Week 11 in the PAC-12
An exhilarating Week 11 gave us more reasons to believe that the PAC-12 is the most exciting conference in college football, and more reasons to mourn its impending demise. Let’s take a look at what happened in Week 11:
Week 11 Results:
USC 27 @ 36 Oregon
Arizona 34 @ 31 Colorado
Utah 28 @ 35 Washington
Washington State 39 @ 42 Cal
Stanford 17 @ 62 Oregon State
Arizona State 17 @ 7 UCLA
Top three games from Week 11:
USC @ Oregon
USC were all but eliminated from PAC-12 championship after failing to keep pace with a soaring Oregon at Autzen Stadium. Despite constant pressure on Caleb Willams, the Trojans managed to keep it reasonably close in the first half, with Williams getting home on a two-yard touchdown run to keep it within one score as they entered the break.
The Ducks pulled away as Bucky Irving ran for a 19-yard TD to start the fourth quarter, putting them ahead 36-14. The Trojans didn’t give up and fought back with two touchdown drives of their own the second coming after a missed field goal for the Ducks with 6:27 left on the clock. Austin Jones was able to punch it in on a 13-yard TD run but they failed to make the two-point conversion, leaving a nine-point deficit to overcome. USC attempted the onside kick but Oregon recovered and were able to run down the clock with a fourth and seven pass from Nix to Irving sealing the win.
Oregon’s offense looks stronger than ever. When talking about his QB after the game, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said that it was ‘a Heisman-worthy performance from Bo.’ It is hard to argue against Nix being the favourite to take home the trophy after a 412-yard, four touchdown game that included 77 and 84-yard touchdown passes on his first two pass attempts to Tez Johnson and Troy Franklin respectively. Nix’s accuracy is unmatched as he leads the nation with a 77.7% completion rate.
Utah @ Washington
Utah QB Bryson Barnes put up a career best 238-yards and two touchdowns in the first half, as he led the team on four consecutive touchdown drives before the Utes’ offense disappeared completely following the break. Washington’s questionable defense decided to show up and shut out their opponents, holding them to just 76 total yards in the second half. Utah only managed to cross midfield once on their six second half possessions.
Washington was down 28-24 at halftime but, after punts from both teams to open the second half, Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies got going. Penix led two scoring drives that resulted in a field goal and a 33-yard TD pass to Rome Odunze to take back the lead. Washington had the chance to extend their lead by another touchdown when Alphonzo Tuputala picked off Barnes and returned it 76 yards for what he thought was a score. The only problem was he celebrated too soon and dropped the ball at the one-yard line. Washington was able to recoup some of the points as Ja’Quinden Jackson was brought down in the endzone for a safety.
Despite their offensive inefficiency, Utah managed to stay within seven points as they blocked Grady Gross’ 32-yard field goal attempt with 1:38 left on the clock. However, Utah couldn’t keep the drive alive and Barnes’ pass was intercepted by Dominique Hampton on a fourth and ten attempt, sealing the win for the Huskies and preserving their perfect record.
Arizona @ Colorado
Tyler Loop’s 24-yard field goal as time expired extended Arizona’s impressive winning streak to four games. Colorado blew the chance to take a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter as Alejandro Mata missed his kick from 44-yards out.
With 4:57 left on the clock, head coach Jedd Fisch decided the best course of action was to run the ball and run down the clock. Colorado couldn’t stop Jonah Coleman on a 67-yard drive in which he had runs of 21 and 24-yards. This was enough for the Wildcats to kick the points for a walk off victory.
Noah Fifita had his most inefficient performance so far going 21 of 35, the most incompletions of his career. Fifita’s 214-yards and two TDs were enough to see them over the line. He’ll be thankful for WR TeTairoa McMillan to rely on. McMillan is making a name for himself, especially with spectacular catches like the one-handed grab he pulled in to tie the scores at 24-24.
This was a tight game in which Colorado didn’t trail until they conceded the game winning points. The Buffaloes struggled to establish the run, managing only 90-yards with Shedeur Sanders as their leading rusher with 42-yards and a rushing touchdown. They were still effective through the air, with Xavier Weaver and Travis Hunter picking up 84 and 74-yards respectively. Colorado needs to pick themselves back up after the disheartening loss as they need to win both of their remaining fixtures to reach a bowl game.
Top Performances of Week 11:
Passing:
Bo Nix, Oregon: 23/31, 412 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, 96.0 QBR v USC
Receiving:
Rome Odunze, Washington: 3 recs, 111 yards, 37.0 AVG, 2 TD v Utah
Rushing:
Damien Martinez, Oregon State: 15 carries, 146 yards, 9.7 AVG, 4 TD v Stanford
Defense:
Dashaun Mallory, Arizona State: 9 tackles (6 solo), 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 2 PD v UCLA
Power Rankings after Week 11:
1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. Arizona
4. Oregon State
5. Utah
6. USC
7. UCLA
8. Cal
9. Colorado
10. Arizona State
11. Washington State
12. Stanford
Oregon looks unstoppable right now and holds on to the top spot. Washington don’t make it look as easy as the Ducks but can’t stop winning so remain right behind them. Arizona continues its hot streak and jumps up to third as Utah slip down beneath a confident looking Oregon State. Arizona State moves off the bottom after their upset win over UCLA. Stanford replaces the Sun Devils at the foot of the table after their beat down by the Beavers.
Games to Watch in Week 12:
UCLA @ USC
These two teams have little left to play for other than pride, but the Battle of Los Angeles will still be full of intensity as the two fearsome rivals go head-to-head for the final time in the PAC-12 before they continue their feud in the Big 10.
Washington @ Oregon State
Washington keeps winning, but they don’t make it look easy. Corvallis is not going to be an easy place for the Huskies to visit to preserve their perfect record. Oregon State will be full of confidence at home after shipping 62 on a hapless Stanford.
Utah @ Arizona
Both teams sit at 7-3 and have slim hopes of making the championship game should the favourites falter. These teams have shown that they can hang with the big boys and will play hard in what we can expect to be a close affair.
Alex Evans