Week 5 in the PAC-12
Week 5 brought us a slate of close games, many which were much closer than expected. Let’s take a look at what happened and what to look forward to in Week 6.
Week 5 Results:
Utah 7 @ 21 Oregon State
USC 48 @ 41 Colorado
Arizona State 21 @ 24 Cal
Oregon 42 @ 6 Stanford
Washington 31 @ 24 Arizona
Top three games from Week 5:
USC @ Colorado
Whilst many expected a blowout this one surprisingly came down to the wire. USC dominated the first half on offense whilst the Colorado defense struggled to contain Caleb Williams who continued to demonstrate his ability to make ridiculous throws on the move, finishing the day with 403 yards and six passing touchdowns.
USC led the Buffaloes 34-14 at the half and it seemed as if there would be no stopping them after the break. We don’t know what Coach Prime said to his team at half time but it certainly galvanised them to come out all guns blazing on both offense and defense. USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s defense collapsed and allowed Shedeur Sanders far too much time and space to pick them apart with his arm and legs. Freshman receiver Omarion Miller, who was without a reception prior to this game, absolutely took off pulling in some spectacular catches on his way to 196 yards and a touchdown.
USC’s offense stalled in the second half, only registering fourteen points in the third quarter and none in the fourth. Williams also threw his first interception of the season. This allowed the Buffaloes to pull with one score. If it wasn’t for some questionable clock management on their final scoring drive, they may have had enough time to get the ball back and score the winning points but USC were able to run out the clock after recovering the onside kick. USC escaped with the win along with a big question mark over whether their concerns on defense will prevent them from securing the conference championship.
Arizona State @ Cal
With QB Drew Pyne still out through injury, Trenton Bourguet again stepped in under center. Bourguet outproduced the opposing quarterback, tallying 344 yards to Sam Jackson V’s 130. Cal relied on RB Jaydn Ott to keep the offense rolling on his way to 165 yards and a score. Arizona State actually looked the stronger team throughout but Cal were able to hold on and grind out the win.
The game remained close into the fourth quarter. The Golden Bears took an eleven-point lead after Matthew Littlejohn picked off Trenton Bourguet and returned it nineteen yards to the ten-yard line. Jaydn Ott was able to punch it in to the endzone on short yardage. The Sun Devils fought back with Elijah Badger returning the ensuing kick-off to the halfway line. Bourguet was able to drive the offense to three-yard line before rolling left and running it in himself for the score. Badger then pulled in the two-point conversion to pull Arizona State within three points. Cal decided to go for it on fourth down at the goal line but the defense was able to prevent Ott from entering the endzone. Bourguet and Sun Devils tried their best to fight back on offense but ultimately the Golden Bears defense stepped up when needed and forced the turnover on downs to end the game.
Washington @ Arizona
Washington found their trip to Tucson to be much tougher than they expected. The Huskies jumped out to a fourteen-point lead in the first quarter and kept the lead throughout but it wasn’t the blowout many expected.
Whilst Michael Penix Jr. put up 363 yards, including a few big chunk plays, he wasn’t able to connect to a receiver in the endzone, with all of Washington’s touchdowns coming on the ground courtesy of RBs Dillon Johnson, Germie Bernard and Will Nixon.
Washington found themselves up 28-10 in the third quarter but the Wildcats were able to fight back. Arizona QB Noah Fifita performed admirably on his first career start, putting up 232 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. His final touchdown pass came with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter to bring them within a score. Arizona failed to recover the onside kick allowing Washington to hold on to the win.
Top Performances of Week 5:
Passing:
Caleb Williams, USC: 30/40, 403 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT v Colorado
Receiving:
Omarion Miller, Colorado: 7 recs, 196 yards, 28 AVG, 1TD v USC
Rushing:
Jaydn Ott, Cal: 29 carries, 165 yards, 5.7 AVG, 1 TD v Arizona State
Defense:
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Oregon State: 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL v Utah
Power Rankings after Week 5:
1. Oregon
2. USC
3. Washington
4. Washington State
5. Oregon State
6. Utah
7. Colorado
8. UCLA
9. Cal
10. Arizona
11. Arizona State
12. Stanford
Oregon moves into top spot after a blowout win on the road. USC and Washington also managed to pick up wins on the road but in a much less convincing fashion. Utah continues to struggle to put points on the board and are leapfrogged by Oregon State after they defeated the Utes. Arizona and
Arizona State kept pace with their opponents in tight losses but the Wildcats edge ahead due to facing a superior opponent. Stanford remains rooted to the bottom of the table after failing to register any points through the last three quarters of their game with Oregon.
Games to Watch in Week 6:
Washington State @ UCLA
Both teams will be refreshed coming off their bye weeks. Washington State QB Cam Ward has been on fire and will put up points. UCLA will hope they don’t struggle to score like they did against Utah when they face a sneakily good Cougars defense.
Colorado @ Arizona State
Colorado will hope to get back to winning ways after keeping pace with USC. Arizona State’s revitalised offense have looked like they can keep themselves in any game with head coach Kenny Dillingham continuing to call plays.
Arizona @ USC
After showing them can score against a solid Washington defense they hope they can do even better against a Trojans defense that is haemorrhaging points. However, it is unlikely that they will be able to keep up with the Caleb Williams led USC offense.