Pac-12 play brings nail-biting game-winning drives in Week 4


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SALT LAKE CITY — Another week of Pac-12 football has passed, and it didn’t disappoint.

With conference play officially here, there were plenty of nail-biting moments and unbelievable plays. Every team but Washington State (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12) was on the field this weekend. No. 7 Stanford, No. 10 Washington, No. 18 Utah and Arizona State are the only undefeated teams left in the Pac-12.

Let’s take a look into how the league performed.

California (2-2, 0-1) at Arizona State (4-0, 1-0)

Score: Arizona State 51, California 41

Game recap: The Bears led 24-10 at halftime, but the Sun Devils scored 41 second-half points, 31 in the fourth quarter. Arizona State returned an interception by Cal quarterback Davis Webb 28 yards for a touchdown with less than three minutes left in the game. The Bears needed to score 10 points, relying on Webb’s cannon of an arm. Webb found Demetris Robertson for a 26-yard score, cutting the lead to 44-41. But with 54 seconds to play, Arizona State recovered Cal’s onside kick attempt and ran right to the end zone.

Key stat: Cal receiver Chad Hansen, the national leader in yards receiving and receptions, caught 10 passes for 110 yards. He only had two catches for 6 yards in the second half.

Conference implication: Arizona State is starting to get noticed as it keeps proving itself as a fourth-quarter team. The Sun Devils are with Utah at the top of the Pac-12 South standings. Both are the lone undefeated South teams, and a matchup in November could decide the division’s winner.

OK, we get it. Cal is one of the top passing teams in the country. But it’s hard to win games when you turn the ball over, especially in the game’s final minutes. Up next for the Bears is a home date with the Utes. We’ll get a good look if they can cut turnovers when one of the nation’s best defenses comes to town.

Next opponent: Arizona State travels to USC; California hosts Utah.

Colorado (3-1, 1-0) at Oregon (2-2, 0-1)

Score: Colorado 41, Oregon 38

Game recap: The Buffs didn’t trail until the end of the third quarter, but even then they were still determined to cap off a signature win. Colorado reclaimed its lead on a controversial 31-yard touchdown. After review, officials ruled receiver Bryce Bobo had control of the ball in his right hand when his right foot came down in the end zone. Oregon tried to take the lead once more for the win, but Colorado’s defense denied it when Ahkello Witherspoon intercepted quarterback Dakota Prukop’s pass in the end zone on Oregon’s last drive.

Key stat: With Sefo Liufau sidelined once again, Colorado quarterback Steven Montez completed 23-of-31 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Conference implication: At last, the Buffs finally have a signature win under their belt. This team is much improved and should start 2-0 in Pac-12 play as it competes against struggling Oregon State next week.

The Ducks could be 4-0 but instead are 2-2 thanks to two very close losses. The offense was shut out for the last quarter, and the defense has continuously struggled. Someone send Oregon a wake-up call or else it’s going to be a long season up north.

Next opponent: Colorado hosts Oregon State; Oregon travels to Washington State.

Oregon State (1-2, 0-0) vs. Boise State (3-0)

Score: Boise State 38, Oregon State 24

Game recap: Both teams scored on their opening drives, but Boise State had the advantage for the rest of the game. Freshman quarterback Conor Blount checked into the game in the second half, making his collegiate debut. He led Oregon State to outscore Boise State 21-7 in the third and fourth quarters. However, the Beavers let the Broncos walk over them in the first half and it was too much to catch up.

Key stat: Blount completed 11-of-18 passes for 138 yards.

Conference implication: The Beavers entered this matchup coming off their first win in 11 games. Next week they travel to visit the Buffaloes to begin their conference schedule. It appears Oregon State will lack Pac-12 success like it did last year, which comes as no surprise in the rebuilding process.

Next opponent: Oregon State travels to Colorado.

Stanford (3-0, 2-0) at UCLA (2-2, 0-1)

Score: Stanford 22, UCLA 13

Game recap: The Bruins led the entire game until the Cardinal’s quarterback Ryan Burns found J.J. Arcega-Whiteside for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds left to play. UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen moved the chains to midfield in the game’s last seconds for one last try at a win, but a sack forced him to fumble. Stanford recovered the dropped ball and ran to the end zone, adding its second touchdown of the night and sealing the win.

Key stat: UCLA didn’t allow Stanford in end zone until 24 seconds were left in the game.

Conference implication: Stanford barely won, but we all know anything can happen in the Pac-12, right? One thing we learned is that it's possible to contain running back Christian McCaffrey — although he still racked up 138 yards. This is a very good football team, it just took a bit longer for it to wake up and play ball.

UCLA controlled the line of scrimmage, but it wasn’t enough to (finally) beat Stanford. Losing nine in a row to the Pac-12’s highest-ranked team is frustrating for a team that revamped itself in the offseason. The offense needs to stay consistent if this team wants to compete for the South.

Next opponent: Stanford travels to Washington; UCLA hosts Arizona.

USC (1-3, 0-2) at Utah (4-0, 1-0)

Score: Utah 31, USC 27

Game recap: Utah spent the first six minutes of the game running the ball downfield to score a touchdown. USC immediately answered with a 100-yard kickoff return to even the score. The Trojans continued to extend its score, eventually leading 24-10. After a touchdown by Utah offensive lineman Isaac Asiata and a USC field goal, the Utes continued to cut the Trojans' lead. Utah receiver Tim Patrick caught an 18-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in the game to finish the come-from-behind win.

Key stat: Utah went 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions, with two coming during the game-winning drive.

Conference implication: Blowing a 14-point lead isn’t a good look for the Trojans. Even though they came into the game with a 1-2 record, a win against the Utes would’ve kept them alive in the South. Now, USC is 0-2 in the conference and likely needs to go undefeated from here on out to defend its division title it shared with Utah last year.

Utah came into this game with a strong desire to win. The team wanted to redeem itself from last year’s matchup versus USC. Plus, several players on the Utes’ roster are from the Los Angeles area. They wanted to prove they were good enough to play for the school that didn’t recruit them. The team did both. In their first true test of the season, the Utes found their passing game. However, the run game was lacking with two fumbles, and the defense struggled at times with key players out from injuries.

Next opponent: USC hosts Arizona State; Utah travels to California.

Washington (4-0, 1-0) vs. Arizona (2-2, 0-1)

Score: Washington 35, Arizona 28

Game recap: Down to its fourth-string running back, Arizona held on as long as it could to pull off a Top 10 upset. The Wildcats forced overtime with a late touchdown, but Washington quarterback Jake Browning found Dante Pettis for a 4-yard touchdown to win the game. The Huskies’ defense then forced a turnover and the nation’s 10th-ranked team escaped a too-close-for-comfort conference game.

Key stat: Browning finished 14-of-21 for 160 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Conference implication: The Huskies found themselves in a situation they hadn’t seen so far this season. But despite Arizona’s attempt to scare them in the desert, the Dawgs came out on top. Next up is a matchup against Stanford that has divisional and playoff implications written all over it.

The Wildcats sure are having a frustrating season. Even with their best game so far, they still couldn’t pull it together to upset Washington in overtime. Lingering injuries aren’t helping their cause, and being short on running backs is a concern. However, props to Arizona for giving Washington a scare with a backup quarterback and fourth-string running back.

Next opponent: Washington hosts Stanford; Arizona hosts UCLA.

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