With a dominating victory over its bitter rival, UCLA now controls its own destiny in the race to represent the Pac-12 South in the Championships.
The Bruins kept the Trojans on their heels for most of the game, responding to any attempts at a comeback en route to a 38-20 win.
The rest of the Pac-12 was just as busy with six games being played. Here are the highlights:
No. 13 Arizona State 52 — Washington State 31: Lightening apparently doesn’t strike twice as ASU was able to right the ship and get the victory against the Cougs. WSU actually led going into halftime on a late field goal from kicker Quentin Breshears, but the second half was controlled by the Sun Devils. They scored 31 unanswered points to end any hopes for a comeback. D.J. Foster was the star for ASU, rushing for 96 yards and three touchdowns. On the other side of the ball Cougar quarterback Luke Falk had another nice game as he tries to fill the shoes of injured star Connor Halliday. Falk finished with 601 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
No. 15 Arizona 42 — No. 17 Utah 10: The Wildcats finished a surprisingly lopsided game against a Utah team that seemed to underperform. They picked Travis Wilson twice and watched running back Nick Wilson carry the load with 218 yards and three touchdowns. This game felt like it was over when Arizona’s Dan Pettinato returned a 31-yard fumble recovery to put his team up 21-0. The bigger picture implications of this game was that Arizona starting quarterback Anu Solomon was pulled from the contest and was seen in a walking boot due to an injury to his right foot. His status is unknown for the final few games in the regular season.
Stanford 38 — California 17: Defense beats offense as Stanford clamped down on the ‘Bear Raid’ to defeat their rivals. With the win the Cardinal are now bowl eligible despite the somewhat disappointing year. Like many of the other conference games this week, the action was ruled by a runner. In this game it was Stanford’s Remound Wright, who ran for 92 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinal defense was also a nightmare for starting Cal quarterback Jared Goff. He really struggled in this one, throwing 16-31 for 182 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions (28.8 QBR). His backup, Luke Rubenzer, didn’t have much more success, adding two picks of his own.
Washington 37 — Oregon State 13: The letdown just felt inevitable for the Beavers after they pulled off the incredible upset against the Sun Devils last week. Big plays and a quick start is what pushed the Huskies over the edge in this one. Wide receiver Jaydon Mickens had a 54-yard touchdown on Washington’s first drive and added a 36-yard touchdown run later in the game. Teammate Dwayne Washington also had a monster run for a score, punching it in after scampering for 68 yards. Beaver’s Sean Mannion did throw for 314 yards and two touchdowns; 145 going to favorite target Victor Bolden.
No. 9 UCLA 38 — No. 19 USC 20: This was a wild one as both teams had some spectacular plays. Heisman hopeful Brett Hundley was able to shake off a disappointing pick-six on his first throw, caught by USC linebacker Anthony Sarao, to lead his team to the win. Hundley collected three touchdowns on 326 yards passing. The Bruins also made enough defensive plays to keep the Trojans on their heels. Most impressive was they were able to hold star receiver Nelson Agholor to just three receptions for 24 yards — a tough task against one of the Nation’s best. UCLA’s Paul Perkins rushed for 93 yards and a score as the Bruins were able to win three straight over their neighbors, something they haven’t done since 1998.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur