Sorry for the lack of updates. I realize both of our readers are disappointed, but you're still getting your recap of last week and some previews. Also, be on the lookout soon for our basketball preview. Basketball sure crept up on us fast. Anyways, back to last week:
Oregon 34, Washington 14
This was a big win for the Ducks. Now sitting at 4-2 in the Pac-10, tied with the Beavers for third place and a game behind the Trojans, Oregon controls their own destiny for the Holiday Bowl. If they can run the table, at worst they’ll be in San Diego and have knocked USC down to a Sun Bowl berth. The Duck offense got off to a slow start in this game, but once Jonathan Stewart made it into the end zone in the second quarter to retake the lead, the floodgates opened. When the third quarter was over, the Ducks were up by 17 and the game was over. The Huskies pretty much forgot to show up for this game, as Oregon rushed for more than 300 yards and won by more than 20 points despite losing the turnover battle, 3 to 1. Carl Bonnell finally threw for more touchdowns than interceptions, but only completed 15 of his 34 passes for a mere 125 yards. Add to that a running game that averaged less than a yard a carry and it’s pretty easy to see why UW lost this game. What has to be disconcerting for the Ducks is the state of their offense. Despite their rushing success, Dennis Dixon had another poor day at quarterback. He averaged less than five yards a pass and threw two picks and no touchdowns. It was just a few weeks ago that people were starting to whisper about Dixon entering the Heisman race, now he gets relieved by Brady Leaf every week. If Oregon still wants to chase after San Diego or Tempe, they better right the QB ship against the Trojans on Saturday.
MVP: Jonathan Stewart – 25 carries for 159 yards and 2 TDs
Wow, talk about impressive. I figured the USC game was an aberration because the Trojans had bad turnovers and still racked up yards on offense, but I guess I was wrong. The Beavers came out firing and held a 17-0 lead by the end of the quarter. That was all they would need to win, but they racked up another 27 points and dominated the Sun Devils. For once, Matt Moore even had a better game than Sean Canfield, who was 0-6 when he relieved Moore in the fourth. Yvenson Bernard scored a pair of touchdowns for the Beavs, but only managed 60 yards on 22 carries, while Sammie Stroughter broke the century mark in receiving yards again. Meanwhile, the ASU offense was terribly ineffective. Rudy Carpenter had his worst game in more than a month and the Sun Devils didn’t even average three yards a carry. That lack of production coupled with their inability to stop OSU on third down (they converted 9 of 16), meant they didn’t have a chance.
MVP: Rudy Carpenter (for OSU) – 9 of 27 passing for 124 yards and 2 INTs
Arizona 27, Washington State 17
This was the game that no one saw coming. After getting hammered at home by USC, UW and OSU, the Wildcats somehow pulled out a 10 point win in Pullman. Washington State should have still been on a high after climbing into the top 25, but their running game never got started (27 carries for 45 yards) and the Cougars only converted 2 of 13 third downs. Evidently they got complacent with that #25 rating. Willie Tuitama played the entire game at quarterback for Arizona, and Chris Henry only managed 94 yards on his 35 carries, but scored a pair of touchdowns. Alex Brink had another solid game for WSU, but forgot about Jason Hill, who only had 2 catches for 21 yards. He’s one of the best receivers in the country, Alex! Like Keyshawn says, “Give him the damn ball!” The Cougars may have better luck next time if you do.
MVP: Willie Tuitama – 10 of 17 for 159 yards and a TD
USC 42, Stanford 0
So at least the Trojans aren’t dead. A week after losing in Corvallis, USC got a nice rebound game by getting to play in Palo Alto. Surprisingly, this was only the second time all season that the Cardinal were shut out. They had another miserable day on the ground, netting only 30 yards on 30 carries. TC Ostrander actually played relatively well, setting a season high for passing yards with 178, but he still threw a pair of interceptions and didn’t lead Stanford to a single scoring drive. Over on the USC side of the ball, things went much better. JD Booty had 3 touchdown passes and didn’t cause a single turnover. In fact, not one Trojan had a turnover in this game. Chauncey Washington chipped in with 74 yards and a TD on 12 carries, while blue chip freshman Stafon Johnson saw his first action of the year with 3 carries for 17 yards. Cause for concern for the Trojans: only gaining 108 rushing yards on a terrible Stanford defense, the best performance by the Cardinal this season. Didn’t matter though, USC called off the dogs in the third quarter and probably could have put up bigger numbers. Maybe next time Stanford.
MVP: Dwayne Jarrett – 5 catches for 118 yards and a TD
Another day, another win for the Bears. Nate Longshore had his way with the Bruin secondary and completely outplayed Patrick Cowan. At least Chris Markey had a nice game for the Bruins, with 199 total yards from scrimmage and a TD. Marshawn Lynch was solid, but unspectacular, only 81 yards and a TD on 20 carries. DeSean Jackson returned his third punt for a TD this season, which cinched the game for the Bears in the third quarter. The Bear defense did give up more than 500 yards, but UCLA couldn’t capitalize on enough of their possessions in large part due to Cowan’s timely interceptions. I can’t believe that I have to say this again, but note to ALL PAC-10 COACHES AND QBS: DO NOT throw the ball near Daymeion Hughes. He’s the best corner in the country and he will make you pay if you do not respect him. When Cowan threw the ball near Hughes on Saturday, what happened? Hughes had another interception. Please stop tempting fate and leave that side of the field alone if you want a chance at winning the game. If you want Cal to beat you, by all means, throw at Mr. Hughes at all times. And Cal, could you please drop the heinous yellow jerseys? No one outside of Eugene wants to have their retinas burned when watching a football game. So for the sake of everyone who is watching you play, please retire those outfits already.
MVP: Nate Longshore – 20 of 24 for 266 yards and 3 TDs
The Pac-10 Apostle’s Disciple of the Week
No fancy graphic this week, but we're giving the award to Willie Tuitama. In his valiant return from multiple concussions, Willie led the Wildcats to victory over the heavily favored Cougars from Washington State. Congratulations Willie, you're the disciple of the week!
1 comment:
Excellent topic
Post a Comment