Pac-12 football Week 9 roundup: Status quo for Oregon and UCLA, Colorado falls and more
Things are now firmly in the home stretch. Nine weeks in and the Pac-12’s favorite is established in Oregon, although a couple of teams below the Ducks have also made some noise this season.
In Week 9, there was a close call out in Tucson with Arizona trying to pull off a big upset over USC, nearly throwing another wrench into what is becoming more of a three-horse race in the conference. Utah seems to be more of a distant fourth and needs significant help to get into the Pac-12 Championship Game in December.
Including all of that, here’s your roundup from Week 8 in the Pac-12:
Oregon wins in Berkeley
Sep 24, 2022; Pullman, Washington, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Noah Sewell (1) begins to celebrate against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Ducks won 44-41. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12) headed down south to Berkeley to face Cal (3-5, 1-4) looking to avoid a potential trap game fresh off a big home win against UCLA in a top-10 matchup.
Cal held strong in the first quarter, keeping Oregon scoreless and leading 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. The good times quickly stopped rolling for the Golden Bears, though, and the now-weekly offensive explosion for the Ducks quickly followed.
A 21-point second quarter for Oregon followed, dispatching all legitimate hope for Cal and giving Oregon a 21-10 lead at halftime — a score that wasn’t indicative of the Ducks’ dominance.
Ultimately, Oregon flew home from Northern California with a 42-24 win, another Bo Nix 400-yard performance — one where 11 different Ducks caught a pass — and still in control of both the conference lead and a chance for a College Football Playoff berth.
UCLA rebounds vs. Stanford
BOULDER, CO – SEPTEMBER 24: Running back Zach Charbonnet #24 of the UCLA Bruins runs for a first quarter touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 24, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
It wasn’t the Dorian Thompson-Robinson show for the UCLA Bruins (7-1, 4-1), but it didn’t need to be as their running game was more than enough to take care of an overmatched Stanford (3-5, 1-5) team this past weekend.
Thompson-Robinson went 18-for-29 and 199 yards, but the Bruins’ run game was the key as UCLA continued its balanced offensive attack. Senior running back Zach Charbonnet ran for a career-best 198 yards and three touchdowns, leading UCLA to a dominant 38-13 win.
UCLA led 24-6 at halftime — a margin that could’ve been bigger — and exorcized its Stanford demons in the process. Saturday’s win was the Bruins’ first victory over the Cardinal at the Rose Bowl since Oct. 18, 2008, just over 14 years.
Colorado loses to Arizona State
Oct 29, 2022; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Xazavian Valladay (1) scores a touchdown in the second quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Check out some of our coverage from this game:
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USC's offense comes through in win over Arizona
Sep 10, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; USC Trojans tight end Lake McRee (87) runs into the endzone against the Stanford Cardinal during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Nobody expected Arizona (3-5, 1-4) to keep pace with USC (7-1, 5-1).
Yes, the game was in Tucson, but the Wildcats stood no realistic shot at keeping up with USC’s vaunted offense. And to Arizona’s credit, it went toe-to-toe with USC for three quarters, but it was that Trojan offense that spelled the end for the Wildcats. Caleb Williams threw for five touchdowns in a game where USC was able to somewhat run away and hide in the fourth.
Leading 31-29 after a third quarter in which Arizona scored 13 unanswered points, USC responded with 14 of its own, extending its precarious advantage to 45-29 with 6:29 left.
Jayden de Laura threw a touchdown and Arizona added on a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 45-37 with 1:26 left, but the Wildcats couldn’t recover the onside kick and USC walked away with a win.
Shorthanded Utah victorious against Washington State
Oct 27, 2022; Pullman, Washington, USA; Utah Utes tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) walks off the field after a game against the Washington State Cougars at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Utah won 21-17. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
In a game where quarterback Cameron Rising surprisingly did not take the field — a development that head coach Kyle Whittingham said was due to Rising’s decision to sit out because of an injury — Utah (6-2, 4-1) still came out with a win despite a comeback attempt by Washington State (4-4, 1-4).
Utah led 21-7 at the end of three quarter, largely due to a methodic running game that was good for 169 yards and two touchdowns in total on Thursday night.
Washington State came back with 10 unanswered points in the final quarter to cut the Utes’ lead to 21-17 with 4:42 remaining, but Utah was ultimately able to run out the clock and secure the victory despite a scare late: a Bryson Barnes interception with under a minute left was called back because of a defensive holding penalty on Washington State.
What lies ahead in Week 10
BOULDER, CO – SEPTEMBER 2: Running back Deion Smith #20 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs in the first quarter of a game at Folsom Field on September 2, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
So with all of that, we’re now headed into Week 10 of Pac-12 action, one that should be an interesting week ahead, and a week that gives Colorado a chance to play the ultimate spoiler at home against Oregon.
Here are the matchups this week and where to catch them:
Friday, Nov. 4
No. 24 Oregon State at Washington (8:30 p.m. MT on ESPN2)
Saturday, Nov. 5
No. 8 Oregon at Colorado (1:30 p.m. MT on ESPN)
Washington State at Stanford (1:30 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network)
Arizona at No. 12 Utah (5:30 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network)
Cal at No. 9 USC (8:30 p.m. MT on ESPN)
No. 10 USC at Arizona State (8:30 p.m. MT on FS1)
