Week 13 in the PAC-12
The final week has come and gone, and what a week it was! Featuring thrilling nailbiters and dominant demolitions, let’s take a look at what happened in the last ever regular season week of PAC-12 football:
Week 13 Results:
Oregon State 7 @ 31 Oregon
Colorado 17 @ 23 Utah
Arizona 59 @ 23 Arizona State
Washington State 21 @ 24 Washington
Notre Dame 56 @ 23 Stanford
Cal 33 @ 7 UCLA
Top three games from Week 13:
Washington State @ Washington
Washington recorded their second ever perfect regular season after a thrilling walk-off victory over their in-state rivals in the 115th Apple Cup. Grady Gross’ 42-yard field goal secured the win (and secured him a scholarship) as time expired and sent the Huskies into the title game undefeated. The winning kick was preceded by a risky call by Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer on fourth and one. On their own 29-yard line and with 1:11 left on the clock, DeBoer opted to put the ball in hands of Rome Odunze for what turned into a 23-yard run that preserved the drive and got them that much closer to field goal range.
As per usual the Huskies didn’t make it look easy. Six of their last eight wins have been decided by just one score. The fact it came down to a field goal to separate the two teams shows how close Washington State ran them. In fact, the Washington State looked the stronger team for most of the game. The Cougars’ defense was strong throughout, holding Washington to 306 total yards and sacking Penix twice.
Cougars QB Cam Ward looked like he had regained some of his early season form, putting up 317-yards and three TDs. However, Ward’s spectacular throws were counterbalanced by two interceptions. Ward’s TD pass to Lincoln Victor with 5:58 left in the fourth was enough to pull WSU level but he couldn’t quite do enough to hold on. On their own 47, Ward was unable to convert on third down and the Cougars punted with just under two minutes remaining.
This was not vintage performance from QB Michael Penix Jr. who seemed to struggle at times with miscommunications with his receivers and some of his throws, especially on the final drive, missing the mark. Penix’s 204-yards and two TDs were enough to get the Huskies over the line. Even when the going is tough, the connection between Penix and Odunze remains strong with receiver pulling in catches of 21 and 40-yards on Penix’s two touchdowns. Washington fans will want to see more from them as the head into the championship game.
Arizona @ Arizona State
Arizona capped their spectacular rise this season with a record-breaking performance in the Territorial Cup. Just two years removed from a 70-7 beat down at the hands of Arizona State, the
Wildcats let their rivals know that they are the top dogs in the desert. The blowout gave Arizona their first six game winning streak since 1998.
Arizona QB Noah Fifita’s impressive development over the course of the season culminated in his best performance. Fifita set a new school record with an astonishing 527 yards and five touchdowns, surpassing the previous record of 520-yards by Anu Solomon against Cal in 2014. Fifita had the most yards by an Arizona QB in a Territorial Cup game by halftime with 357-yards and broke the record for most yards in a Territorial Cup game previously held by ASU QB Ryan Kealy with 511.
Fifita wasn’t the only one breaking records as team mate Tetairoa McMillan set a new record for receiving yards in the Territorial Cup with 266-yards from just eleven catches, eclipsing the previous best of 199-yards from ASU’s Gerell Robinson. It wasn’t just McMillan making catches as fellow wideout Jacob Cowing racked up 157-yards from nine catches as Arizona State’s defense had no answer. Arizona’s offense was so dominant early on, they scored on all but one possession, a missed field goal attempt, and did not punt at all in the first half. Arizona had fifteen plays that were over fifteen yards, twelve of which went for more than twenty.
Freshman QB Jaden Rashada was back for the Arizona State in his first game since he was injured in Week 2 against Oklahoma State. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, his performance was the antithesis of Fifita’. Rashada only managed 82-yards and a touchdown and was picked off twice. Despite only playing in three games, Rashada somehow managed to finish the season as ASU’s passing TD leader with four.
Arizona narrowly missed out on a spot in the championship game due to Oregon’s victory over Oregon State but still have a bowl game to look forward as the future looks bright for the Wildcats.
Colorado @ Utah
It was a battle of the backups in Salt Lake City as QBs Luke Bottari and Ryan Staub faced off in the only game of the weekend that was remotely close. Colorado starter Shedeur Sanders, who has been battered behind a porous offensive line all season, was rested. Utah’s Bryson Barnes was out due to an illness.
Staub looked the stronger of the two quarterbacks with a respectable 195-yards and a touchdown. Bottari, who was taking his first snaps at the FBS level after starting the season as a fifth-string walk-on, finished the game with just 61-yards. Bottari only attempted three passes before halftime, all completions, as Utah leaned heavily on the run. On their opening drive the Utes ran the ball on eight consecutive plays before Bottari ran it in on a two-yard keeper.
Colorado responded with their first score on a trick play in the second quarter. Staub lateralled the ball to Jimmy Horn Jr. who delivered a perfect pass to Dylan Edwards for a 30-yard score. The Buffaloes will have felt they should have had the lead going into the half after Travis Hunter made a spectacular diving catch in the corner of the endzone on a 29-yard pass from Staub. After review, the play was controversially overturned as the referees decided that Hunter did not have control of the ball as he made contact with the ground. Colorado settled for the field goal to trail 13-10 at halftime.
Utah ground out the win with sustained success on the ground, allowing them to hold onto the lead throughout the game. Because Colorado could not stop the run at all, Utah only needed to ask Bottari to make ten pass attempts, completing six. Jaylon Glover had career high 107-yards as the team finished with 268 rushing yards and a win. Utah head to a bowl game whereas the first season of the Prime era ends in disappointment after a hot start.
Top Performances of Week 13:
Passing:
Noah Fifita, Arizona: 30/41, 527 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 98.2 QBR v Arizona State
Receiving:
Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona: 11 recs, 266 yards, 24.2 AVG, 1 TD v Arizona State
Rushing:
Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State: 17 carries, 108 yards, 6.4 AVG, 1 TD v Arizona
Defense:
Xavier Carlton, Cal: 8 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL, 2 PD v UCLA
Power Rankings after Week 12:
1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. Arizona
4. Oregon State
5. Utah
6. UCLA
7. USC
8. Cal
9. Washington State
10. Colorado
11. Arizona State
12. Stanford
Washington finishes the season with the best record but their victories don’t look as convincing as Oregon’s blowout wins. Arizona have demonstrated they are clearly the third best team in the conference with Oregon State not too far behind. Utah jumps up above both Los Angeles teams whilst Cal and Washington State switch places.
The Game to Watch Next Week:
PAC-12 Championship Game – Oregon v Washington
All eyes will be on Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Friday night for the final PAC-12 game ever as Washington and Oregon battle it out for the conference title and a shot at the College Football Playoff. If Washington win, they will almost certainly secure the number four spot in the CFB playoff rankings. Washington will hope for repeat of their previous matchup this season where they showed their defense could hold Oregon’s high-powered attack in check.
Oregon could possibly jump into the top four but will likely need to defeat the Huskies in a very convincing fashion. That outcome is a real possibility as Oregon enter the game as 7.5-point favourites and a quarterback in Bo Nix who for many is behind only LSU’s Jayden Daniels in the race for the Heisman Trophy.