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Pac-12 Football Review: Stanford Dominates, Cal Shocks And UCLA Escapes

By Mike Regalado

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Aug 30, 2014; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (27) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the UC Davis Aggies at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Here is a look at week 1 in our Pac-12 Football Review.

NORTH DIVISION

1. #3 Oregon (1-0) 62 vs South Dakota 13

Aug 30, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks player Thomas Tyner hugs Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota after Mariota ran in a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the South Dakota Coyotes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Ragan-USA TODAY Sports

Once again the Ducks take on a FCS team and once again they smash them into smithereens. Oregon totaled 673 yards behind 14 of 20 passes for 267 yards by Marcus Mariota. The Ducks also had four players rush for over 40 yards, with RB Byron Marshall gaining 90 of his own. The Ducks now focus their attention to a more domineering Michigan State football team coming to Eugene next week.

2. #11 Stanford (1-0) 45 vs UC Davis 0

Stanford had the same plan as Oregon, play a team they would absolutely dominate. They did that and was the only Pac-12 team to post a shut out. Give it to the Cardinal defense who only allowed 115 total yards. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan added a 206 yard, 3TD 1 INT performance to start the season. Things get a little tougher next week as USC heads up to the farm.

3. #25 Washington (1-0) at Hawaii 16

A late night game (by mainland standards) saw a battle out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as new head coach Chris Petersen‘s first go at Washington was a rocky one. The Norm Chow-lead Hawaii team have not been great in the last few years, but took it to the Huskies in the season opener. Aside from the score, the Rainbow Warriors seemed to dominate the stat sheet having more total yards, more first downs and more time of possession which means Petersen has some work to do.

4. Oregon State (1-0) 29 vs Portland State 14

The Beavers seemed to be on the verge of another season opening scare as the Vikings went into the half leading 14-13. Fortunately, the OSU D stepped up and shut them out in the second half. QB Sean Mannion kept up the high-flying antics as he threw for 328 yards. Still, it is a bit troubling knowing that the Beavers had to play a game this close to another FCS school, which does not looking promising for their Pac-12 hopes.

5. Cal (1-0) 31 at Northwestern 24

Aug 30, 2014; Evanston, IL, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Bryce Treggs (1) and wide receiver Maurice Harris (3) celebrate Treggs

So where was head coach Mike MacIntyre hiding this team? After getting smacked at home by the Wildcats last year, the Golden Bears not only wanted payback, but had something to prove. That was evident at halftime when Cal was up 24-7. Northwestern fought back in the second, but so did Cal. Sophomore QB Jared Goff threw for 281 yards, going 21 of 34.

6. Washington State (0-1) 38 vs Rutgers 41 at CenturyLink

The last Cougar game at CentruyLink was not a good one for pirate coach Mike Leach as WSU got upended by a mediocre Scralet Knight team. QB Connor Halliday th for 532 yards with 5 TDs, whilst throwing the ball 56 times. That alone should have ben enough to take down Rutgers, but as suspected, the WSU defense is bad, giving up 496 yards themselves. If the Cougars are going to try to win in any sort of capacity, they are going to need to learn how to play defense.

SOUTH DIVISION

1. #7 UCLA (1-0) 28 at Virginia 20

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    • At least now the Bruins know where they stand. A great defense that spent way too much time on the field and an offense that went from solid to work-in-progress. The defense had three 2nd quarter touchdowns. The offense got one behind a Brett Hundley diving touchdown. There will be a lot of work next week in regards to the offensive line that allowed Hundley to get sacked five times. Hundley managed to finish with 242 yards passing, but only getting 116 yards rushing is an even bigger concern.

    2. #15 USC (1-0) 56 vs Fresno State 21

    The Trojans completely over powered the Bulldogs. USC put up 701 yards with QB Cody Kessler adding in 394 passing yards of his own. Freshman Juju Smith was electric in his first college experience as he had 123 receiving yards to lead all Trojans. The USC defense was also in top form as the only allowed 317 total yards. An easy win for the Trojans needs to quickly be forgotten about as USC will actually be tested next week going up to Stanford,

    3. #19 Arizona State (1-0) 45 vs Weber State 14

    Arizona State was in control the entire game. On the offense, when it was expected that QB Taylor Kelly would lead the charge, it was actually the Sun Devil rushers that solidified the win. Eight different players ran the ball on the ground which produced 267 yards and 4 touchdowns. The ASU defense, which lost a lot of guys in the off-season, was able to limit the FCS opponent to 156 passing yards and 152 rushing yards.

    4. Arizona (1-0) 58 vs UNLV 13

    Aug 29, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Nick Wilson (28) runs the ball for a touchdown under pressure from UNLV Rebels defensive back Sidney Hodge (4) during the third quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

    UNLV got wrecked by a vicious Wildcat squad. Arizona put up 787 yards behind 425 passing by freshman QB Anu Soloman. Soloman also had 4 passing TDs. The Wildcats also showed that they have plenty of guys to take over where rushing leader Kadeem Carey left off last season as nine different players ran the ball for 353 yards. It looks like the South has another contender.

    5. Utah (1-0) 56 vs Idaho State 14

    The Utes were very impressive, albeit against an FCS team. QB Travis Wilson connected on 13 of his 18 passes for 265 yards. The most impressive stat is that he averaged 14.7 yards on each pass. As far as the running game, it was duly impressive going for 238 yards and 5 touchdowns. If the Utes want to make a bigger statement in the conference this season, this is the way to start.

    6.  Colorado (0-1) 17 vs Colorado State 31 at Mile High

    The Buffaloes did not do very well in their rivalry game under the big lights of Mile High. It was a close game stat wise, but as the score indicates, the Rams bullied the Buffaloes, particularly in the running game. Colorado gave up 266 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. As for Colorado’s offensive game, sophomore Sefo Liufau was decent in a 241 yard, 2 TD passing game, but it was the abysmal rush that left the Buffaloes stagnant and looking for answers with only 134 yards.