10 observations on the strangest week of Pac-10 play yet, and that’s saying something
-Washington’s disaster in the desert
The last image of week 7 might also have been its most memorable, Arizona State quarterback Danny Sullivan crouched down, hands on his head in disbelief. Without knowing better, one might have thought he was the loser, somehow responsible for defeat.
No, Sullivan had just thrown a 50-yard Hail Mary for the Sun Devils’ improbable 24-17 victory, improbable not in the fact that his side won but in how it happened. The senior signal caller had his choice of receivers, Chris McGaha, who made the catch, or T.J. Simpson as the Huskies defense simply imploded.
They were playing Cover 3 for no good reason. It wasn’t like Arizona State needed a few yards to see up an attempt for kicker Thomas Weber, clearly still hobbled by a pulled groin. It was touchdown or overtime.
Defensive coordinator Nick Holt should have put nine players back on the goal line. He didn’t. Coach Steve Sarkisian should have run out the clock on the previous possession. He didn’t.
It was one of the great coaching breakdowns in recent memory, the worst since Sark and Pete Carroll elected to play a quarterback with a broken finger against Stanford in 2007.
Karma for the immaculate kick-flection? Possible, though it won’t soothe souls in Tucson.
-“And I, for one, welcome our new quarterback overlords”
Matt Barkley – 380 yards, 2 touchdowns
Nick Foles – 415 yards 3 touchdowns
Andrew Luck – 423 yards, 3 touchdowns
This is a freshman, sophomore and redshirt freshman we’re talking about people, and the future of the Pac-10 Conference is in very good hands after a few very down years following the remarkable Class of 2004 – which included the likes of Matt Leinart and Aaron Rodgers – a period during which the QB mantle was handed to the Big 12.
As early as 2010, the Conference of Champions will again be the Conference of Quarterbacks.
-Barkley’s hit parade rolls on
Among his first five starts are wins at Ohio Stadium, Memorial Stadium and now Notre Dame Stadium. What true freshman has ever assembled a resume like that this quickly?
I’ve said on a couple of occasions privately that Barkley could end his career as the most decorated player in USC history. Now, consider me convinced to the point that I’ll say it on the record.
Under Barkley, the Trojans have the same unmistakable swagger that marked their incredible 2003-2005 reign. As fullback Stanley Havili said in the locker room at Notre Dame, per USC Rips It, “They believe. We know.”
-Stanford and Washington’s bowl hopes took serious blows
The Cardinal still has to deal with the nastiest closing kick in the nation, making its home game against a suddenly re-energized Arizona State a must win. The Huskies’ most winnable game, outside of the Apple Cup, is at UCLA, where they haven’t won since 1995.
Last week, I would have told you it was a given one or both make the postseason. Today? It’s a 20 percent proposition either team enjoys a return to a bowl.
-Arizona’s one-quarter run
The Wildcats totaled 138 rushing yards in their wild 43-38 victory over Stanford. 100 yards came on two fourth-quarter touchdowns, 43 yards covered by Greg Nwoko and Nic Grigsby’s 57-yard game-winning scamper.
-Welcome back, Cal
Hello Jahvid Best and your highlight reel big plays, a twisting 93-yard run and 51-yard wheel route caught for scores. Nice to see you again Kevin Riley, who was a smoking 14 of 23 for 205 yards and three touchdowns in a return to his fantastic start.
0-for-L.A. is over and Cal is on track. Everything that clicked during the 3-0 start and disappeared in brutal losses to Oregon and USC was back. The intersection of offense, defense and special teams that promised a Rose Bowl berth was on display.
As crazy as it seems, the Golden Bears could win out, given how their schedule sets up, and secure another 10-win season and perhaps a share of the Pac-10 title. It’s not a return trip to Pasadena, but it will have to do.
-UCLA needs to figure out where it is heading
For want of a bottom-tier bowl game, the future was lost. That’s the attitude that seems to be taking over in Westwood and for the second straight season.
Is quarterback Kevin Prince good enough to be trusted as the cornerstone of the program, or does that fall on freshman Richard Brehaut? As Doc Saturday’s Matt Hinton charted (though for the life of me I can’t find the link; pass it along if you do), freshman quarterbacks tend to perform through their careers as they start.
Right now, Prince is completing 53.4 percent of his passes and hasn’t topped 52 percent outside of a thrashing of Mountain West bottom feeders San Diego State. That’s not good enough, especially if as coach Rick Neuheisel says, UCLA wants to challenge USC for the conference title.
What about young receivers like Randall Carroll and Morrell Presley? Where do they fit in the rotation with the Nelson Rosarios and Taylor Embrees?
These decisions need to be made; otherwise 2010 will be another scuffling quest for .500, only without the senior core of its defense.
-What happened to the Bruins run defense?
This time, it was Shane Vereen and Best who shredded UCLA, becoming the third and fourth backs to top 100 yards rushing in its last three games. What good is having all these future NFL players like DT Brian Price or safety Rahim Moore is they can’t stop anyone?
-If you want terrible officiating, seek out your friendly neighborhood Pac-10 refs
Pac-10 officials did an excellent job of screwing up calls left and right in both the USC-Notre Dame and Washington-Arizona State games. There were some egregious personal foul calls, and in the case of the Trojans, it nearly cost them the win.
Nice work, gentlemen.
Said it before and I'll say it again: commissioner Larry Scott needs to completely overhaul the conference's officiating.
-Prepare yourself for the underclassman exodus
Consider this a preview of a column coming Tuesday or Wednesday, but after seeing what happened to Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford and tight end Jermaine Gresham and Oregon corner Walter Thurmond, expect every player with a sniff of the league to get out of Dodge as soon as possible.
Dan Greenspan blogs about the Pac-10 for CollegeFootballNews.com. Follow him at twitter.com/dangreenspan or email him at greenspancfn@gmail.com.
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