Senior running back Marion Grice takes the ball up the field. ASU did not move up or down this week in the Pac-12 rankings, but Stanford forfeited its hopes for a national title this week with their loss to USC. (Photo by Vince Dwyer)Another upset rocked the Pac-12 this week. See which team lost their hopes for national title contention in this week's roundup:
No. 4 Stanford vs. USC: USC W:20-17
What slim hopes Stanford had for a national title were obliterated Saturday night. The Cardinal were held to a season-low 17 points by a USC defense that came up big on multiple occasions. Stanford senior running back Tyler Gaffney did his part, carrying the ball 24 times for 157 yards and both of Stanford’s touchdowns, but in the end, everything came down to the leg of USC junior kicker Andre Heidari. Heidari would boot the game-winning 47-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Trojans.
No. 6 Oregon vs. Utah: Oregon W 44-21
The Ducks came out with something to prove after being thoroughly dominated by Stanford last week and Utah was on the receiving end. Oregon redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota was back to his old self despite wearing a knee brace on his left knee, going 19 for 26 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. While Mariota was on his game, the Ducks rushing game was not. Oregon only managed 145 rushing yards after averaging over 300 the rest of the year.
No. 13 UCLA vs. Washington: UCLA W 41-31
UCLA freshman linebacker Myles Jack got to play running back last week and excelled at it, so naturally, he did it again against the Huskies this week. Jack had 13 carries for 59 yards and four touchdowns, the 13th player in school history to score four rushing touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley chipped in 159 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air as the Bruins maintain control of their own destiny in a tight Pac-12 South race.
Arizona vs. Washington State: Washington State W 24-17
The Wildcats, try as they might, just couldn’t find a way to slow down the Cougars’ passing attack. WSU junior quarterback Connor Halliday passed for 319 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in WSU’s win. UA was able to have some success, especially on the ground. Wildcats’ junior running back Ka’Deem Carey ran for 132 yards and a touchdown marking the 13th consecutive time he’s surpassed the century mark. Carey also had a receiving touchdown, but it just wasn’t enough to keep UA form falling at home.
Colorado vs. Cal: Colorado W 41-24
It was a battle to avoid total Pac-12 mediocrity and the Buffaloes came out on top, thanks to the play of freshman quarterback Sefo Liufau. Liufau threw for a career high 364 yards on 23 completions, three touchdowns and one interception. Close to half of Liufau’s completions went to junior wide receiver Paul Richardson. Richardson tied a team record with 11 receptions for 140 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Nelson Spruce also had 140 receiving yards on eight receptions. Cal freshman quarterback Jared Goff struggled, going 23 for 35 for only 173 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu or follow him on twitter @EricSmith_SP
