Takeaways from week 2 of the Pac-12


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SALT LAKE CITY — Another week of college football is in the books and the Pac-12 has already seen its moments of intrigue. Several schools continue to dominate, while others are reeling from a loss — we're looking at you USC.

ARIZONA (2-0):

Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey returned after a suspension to help the Wildcats to a seemingly easy 58-13 victory over UNLV. Carey rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns and had more yards at halftime than UNLV did as a team. The Wildcats looked strong on offense, scoring on three of its first four possessions in the first quarter.

If there is one thing lacking for Arizona it's their passing game. The Wildcats only had 81 yards passing, with quarterback B.J. Denker going 8-of-21. Forcing the Wildcats to throw the ball is likely key stopping their offense.

  • Arizona forced three turnovers — one fumble and two interceptions, with one being returned for a 49-yard touchdown
  • Kicker Jake Smith missed another field goal, making him three of four on the season
  • Next opponent: UTSA (1-1)

ARIZONA STATE (1-0):

Arizona State opened up their season against Sacramento State on Thursday, easily winning 55-0. Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly had a great night going 23-of-31 for 300 yards and five touchdowns. Kelly had several targets, finding 11 different people to throw to. No single player was a complete threat, but was just a contributor of a team effort. Overall, the play was balanced with Arizona State adding 158 yards on the ground.

The Sun Devils don't necessarily have one major playmaker, but several athletes for Kelly to throw to. The schedule will quickly pick up for Arizona State as they will face Wisconsin next week and then Stanford the week after to start Pac-12 play.

#North

  • Kicker Zane Gonzalez was two of four in field goals
  • The Sun Devils forced four turnovers — two fumbles and two interceptions
  • Next opponent: (20) Wisconsin (2-0)

CALIFORNIA (1-1):

FCS school Portland State gave California a run for its money, but the Golden Bears were able to pull out a 37-30 victory. Quarterback Jared Goff had an amazing night completing 33-of-51 attempts for 485 yards and two touchdowns. Goff was needed 19 yards more to break the school's single-game passing record. Goff made several big plays, including 75-, 62- and 50-yard passes.

Although Goff has quite the arm and the talent to throw to, it's worrisome that it took a 400+ performance from Goff to get a win over Big Sky opponent Portland State. Something tells me we're not going to see that type of production every week, especially against tougher opponents.

  • Kicker Vincenzo D'Amato was three of four in field goals, missing a 46-yard attempt
  • Cal forced two turnovers — one fumble and one interception
  • Next opponent: (4) Ohio State (2-0)

COLORADO (2-0):

If the season were to end in week two, Colorado would already be a better program than they were last year, winning for a second time this season. The Buffaloes, however, needed a fourth quarter rally against Central Arkansas to get the 38-24 victory. Receiver Paul Richardson was a major factor in the win, catching 11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Connor Wood was 23 of 36 for 341 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.

Colorado has definitely improved, but it's still too early to say they'll make a bowl game. The Buffaloes needed a rally in the fourth quarter — and two returned interceptions — to beat an FCS opponent, so there is likely still some more improvements needed.

  • Colorado only rushed for 84 yards on 34 attempts.
  • Colorado forced four turnovers — one fumble and three interceptions, with two being returned for touchdowns.
  • Will Oliver missed a 53-yard field goal, going one of two for the night.
  • Next opponent: Fresno State (2-0)

Related:

(2) OREGON (2-0):

Oregon looked a little human against Virginia on Saturday, albeit still powerful. The Ducks handily beat the Cavaliers 59-10, but the offense at times struggled to move the ball — three series going for 2 yards, -1 yard and -9 yards. Still, Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas and Marcus Mariota rushed for over 100 yards — 124 and 122, respectively. Mariota also threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon is not losing its spot at the top for awhile, so don't get any ideas. Any miscues against Virginia were likely just a solitary episode, but it does mean the Ducks are slightly human.

  • Oregon forced four turnovers — one fumble and three interceptions
  • Next opponent: Tennessee (2-0)

OREGON STATE (1-1):

Oregon State looked to bounce back after losing to FCS opponent Eastern Washington, and the Beavers got some redemption against Hawaii, winning 33-14. The Beavers pulled away in the second half after a tie game going into halftime. Quarterback Sean Mannion went 31 of 43 for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Mannion, however, threw an early interception that was returned for a 23-yard touchdown.

The Beavers are a passing team, with Mannion and backup quarterback Cody Vaz finding 10 different receivers for a total of 451 yards. Stop the Beavers in the passing game and they'll likely have a difficult time moving the chains.

  • Oregon State only rushed for 57 yards on 33 attempts
  • The Beavers forced one interception
  • Next opponent: Utah (2-0)

(5) STANFORD (1-0):

Stanford opened their season up with a 34-13 victory over San Jose State. The Cardinal put up a balanced attack, with the run game seeing 197 yards and the passing game going for 207 yards for a total of 404 yards on offense. Running back Tyler Gaffney had 20 carries on the night for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Kevin Hogan was 17 of 27 for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

#South

The Cardinal can beat a team in both the run and passing game, making them difficult to stop on offense. Stanford will get a chance to pad their schedule for one more week before opening up Pac-12 next week against Arizona State.

  • Stanford had one fumble and forced an interception.
  • Kicker Jordan Williamson was two of three for field goals, missing a 52-yard field goal attempt.
  • Next opponent: Army (1-1)

USC (1-1):

After struggling against Hawaii last week, the Trojans came home to take on Pac-12 opponent Washington State. Last year the Cougars were one of the worst teams in the conference and had nowhere to go but up. USC on the other hand, entered the season ranked in the Top 25 and potentially had a lot of upside. Nevertheless, USC managed to lose 10-7 to Washington State in the low scoring game.

It's probably safe to say that head coach Lane Kiffin is officially on the hot seat and will likely not survive another year as the team's coach. It's even possible that if Kiffin loses to Boston College or Utah State, he'll be out of a job mid-season. Kiffin came into the program as a highly touted addition to the team, but has produced little, if anything, for perennial winning program. With the talent on his roster each year, USC has easily underperformed.

  • USC quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Max Wittek have yet to throw a single pass over 20 yards this season.
  • Kessler and Wittek combined for 54 yards and two interceptions — Kessler was 8 of 13 for 41 yards and Wittek was 3 of 8 for 13 yards.
  • Kicker Andre Heidari missed both of his field goal attempts, with one being blocked
  • Next opponent: Boston College (2-0)

UTAH (2-0):

Utah put on a clinic against in-state opponent Weber State, winning 70-7. Not only did the Utes put up 70 points, but sophomore quarterback Travis Wilson had great numbers in only 30 minutes of play as the offense got it done. Wilson ended the game going 14 of 19 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 93 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Wilson had a rating of 99.7, which is the highest QBR since Andrew Luck's rating of 99.9 in 2010.

Utah did what it was supposed to against Weber State. However, the competition will quickly improve this week. If Wilson can continue to put up big numbers, Utah may have a shot at a bowl game this season. But they must capitalize on Oregon State this week and then in-state rival BYU next week.

  • Utah forced two fumbles, with one being recovered for a touchdown
  • The last time Utah scored 70 points in a game was in 1973 against UTEP.
  • Next opponent: Oregon State (1-1)

WASHINGTON STATE (1-1):

It wasn't pretty, but Washington State managed to beat USC in a late 10-7 win. While it's easy to say that the Cougars have improved since last year, they played a USC team that is in shambles. Nevertheless, a win is a win. The Cougars blocked a key field goal to prevent USC from taking the lead in the third quarter. Washington State only put up 222 yards on offense, led by quarterback Connor Halliday. Halliday was 26 of 38 for 215 yards and two interceptions.

Although the Cougars were able to move the ball fairly well through the air, their run game was nowhere to be found. The Cougars only had seven — yes, seven — rushing yards. Force the Cougars to run the ball and a team will likely be just fine.

  • Washington State had three turnovers — one fumble and two interceptions — but also forced two interceptions.
  • Next opponent: Southern Utah (2-0)

(16) UCLA and (19) WASHINGTON had a bye week.

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Josh Furlong

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