The Bruins had an impressive comeback win last week against No. 22 BYU.
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In 2011, former head coach Rick Neuheisel was not exactly wowing the Bruin faithful in his second “hot seat” season. UCLA, on the other hand, is No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the Coaches poll following the victory. In total, Washington State will welcome four teams that played postseason basketball in 2014-15.
The Crimson Tide had a few self-inflicted wounds and some unlucky bounces in Saturday’s 43-37 loss to Ole Miss.
Kelly delivered big play after big play after an ineffective first half, none wilder than a fling and a prayer in the third quarter, a 66-yard deflection caught by Quincy Adeboyejo for a touchdown. The offense still looks great, but the defense remains a major concern as teams continue to pass at will against them. Luke Falk finished the night with 303 yards passing while going 27/45 for 2 touchdowns, he also found the endzone on a 1 yard touchdown run. And the offense needs to solidify its receiving corps after Robert Foster was lost for the year with a rotator cuff injury.
Lambert posted the highest percentage (96.0) in FBS history for a minimum of 20 completions, breaking the mark of 95.8 (23 of 24) shared by Tennessee’s Tee Martin and West Virginia’s Geno Smith. The Bears will host both Washington and Washington State but will not travel to either school’s campus this year. The Sun Devils haven’t looked crisp through the first three weeks, which includes sluggish performances against New Mexico and Cal Poly. Protecting the quarterback has been an issue, as the Sun Devils have allowed 11 sacks (nine came in the opener against Texas A&M).
What I’m saying is this: Give me Arizona State at USC over Bruins-Wildcats. The Pac-12 enters a heavy load of league play this week with momentum after a weekend in which it went 10-0 in nonconference games. The game will complete a home and home series that began last season with the Ducks falling to the Tar Heels.
That the Bruins won was important; how the Bruins won, however, is more vital still. “Everyone has been tested and we have some good opportunities”. “This guy is an explosive player and one of the fastest guys on the team, and he’s a quarterback”.
While no team wants to consider any loss “good”, the Ducks have one of the best defeats of any program so far this year.
Utah leaned on the legs of their running backs this weekend with quarterback Travis Wilson still out. Oregon isn’t as dominant of a team as it was last season, but there’s enough talent to finish in the top four. And McCaffrey is a versatile weapon who needs to be getting those 34 touches (26 runs, three receptions, five kick returns) as he did against USC.
OSU brings another strong squad into the 2015-16 season, as the Beavers return four starters, and a core group of eight upperclassmen. And despite being a double-digit underdog against USC, coach David Shaw’s team knocked off the Trojans 41-31. USC, coming off impressive-looking wins against Arkansas State and Idaho, took a step up in competition against Stanford… and then tripped and took a face-plant. UCLA then had to hold on against BYU’s Tanner Mangum, who delivered victories in the first two weeks on Hail Mary passes.
Not that UCLA has ever lacked for confidence – maybe as a result of the Los Angeles zip code, or the five-star talent that has rolled into this program in recruiting classes annually ranked among the nation’s best. You guessed it, the first Pac-10 road game of the season.
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Wright tore his lateral meniscus in the team’s season opener against UTSA. That’s going to be the question going forward. USC’s offense is averaging 48.3 points per game, and there’s no shortage of playmakers or talent for quarterback Cody Kessler. The Cardinal controlled the game and easily pulled off the upset, which meant that the victor of the Territorial Cup would win the division and go on to the Pac-12 title game.
