Pac-12 Football Week 5 Review: Stanford And USC Win With Defense As UCLA bRuined ASU

Here is the week 5 Pac-12 football review which included surprising wins, tough defense and a double overtime thriller.

Pac-12 Standings:

NORTH DIVISION

1. #2 Oregon (1-0, 4-0)

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BYE WEEK

2. #16 Stanford (1-1, 3-1)

W at Washington, 20-13

This game was all Stanford. It was 13-13 at halftime and with the score that low, you know that the Cardinal were executing their game plan accordingly. The Stanford defense, as always, was standing firm as they held Washington to only 179 total yards (98 passing, 81 rushing). But once again, it was the offense that struggled due to turnovers. QB Kevin Hogan had an interception and a fumble by himself, but a fumble by Remound Wright was picked up and taken for a touchdown by UW LB Shaq Thompson. Still, a win is a win as Stanford is now heading back in the right direction.

3. Cal (1-1, 3-1)

W vs Colorado, 59-56 (2OT)

The great news for Bear fans is that they have tripled their wins from last season. The bad news is, it took another game that went down to the wire. The game between last season’s cellar dwellers was anything but boring, as both teams totaled 1,205 yards and 115 points through 2 overtimes. The Golden Bears were able to overcome the Colorado offensive onslaught and stay alive in the North, but really, how long can they remain there?

4. Washington State (1-1, 2-3)

Sep 27, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback

(12) warms up before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

W at Utah, 28-27

The first half of their game looked like the Wazzu of their first two games. Getting beaten and embarrassed in the same beat. The second half of the game game looked like their efforts against Oregon. The Cougars were down 21 points in the first quarter and trailed 7-24 at the half. With the way that Utah looked in the first half, you would think it was curtains for the Cougs. But then the second half happened and QB Connor Halliday shredded the Ute defense. Halliday ended with 417 passing yards which helped put up 21 points in the second half.

5. Washington (0-1, 4-1)

L vs Stanford, 13-20

It is a really good sign that first year head coach Chris Petersen did so well against the reigning Pac-12 Champions, which means that he will give the North Division hell when he gets his own players in. But as for this game, the Huskies did not have enough to take down the champ and still have a ways to go.

6. Oregon State (0-1, 3-1)

L at USC, 10-35

The Beavers had a chance in the first half, but let all that go out the window right before the second half. QB Sean Mannion, who was managing 301 yards through the air, could only scrape up 123 yards, with 2 interceptions to boot. One of those was a Su’a Cravens pick six in the first half. What was looking promising in preseason, may quickly be fading for the Beavers as they looked uninspired in this loss.

SOUTH DIVISION

1. #18 USC (2-0, 3-1)

W vs Oregon State, 35-10

The Trojans got back their mojo, but not after taking a few blows in the first half. It took a Hail Mary right before halftime to get momentum for the Trojans. The also picked up their defensive game as they limited Oregon State to only 181 yards. On the offensive side, USC seemed too be back in a proper rhythm as QB Cody Kessler threw for 261 yards and 2 TDs while the Trojans powered through for 200 yards on the ground.

2. #11 UCLA (1-0, 4-0)

W at Arizona State, 62-27

The Bruins wrecked ASU on Thursday night. QB Brett Hundley returned from injury with a vengeance as he passed for 355 yards and 4 TDs, whilst running for another 71 with a rushing TD. Overall, this was a collective effort as special teams and defense helped to cool off the Sun Devils in a 62-27 rout.

3. Arizona (1-0, 4-0)

BYE WEEK

4. #15 Arizona State (1-1, 3-1)

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Betsided

L vs UCLA, 27-62

Losing their first conference game is big, especially against a team that is contending to win the division. Despite ASU totaling 626 yards, they turned over the ball four times and could not convert on two crucial red zone attempts. Back-up QB Mike Bercovici did a fantastic job in place of the injured Taylor Kelly, but the running game and their defense disappeared. The Sun Devils need to find it soon as they have USC, Stanford and Washington in the coming weeks.

5. Utah (0-1, 3-1)

L vs Washington State, 27-28

They had beautiful offense, they had dominating special teams and their defense was shutting down Washington State’s air raid. But then the second half happened. The Utes allowed Washington State to put up 417 yards on them  lead to 21 points in the second half and was enough to edge out Utah at home. The second half lapse was the first time we have seen Utah in a vulnerable spot this season and it could not have come at a worse time as they start conference play 0-1. It does not get any easier as they have UCLA next week.

6. Colorado (0-2, 2-3)

L at Cal, 56-59

On the bright side, Colorado would not go away. This game showed two thing: (1) Colorado has the talent to compete and (2) they are still at least two season from being contenders in the Pac-12. Compared to last season, these Buffaloes have advanced in their progress, but a team that has progressed a little better won this game. QB Sefo Liufau has gotten comfortable with his team but also knows that they have a lot to improve on. The Buffs could not hold off any offensive attack Cal threw at them (but seriously, there was no defense to be found in this game at all) and in the end, Cal conquered a young Colorado team.