Pac-10 Week 13 Wrap Up

Week 13 games turned out exactly as expected, but the games were more drama filled and exciting than I thought they would be. Even though the games went exactly as planned, there were two games that were very close to becoming thrilling upsets.

Arizona @ ASU: The Sun Devils fell behind early and were down 14-0 at half, but suddenly the team that could not move the ball all year found a spark and was able to tie the game at 17 on a fourth down conversion late in the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils gained all momentum and forced the Wildcats to punt with just over a minute left in regulation, but punt returned Kyle Williams was unable to decide whether to fair catch the ball or just let it bounce. The hesitation cost the Sun Devils the football game as the ball bounced off of Williams and was recovered by the Wildcats who used the turnover to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Washington State @ Washington: For the first time in 45 years, the Huskies shut out the Cougars. Washington State finished the year without a conference win. Jake Locker threw for a touchdown and ran for another in what was more than likely his last game as a Washington Husky. The win snapped Washington’s two game losing streak to the Cougars and gave the Huskies their first home win against their rivals since 2003.

Notre Dame @ Stanford: Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate hooked up for three of Clausen’s five touchdown passes. The Irish took a 38-30 lead late into the game, but Toby Gerhart and the Stanford offense was just too much for the Fighting Irish to handle. Gerhart ran for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw an 18 yard pass for another touchdown. Stanford earned its eighth win of the year which is the most games this program has won since 2001.

UCLA @ USC: USC beat the Bruins 28-7 in what was an ordinary game until the final minute. With a minute left in the game and a 21-7 lead Matt Barkley took a kneel to run out the clock, but UCLA Head Coach Rick Neuheisel called a timeout. USC decided to take advantage of the extra time and called a play-action pass in which Barkley three a 44 yard touchdown pass. The loss marks the fourth consecutive six loss season for the UCLA Bruins. Four straight losing seasons is a school record.