Week 4 in the PAC-12
Colorado may have been blown by Oregon but the remaining PAC-12 matchups were close affairs. Let’s take a look at how Week 4 played out and what to get excited about in Week 5:
Week 4 Results:
Colorado 6 @ 42 Oregon
UCLA 7 @ 14 Utah
Arizona 21 @ 20 Stanford
Oregon State 35 @ 38 Washington State
Cal 32 @ 59 Washington
USC 42 @ 28 Arizona State
Top three games from Week 4:
Oregon State @ Washington State
Whilst the national spotlight was on Colorado’s trip to Eugene the real game of the week took place in Pullman, Washington as the two remaining PAC-12 teams duked it out. Despite being dubbed the ‘No-One’s Watching Bowl’ by ESPN Gameday, this is the game that everyone should have been watching.
Washington State QB Cam Ward put Heisman voters on notice with a phenomenal first half performance as he entered halftime with more touchdown passes than incompletions. Ward threw fourteen straight completions and finished 19 for 20 with 293 yards at the half.
Despite losing Lincoln Victor, their leading receiver, to a foot injury in the first quarter Cougars receivers Kyle Williams and Josh Kelly more than filled the void with 174 yards and a TD, and 159 yards and three TDs respectively with two of Kelly’s touchdown catches being spectacular one-handed grabs.
Oregon State fought hard on the ground as RB Deshuan Fenwick racked up 101 yards and three touchdowns. QB DJ Uiagalelei struggled at times and the Beavers found themselves down by seventeen early in the fourth quarter before a late rally capped off by a five-yard TD pass to Jack Velling to bring them within three points. The Cougars were able to recover the ensuing onside kick to hold on to the victory.
UCLA @ Utah
Utah continue to struggle on offense without injured starting QB Cam Rising with backup Nate Johnson scoring only seven points. The Utes’ other seven points came courtesy of the defense after Karene Reid picked off Dante Moore’s first pass of the game and took it to the house. Utah relied heavily on the RBs throughout the game with 48 runs to only 17 passes.
This was another big showing for the Utah defense which sacked Moore seven times and forced him to fumble twice. The standout player was Jonah Elliss who recorded 3.5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss. This is a defense that has now held three Power-5 teams to under 25 points. Head coach Kyle
Whittingham said ‘it was as fine of a defensive performance I’ve seen since I’ve been here, and that’s saying something.’
Despite UCLA averaging 40.3 points per game, this was almost a shutout until Moore led a 91-yard scoring drive that included a 45-yard pass to Carsen Ryan and a 17-yard TD pass to Josiah Norwood. Utah followed this by going three and out, giving the ball back to UCLA with a chance to tie the game. The defense then sealed the win by sacking Moore three times on their first, second and fourth down attempts.
USC @ Arizona State
Arizona State entered this matchup with USC as 33.5 point underdogs but gave the Trojans far more than they bargained for. Drew Pyne was the Sun Devils’ third starting QB of the season. He turned in a commendable performance, going 21 of 36 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception with an offense that has started to find its feet now that head coach Kenny Dillingham has taken over play calling duties.
A large part of ASU’s success on offence was due to big game had by RB Cameron Skattebo. Not only did he mass 111 yards and a touchdown on twenty carries, he also pulled in four catches for 79 yards and another touchdown. If that wasn’t enough, he also made two out of three passes for 42 yards and punted the ball once.
Whilst many expected this to be a blowout, ASU did enough to stay in touch with their opponents, trailing by just seven points in the fourth quarter. However, their efforts were not enough to keep up with the juggernaut USC offence that went 75 yards in 48 seconds to put the game out of reach. On what was considered an off day for the Trojans, they still put up big numbers. WR Brendan Rice (son of Jerry) had 133 yards and 2 TDs whilst RB Marshawn Lloyd ran for 154 yards. QB Caleb Williams wasn’t quite his usual self but that didn’t stop him amassing 322 passing yards and five total touchdowns.
Top Performances of Week 4:
Passing:
Cameron Ward, Washington State: 28/34, 404 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT v Oregon State
Receiving:
Brendan Rice, USC: 7 recs, 133 yards, 19 AVG, 2 TD v Arizona State
Rushing:
Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State: 20 carries, 111 yards, 5.6 AVG, 1 TD v USC
Defense:
Jonah Elliss, Utah: 10 tackles, 5 TFL, 3.5 sacks v UCLA
Power Rankings after Week 4:
1. Washington
2. USC
3. Oregon
4. Washington State
5. Utah
6. Oregon State
7. Colorado
8. UCLA
9. Arizona
10. Cal
11. Arizona State
12. Stanford
Some significant movement in the rankings this week. Washington jumps into the top spot due to the manner of their victories. Oregon and Washington State both move up after impressive wins whilst Oregon State and Colorado slide down. Despite winning with a strong defensive performance, Utah drops two spots as their offence continue to sputter without Cam Rising. Arizona State leapfrogs Stanford at the bottom of the table as their offense finds new life.
Games to Watch in Week 5:
USC @ Colorado
The Trojans will be looking to shift back into top gear in their second consecutive road game as they head to Folsom Field. Colorado wants to bounce back after being humbled in Oregon. With two of the most exciting QB prospects in Caleb Williams and Shedeur Sanders going head-to-head this could be a shootout but also don’t be surprised if it’s a blowout.
Utah @ Oregon State
Oregon State can put up points, as they demonstrated this week. Utah has the ability to neutralise high-scoring offenses as they also demonstrated. The Utes need the defense to be on top form again this week if Cam Rising doesn’t return.
Arizona State @ Cal
Cal have done well this season against lesser opponents but struggled against Power-5 teams. The Golden Bears can put up points as they showed against Washington. Arizona State are expected to start Trenton Bourguet who missed the USC game through an injury picked up in the 29-0 loss to Fresno State. Kenny Dillingham will continue to call plays on offense which gives the potential for a close game.