Week 2 in the PAC-12
Let’s take a look at the action from a big Week 2 in the final season of the PAC-12 conference:
Week 2 Results:
Nebraska 14 @ 36 Colorado
Utah 20 @ 13 Baylor
Tulsa 10 @ 43 Washington
Oregon 38 @ 30 Texas Tech
Arizona 24 @ 31 Mississippi St.
UCLA 35 @ 10 San Diego St.
Wisconsin 22 @ 31 Washington St.
UC Davis 7 @ 55 Oregon St.
Auburn 14 @ 10 Cal
Oklahoma St. 27 @ 15 Arizona St.
Stanford 10 @ 56 USC
Top three notable games from Week 2:
Oregon @ Texas Tech
In a back-and-forth game, Oregon found themselves entering the fourth quarter down 27-18. Sporting icy white uniforms, the Ducks showed they had ice in their veins as they took the lead with a 34-yard Camden Lewis field goal before LB Jeffrey Bassa’s pick-six of former Oregon QB Tyler Shough iced the game in the dying seconds.
Shough put in a gutsy performance with 282 yards and three TDs but also three interceptions. Oregon QB Bo Nix continues to prove why he’ll be one of the top QB draft prospects as he led his team to victory with 359 passing yards and two TDs.
Nebraska @ Colorado
The hype continues to grow for the Prime-Time era in Colorado as The Buffaloes took on their rivals from neighbouring Nebraska in a packed-out Folsom Field. It was a slow first half for Colorado as Nebraska’s defense initially dominated. However, the Cornhuskers’ offense hampered itself with a string of mistakes, including three fumbled snaps. Nebraska ultimately turned the ball over four times (three fumbles, one INT) to a surging Colorado defense).
Shedeur Sanders remains impressive through the air, racking up 393 passing yards and two TDs (plus one rushing TD). If the Buffaloes want to keep up this high-octane passing attack, then the offensive line will need to do a better job at protecting their QB moving as Sanders was sacked eight times this Saturday.
Wisconsin @ Washington State
As one of the two remaining PAC-12 teams that aren’t moving to another Power Five conference, Washington State had a point to prove against a Big Ten opponent. QB Cameron Ward was solid, putting up 212 yards and two TDs through the air and another 43 yards rushing.
The Cougars’ defensive front was too strong for Wisconsin’s offensive line, forcing two strip-sacks in the first half, one of which resulted in a touchdown on the way to a 24-6 lead. The Badgers fought back, scoring sixteen straight points but Washington State were able to hold on, sealing the deal with a late TD run from RB Nakia Watson.
Week 2 Summary:
Despite being in its final year of existence, the PAC-12 conference continues to look stronger than ever. It’s been another strong week against out of conference opponents, with seven teams picking up wins against non-PAC-12 teams. We also saw the first in conference matchup with USC taking on Stanford, with the Caleb Williams led Trojans demolishing the Cardinal. The performances were good enough to see an astonishing eight PAC-12 teams, the most from any conference, find their way into the AP Top 25 entering Week 3: #5 USC, #8 Washington, #12 Utah, #13 Oregon, #16 Oregon St., #18 Colorado, #23 Washington St., #24 UCLA.
Top Performances of Week 2:
Passing:
Caleb Williams, USC: 19/21, 281 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTS v Stanford
Receiving:
Xavier Weaver, Colorado: 10 receptions, 170 yards, 1 TD v Nebraska
Rushing:
Damien Martinez, Oregon St.: 7 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD v UC Davis
Defense:
Ron Stone Jr., Washington St.: 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles v Wisconsin
Power Rankings after Week 2:
1. USC
2. Washington
3. Utah
4. Oregon
5. Oregon State
6. Colorado
7. Washington State
8. UCLA
9. Arizona
10. Cal
11. Stanford
12. Arizona State
USC and Washington look like the strongest teams in the conference over the first two weeks but continued strong performances from both Oregon and Oregon State could see them catch up with the leaders. Utah won again but may struggle to sustain success without starting QB Cam Rising. Arizona, Cal, Stanford and Arizona State find themselves at the bottom of the pile after picking up their first losses of the season.
Games to Watch in Week 3:
Washington @ Michigan State
Probably the matchup of the week for the PAC-12. Like Washington, Michigan State are coming off back-to-back impressive wins. However, the Spartans find themselves without head coach Mel Tucker after he was suspended this week amid a sexual harassment investigation. These two teams met in a 39-28 Huskies victory last season in which Michael Penix Jr. threw four touchdowns. Expect another high-scoring affair as Penix Jr. continues his excellent run of form.
Colorado State @ Colorado
Colorado remain the hot ticket and this matchup got a little bit spicier after Colorado State head coach threw some shade at Deion Sanders for not removing his hat and sunglasses when talking to the press. Sanders has since used this as motivation for his high-flying team as he told them ‘It was just gonna be a good game, but they done messed around and made it personal!’
Hawaii @ Oregon
A final test for the Ducks before they meet their first conference showdown with Colorado in Week 4. The Rainbow Warriors are hoping to follow up a 31-20 win over Albany, their first of the season, with a win in Eugene but are likely to be outmatched. Bo Nix will hope to put up big stats again as he strives to keep himself in contention for the Heisman Trophy. Talking of big stats, Hawaii QB Bryden Schager currently has the most passing yards in the country with 972 through three games.