Week 9 in the PAC-12
This week was characterised by a series of surprisingly close games and underdog victories (along with the expected Oregon blowout). Let’s have a look at what happened in Week 9:
Week 9 Results:
Oregon 35 @ 6 Utah
USC 50 @ 49 Cal
Washington 42 @ 33 Stanford
Colorado 16 @ 28 UCLA
Washington State 27 @ 38 Arizona State
Oregon State 24 @ 27 Arizona
Top three games from Week 9:
USC @ Cal
The final conference matchup in a rivalry that started in 1912 did not disappoint as we were treated to a 99-point thriller. After the start of the game was delayed by a student protest at midfield, Cal came flying out of the blocks with a ground attach led by Jaydn Ott. The sophomore RB racked up an astonishing 131 yards in the first quarter, capping off the period with a 61-yard touchdown run. Shortly into the second quarter Ott had three touchdowns and USC, who own the conference’s worst rushing defense, seemingly had no answer.
USC found themselves down 28-17 as time expired in the first half as they attempted to get within field goal range. However, as players headed to the locker room, USC head coach Lincoln Riley challenged timing of the last play. After much deliberation it was decided that receiver Lake McRee was down with a fraction of a second left. Rather than bring the teams back out the referees awarded an untimed down at the start of the second half from which Denis Lynch attempted the field goal. Cal head coach Justin Wilcox used a first half timeout to ice Lynch before he missed the subsequent attempt.
USC found a way to neutralise Ott in the second half, holding him to only eight yards. Despite this they still had to overcome a fourteen-point deficit as they entered the fourth quarter. The Trojans embodied the team motto of ‘fight on!’ as the offense scored twenty-one unanswered points and the defense finally stepped up and forced four takeaways.
Cal fought back with a 23-yard run from fourth string RB Justin Williams-Thomas on a drive capped off with a thirteen-yard swing pass from Fernando Mendonza to Jaivian Thomas for the touchdown on his only reception. Cal opted to go for two but Mendoza’s pass to Brian Hightower was broken up by Jaylin Smith and USC ran out the remaining 58 seconds.
Washington @ Stanford
After not registering a touchdown last week, Michael Penix Jr. found his passing form again as he put up four touchdowns and 369 yards as Washington struggled to hold onto victory in an unexpectedly competitive matchup. Stanford QB Ashton Daniels kept pace with Penix as he recorded a career best 367-yards and three total touchdowns.
Both teams’ passing game was supported by standout performances on both sides. Ja’Lynn Polk picked up 148-yards from just five catches, including a 92-yard touchdown reception which was the second longest in school history. Stanford will be pleased to see Elic Ayomanor’s breakout form continue as he pulled in 146-yards from nine receptions. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, Ayomanor left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury.
Stanford will malign he chances they had to snatch the victory in the fourth quarter. Mario Odunze fumbled the ball in the redzone which Standford recovered allowing them to start the drive that culminated with the touchdown that brought them within two points. Zahran Manley then picked off Penix’s pass in the endzone to give them the chance to take the lead.
On fourth and two at their own 28-yard line, Stanford attempted a trick play as Daniels pitched the ball to WR Tiger Bachmeier who passed to a wide-open Jayson Raines who dropped the pass. After the turnover on downs, Dillon Johnson ran it in for the game sealing touchdown and Huskies could breathe a sigh of relief.
Oregon State @ Arizona
Oregon State’s conference title aspirations appear to be in tatters after they were upset by an Arizona team that seems to have found its identity under first year head coach Jedd Fisch. Wildcats QB Noah Fifita, who took over from the injured Jayden de Laura in Week Four, has continued to improve in confidence and has held onto the starting job despite de Laura being healthy again this week. Following the game Fisch described his QB as “a leader,” and said “he just brings a different type of swagger and confidence into the huddle that can’t really be emulated.”
Oregon State started the game strongly with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from DJ Uiagalelei to Jack Velling. However, the Beavers struggled to score from thereon in. With the score tied at 10-10 as the first half drew to a close, OSU chose to attempt a fake field goal rather than kick the three points. The attempt failed and the Beavers missed out on what turned out to be vital points.
Fifita found receiver Michael Wiley for touchdown passes on consecutive possessions as the Wildcats took a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter. Oregon State responded and Uiagalelei was able to find Jimmy Valsin III for 20-yard touchdown to bring it within one score. The Beavers weren’t able to recover the subsequent onside kick as the Wildcats held on to an impressive victory.
Top Performances of Week 9:
Passing:
Bo Nix, Oregon : 24/31, 248 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT, 95.2 QBR v Utah
Receiving:
Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington: 5 recs, 148 yards, 29.6 AVG, 2 TD v Stanford
Rushing:
Jaydn Ott, Cal: 21 carries, 153 yards, 7.3 AVG, 3 TD v USC
Defense:
Tysheem Johnson, Oregon: 2 tackles, 2 INTs v Utah
Power Rankings after Week 9:
1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. UCLA
4. Utah
5. Oregon State
6. USC
7. Arizona
8. Cal
9. Colorado
10. Washington State
11. Stanford
12. Arizona State
Oregon takes top spot as they string together impressive performances after a dominant win over Utah. Washington also continues to win but their victories come with a much narrower margin sliding them down to second. Were the Ducks and the Huskies to face off again, you would be hard pressed to believe that Oregon wouldn’t win it as they look capable of beating anyone the way they are currently playing. UCLA rise two spots after their comprehensive win over Colorado. Oregon State lose two places, and possibly their title aspirations, as they were upset by an in-form Arizona team.
Games to Watch in Week 10:
Cal @ Oregon
Cal dominated on the ground at home in a game they should have won against USC. The Golden Bears will carry a chip on their shoulders into Autzen Stadium but will more than likely come away disappointed as Oregon overwhelms them.
Washington @ USC
This could be a wild shootout as two top QBs face-off against two defenses that have been haemorrhaging yards and points. Washington needs to win with Oregon hot on their tales, but this may be a case of whoever’s defense steps up takes the victory.
UCLA @ Arizona
UCLA are coming off back-to-back victories over Stanford and Colorado, both teams that have been feisty but remain in the bottom half of the table. Arizona is a hot team right now. Noah Fifita and co. have given some very strong teams a run for their money and another upset win wouldn’t be completely unexpected.