Game Tape: What Auburn Can Learn from the Civil War

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On Saturday night, the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers met for the 114th time in the rivalry's storied history. This meeting, however, was different. For the first time in the history of the Ducks' program, the team was on the verge of playing for a national championship. If Oregon could find a way to beat their instate rival, then they could book their tickets to Glendale, Arizona. Meanwhile, the Beavers looked not only to spoil the hopes of their hated counterpart, but also to notch an important sixth victory that would give them bowl eligibility.

Halfway through the annual affair, the destiny of each time was clear. Oregon, sticking to their trademark dizzying pace, dismantled the Beavers the same way that they have dismantled all of their other opponents this season. The Beavers, perhaps not surprisingly, couldn't get enough stops on defense and couldn't move the ball enough on offense.

Typically, I like to frame post-game perspective from a "What We Learned" perspective. But, from this showing, what did we learn that we didn't already know? Nothing. So, instead, let's approach the recap from Auburn's perspective; that is, what will Auburn see when they watch film of this game and see Oregon for possibly the first time. This is a synopsis of Oregon with examples of important points of emphasis drawn from the Oregon State victory. Let's jump right in…

1.  Full Speed Ahead

Anyone who has seen Oregon play this year knows that their offense looks like a blur to opposing defenses; the blur runs by you and before you know it the Ducks are celebrating in the end zone. Here are the scoring drives of the Ducks against the Beavers, with numbers of plays, yards, and time of possession:

• Touchdown #1:  9 plays, 60 yards, 2:43
• Field Goal #1:    4 plays, -7 yards, 0:52
• Touchdown #2:  7 plays, 74 yards, 1:48
• Touchdown #3:  7 plays, 79 yards, 1:43
• Touchdown #4:  6 plays, 71 yards, 2:34
• Touchdown #5:  5 plays, 43 yards, 2:43

As you can see above, the Ducks score fast and often. The problem for Auburn is that there is really no way to slow the Ducks down. The California Bears tried to fake injuries, and while one could argue that the strategy worked, it certainly didn't fit well with those who noticed. I can't imagine Auburn, or any championship-level team, resorting to a delay tactic like that. Realistically, Auburn needs to do three things:  1) Consistently score points on offense with long, grinding drives; 2) Force Oregon into committing turnovers; and 3) Work on the defense's conditioning to remain standing in the second half. There's no trickery involved. The players have to be in shape and prepared for the pace.

Side note:  On Oregon's final drive of the game, it was clear that Chip Kelly wanted to slow their own pace down and begin to burn some clock. Any football coach would have done the same in that situation. But wasn't it odd to see Oregon burn clock? It looked so unnatural. Quarterback Darron Thomas milled around the line of scrimmage for a bit, glanced at the clock, and waited until two seconds to line up under center and snap the ball. It looked like what you would see if you asked a mixed martial arts fighter to spar at only 50% intensity. It was just odd. And the funniest part? The fact that Oregon State still couldn't stop Oregon; LaMichael James ended the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run that began the celebration for the Ducks.

2.  Chippin' Away

Oregon coach Chip Kelly has officially arrived as a big-time head coach. Not only has he introduced and perfected an offensive scheme that maximizes his players' talents and creates dozens of mismatches throughout a game, but his in-game decision-making is very, very solid. In addition to making good decisions on fourth-down situations (Oregon was 2-for-3 against the Beavers on fourth-down), Kelly knows when to pull a trick out of his hat and really punch the other team in the face.

On Oregon's second drive in the second half, Oregon had a 4th and 3 on their own half of the field. Kelly sent out the punt team and had everyone in the stadium and everyone watching on television thinking punt. It was a given. Well, almost. Kelly called a direct snap to the up-back and the punter faked as if the ball had been snapped over his head. Oregon State's defense parted like the Red Sea and linebacker-turned-halfback Michael Clay burst down the field for 64 yards. Three plays later, Thomas completed a 19-yard pass to D.J. Davis for a touchdown and, just like that, Oregon was up 23-7. Kelly has tons of confidence in himself and his players, and that confidence is a powerful force that shows up whenever Oregon plays. He is not afraid to go for two, to onside kick, to fake punt or field goal…he is fearless.

Fortunately, for Auburn, the SEC conference has a Chip Kelly equivalent, at least in terms of gutsiness; his name is Les Miles. Auburn head coach Gene Chizik will have to bring his "A" game to the BCS National Championship if he wants to help Cam Newton take down the Ducks.

3.  Run, Baby, Run

If you cannot keep containment on the edges, Oregon will run wild on you. Just ask the Beavers. Oregon State actually did a decent job defending the run up the middle, likely because they have talented defensive tackle Stephen Paea. But the defensive ends and linebackers were not able to prevent LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner from getting to the edges.

James and Barner combined for 43 carries for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns. They were always one step ahead of the defense. And even when it seemed like the Beavers had one of them stopped for a loss in the backfield, they found a way to get loose and turn it into a positive gain. But that's nothing new for James and Barner--they have done it all season long.

James, likely to be the Heisman Trophy runner-up behind Cam Newton, failed to reach 100 yards only twice this season (94 yards versus ASU and 91 yards versus California). He reached the 200-yard mark three times, with a season-high 257 yards against fourth-ranked Stanford. He also rushed for at least one touchdown in all but one game and rushed for two touchdowns or more in eight of eleven contests. James and company average 300 rush yards per game.

However, Auburn has quite a stellar rush defense--good for 10th in the nation. Led by Nick Fairley, the Tigers surrender only 108 rush yards per game, so clearly something has to give.

4.  Dependability

While Oregon's two-headed monster at running back (LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner) get all the attention, the team's quarterback and number-one wide receiver fly under the radar. But Auburn better not sleep on Darron Thomas and Jeff Maehl. While the two players aren't flashy, they will hurt you with their flawless execution.

Although Thomas is only a sophomore and a first-year start in Chip Kelly's system, he plays like a four-year veteran who has the discipline and composure to win a national championship. Never mind the fact that Thomas has only one 300-yard passing game this year; Kelly does not ask him to throw the lights out each week. Instead, Kelly asks him to use his judgment and make sound decisions in the read-option offense, something that many quarterbacks struggle to do. But Thomas seems to always make the right reads and right choices; he knows when to keep it himself, he knows when to give it up to James or Barner, and he knows when to pull the trigger and fire downfield. When he drops back in the pocket, he also shows lots of patience and goes through his progressions. Auburn--likely with Nick Fairley--will need to find a way to rattle Thomas and try to break him down.

Speaking of being rock solid, Oregon wide receiver Jeff Maehl is as dependable as they come. He doesn't have the star power of receivers like Julio Jones or A.J. Green, but Maehl has created a strong reputation for himself this season. Against the Beavers, Maehl finished the game with 7 catches and 86 yards. Surprisingly, Maehl didn't catch a touchdown pass. In fact, this was the first game since week two against Tennessee that Maehl did not catch a touchdown pass--he had caught a TD in nine consecutive games! Why doesn't he get more pub? He is physical, not afraid to go over the middle, has great hands, and is great after the catch. The Auburn secondary will have its hands full with Maehl.

5.  Don't Sleep on the Defense

Everyone knows Oregon can score, but did you know that Oregon can stop teams from scoring at a relatively solid rate? In fact, the Ducks are 14th in the nation in points against, surrendering only 18.4 points per game. To be fair, that number might be dragged down by shutouts against New Mexico and Portland State, but let me dive deeper.

According to cfbstats.com, Oregon ranks first in passes defended and passes broken up and ninth in opponent third-down conversion percentage. Additionally, they are five interceptions off the nation's leader, Alabama, and do not allow many big plays.

Against the Beavers, Oregon's defense set the tone from the very beginning when tenacious linebacker Casey Matthews leveled Beavers' quarterback Ryan Katz, leaving the freshman starter dazed and confused. Matthews and the rest of the Oregon front seven was able to get consistent pressure on Katz, which forced him into throwing four interceptions.

I think Auburn will have the power advantage, but Oregon will have the speed advantage--on both sides of the football. It will certainly be an interesting battle and test of styles. Will the speedy but undersized Oregon front seven be able to chase down and stop Cam Newton, who has been known to truck through defenders?

Conclusion

In summary, Auburn will have to digest a lot after they watch game tape of the Civil War. You can't find another team that is even remotely close to Oregon in style, and it will be tough to mimic in practice. But Auburn is in the big game for a reason and I expect their coaches to prepare them well. This will be a championship game to remember. I'll put up a full preview in the coming weeks.

Three Observations from Oregon vs. USC

In the biggest game of the Lane Kiffin Era thus far, the Trojans fell in a shootout Saturday night to the Ducks. Oregon's quick-strike offense overwhelmed the Trojans defense and quarterback Matt Barkley just could not muster enough points to keep up. Looking beyond the box score, we learned the following:

USC's Defensive Problems Result from Subpar Personnel

The defense has been criticized all season long here at Bringing the House and by most media outlets. While it has delivered some nice performances (Virginia and California), it has also laid down some duds (Hawaii, Washington, and Stanford). Throughout the season, different parts of the defense have taken the blame; first, we thought new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin's schemes were too new for the players and that the adjustment period would inevitably be filled with hiccups; and second, we hypothesized that a slew of unfortunate injuries prevented the defense from fielding its best possible lineup.

Well, this weekend, the Trojans put those theories to the test. The defense has had seven weeks of playing under the elder Kiffin and showed, in last week's game against California, that it had finally caught on to the scheme. The Trojans came off a bye week, which would allow Kiffin to extra time to prepare the defense for Oregon's offensive attack. And finally, the extra week would also allow the Trojans to rest up and enter the important showdown fully healthy.

So much for all of that. While the Trojans forced several three-and-outs, I would attribute their brief moments of success to luck and adrenaline, not preparation and skill (the Ducks dropped multiple passes that could have gave them first downs). The fact is that the Trojans' defense played awful. Not only did they surrender 311 yards on the ground and another 288 through the air, but they played undisciplined football that made you wonder what Kiffin and his staff were doing for the past two weeks. And while I think it would be easy to blame the coaches for this performance, I think I have finally discovered the root of the problem:  the players.

While the players are not terrible, they just aren't good enough. And they certainly don't live up to the defenses of the past at USC. It's not that they gave up all of those yards to this juggernaut--everyone does. But it's the manner in which they gave up those yards:  players were constantly out of position, bit on play-action fake after play-action fake, and missed countless tackles. Shareece Wright led the team in my new statistic, "plays caught out of position." On Oregon's first drive, Wright blew his coverage on wide receiver Jeff Maehl's comeback route that resulted in a key third-down conversion for Oregon; in the second quarter, Maehl burned Wright for a 45-yard touchdown catch (Wright was trailing him by about 10 yards); and in the third quarter, Wright inexplicably peeled off Maehl as Maehl broke his route inside on a 3rd and 13 and caught the ball for a 30-yard touchdown.

The bottom line is this:  we have a lot of defensive players who were highly recruited but have not yet lived up to their billing. At the same time, these defensive players were brought in by Pete Carroll for a particular style of defense, which is completely different than Monte Kiffin's approach. I still have faith that Kiffin can build a dominant defense, but he will need to bring in the right players to do so. Until then, Trojans fans should expect let downs similar to this one for the rest of the season. Which brings me to my next topic…

Will the Run Defense Hold Up Against Oregon State and UCLA?

Never mind the insane amount of yards that the defense allowed on the ground in the first three quarters of Saturday night's game. Instead, look at how many yards the team allowed in the fourth quarter. The key to winning football games, at any level, is stopping the run. If you cannot stop the run, you cannot win games; if you trail in a game, good running teams will use the run to drain the clock and prevent your offense from having enough time to mount a comeback. And that is exactly what happened to the Trojans.

With 12:20 left in the game and USC down 43-32, Oregon started a drive with the ball on their own 36-yard line. Here is the play-by-play for that drive:

• LaMichael James rushed for 8 yards.
• Darron Thomas rushed for 3 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 2 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 15 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 5 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 4 yards.
• Darron Thomas rushed for 5 yards.
• Darron Thomas completed pass to Lavasier Tuinei for 4 yards.
• Remene Alston, Jr., rushed for loss of 1 yard.
• Darron Thomas completed pass to Remene Alston, Jr., for 2 yards.
• Rob Beard kicked 34-yard field goal.

The positive is that USC's defense held the Ducks to only three points; a touchdown at that juncture of the game would have been devastating. However, Oregon ate up 5 minutes and 2 seconds on that drive, leaving USC only 7 minutes to score a touchdown, make a defensive stop, and score another touchdown. USC failed to score on the ensuing drive after Barkley threw an interception, and with 5:25 left in the game, up two scores, Oregon took the ball and did this:

• Darron Thomas rushed for 3 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 10 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 45 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 2 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 5 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 7 yards.
• LaMichael James rushed for 8 yards for a touchdown. 53-32, game effectively over.

If it wasn't for James' 45-yard burst, this drive would have taken longer than 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Either way, SC's defense could not stop the run, precious seconds left the clock, and Oregon put the nail in the coffin.

It does not matter how many points Barkley and this offense can put up. If the defense cannot play well and protect a lead, this team will play from behind in every game and not be able to catch up. USC has two remaining games against teams that are run-oriented, and while I hate to admit this, I see the defense having trouble against both teams.

First, on November 20th, the Trojans will travel to Corvallis to the play the Beavers. The Trojans have lost 3 of their past 4 games against Oregon State, including both games in Corvallis. In the past two showdowns, the defense had trouble tracking down the small and elusive Jacquizz Rodgers. In 2008, Rodgers gashed the Trojans 37 times for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. Then last season, while the Trojans won the game, they surrendered 113 yards to Rodgers plus an additional 42 yards to his brother, James Rodgers, who is out for the rest of this season. Quizz has four games with over 100 yards rushing already this season, and he also scored a combined seven touchdowns in his past two games. If the Trojans want to beat Oregon State, they need to stop that little giant.

The same goes for their game against UCLA and its running backs Jonathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman. While most everything about the Bruins is laughable, their running game is far from it. In fact, it's probably the only thing Westwood Junior College UCLA has going for it; they currently rank 117th in Division-I in passing yards per game, 96th in points per game, and 92nd in points allowed per game. However, the run game ranks a surprising 26th in the nation by producing 192.5 yards per game. The UCLA ground attack turned in its most notable performance of the season in a 34-12 thrashing of Texas in Austin earlier this season. During that game, the Bruins rushed 56 times for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns. If the Trojans plan on beating their crosstown foe, the defense will need to stop the run and get the ball back into Barkley's hands. Look, I am not saying that the Trojans will lose these two games. But these won't be gimmes either. If the Trojans don't make an emphasis to stop the run, these will be dangerous games that I could see going down to the wire.

The Oregon Ducks:  Your Future National Champs?

They sure look like a champion out there, don't they? On the road, they went for and converted a two-point conversion on the first possession of the game; they relentlessly attacked a rival deep into the fourth quarter; and they answered each USC score with a resounding score of their own. The offense, aka the blur, is so unique, entertaining, and dominant that you have to wonder if there is any team in the country that can handle it. What defense can maintain that insane pace, the stamina, and the discipline necessary to even contain the Ducks? Alabama, maybe? This Ducks team is better than the Ducks team of last season because Darron Thomas is a better passing quarterback than Jeremiah Masoli. So, in essence, this is an attack with even higher potential because there is a better passing element to it--Thomas went 19-for-32 for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Trojans.

The most interesting part of this team is that you cannot focus on any one player. Sure, LaMichael James is a stud at running back, but if he misses a game then the Ducks will just plug another running back, like Kenjon Barner, in and the well-oiled machine will not miss a beat. Just look at the transition the team made from Masoli to Thomas. This isn't a star or player-driven team--it's a scheme and system-driven team. And that might be harder to stop than the Cam Newton's of the world.

As a USC fan, I am torn whether I want Oregon to play in the BCS National Championship Game. Although Oregon would represent the Pac-10 well, an Oregon appearance and possible victory would elevate that program and increase its ability to recruit high-profile players that USC also targets. As a college football fan, however, I cannot hide my desire:  I want to see Oregon play  and dominate an SEC team like Auburn or Alabama in the big game.

Assessing the Pac-10 After "Measuring Stick Saturday"

 

Coming into this weekend, many thought that the Pac-10 was college football's deepest conference. Through the first two weeks, Pac-10 teams delivered impressive performances. Oregon and Arizona have reached the end zone at will; Oregon put up 72 and 48 points against New Mexico and Tennessee, respectively, and Arizona lit Toledo and Citadel up for 41 and 52 points, respectively. Clearly, the Pac-10 can score. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Arizona has yet to allow a touchdown and California's defense has only given up 5 points per game. Furthermore, in terms of individual accomplishments, the conference is filled with Heisman hopefuls, especially at the quarterback position; UW's Jake Locker, USC's Matt Barkley, Arizona's Nick Foles, and Stanford's Andrew Luck have all gotten off to quick starts.

But on the flip side, Pac-10 teams have only played cupcakes to this point. While conference play will certainly test each team as it does every season, only tough, non-conference matchups can truly measure where the Pac-10 teams lie in relation to teams in the national picture. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this weekend provided a slew of difficult out-of-conference challenges. Let's take a look at how the Pac-10 teams measured up.

California 31 - Nevada 52

Measuring Stick Saturday technically commenced on Friday night as the Cal Bears visited the Nevada Wolf Pack. Cal has looked pretty solid thus far, led by senior quarterback Kevin Riley, dynamic running back Shane Vereen, and a tenacious defense that puts pressure on opposing quarterbacks. I had the opportunity to see Cal impressively defeat Colorado last weekend, so my opinion of the team goes beyond highlights on SportsCenter.

The strong pass rush I witnessed against Colorado did not show up against Nevada, mostly because the Wolf Pack kept Cal's front seven on its heels by pounding the ball on the ground with rock-solid Vai Taua. The senior running back rushed 25 times for 151 yards and 1 touchdown. Nevada also let QB Colin Kaepernick utilize his dual-threat abilities as he added another 148 yards on the ground to give the team 316 total rushing yards. With a rushing attack like that, it is no wonder why Cal's front four did not record a sack on Friday night.

On the offensive side of the ball, Kevin Riley had a terrible game. Although he threw for 277 yards, Riley threw 3 interceptions to only 1 touchdown. Cal will definitely need better performances from Riley in the future if they intend to be a factor in the Pac-10 hunt. Meanwhile, on a more encouraging note for Bears fans, Vereen had a great night on the ground rushing for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns.

I would like to note that the final score of this game is a bit misleading. Cal was within one score (down 24-31) with 5:14 left in the third quarter. But from that point on, Nevada outscored them 21-7. I did not expect Cal to put forth such a poor showing, but Nevada is no slouch. Back to drawing board for the Bears as they host a red-hot Arizona team next weekend.

Portland State 0 - Oregon 69

Nobody expected this to game to be close. It certainly wasn't part of the much-advertised Measuring Stick Saturday because Portland State does not qualify as a "tough, non-conference team." Oregon continued its assault on opposing defenses as they nearly put up 70 points for the second time this season. The Ducks put up 668 total yards, with 528 of those coming on the ground. The star of the game was LaMichael James who rushed for 227 yards on only 14 carries (16.2 yards per carry). That's probably the most indicative stat of this blowout. The Ducks travel to Arizona State next weekend, which should be, at the very least, a more competitive game than this.

Washington State 21 - Southern Methodist 35

Sometimes people forget that the Cougars are part of the Pac-10. This was SMU's first win over a team from a BCS conference since the year 2000. Enough said. WSU looks to continue its losing ways in front of its own fans next weekend against USC.

Houston 13 - UCLA 31

This outcome was a particular shock because UCLA has looked more like a Pop Warner team as of late. Houston has won of the more potent offenses in the country and nobody had any idea how Kevin Prince and company would keep up. Well, that is, until reports surfaced that Houston QB Case Keenum was still not fully recovered from last week's concussion. That gave the boys in Westwood a glimmer of hope. If Keenum would be unable to play, then Houston's offense would not be able to operate in its highest gear, and then maybe, if lightning struck, UCLA could make it a game.

It was clear Keenum was not 100% from the get-go. Although he was an accurate 10-for-18, he only passed for 83 yards, which means he only attempted 4.6 yards per pass, far below his season norm. In addition, Keenum threw for 2 interceptions and re-injured himself while chasing down the defender who picked off his second ball. Keenum's backup, Cotton Turner, was also injured, and Houston was forced to strip a freshman (Terrence Broadway) of his redshirt status and throw him in the game. Broadway performed quite well concerning the circumstances, but it was nowhere near enough for the Cougars.

To be fair, UCLA's offense earned this victory. Sophomore running back Johnathan Franklin led the ground attack with 26 rushes for 158 yards and 3 scores. The Bruins had 266 total yards on the ground, which meant that Prince did not have to throw the ball very often. In fact, Prince ended the game with a pathetic line:  9-for-17, 99 yards, 1 interception. If the Bruins intend on making Franklin the main cog in the offensive game plan, then fans better expect opponents to stack the box against him and make Prince throw the ball. So far this season Prince has not shown that he can play quarterback at the college level, despite all the hype coming into his second season. Through three games, Prince is
24-for-54, 258 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT. By comparison, USC's Matt Barkley was 18-for-23, 257 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT in one game versus Hawaii.

USC 32 - Minnesota 21

The Trojans held their own today against the Gophers. Read my complete quarter-by-quarter recap and analysis.

Louisville 28 - Oregon State 35
Are the Beavers the Pac-10's most disappointing team so far? Look, I know they are 1-1 with their lone loss coming in a tough game against a top-5 TCU team on national TV in what was basically an away game. But having a bye week to recover from that loss and then a home game against a middling Louisville squad, you would figure Mike Riley would get his boys to fire on all cylinders. But that was not the case Saturday night in Corvallis.

While the formidable Jacquizz Rodgers did his part (24 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD and 5 catches, 22 yards, 1 TD), the defense disappointed. The Beavers allowed 453 total yards to the Cardinals, including 288 through the air to Louisville QB Adam Froman who only mustered 127 and 219 yards in previous outings versus Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky, respectively. But most disappointing for coach Riley was the fact that the defense allowed the Cardinals to climb back into the game late. The Cardinals scored the final 14 points in the game and came within a touchdown of tying it up. Fortunately, the Beavers managed to pick off a ball late to seal the win.

Arizona State 19 - Wisconsin 20

The Sun Devils kept this contest a lot closer than I thought they would. The game came down to the wire and the 1-point difference was due to a blocked extra point in the fourth quarter (Side note:  Blocked PATs have occurred so often lately and they have such far-reaching repercussions, but most fans simply dismiss them when they happen in real-time).

Arizona State played a very clean ball game on the whole. They did not turn the ball over, but they did not force any turnovers, either. They ran the ball well:  28 team carries for 169 yards. And quarterback Steven Threet went 21-for-33 for 211 yards, but no touchdowns. It was a Big-10 type of game against a Big-10 opponent in a Big-10 stadium. Arizona State does not have the same speed and athleticism that USC, Oregon, Arizona, and Oregon State have. And because of that they came up just short.

The Sun Devils' problems came mostly from not being able to stop Wisconsin running back John Clay and not being able to get any pressure, beyond one sack, on quarterback Scott Tolzien. Wisconsin was missing its top two wide receivers, most notably star wideout Nick Toon. Regardless of whether Toon was in or out, the Sun Devils knew to expect a heavy dose of Clay. And that's exactly what they received. Clay carried the ball 22 times for 123 yards and 1 touchdown. But beyond the numbers, it was Clay's ability to gain yards and burn the clock that hurt ASU. With 4:09 left in the game, Wisconsin had the ball at its own 27 yard line and ASU desperately needed to get the ball back. Clay and company ran the clock out in the following fashion:

• Clay rush for no gain
• Isaac Anderson rush for 5 yards; ASU personal foul penalty
• Clay rush for 5 yards
• Clay rush for 3 yards
• Tolzien pass to Lance Kendricks for 17 yards
• Clay rush for no gain; Timeout ASU
• Clay rush for 10 yards; Timeout ASU
• WISC kneel; Timeout ASU
• WISC kneel
• WISC kneel; End of game

Obviously the personal foul penalty and the 17-yard pass were huge. But ASU just couldn't stop Clay, and thus couldn't stop the clock. I think Clay's effectiveness really exposed a weakness in ASU's defense that teams with great running backs can try to take advantage of (think USC, Oregon State, Oregon). That being said, the Sun Devils proved that they are an underrated team this season and they will be ready for the Ducks next weekend in Tempe.

Wake Forest 24 - Stanford 68

I had no doubts that Stanford would easily handle the Demon Deacons. I think Stanford is one of the best teams in the conference and Wake Forest is not a good enough team to defeat the Cardinal in Palo Alto. A couple things stood out during this game.

First, if you haven't seen Andrew Luck play, then you are missing out. Luck is a great young quarterback who is climbing higher up the Heisman ladder with each performance. Tonight, Luck completed an efficient 17-for-23 passes for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the year now he has thrown 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

It is also interesting that Luck is completing his passes to many different receivers, which may prevent defenses from focusing on one particular receiver down the line. Against Wake Forest, Luck completed a pass to 11 different receivers. Eleven! The Cardinal also showed their ball distribution on the ground as 8 different people recorded at least two carries. Luck got in on the party in a big fashion with a 52-yard touchdown run halfway through the second quarter. I did not realize Luck had above-average wheels.

Finally, Stanford's pass defense looked really solid. Wake Forest QB Tanner Price only completed 8 of 18 passes for 76 yards, no touchdowns, and 1 interception. In Price's previous start against Duke, he went 12-for-19, 190 yards,  and 3 touchdowns. So they limited the passing game to some degree. In addition, although they allowed 207 yards on the ground, the Demon Deacons only recorded 3.9 yards per carry, so they had to rush a whopping 53 times to gain those yards. I thought it was a solid performance for Stanford all around.

Nebraska 56 - Washington 21

Most of America thought UW did not stand a chance in this game. And I was in that same boat. I know UW has the ability to pull off upsets, especially at raucous Husky Stadium, but sometimes the recipe just isn't right. In this case, it was the recipe, the ingredients, the cook, the tools, and everything else that goes into a complete product. I had the chance to watch the game in its entirety on TiVo, so I want to provide a more in-depth analysis in a subsequent post, but here are a couple takeaways, in short.

First, UW simply cannot stop the run-option. They have trouble with it every season, and to be fair, plenty of teams do. But UW seriously has no chance against it. And Taylor Martinez and the Cornhuskers ran it to perfection earlier today. We already know about Martinez' prior performances, but this was his first road game, and he stepped up in a gigantic way. The young star rushed 19 times for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns. He added 150 yards and another score through the air. Nebraska also had two other players rush for over 100 yards a piece. That means three players rushed for 100 yards each. Is that even possibly in a four-quarter football game? Apparently so.

Second, Jake Locker is overrated. I need to develop an entire column to this topic because it really bothers me like no other in college football today. People say this guy is going to be the number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Has there ever been a top overall pick with such a horrendous win-loss throughout his collegiate career? I think the "surrounding talent" argument is overused. At the end of the day, the great quarterbacks make plays, and Locker doesn't do that. He went 4-for-20 today for 71 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks. He added 59 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. So you're telling me that NFL scouts want this guy to lead their team? He can't throw! And, as I said, the NFL is a passing league! All this talk of Locker being the number one pick and a Heisman contender just does not add up at the end of the day. Someone from the UW camp must have subliminally messaged the entire college football nation.

Finally, after I watched UW post a handful of victories last season, I bought into some of the hype and thought, perhaps, that UW was on its way back up. But with such a terrible start to the season, a disappointing loss tonight, and a ridiculously tough schedule ahead, I am beginning to think otherwise. I think this season is done for the Huskies. Over the course of the next six weeks, the pups from Washington play at USC, home against ASU, home against Oregon State, at Arizona, home against Stanford, and at Oregon. How many of those do you reasonably see them winning? Maybe the Arizona State game? At least the Seahawks are looking decent.

Iowa 27 - Arizona 34

Perhaps the crown jewel of the night, this matchup was dubbed as the game of the week in college football, and it did not disappoint. Arizona got off to a ridiculous start and was able to do just enough to eek out the upset over the Hawkeyes. I am sure most eyes were on this game tonight, so I will keep my comments brief.

I thought Arizona got really lucky tonight. Its first three scores came as a result of Iowa errors and its own special teams play. That's not to say that Arizona did not indirectly cause some of that to happen, but it's not like Arizona drove the ball down the field three straight times in dominant fashion. Iowa's first possession ended on a blocked punt that gave Arizona the ball on the 5-yard line. Foles dumped a short pass to David Douglas to give the Cats a 7-0 lead. On the next drive, Stanzi threw his first interception of the season, but it was ball that his intended receiver had bobbled/tipped and Arizona cornerback Trevin Wade scooped up and returned 85 yards for a touchdown. 14-0 Arizona. Iowa then responded with a touchdown drive of their own, but on the ensuing kickoff, Arizona's Travis Cobb went 100 yards to give the Cats a 21-7 lead and legitimate "upset" status. Arizona added two more field goals to close out the half, and they went into the locker room up 27-7. Stanzi and Iowa were seriously in a funk at that point.

But then the second half began, and Iowa started to get some of its mojo back. More importantly, however, Arizona lost all of its mojo. I felt like the crowd calmed down a bit and the offense sputtered. In fact, the offense did not score again until 3:57 left in the fourth quarter. They went 26 minutes in the second half without scoring, yet still managed to win the game. They even lost the turnover battle 3 to 1.  They were also penalized 12 times for 103 yards! It was just the perfect storm tonight.

While I think a lot of luck was involved, Arizona's defense stepped up in a big way. The defense completely stuffed Iowa's running game (26 carries for 29 yards). And although Stanzi finished with 278 yards, they forced him into a lot of bad throws and got an insane amount of pressure on the quarterback. The defense's performance was summarized best on Iowa's final drive of the game. Down only one score, Iowa elected to go with what was working up to that point in the game--Stanzi's arm. After he completed a 7-yard pass to bring the team near midfield, Arizona dialed up the pressure like a maniac. First, Justin Washington sacked Stanzi for a loss of 9 yards. Iowa called timeout. On the next play, a blitzed actually flattened a blocker and annihilated Stanzi, but the play was blown dead due to a false start. At that point, I figured Iowa would keep an extra blocker in the backfield, but they didn't, and Ricky Elmore busted through the line and sacked Stanzi for a loss of 8 yards back to the Iowa 22 yard line. And on the final play, the Cats topped off a dominant defensive performance with a third consecutive sack (unofficially the fourth), this time again by Justin Washington! It was like an experienced Madden player calling for the Engage Eight blitz out of the 4-3 defense. Beastly.

Finally, I do have to comment on Arizona QB Nick Foles. I thought he played very well tonight, going 28-for-39, 303 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He made some very nice throws deep and over the middle that impressed me a lot. But I thought at times he forced a lot of balls into tight coverage and was lucky that Iowa did not pick off more passes. His running was completely stifled by the Iowa defense, but in the end it was too little too late for the Hawkeyes.

Overall

As a conference, the Pac-10 went 6-4 during Measuring Stick Saturday/Weekend. Nobody actually includes WSU when talking about the Pac-10 in the national picture, so if we exclude them, the conference went 6-3. The Arizona victory was obviously the biggest in terms of gaining national respect, but it shouldn't shock people that the Pac-10's speed was able to conquer the Big-10's strength. It happens all the time. California was the most disappointing team of the weekend as it delivered a dud against Nevada. And UCLA was probably the biggest surprise for the way it handled Houston.