Another week gone, another dominating Oregon win. The No. 8 Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) are soaring into their bye week riding high off three straight blowout wins. Saturday’s 42-6 (the second straight game with the same score) of Stanford (1-4, 0-3 Pac-12) served as the latest statement from an extremely dangerous Oregon squad.
Across the rest of the Pac-12, 10 teams were in action this past weekend with only UCLA (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) and No. 13 Washington State (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) on an off week. What happened around the conference in Week 5 of its final season as we know it?
No. 19 Oregon State shuts down No. 10 Utah in 21-7 win
The Pac-12’s Week 5 slate got started Friday night with a top-20 matchup. With a huge home game against a highly-ranked opponent, the Beavers (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) had Reser Stadium rocking.
Oregon State’s defense shut down the Utes (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) all night long. It was a low-scoring, and fairly ugly defensive game, but the Beavers allowed just one score on a night where Utah only had 198 yards of total offense. Oregon State’s offense didn’t have the best night either, but it was good enough to beat a top-10 ranked team by two scores.
The Utes cannot wait until quarterback Cameron Rising comes back. Rising, who hasn’t played a snap this season due to injury, is undoubtedly the strength of Utah’s offense. If Rising doesn’t come back in time to get the team on the right track, the Utes could be in for more than one tough loss this season.
Oregon State — now ranked No. 15 — travels to Berkeley this weekend for what should be a win over Cal (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) while Utah — after falling to No. 18 — will play the Golden Bears in Week 7 after a bye week and a chance to regroup.
No. 8 USC hands Colorado first home loss of season in 48-41 win
This game really wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. Yes, the Buffaloes (3-2, 0-2 Pac-12) rallied late and only lost by a score. But, USC (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12) was in control for nearly the entire contest.
Caleb Williams had another masterful day, tallying 403 passing yards and six touchdown passes. But, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders had a much better day against the Trojans than he did the Ducks. He bounced back against USC with 371 yards and five total touchdowns.
As good as both offenses were on Saturday, the Trojans and Buffaloes’ defenses need some serious work. Colorado has allowed 90 points over its last two games while USC has been far from what a top-10 ranked team’s defense should be.
The Trojans fell one spot to be No. 9 in this week’s AP Poll but host Arizona (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) next Saturday. Colorado –– who won’t be playing a top-10 team for the first time in two weeks –– will travel to Phoenix for a road game against Arizona State (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12) in Week 6.
No. 7 Washington collects 31-24 road win over Arizona
This game was also a lot closer than it should have been, but maybe that’s just the strength of this year’s Pac-12. Washington never trailed against the Wildcats, but Saturday’s contest was far from the beatdown that many expected it to be.
The Huskies’ four touchdowns all came on the ground as Washington collected a rushing score in each of the first three quarters. Many people still have their reservations about the Huskies’ defense, although some credit must be given to Arizona’s offense, which has massively improved over the past few seasons.
The Wildcats play at USC next week while No. 7 Washington gets a bye week to prepare for Oregon in Week 7 in what might be the biggest game of the season for both teams.
Cal sneaks past Arizona State in 24-21 nailbiter
Don’t look now, but the Golden Bears are three wins away from a bowl-eligible season. Cal only needed 130 passing yards to down the Sun Devils but leaned on its running attack to pick up Saturday’s win. The Golden Bears’ rushing game — and not turning the ball over — was crucial in a victory over an Arizona State team that’s not doing much right.
Kenny Dillingham can’t be having as much fun as he was last year. His new team looks absolutely dreadful through its first five games of the season. Something needs to change in the desert, or his reign at the helm might be short.
