Pac-12 Football: Top 10 Single-Game Performances Through 6 Weeks
The Pac-12 took a lovely stroll through the park in the month of September before quickly strapping on a parachute and jumping out the nearest airplane on Saturday. All five home teams lost thanks to some memorable performances, several of which will be featured here.
But outstanding individual efforts have highlighted every week of the season thus far, and we're here to rank the top 10. Keep in mind that two factors are considered in the creation of this list: quality of opponent and statistics. In other words, having a good game against a great team could mean more than having a great game against a bad opponent.
Then again, some players, like the one shown above, are putting up numbers so mind-boggling that it doesn't matter who they've come against.
Take a look at the top 10 single-game performances in the Pac-12 thus far. As always, be sure to point out the glaring omissions in the comments!
All stats via cfbstats.com
10. Leonard Williams, USC vs. Stanford
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Defensive end Leonard Williams is one of the best players in college football and he'll likely wind up as a top-five pick in the 2015 NFL draft. It's games like the one he had against Stanford that help you understand why that is.
Despite entering the game with some ankle injury concerns, Williams earned himself Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors by notching 11 tackles, including one for loss. The sack came on the final drive of the game for the Cardinal, and while the overall numbers aren't anything too extraordinary, they were posted against one of the nation's best offensive lines.
For Williams to control the line of scrimmage during most of the contest shows that he's earned the accolades being doled out. Don't be surprised to see him put together a few more contenders in the best single-game performance category.
9. LB Scooby Wright, Arizona vs. Cal
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Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright had a nice game at Oregon, which included the game-winning strip and recovery of the ball from Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota late in the fourth quarter. But his best performance came two weeks earlier despite the Wildcats giving up 45 points to Cal.
In the win over the Bears, Wright posted 18 total tackles, four of which went for a loss of 17 yards. That kind of effort helped stunt the Cal offense when it should have been able to pull away for an easy win, and Wright has played a major role in Arizona's 5-0 start to the 2014 season.
It's not often that you can praise anyone's defensive effort after they've given up 45 points, and if it weren't for a last-second Hail Mary, the Wildcats would have lost. But Wright played his tail off throughout the evening, putting together one of the best defensive performances you'll see all year. And guess what, Pac-12? He's only a sophomore.
8. LB Shaq Thompson, UW vs. Illinois
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Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson has a nose for the ball like few other players in the sport, and that knack for creating turnovers was on full display in the Huskies' 44-19 victory over Illinois on Sept. 13.
Thompson had a little fun on offense gaining 13 rushing yards, but those aren't the ball skills we're referencing. No, it's the not one but two times he scored from his linebacker position. One of those scores came on a fumble recovery that he took 52 yards to the house, while the other came after an interception.
Thompson also notched four tackles, though it's safe to say he'd done more than his fair share in the win. The Huskies junior is one of those hybrid players who has the athletic ability to drop back into coverage and split time at safety, but also the physicality to jump up to meet ball-carriers near the line of scrimmage. Scoring two touchdowns against the Fighting Illini earned him a spot in our rankings.
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7. DB Ishmael Adams, UCLA vs. Arizona State
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A fourth straight defensive player to begin the list of top conference performances to date? We are talking about the Pac-12, right? Fear not, intelligent reader, as the fireworks are dead ahead. But let's not forget that it's often a key defensive play that wins games, even with yards being gained faster than De'Anthony Thomas on a kick return.
Or UCLA's Ishmael Adams, as was the case against Arizona State. Against the Sun Devils, Adams had five returns totaling 201 yards, including one that went for a touchdown. This was on top of a pick-six that proved to be the pivotal play of the entire contest.
With Arizona State looking to win back momentum with a score before the half, Adams intercepted a pass from Mike Bercovici, eluded several defenders and laced up his track shoes, leaving everyone in the dust as he headed for paydirt. The score put the Bruins ahead comfortably heading into the break and they would never look back.
6. WR Trevor Davis, Cal vs. Washington State
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You expect a list of top single-game performance to be populated mostly by big-name players and, admittedly, that's the case here. Except when it comes to the No. 6 spot, where we find wide receiver Trevor Davis and his sensational performance against Washington State on Saturday.
Defenses were optional in the Bears' 60-59 win and neither Cal nor the Cougars opted to include their respective units. Nonetheless, Davis went off with three catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Oh, and he had back-to-back kick returns for touchdowns, notching 198 yards in total.
It gave Davis four touchdowns in the game—all on big plays—and helped Cal stay close when it looked like the Cougars might be pulling away. The junior wideout now has 302 yards receiving for the season, and future opponents might want to consider a more conservative strategy when kicking it deep to him.
5. WR Jaelen Strong, Arizona State vs. USC
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Wide receiver Jaelen Strong already has three games with over 140 yards through the air for Arizona State in 2014, the most impressive of which came Saturday in the Coliseum against USC.
Strong had 10 catches for 202 yards and three scores, which is pretty sensational numbers for a wideout. He looked like a man among boys. If you put him in the NFL tomorrow, he would probably fit in just fine. But at this point in the countdown, the numbers must either be historic or accompanied by an extra special play or two.
Hail Mary passes fit that definition, and Strong was on the receiving end of the one that won the game against the Trojans. As quarterback Mike Bercovici hoisted the ball in the air, USC players waited near the goal line. But they failed to account for Strong, who timed his leap perfectly in front of a Trojan defender waiting for the ball. He snatched the pass and took two steps into the end zone for the win. It was the icing on a truly memorable performance.
4. QB Anu Solomon, Arizona vs Cal
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Since when did a 500-yard passing game become the norm in college football? Incredibly, they are not only occurring more often but being done by players just starting out, like Arizona's Anu Solomon.
The Wildcats freshman signal-caller arguably put together his grittiest performance in Thursday's upset of Oregon, but the wow factor was on full display in a comeback win over Cal. Sure it was only the Bears, but keep in mind that Sonny Dykes' team has just one loss thus far, so aside from Colorado and perhaps Washington State, it's hard to pinpoint who's good or bad in this conference.
But back to Solomon, who threw for 527 yards and five touchdowns in the win over the Bears, including the last-second Hail Mary to Austin Hill. If Solomon hadn't arrived with sensational efforts against UNLV and Nevada, he sure did upon securing the win over Cal. And after beating the Ducks, well, there's really no argument: This kid is special and will be an absolute nightmare for the the rest of the league throughout his career.
3. Jared Goff, Cal vs. Washington State
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At No. 3 we find yet another young quarterback doing big things in the Pac-12, which begs the question: Are there any bad signal-callers in the conference? It's unbelievable how well the position is being played, and one of the best games came Saturday as Goff put the Bears on his back in a 60-59 win over Washington State.
One of the overlooked aspects of his 527-yard, five-touchdown performance was that he had to know going in that he needed to put up a lot of points. The defense is putrid, and yet Goff, realizing the offense will need 50-plus to pull out the win, delivered. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and made clutch throws time and time again in the second half.
If the Bears ever find their defense, they'll instantly become a top-tier team in the Pac-12. Goff is a must-see talent, and like Solomon he'll be shredding defenses for the rest of his career.
2. QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon vs. Michigan State
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Quarterback Marcus Mariota didn't put up numbers you'll tell your grandchildren about in a win over Michigan State, but given what the Spartans defense has accomplished in recent years, you might want to savor the performance a little longer than the rest.
Mark Dantonio's team is giving up just over 20 points per game, and the Mariota-led Ducks reeled off 46. The Ducks junior signal-caller is also the only quarterback to throw for 300 yards against the Spartans, the only one to have three touchdown passes and the only one to not throw a pick. We're betting it'll stay that way, too.
Mariota also rushed nine times for 42 yards, although the biggest play of the game came on a run that took place behind the line of scrimmage. As Oregon's porous offensive line began to break down on a play in the third quarter, Mariota juked three defenders, stumbled to his left and flipped the ball out to running back Royce Freeman, who picked up the first down. It was a play that defined the entire afternoon for Mariota, and it capped off one of the year's top single-game efforts.
1. QB Connor Halliday, Washington State vs. Cal
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The rules here are pretty simple: If you set an NCAA record, you're going to make the list. Yes, Washington State lost the game and, yes, it was at home to Cal. But Halliday threw for a record 734 yards in the loss.
Now rub your eyes, pinch yourself and re-read that. In one game, 734 yards passing yards. Six of his 49 completions went for touchdowns and he averaged nearly 15 yards for every successful throw. We're aware that the Bears' defense had just given up seven touchdown passes to Colorado's Sefo Liufau, but 734 yards is hard to comprehend.
Consider that quarterbacks are typically measured, statistically, on 300-yard games. Halliday doubled that and then some, and now has over 3,000 yards passing on the season through only six games. As mentioned, Halliday set the NCAA record for passing yards, though with the way he's playing it wouldn't come as a shock if he approaches it again. It was the best performance of the season in the Pac-12.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
