The Top 10 Plays of the Year in the Pac-12
As we continue our review of the 2014 Pac-12 season, it's time to have a look at the very best plays we saw from both sides of the ball.
Whether it was a quarterback making a dazzling escape from pressure, a running back putting the moves on for extra yards or a defender changing the tide of a game, the Pac-12 saw it all in 2014.
When you think of the best plays you saw, the first priority should be on the "wow" factor. Did it make your jaw drop? Did you call a buddy to make sure they saw it?
The second priority should be timing, as in when the play occurred with regards to the score, opponent and magnitude of the game. A perfect throw-and-catch to win a game against a great team can sometimes be better than a one-handed grab in the second quarter with the score already out of hand.
Finally, you have the luck factor. Not Stanford's former quarterback, but plays that are so unbelievable even with a ton of skill involved.
Using that criteria, let's take a look at the top 10 plays from the Pac-12 in 2014, and be sure to leave your favorites in the comments!
10) Oregon State Linebacker Michael Doctor's Pick-Six Against Arizona State
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Arizona State's path to the Pac-12 Championship was clear until Oregon State linebacker Michael Doctor stepped in the middle of it and sent the Sun Devils back the other way.
Despite entering Corvallis as clear favorites, Arizona State struggled with Mike Riley's squad for three quarters, holding just a 24-21 advantage entering the final period. After tacking on a field goal to go up by six, quarterback Sean Mannion threw a gorgeous 67-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Villamin that nearly made the list on its own. Except the defense one-upped it.
After trading series, Arizona State got the ball back with less than three minutes remaining, down by one. As Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly spotted a man over the middle and let loose a pass, Doctor stepped in front of the receiver, caught the ball and raced 35 yards for the touchdown. The defense held on for one more drive and Oregon State closed out one of the biggest upsets of the year thanks to the spectacular play by Doctor.
9) USC LB J.R. Tavai Sack-Fumble of Stanford QB Kevin Hogan
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The recipe for beating Stanford isn't as complex as, say, the one for beating Oregon, but players have to step up all the same. In USC's 13-10 win over the Cardinal in Week 2, it was J.R. Tavai taking matters into his own hands and sealing the win for the Trojans.
Stanford had successfully driven into USC territory all afternoon, and yet, the scoreboard still showed just 10 points for the home team, three fewer than the visitors. Quarterback Kevin Hogan and company marched down the field once more with little time remaining, and on 3rd-and-6, Hogan looked to make a play to get within closer field-goal range or, perhaps, steal the win.
Tavai came barreling off the edge around the massive Cardinal offensive line led by tackle Andrus Peat and got to Hogan before he could release a pass. He forced a fumble, which USC then recovered, sealing the major early-season victory.
8) UW LB Shaq Thompson 99-Yard Fumble Return for TD
3 of 10Rare is the linebacker who looks like a running back as he gallops the length of the field, but they don't make too many linebackers like Washington's Shaq Thompson.
Against Cal, with the Bears threatening to draw first blood, quarterback Jared Goff handed the ball off at the 1-yard line, hoping the decision would be rewarded with six points moments later. But the ball never crossed the goal line.
Instead, Thompson picked up the fumble and raced downfield, even breaking a tackle along the way. His speed and athleticism are such that few players could have duplicated the feat, and it took all the wind out of Cal's sails. The Huskies would go on to win 31-7, but who knows what might have happened had the home team jumped out in front.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7) Arizona LB Scooby Wright III Sack-Fumble of QB Marcus Mariota
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You've seen the play over and over again, in part because when NFL guys are trying to highlight a weakness of quarterback Marcus Mariota, it's one of the few moments that actually shows up. That's a testament to just how special Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright III was in 2014.
With the Ducks trailing by seven points and needing a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Mariota stepped up in the pocked on first down before leaking out to his right. Unbeknownst to him, Wright was behind him and decided to slash down on the ball, bringing Mariota down and jarring it loose in the process.
Wright recovered it before he even hit the ground, and with it he had arguably the biggest play on the season in the Pac-12. You could certainly make a case for it being rated higher given the gravity of the moment, and no one would blame you.
6) CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu's INT vs. Michigan State
5 of 10If you look back at highlights of the best interceptions from 2014, you'll probably see a bunch of plays where the ball was tipped multiple times or managed to sit on someone's foot an inordinate amount of time instead of hitting the ground. Those are great, but what Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu did against Michigan State was better.
After a strong surge in the second half to recapture the lead and go ahead 39-27, the Ducks defense remained on its heels with the Spartans threatening to make it a one-score game. It managed to hold on a critical fourth down, but the next drive it would need something bigger.
As Connor Cook dropped back to pass, he lofted a ball that was tipped away. While that part can be attributed to luck, as you'll see in the video, Ekpre-Olomu's subsequent dash and leap to snare it before hitting the ground was anything but luck. He runs nearly 10 yards to make the grab, and it ranks up with the best defensive plays you'll see all year.
5) UCLA LB Myles Jack's TD vs. Washington
6 of 10Myles Jack's touchdown run against Washington went largely unnoticed by the college football world. UCLA playing at Washington wasn't lighting up anyone's radar, but folks in Pac-12 country likely got a glimpse of one of the best runs you'll ever see.
The video shows Myles Jack racing toward the sideline, ducking a defender by spinning around him, keeping his balance and outrunning the remaining Huskies toward the end zone. What the video misses is a monstrous stiff-arm that occurred just before the spin move.
Jack has a higher ceiling as a linebacker, and with the running back practically going the way of the fullback in the NFL, moving him to the offense permanently would be risky. But this play is the perfect example of what skills Jack brings to the table. He's a violent runner with incredible balance and athleticism. His speed isn't too shabby, either.
4) Cal WR Kenny Lawler Makes One-Handed Catch
7 of 10Forget the gravity of the moment component for No. 4, because Cal taking on Sacramento State was important to very few people. There was no luck involved, meaning the play by wide receiver Kenny Lawler was all skill and good enough to breach the top five of our countdown.
One-handed grabs tend to get lost in the shuffle of great plays in football because they occur rather frequently. Sticky gloves and talented receivers will do that. But Lawler's play stands out because the defender was draped all over him and he managed to haul in the pass before hitting the ground as well.
It was the perfect spark for a Bears team hoping to rebound from a one-win 2013 campaign, and it was one of the best catches in the Pac-12 in 2014.
3) QB Marcus Mariota's Escape and Flip to RB Royce Freeman vs. Michigan State
8 of 10The play begins at the 0:20 mark of the video, but unless you've been living under a rock and/or completely ignored the Heisman Trophy ceremony, it's one you've already seen.
The stage was only the biggest nonconference game of the season with Oregon hosting Michigan State in a battle of Top 10 teams. The Ducks had jumped out to an early lead, but the Spartans roared back to lead 27-18 in the middle of the third quarter.
On 3rd-and-11, Mariota juked several Spartan defenders in the pocket and escaped to the left, struggling to keep his balance. Instead of trying to regain it and run for the first down, he flipped the ball out to running back Royce Freeman who picked up the first down. The Ducks would later score the first of their 28 unanswered points, and Mariota's sensational play was the catalyst for it all.
2) Arizona Hail Mary vs. Cal
9 of 10The top two plays should come as no surprise, and admittedly the luck factor played a huge role. We'll begin with the play that seemed to energize the entire Arizona program: Austin Hill's Hail Mary grab against Cal.
Consider the fact that the Wildcats trailed the Bears 31-13 going into the fourth, and Cal scored two touchdowns in the final period. Despite not knowing it at the time, that meant the Wildcats would have to go from 13 points to 45 in one quarter, and perhaps the least surprising thing of all is that it would take a Hail Mary to do it.
Quarterback Anu Solomon's pass from midfield simply found no obstruction on its way into the arms of Hill, who caught it with a foot still on the ground. Arizona fans won't like it, but the play could only be topped by a rival several weeks later.
1) Arizona State Hail Mary vs. USC
10 of 10Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong's Hail Mary grab was the best play in the Pac-12 in 2014 for a variety of reasons. Call it luck that two USC defenders chose to sit back and watch the ball instead of making a play, but the rest was on quarterback Mike Bercovici and Strong.
To start, Hail Mary passes are often thrown out of bounds. Bercovici put his right in the front of the end zone, allowing plenty of room in the event of a tipped ball. Strong timed his jump perfectly and made an incredibly athletic play before landing and stepping into the end zone.
The reason it ranks ahead of Arizona's similar play is because the game was bigger and the play took more skill. Although, we'll be honest, arguing between which miraculous Hail Mary is better is pointless. Without a "kick-six" from the SEC to compete with, they might be the two most exciting plays in all of college football this year.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
