What a difference a week makes.
Although No. 12 Oregon lost to No. 4 Michigan State in the marquee game of the weekend, the Pac-12 had a much better showing this week than it did in the previous week.
Washington State avenged a loss from last year by defeating Rutgers while Arizona, USC, UCLA and Stanford all won big.
Here’s a recap of each Pac-12 game from week two (Pac-12 team in CAPS.)
Friday
No. 21 UTAH 24 – Utah State 14: Although Utah got the win, it suffered two big injuries in the game when starting quarterback Travis Wilson and defensive lineman Hunter Dimick went down hurt and didn’t return. Even so, the Utes’ defense was able to contain Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton while backup quarterback Kendal Thompson led them to victory. Utah running back Devontae Booker carried the ball 31 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Saturday
Michigan 35 – OREGON STATE 7: The return of Jim Harbaugh at home to Michigan was bad news for the Beavers as Oregon State gave up 35 straight points en route to the blowout loss. Oregon State got on the board first when quarterback Seth Collins completed a 21-yard pass Hunter Jarmon on their opening drive of the game. The Beavers had 79 yards on their opening drive but were held to 59 yards the rest of the way.
WASHINGTON 49 – Sacramento State 0: The Huskies, led by freshman quarterback Jake Browning, scored all 49 of their points in the second and third quarters of their home opener. Browning went 17-of-24 for 326 yards and two touchdowns while Myles Gaskin carried the ball 14 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Washington’s defense held the Hornets to 212 yards of total offense.
COLORADO 48 – Massachusetts 14: Colorado’s rushing attack ran ragged over Massachusetts as the Buffaloes totaled 390 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Michael Adkins II and Christian Powell ran for 119 and 105 yards respectively while Powell added two touchdowns and Adkins aded one. The game was tied at 14 early in the second quarter before Colorado finished the half with 17 straight points for the big lead.
WASHINGTON STATE 37 – Rutgers 34: In a game that truly defined back-and-forth, the Cougars defeated the Scarlet Knights when Luke Falk threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to River Cracraft with 13 seconds left for the win. There were 39 points scored in the fourth quarter alone and although Rutgers scored 22 of them, Washington State’s final seven were the most crucial. Falk finished the game 47-of-66 for 479 yards and four touchdowns while Gabe Marks caught 14 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown and Cracraft added 121 yards receiving.
CAL 35 – San Diego State 7: Cal quarterback Jared Goff kept plugging along as he went 17-for-24 for 326 yards and three touchdowns in leading Cal to a 2-0 start. The Aztecs took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter before Goff and the Golden Bears’ offense got rolling. Daniel Lasco carried the ball 19 times for 123 yards and a touchdown to even out the offense.
No. 20 ARIZONA 44 – Nevada 20: Running back Nick Wilson led the way for Arizona as he ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns en route to the Wildcats win. Quarterback Anu Solomon helped balance the Wildcats attack as he added two touchdowns through the air in a game that Arizona had 570 yards of total offense and was always in control of.
No. 6 USC 59 – Idaho 9: Quarterback Cody Kessler added to his Heisman buzz when he threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns in the USC romp. Freshman Juju Smith-Schuster had a career day receiving for the Trojans as he hauled in 10 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns while Justin Davis and Tre Madden added two rushing touchdowns a piece.
No. 10 UCLA 37 – UNLV 3: The Bruins scored 37 straight points to start the game as Paul Perkins ran for 151 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns en route to the big win. Josh Rosen took a step back after his dazzling debut last week when he completed 22-of-42 passes for 223 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, the Bruins held the Runnin’ Rebels to 237 yards of total offense and 11 first downs.
STANFORD 31 – UCF 7: One week after a terrible offensive showing against Northwestern, Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan looked like his old self as he threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns en route to 491 yards of total offense and 21 first downs. The play of the game came when Stanford running Barry Sanders Jr juked a UCF defender so bad the player was left stunned and not even close for the tackle on the way to a touchdown.
ARIZONA STATE 35 – Cal Poly 21: The Sun Devils survived a scare from upset-minded Cal Poly as they needed two fourth quarter touchdowns to put the game away. Entering the final quarter, the score was tied at 21 but Mike Bercovici threw two touchdown passes in the quarter for the win. Bercovici finished the game with three touchdown passes while Demario Richard added 25 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter: @Ryan_Kostecka