU went 70 yards in the final minutes for the game-winner and is now one back of the Oregon schools in the loss column.
Washington State defensive end Ron Stone Jr., right, tackles Stanford running back Austin Jones during the first half of the Cougars' win. Wazzu has won three straight games, all against Pac-12 North teams.
Coach of the week: Utah’s Kyle WhittinghamThe halftime speech (whatever it was) and halftime adjustments (whatever they were) should be documented for posterity in Salt Lake City. Backdrop the Utes’ performance Saturday night against the tragedy and turbulent emotions that have consumed his program in the past month, and Whittingham’s steady hand is all the more impressive.
Tweet of the week: WhittinghamNot a peep had been uttered from the Twitter handle @UtahCoachWhitt since Aug. 24, when it recognized the death of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. And then, from the silence, came this nugget late last night: “28 unanswered.” Just a guess, but it wouldn’t appear the feed cares much for Arizona State. Wonder why that could be.
Player of the week: Utah LB Devin LloydWe gave serious consideration to Utah quarterback Cam Rising, WSU quarterback Jayden de Laura, Oregon tailback Travis Dye and UCLA tailback Zach Charbonnet. And we don’t typically select defensive players. But Lloyd was so good Saturday night — in the biggest game of the weekend, against the top offense in the conference — that we could have sworn there were three of him. Lloyd finished with four tackles-for-loss, two sacks and a pass break-up and essentially wrecked ASU by himself. It was next-level stuff for a player who will be at the next level next season.
Replacement player of the week: Oregon TB Travis DyeNormally a second stringer, Dye is good enough to carry the load for numerous teams in the conference. He proved that once again Friday in his first game starting for the injured CJ Verdell. Dye rushed for 145 yards and caught seven passes for 73 yards, leading Oregon’s otherwise rickety offense.
Collapse of the week: Arizona State
The Sun Devils looked the part of the best team in the conference in the first half and were 30 minutes from taking complete control of the South Division. Then they got punched in the mouth … and crumbled. (We thought they were beyond the point of wilting in big games given the upgrades along the lines of scrimmage.) But the Devils aren’t done just yet. If they regroup, win out and get some help, the division title will follow.
Collapse of the season: Washington
Had you told us prior to Week One that the Huskies would be 2-4 at this point — with a loss to Montana, one of the worst offenses in the country and a deeply frustrated fan base — the Hotline would have asked for the coordinates to your universe. Coach Jimmy Lake cannot let his ego get the best of him. He must acknowledge changes are needed. And he must make them.
UCLA defensive back Devin Kirkwood (26) intercepts a pass intended for Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan, right, during the second half. The disappointing Huskies are just 2-4 heading into Friday's game in Tucson.
Collapse of the decade: Cal
The Bears ended the 2010s with three consecutive wins. Thus far in the 2020s, they’re 2-8. There are issues with talent, coaching and execution. Justin Wilcox isn’t going anywhere, but we expect staff changes in the offseason and, quite possibly, a quarterback change at some point in the next few weeks. Chase Garbers appears to have regressed.
Stats of the week: Utah
Second half points: Utah 28, Arizona State 0. Second-half yards: Utah 292, Arizona State 82.
Stat of the season I: UCLA
The Bruins rushed for 237 yards against Washington and have 1,541 on the ground through seven games. That’s more than Washington and Stanford have gained, combined.
Stat of the season II: Arizona State
The Sun Devils are averaging 14.5 penalties in their two games in the state of Utah (both losses) and 7.6 penalties in their five games outside the state of Utah (all wins).
Stat of the decade I: Stanford
The Cardinal has played 22 consecutive games against Power Five opponents. Its last date with an FCS or Group of Five foe was in September of 2019 (at UCF). The last time Stanford played a home game against an FCS or Group of Five foe? Try Sept. 15, 2018 (UC Davis). That’s bananas.
Stat of the decade II: Arizona
The Wildcats’ rollover in Boulder extended their losing streak to 18 consecutive games, dating to Oct. 2019. Sure, the injury to Jordan McCloud, their only remotely competent quarterback, was a huge setback. But it’s not unreasonable to think the overall performance through six games is a tad worse than the (sparse) talent would suggest.
Stat of the century: Colorado
The 34-0 victory over Arizona marked CU’s first shutout of a conference opponent since Oct. 2005, when they held Oklahoma State scoreless in a Big 12 duel. They came close twice during the Pac-12 South title year (2016), holding Oregon State to six points and Stanford to five.
Game of next week I: Oregon at UCLA
Chip Kelly assuredly wants the focus to be anywhere but his history with the Ducks, and we’re happy to oblige: This matchup (12:30 p.m., ABC) carries significant stakes, with both teams pursuing division titles and the Ducks in the playoff hunt until or unless they get tagged with their second loss. ESPN GameDay will be there.
Game of next week II: Utah at Oregon State
The visitor is alone in first place in the South. The host is tied for first place in the North. The matchup is worthy of a better platform than the Pac-12 Networks will provide (4:30 p.m. kickoff), but neither ESPN or FS1 has an evening window available. In fact, there are no Pac-12 night games on Saturday.
