PAC-12 Week 3 Recap

Last week we saw then ranked 8th, Oregon drop a close game to Michigan State, Washington State come back to beat Rutgers on a last minute touchdown pass, Oregon State fail to repeat what Utah did against Michigan, and USC demolish Idaho.

The PAC-12 got back on track a little bit more during week 2, but how did they do in week 3?

New Mexico (1-2) @ Arizona State (2-1)  - 10-34

Arizona State quarterback, Mike Bercovici went 22/37 for 317 yards and 3 passing touchdowns while adding another 15 yards on 8 carries and 1 touchdown. It took the Sun Devils a little while to get going as they only held a 10 point lead with 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Demario Richard helped the Sun Devils get to 449 total yards with 4 receptions for 151 yards including a 93 yard touchdown reception. Former Cougar Austin Apodaca went 8/18 for 89 yards and was intercepted once.

Final thought: Arizona State heads into their toughest part of their schedule with 4 ranked teams in the next 5 weeks.

Georgia State (1-2) @ #12 Oregon (2-1)  - 28-61

Oregon had a 6 point lead heading into the second quarter but started rolling after that. Vernon Adams sat out this game resting his broken index finger so Jeff Lockie got the start. Lockie went 23-31 for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns while running back Royce Freeman averaged 10.1 yards per carry and scored a touchdown as well. Five other running backs for the Ducks also touched the ball and helped add 208 yards on 41 touches.

Final thought: It has been noticed that Oregon doesn't have the most stellar D and that came into play again this week when they gave up 431 total yards of offense to Georgia State.

Utah State (1-2) @ Washington (2-1)  - 17-31

True freshman Jake Browning still shows flashes of being a freshman but has also improved greatly so far this season. He went 22/31 for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns while throwing a very freshman-like interception. Washington held a touchdown lead going into half time with the help of a fake field goal that was ran in by Tristan Vizcaino. The Utah State offense didn't find the end zone the second half but had a 97 yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter.

Final thought: This game was a lot close than the score shows and Washington will need to step it up in the coming weeks.

Colorado (2-1) @ Colorado State (1-2)  -  27-24 (OT)

Colorado kicker Diego Gonzalez missed a kick at the end of regulation to win the game but was given another opportunity in overtime and didn't miss it. Colorado was outgained by over 150 yards of total offense but came back from a 10 point halftime deficit. Sefo Liufau went 15/28 for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns but leaned on the leg of Gonzalez to win the game.

Final thought: Anything can happen in in-state rivalry games and it is no surprise this game came down to the final kick.

California (3-0) @ Texas (1-2)  -  45-44

This game was shaping up to head to overtime when Texas kicker, Nick Rose, missed the PAT that would tie the game with just over a minute remaining in the game. Jared Goff had another stellar game when he threw for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27 of 27 passing. Both teams scored just once in the first quarter and both added another 17 in the second. Texas was shut out in the third while California put up 21 points. The fourth quarter was the opposite when California was shut out while Texas scored 20 and came a PAT shy of tying this game.

Final thought: California is 3-0 heading into conference play and are led by one of the best quarterbacks this year. Things are looking up for the Golden Bears.

Stanford (2-1) @ #6 USC (2-1)  -  41-31

Two weeks ago Stanford was upset by unranked Northwestern and just upset #6 USC. Stanford dominated the time of possession battle when they had the ball for 19 minutes more than the Trojans but only had 47 more total yards. Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan had 279 yards on 18 completions and 2 touchdowns while running back Christian McCaffrey had 26 carries for 115 yards.

Final thought: Stanford vs USC has and always will be a great close game. Players and coaches know that anything can happen in these games.

San Jose State (1-2) @ Oregon State (2-1)  - 21-35

San Jose State held a 7 point lead heading into half time but was shut out the second half as Oregon State scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter. Seth Collins finished the game with 13/25 passing and 135 yards and a touchdown while also picking up 114 yards on 16 carries and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Storm Woods led the team with 151 yards on 17 carries and also picked up a touchdown.

Final thought: The Beavers will need some magic later this year to pick up some more wins.

Wyoming (0-3) @ Washington State (2-1)  - 14-31

It took a while for Washington State to get started in this one as they were down 14-7 heading to the second quarter. The Cougars came back and scored 24 unanswered points to win their first game at home in over a year. Luke Falk finished the night with 303 yards passing while going 27/45 for 2 touchdowns, he also found the endzone on a 1 yard touchdown run. Dom Williams continues his success catching both of Falk's touchdown passes while hauling in only 3 receptions.

Final thought: Washington State heads into a bye week on a very high note but will need a lot to take down California.

#19 BYU (2-1) @ #10 UCLA (3-0)  - 23-24

Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen finally looked like a freshman when he went 11/23 for 106 yards and 1 touchdown while throwing 3 interceptions. The Bruins running game really stepped up as Paul Perkins gained 219 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown. BYU held a 6 point lead late in the 4th quarter but UCLA running back Nate Starks got the game winning touchdown with just over 3 minutes left in the game.

Final thought: UCLA is the real deal and showed they are more than just a good quarterback.

#21 Utah (3-0) @ Fresno State (1-2)  -  45-24

Utah leaned on the legs of their running backs this weekend with quarterback Travis Wilson still out. Devontae Booker led the team with 156 yards on 31 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. Kendal Thompson, the Utes backup quarterback, completed 19 of 25 passing for 159 yards while throwing for a touchdown and an interception. Going into the 4th quarter Utah led 24-3 before both teams scored 21 points.

Final thought: Even without Wilson the Utes proved they belong in the top 25.

Northern Arizona (2-1) @ Arizona (3-0)  - 13-77

Arizona held a 1 point lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. Then they scored 64 unanswered points to not only set an Arizona record of 77 points but also gained 792 total yards to break another record. Anu Soloman completed 25 of 35 passes and had 285 yards and 4 touchdowns. Running back Jerrard Randall had himself a game when he had 3 carries for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nick Wilson had 19 carries for 143 yards and scored twice as well.

Final thought: Arizona may have been facing an FCS opponent but they seem to be hitting their stride and had a monster game to go along.