With wins over the weekend, No. 4 Utah and No. 15 Stanford seem to be on a collision course to represent its respective divisions in the Pac-12 championship game.
Utah’s comeback win over visiting Arizona State gives the Utes a two-game lead in the Pac-12 south. Stanford’s dismantling of No. 18 UCLA on Thursday night not only thrusts it into the forefront of the Pac-12 north, it allowed Christian McCaffrey to enter the Heisman race.
Here’s a recap of each Pac-12 game from week 6.
No. 15 Stanford 56 — No. 18 UCLA 35: McCaffrey ran through UCLA’s injury-plagued defense and right into the Heisman conversation on Thursday night in front of a national audience. McCaffrey finished the game with a school record 243 rush yards and four touchdowns. The Bruins outgained the Cardinal 506-441 in total yards and only trailed by four, 14-10, entering the second quarter before Stanford scored 21 straight points to put the game out of reach. Arguably the catch of the year came when Chris Owusu pinned Kevin Hogan’s ball against a UCLA defender’s back and kept control while hitting the ground for a touchdown.
No. 4 Utah 34 — Arizona State 18: The Utes used a monster fourth quarter to earn the comeback win and stay perfect on the season. Trailing 18-14 enter the final quarter and with all the momentum being held by the Sun Devils, Utah rattled off 20 straight points, including two long touchdown runs by Devontae Booker, to earn the win. Booker finished the game with 118 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Arizona State was battling for the first three quarters, sustaining drives to keep Utah’s offense off the field while bottling up Booker with a strong defensive front effort.
Washington State 52 – Oregon State 31: This game was as lopsided as they come. Washington State quarterback Luke Falk tied a school record with six touchdown passes, all in the first half, giving him 11 touchdown passes against the Oregon schools in back-to-back weeks. The Beavers, down 45-17 at the half, showed some fight in the second half as the defense held Washington State scoreless and the offense scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Oregon State quarterback Seth Collins threw for 176 yards and added 124 yards rushing and two total touchdowns.
Arizona 38 — Colorado 31: The Buffaloes remain winless in the Pac-12 after giving up 616 yards of total offense to the Wildcats. Arizona’s Jared Baker ran for a career-high 207 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns while Anu Solomon threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns. This was a back-and-forth affair as Arizona led 17-7 after the first quarter before Colorado responded with 17 consecutive points to take a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Wildcats then scored 21 straight points to start the quarter for the win.
Oregon 26 – Washington 20: Arguably the most hated rivalry in the Pac-12, Oregon got a huge offensive surge when Vernon Adams Jr. returned at quarterback and Darren Carrington returned at wide receiver. The two hooked up five times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, including a number of third down conversions for big gains. Although the Ducks seemed largely in control for most of the game, the Huskies were in position to steal the win after quarterback Jake Browning threw a three-yard touchdown pass with 3:35 to go in the game. Washington stopped Oregon after some questionable play-calling by the Ducks but an interception by Ugo Amadi ended Washington’s last ditch effort. Oregon’s Royce Freeman ran for 138 yards while Washington’s Myles Gaskin ran for 155 yards and a touchdown.
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