Our PAC-12 Week 5 Review starts with the unbeaten Ducks losing a close one to Stanford. There is also a game to go and watch as UCLA and Arizona State lock horns.

 

A Cardinal Duck Hunt – Oregon @ Stanford

Oregon’s unbeaten run came to an end and with it their grip on the PAC-12 North, with a 31-24 overtime loss to Stanford. The Cardinal twice found them 10 points to the good in the 1st quarter and at the half. It looked like they had thrown the game away, until Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee found receiver Elijah Higgins in the end zone on the last play of the game to force overtime. Stanford were given one last shot with 0:00 on the clock, after Oregon were called for defensive holding on 4th and goal, with 2 seconds on the clock.

McKee found Higgins with a lovely placed throw. McKee was excellent again and is quietly going about his business since becoming the starter. He found receiver John Humphrey’s in overtime to give them the lead. Oregon failed to reply, giving Stanford their second win over top 25 ranked opposition this season. McKee finished with 3 touchdown and 230 passing yards and has now gone 5 games without throwing an interception. The Ducks will feel like they let this game slip from their clutches. Besides the Ohio State game they have started most games slow, this was no exception. Discipline was one of the big issues for Oregon.

On The last drive the Ducks had two personal fouls and a holding call on the play. Oregon are averaging 79.2 penalty yards per game through 5, they are doing well to be 4-1 with those kind of stats. QB Anthony Brown rushed for two scores, but had a pass intercepted in his own half. Stanford capitalised on that with a touchdown 2 plays later. Oregon’s play off dream looks set to be over, all they can do is keep winning and hope other above faster. Next up for the Ducks is a bye week before they play California. Stanford will hope to continue this momentum and beat another top 25 opponent in Arizona State.

 

PAC-12 Week 5 Review – Washington State @ California

Washington State recorded their second win of the season with a 21-6 win over California. Cougars WB Jayden de Laura had 3 passing touchdowns and 219 yards, 2 of those passes were caught by receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. De Laura also threw 2 interceptions, but Cal couldn’t capitalise on the mistakes. This match up was between two struggling teams and you could tell. We saw only 605 total offensive yards, 35 first downs and 3 turnovers between both teams.

Cal QB Chase Garbers had his first game of the season without a touchdown. Garbers had an interception and only 152 passing yards, 44 of them coming on one play. The Bears only score came in the 1st quarter, a Christopher Brooks 11 yard touchdown run. The only other time they got into the red zone was the 4th quarter and turned the ball over on downs. The Golden Bears slip to 1-4 and are slumped at the bottom of the PAC-12 North. Next weeks bye week may not be a bad thing before they welcome Oregon. Washington State has a tough game against in form Oregon State next weekend.

 

PAC-12 Week 5 Review – USC @ Colorado

USC manoeuvred past Colorado with relative ease, with a 37-14 win. USC more than double the offensive yards the Buffaloes had, moving the ball being a struggle again. Colorado QB Brendon Lewis only had 10 completions from 19 attempts for just 162 yards. He wasn’t even affective on the ground with -13 yards from 9 attempts. The freshman also threw an interception inside his own 20 yard line, that killed any little hope Colorado had of a comeback. The running game couldn’t get going either, which has been another problem over the last few weeks for Karl Dorrell’s team.

USC were better than last week’s loss to Oregon State. Kedon Slovis started at quarterback again and had figures of 19 from 29, 276 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns. He’s favourite target again was Drake London, who is increasing his draft stock every week. London had another 100+ yard game with a touchdown. Running back Keaontay Ingram had 124 yards rushing from 14 attempts. The Trojans defence were on top form again, with 5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Drake Jackson and Jacob Lichtenstein grabbing a pair of sacks each. USC needs to follow up with another win, with every victory being followed by a loss. They welcome Utah to the Coliseum. Colorado will be hoping the visit of winless Arizona can get them their second win of the season.

 

PAC-12 Week 5 Review – Washington @ Oregon State

Oregon State went to to the top of the PAC-12 North, with a 27-24 home field victory over Washington. It was a last second 24 yard Everett Hayes field goal that secured the Beavers a walk off win. It was an even game that could have gone either way, with both teams struggling in the passing game and coughing up possession. The deciding factor in the game came minutes before the winning field goal. With just over 3 minutes on the clock in the 4th quarter, the Huskies were 4th and 1, sitting on their own 46 yard line. HC Jimmy Lake kept his offence out there and Dylan Morris’s QB sneak was snuffed by the Beavers defence. The ball turned over and Oregon State moved the ball a short distance, into field goal range.

Beavers QB Chance Nolan only had 48 passing yards from 7 completions. The work was done on the ground with running back B.J Baylor rushing for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns, while DeShaun Fenwick added a further 70 yards. Washington running back pair Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant having good games, McGrew going over 100 yards rushing with 2 scores. Washington go into their bye week with Jimmy Lake maybe wishing he had that 4th down call back. The Beavers head to Huskies rivals Washington State, dreaming of a PAC-12 North title.

 

Highlights Aplenty  – Arizona State @ UCLA

Arizona State took the battle of the top two in the PAC-12 South, with a 42-23 win. After a back and forth first half, the Sun Devils outscored UCLA, 18-0 to secure the win and take them to the top of the South. Both teams combined for 898 offensive yards, 521 of them passing yards. Neither quarterback wilted in the first half, as both guys used their arms to make big plays. Jayden Daniels of Arizona State and Dorian Thompson-Robinson of UCLA have both had questions asked about their passing ability. Neither looked out of their depth in the first half, driving their teams into scoring positions. Out of the 12 possessions in the first half, their was 9 scoring drives, with 5 of them touchdown scores.

The second half, UCLA failed to convert a field goal and turned the ball over on downs inside the Sun Devils 5 yard line. If they would have converted that, they would have made it a 2 point game. Instead they failed and Arizona State went 96 yards down the field to extend their lead to 16 points. That killed the game and secured a big win for the Sun Devils. Jayden Daniels had his best game of the season, throwing 13 passes from 19 attempts, 286 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, he also had 45 rushing yards. ASU wide receiver Ricky Pearsall had 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns, one a 54 yard reception and the other a 65 yard one.

The Bruins had tight end Greg Dulcich go over 100 yards receiving. DTR led UCLAs ground game with 96 yards, with Zach Charbonnet closely following with 89 yards. UCLA aren’t out of the race for the South title and have a cupcake game against Arizona next week. Arizona State have Stanford, who have already beaten 2 top 25 PAC-12 teams this season.

Written by Jordan Merrit @Jordm87