Week 3 in the PAC-12
Week 3 may not have been the strongest slate of matchups but it did give us the Battle of Colorado. Let’s take a look at how Week 3 unfolded and what to look forward to in Week 4:
Week 3 Results:
Weber State 7 @ 31 Utah
San Diego St. 9 @ 26 Oregon State
Idaho 17 @ 31 Cal
North Carolina Central 7 @ 59 UCLA
Northern Colorado 21 @ 64 Washington State
Washington 41 @ 7 Michigan State
Hawaii 10 @ 55 Oregon
Sacramento State 30 @ 23 Stanford
Colorado State 35 @ 43 Colorado (OT)
Fresno State 29 @ 0 Arizona State
UTEP 10 @ 31 Arizona
Top three games from Week 3:
Colorado State @ Colorado
Possibly the most talked about game in all of college football this week. Colorado jumped to an early lead with an eighty-yard pick-six by safety Shilo Sanders but his brother, QB Shedeur Sanders, struggled early on. Sanders ended the first half with only sixty yards through the air as Colorado State’s secondary continually disrupted the connection with his receivers. Sanders also lost one of his weapons as the Buffaloes’ star WR/CB Travis Hunter was taken to hospital at halftime following a late hit on the sideline from Rams safety Henry Blackburn. Hunter is likely to be out for three to four weeks with a lacerated liver.
The Buffaloes entered the fourth quarter with an eleven-point deficit. With thirty-six seconds left on the clock, Sanders piloted a ninety-eight-yard drive that culminated in a forty-five-yard TD pass to WR Jimmy Horn Jr. followed by a two-point conversion to TE Michael Harrison to force overtime. Sanders stayed in the zone with two more touchdown passes to Harrison before a Trevor Woods interception sealed the game for Colorado as their fans stormed the field.
Washington @ Michigan State
The Washington offense took advantage of a Michigan State team in disarray following the suspension of their head coach due to sexual harassment allegations. The Spartans will be a regular opponent for the Huskies when they move to the Big Ten next season and it seems that Michigan State will have the most to fear when they meet again.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. demonstrated why he is in the running for the Heisman Trophy with another phenomenal passing performance. Penix Jr. passed for 473-yards with four TDs, zero INTS and a 158.33 passer rating even though head coach Kalen DeBoer decided to sit him mid-way through the third quarter.
Washington’s receivers had a field day whilst making a claim to being the strongest WR group in the conference. Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan finished the game with 180, 118 and 96 yards respectively. Michigan State ended the game having given up 713 total yards, the most ever conceded in the school’s history.
Sacramento State @ Stanford
The biggest upset of the weekend took place at Stanford Stadium as Sacramento State felled the Cardinal for their third ever victory over a PAC-12 opponent. Stanford took a 23-20 lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter but Hornets QB Kaiden Bennett came up with the big play to seal the win. Bennett avoided a sack before unloading a short pass to Marcus Fulcher on his way to the ground which Fulcher then ran in for the winning score.
This is not the way new Stanford head coach Troy Taylor would have wanted his home debut to go, especially against the team he coached last season. Stanford used to QBs with Ashton Daniels being replaced in the third quarter by Justin Lamson. Both QBs threw interceptions and have left the Cardinal with a big question mark over their QB position.
Top Performances of Week 3:
Passing:
Michael Penix Jr., Washington: 27/35, 473 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs v Michigan State
Receiving:
Rome Odunze, Washington: 8 recs, 180 yards, 22.5 AVG v Michigan State
Rushing:
Isaiah Ifanse, Cal: 22 carries, 137 yards, 6.2 AVG, 1 TD v Idaho
Defense:
Shilo Sanders, Colorado: 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT v Colorado State
Power Rankings after Week 3:
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
No change in the rankings from Week 2. USC remain atop the table despite not playing this week, although Washington is really starting to push the Trojans for the top spot. The top ten teams all won this week against non-conference opponents whereas Stanford and Arizona State recorded losses. It’s hard to decide who is worst out of the Cardinal and the Sun Devils but the manner of Arizona State’s shutout loss keeps them rooted to the bottom.
Games to Watch in Week 4:
Colorado @ Oregon
This one is the headline grabber. The Prime-Time era continues after Colorado’s hard-fought win in Week 3 but could it come crashing down as they face their first in-conference test against an Oregon team that has been steamrollering opponents. This game could be a shootout between Bo Nix and Shedeur Sanders, but if the Buffaloes start slow again next week it could turn into a blowout.
Oregon State @ Washington State
The two remaining teams that aren’t moving to another conference next year meet in a matchup that should not be overlooked. Both these teams have been playing strong football against solid non-conference opponents. Expect their first conference game of the season to be a battle.
UCLA @ Utah
UCLA have been flying under the radar this season despite racking up some solid wins on their way to 3-0. Utah have ground out impressive victories against strong opponents including Florida and Nebraska, despite being without starting QB Cam Rising although true freshman Dante Moore has performed admirably in his stead.