Falk led the Pac-12 in passing, averaging 387.8 yards per game. Here are some players to watch out for in the second meeting between the teams in 2015.
Advertisement
Ukropina was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.
Conference implications: The Trojans overcame adversity this season to make it to the top of the South, putting them in the league’s big game for the first time. The Trojans lost two of their first three Pac-12 games and coach Steve Sarkisian was sacked, leaving the program in disarray. Over the past few days, I spoke with several people intimately involved with the Pac-12 bowl selection process and developed a good understanding of the several remaining possibilities.
The powerful Shittu has rebounded from a knee injury last season to be a force up front. Smith was the first USC freshman to start at middle linebacker since 1978.
Stanford won 41-31 on September 19th. 3 Utah and was named Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
“You take everything you see with a grain of salt knowing that the team has changed, and your team has changed”, Stanford coach David Shaw said.
That’s due in large part to what Helton has done for the Trojans that Orgeron did not two years ago: While Orgeron just righted the ship, Helton has already begun to steer the Trojan cruiser in his own direction by bringing USC’s old, smashmouth, power football identity back to great success. Can the Trojans return to glory or will Stanford continue to be a conference powerhouse? Now the team that ranked No. 15 in the AP’s preseason poll rests until it finds its postseason fate.
It’s always absurdly hard to beat the same team twice in one season (except UCLA, for reasons that remain mysterious to me but I’ll accept all the same), particularly with USC, which has enough superstar talent to keep things interesting even when the team schematically isn’t playing up to its standard. The Holiday Bowl (if Stanford wins) is expected to choose either USC or Washington State. The Cougars’ win over Oregon State gave Leach his 100th-career win. Despite missing the past two games, Harris has defensed 10 passes this season, tied for third in the Pac-12.
The young team wasn’t blown out by the Ducks as many thought, but Oregon State’s season is done for the year.
Scholar Athlete of the Year – Mike Bercovici, QB, Arizona State: Bercovici, a redshirt senior from Calabasas, Calif., graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management in three years, and maintained a 3.25 grade point average through his undergraduate studies and a 3.67 GPA combined with his graduate-level studies.
Off the field, Bercovici is a 10-time Scholar Baller at Arizona State, an ASU honor given to student-athletes who achieve a GPA of 3.0 or above.
Eight Cardinal garnered honorable mention.
Advertisement
The Scholar-Athlete award has been established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
