Pac-12 week 4 recap

Last week we saw Colorado beat Colorado State in double-overtime, California beat Texas after Texas missed a PAT, Stanford upset then-6th ranked USC, UCLA edge out No. 19 BYU by 1-point, and Arizona put up a school record 77-points.

This week the Pac-12 gets deeper into conference play as all but one game was a conference matchup. Colorado took on FCS opponent Nicholls State while Washington State got the weekend off.

Here is a look at how the pac-12 did this weekend.

#21 Stanford (3-1) @ Oregon State (2-2)  -  42-14

We were not sure what we would see out of Stanford after their week 1 blunder against Northwestern, but they have turned things around. Although Oregon State is going to compete for the bottom of the Pac-12 North, this win for the Cardinal is what they needed. Kevin Hogan went 9-of-14 for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns while also throwing 1 interception. Christian McCaffrey led the way to the win with 30 carries for 206 yards while Barry Sanders and Remound Wright both found the endzone twice on 7 carries each. OSU quarterback Seth Collins went 20/36 for 275 yards and 1 touchdown but the Beavers could not get anything going on the ground as their longest rush was 9 yards and the group tallied 111 yards on 36 carries.

Final thought: Stanford has a long way to go after dropping their week 1 game but is headed in the right direction as Oregon State is headed the opposite way.

Nicholls State (0-3) @ Colorado (3-1) -  0-48

Colorado had 3 different quarterbacks complete a pass with Sefo Liufau leading the way going 13/21 for 227 yards and 1 touchdown. Phillip Lindsay ran the ball 17 times for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns while Donovan Lee, Christian Powell and Kyle Evans all found the endzone on the ground for the Buffs. Colorado had 636 total yards to Nicholls State's 166 yards.

Final though: Even though Nicholls State is an FCS opponent, Colorado got in one more "practice" game before starting conference play.

California (4-0) @ Washington (2-2)  -  30-24

Neither team in this game looked ready to play . Washington was struck early by a fumble that could have also been an incomplete pass while Jared Goff threw for 342 yards on 24 of 40 passing and also threw for 2 touchdowns and an interception. Washington QB Jake Browning went 17/28 for 152 yards but threw 2 interceptions. California held a 27-7 lead in the 3rd quarter but let Washington work their way back in after Sidney Jones returned a fumble for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Final thought: California is 4-0 and doesn't look like a team that should be while Washington is still struggling with freshman QB Jake Browning.

#9 UCLA (4-0) @ #19 Arizona (3-1)  -  56-30

UCLA absolutely dominated in this game in front of national television. Nothing was going the way of the Wildcats which started with Anu Solomon coming out of the game with an injury. The UCLA running back committee ran the ball 47 times for 213 yards and 6 touchdowns while Paul Perkins led the team with 24 carries for 85 yards and 3 touchdowns. Arizona was able to run the ball as they had 2 guys with over 125 yards each in Nick Wilson (24-136) and Jerrard Randall (16-128). UCLA held a 42-14 lead going into halftime.

Final thought: UCLA QB Josh Rosen looked extremely calm and continues to impress many in his freshman year. Arizona should bounce back from this game and look back at it and learn from their mistakes.

#18 Utah (4-0) @ #13 Oregon (2-2)  -  62-20

Yes, Utah beat Oregon by 42 points in Eugene. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson threw for 227 yards and 4 touchdowns while Oregon went through 3 quarterbacks who combined for a 178 yard 2 touchdown and 2 interception game. Vernon Adams Jr. came out early after his finger was causing him problems. Wilson also led the Utes in rushing yards with 6 carries for 100 yards while finding the endzone one more time on the ground. Oregon was held scoreless from 4:08 left in the first half to 3:58 left in the game and Utah was not holding back.

Final thought: Utah is a legitimate contender and Oregon is really going to struggle this season if they can't figure out their quarterback situation.

#19 USC (3-1) @ Arizona State (2-2)  -  42-14

With the late game of the weekend USC managed to come back from last weeks upset from Stanford and throw all over the Sun Devils. Trojan quarterback Cody Kessler went 19-33 for 375 yards and threw for 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Sun Devils could not get much of anything going as they were held scoreless until the end of the 3rd quarter when USC was already leading 35-0. USC actually only outgained the Sun Devils by one yard. USC scored their difference-making touchdowns in the second quarter as they put up 28 right before the half.

Final thought: USC needed to come back big this weekend and they did to earn their first conference win of the season.