Week 10 in the PAC-12
The PAC-12 brought us another exciting week packed with big blowouts, thrilling shootouts and gritty wins. Let’s take look at what happened in Week 10 and what to look forward to in Week 11:
Week 10 Results:
Arizona State 3 @ 55 Utah
Cal 19 @ 63 Oregon
Washington 52 @ 42 USC
Stanford 10 @ 7 Washington State
Oregon State 26 @ 19 Colorado
UCLA 10 @ 27 Arizona
Top three games from Week 10:
Washington @ USC
USC’s slim playoff hopes came crashing down as Washington prevailed in a thrilling shootout at the Coliseum. The teams matched each other touchdown for touchdown for three quarters as Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams demonstrated why they are considered two of the best quarterbacks in college football as they completed numerous spectacular throws on their way to 256 and 312-yards respectively.
Along with the dominant performances through the air, both teams pounded it on the ground. USC were without starting RB Marshawn Lloyd but Austin Jones stepped up in the form of 127-yards from eleven carries. However, this paled in comparison to Washington RB Dillon Johnson as he rushed for a remarkable 256-yards (fifth most in school history) and four touchdowns.
Question marks hung over both defenses prior to this game and those question marks lingered as the teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 42-42. Washington managed a long sack on Williams to stop one drive and forced a fumble as Williams scrambled as his pocket collapsed. The Huskies shutout USC in the fourth quarter but the Trojans defence could not do the same. Alex Grinch’s defense has been much maligned all season, unable to stop the run and giving up numerous big plays in the secondary. This performance ultimately cost Grinch his job as head coach Lincoln Riley fired him on Sunday.
Cal @ Oregon
This one may not have been a thriller for the neutrals but it was another demonstration of how devasting the juggernaut that is Oregon’s offense can be. Oregon got off to a slow start by their terms when QB Bo Nix was picked off on the first play from scrimmage. Nix’s INT was followed by Bucky Irving’s second fumble all season and the Ducks found themselves ending the first quarter with a narrow 14-10 lead. However, quickly overcame these errors with Nix turning in another stellar performance en route to four passing and two rushing touchdowns.
Oregon’s defense continues to look strong. They did a good job of shutting down Cal’s ground game and held RB Jaydn Ott, who rushed for 131-yards against USC in the first quarter alone last week, to under 100 yards for the game. The defense also forced two fumbles and generated a lot of pressure on Cal QB Fernando Mendoza. This pressure only resulted in one sack but was enough to significantly disrupt Cal’s passing attack.
Oregon still put themselves in difficult situations with penalties. Fortunately for them, Nix is talented enough to overcome these situations, such as when they faced second and 37 and the pass to Tez Johnson was converted for a 48-yard touchdown. Whatever hole they find themselves in, you wouldn’t bet against this team pulling themselves out of it and doing so with gusto. Right now, the Ducks look like the strongest team in the conference and would more than likely be able to avenge their lone defeat by Washington if they faceoff again the championship game.
UCLA @ Arizona
Fans invaded the field at Arizona Stadium after the Wildcats convincingly beat UCLA for their third consecutive win over a ranked opponent, the first time they have achieved this in school history. This win also granted them bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017.
UCLA struggled to get points on the board throughout the game. Three quarterbacks played for the Bruins, none of them particularly effective. Ethan Garbers started and scored UCLA’s sole touchdown. Collin Schlee rotated in on various plays but missed all five of his pass attempts. When Garbers left the game through injury, Dante Moore was preferred to step in over Schlee but only managed fourteen yards from seven attempts.
Freshman QB Noah Fifita continues to go from strength to strength after taking over the starting job. Fifita threw for 300-yards and three touchdowns after overcoming an early pick. From then on Fifita was clinical and decisive as he hit two nine-yard touchdown passes to Montana Lemonius-Craig and Jacob Cowing in the first half before capping it off with a twelve-yard TD pass to Tetairoa McMillan early in the fourth quarter.
Top Performances of Week 10:
Passing:
Bo Nix, Oregon : 29/38, 386 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 85.9 QBR v Cal
Receiving:
Tez Johnson, Oregon: 12 recs, 180 yards, 15.0 AVG, 2 TD v Cal
Rushing:
Dillon Johnson, Washington: 26 carries, 256 yards, 9.8 AVG, 4 TD v USC
Defense:
Andrew Chatfield Jr., Oregon State: 3 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 TFL v Colorado
Power Rankings after Week 10:
1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. Utah
4. Oregon State
5. Arizona
6. USC
7. UCLA
8. Cal
9. Colorado
10. Stanford
11. Washington State
12. Arizona State
Oregon remains clear at the top with another dominant victory. Utah pushes their way up to third as they continue to win and win confidently. Arizona takes the biggest jump, leapfrogging USC as they enter the AP and CFP rankings at #23 and #21 respectively for the first time since 2017. Stanford takes one step away from the bottom after their gritty narrow victory over a free-falling Washington State.
Games to Watch in Week 11:
Arizona @ Colorado
Arizona will hope their hot streak continues as they travel to Boulder. Wildcats QB Noah Fifita has been efficient and precise as he continues to pick apart defenses whereas Shedeur Sanders has struggled to with consistency over recent weeks.
Utah @ Washington
Both offenses put up over fifty points in Week 10 and will be looking to repeat these performances in Week 11. Utah boasts the superior defense and will hope this will be the crucial factor against a Huskies team that has made a habit of squeezing out tight wins.
USC @ Oregon
Another meeting of high-powered offenses in what could be a high-scoring affair. USC’s current defense has almost no-chance of containing Bo Nix and the Ducks so will have to rely on putting up a ton of points again. Doing so against Oregon’s formidable defense will be a big challenge.