Pac-12 Week 1 Notes: Quarterbacks, Winners, Losers, Rushing and Predictions

Stanford and California looked dominant in Week 1. 

USC and Washington escape with narrow victories.

Oregon and UCLA take tough losses.

Oregon State lost to FCS Sacramento State.

Utah, Arizona and Washington schools beat the subordinate FCS.

Here are Pac-12 notes from week one in college football:

NCAA FBS 70/300 Quarterbacks:

1  Nick Foles       Arizona      412 yds   81%     5 TDs    0 INT   vs. FCS Northern AZ              

2  Landry Jones   Oklahoma  375 yds   75%     1 TD     0 INT   vs. FBS Tulsa

3  Robert Griffin   Bayor         359 yds   78%     5 TDs    0 INT   vs. FBS TCU

4  Case Keenum  Houston     310 yds   75%     1 TD     0 INT   vs. FBS UCLA

5  Matt Barkley    USC           304 yds   76%     3 TDs    0 INT   vs. FBS Minnesota

Week 1 Pac-12 Quarterback Leaders:

Team                 Player                         Yds   TD   INT

Arizona              Nick Foles                  412     5      0

USC                  Matt Barkley                304     3      0

Cal                    Zach Maynard              266     2      1

UCLA                Richard Brehaut          264     2      0

Arizona State     Brock Osweiler          262     2      1

Oregon              Darron Thomas           240     1      1

Washington St.  Marshall Lobbestael  230     2      0

Colorado            Tyler Hansen              223     2      1

Stanford            Andrew Luck               171      2      0

Oregon St.         Sean Mannion           143      0      0

Washington        Keith Price                 102     3      0

Utah                  Jordan Wynn                101     2      0

Quarterback Injuries:

UCLA Kevin Prince injured (shoulder + concussion).

Oregon St. Ryan Katz benched.

Washington State Jeff Tuel injured (fractured clavicle).

Winners versus FBS Teams: 

USC 19 – Minnesota 17

Quarterback Matt Barkley completed a USC Trojan-record 34 passes for 304 yards and 3 TDs without an INT in a close 19-17 victory over FBS Minnesota. USC had a 19-3 halftime lead, but four turnovers-on-downs (due to Barkley’s incompletions) combined with a Barkley fumble, allowed the Golden Gophers to make it close. Wide Receiver Robert Woods caught a school-record 17 passes for 177 yards and 3 TDs. D.J. Morgan led Trojan running backs with 65 yards rushing. USC was playing with three new offensive linemen. USC hosts Utah in a Pac-12 matchup on Saturday.

California 36 – Fresno State 21

Quarterback Zach Maynard threw for 266 yards and 2 TDs with only 1 INT in a 36-21 victory over FBS Fresno State at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Cal pulled away from a slim 19-14 halftime lead thanks to a third-quarter fumble recovery for TD by Trevor Guyton. Cal’s defense was relentless against Fresno State’s quarterback. Wide receiver Marvin Jones had 5 receptions for 118 yards and 2 TDs. Isi Sofele also scored 2 TDs by rushing for 69 yards. California travels to Colorado for a game this Saturday that does not count against Pac-12 conference standings.

Standford 57 – San Jose State 3

Andrew Luck played two and a half quarters, threw for 171 yards and had 2 TDs without an INT in a 57-3 rout over FBS San Jose State. Seven Stanford receivers had multiple receptions and were led by Chris Owusu, who had 7 receptions for 76 yards. Stepfan Taylor gained 53 rushing yards for 2 TDs. Stanford continues their favorable schedule with play at Duke on Saturday.

Winners versus FCS Teams:

Arizona 41 – Northern Arizona 10

Arizona Wildcats' Nick Foles led all Pac-12 quarterbacks with 412 yards and 5 TDs without an INT in a 41-10 victory over FCS Northern Arizona. Arizona only had a 14-10 lead at halftime before Foles took over the game. Wide receiver Juron Criner caught 1 TD and finished with 151 yards. Ka’Deem Carey led Wildcat running backs with 59 yards rushing. Arizona was playing with a mostly new offensive line. The Wildcat defense was dominant with 2 sacks and 1 INT. Arizona travels to play at No. 8 Oklahoma St. on Thursday night.

Arizona State 48 – UC Davis 14

Quarterback Brock Osweiler looked good throwing for 262 yards and 2 TDs with only 1 INT in a 48-14 blowout of FCS UC Davis. The Sun Devils rang up 517 total yards against the Aggies in the first three quarters, leading to a 41-0 score going into the fourth quarter. Running Back Kyle Middlebrooks led ASU rushers with for 61 yards, while Cameron Marshall tallied 86 receiving yards and 2 rushing TDs. Arizona State hosts No. 18 Missouri on Friday.

Utah 27 – Montana State 10

Jordan Wynn threw for 101 yards and had 2 TDs without an INT in a 27-10 victory over FCS Montana State. John White rushed for 150 yards with a touchdown, and Dallin Rogers led receivers with a 46-yard effort. Stud linebacker Brian Belchen, who converted from safety this year, had two interceptions that helped Utah build a quick lead. Utah travels to No. 23 USC on Saturday.

Washington 30 – Eastern Washington 27

Washington quarterback Keith Price threw for 102 yards and had 3 TDs without an INT in a narrow 30-27 victory over FCS Eastern Washington. Desmond Trufant intercepted Eastern Washington in the end zone with 29 seconds left, and the Huskies survived for a 30-27 win against the defending FCS national champions. Running Back James Johnson rushed for 29 yards and a TD, while receiver Brandon Kaufman led Huskies with 10 receptions for 140 yards. Washington hosts Hawaii on Saturday.

Washington State 64 – Idaho State 21

Backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael threw for 230 yards and had 2 TDs without an INT in a 64-21 blowout victory over FCS Idaho State. Washington State starting quarterback Jeff Tuel suffered a fractured left clavicle. Marcus Mason rushed for 88 yards and 1 TD, while Rickey Galvin added 64 more rushing yards and 2 TDs. Marquess Wilson had 4 receptions for 61 yards. Washington State hosts UNLV on Saturday.

Losers versus FBS Teams:

LSU 40 – Oregon 27

Highly touted freshman De’Anthony Thomas fumbled on consecutive touches, and mistake-prone Oregon could only manage a 40-27 loss to LSU, with one touchdown coming in garbage time. LSU played without their starting QB Jordan Jefferson, their top WR Russell Shepard and starting linebacker Joshua Johns. LaMichael James had perhaps his worst game at Oregon with 18 carries for 54 yards. James also led receivers with six receptions for 61 yards. Darron Thomas was 31-of-54 passing for 240 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Oregon hosts Nevada on Saturday.

Houston 38 – UCLA 34

Case Keenum threw for 310 yards, going 30-of-40 with 2 TDs without an INT in his return from a knee injury suffered a year ago at UCLA. UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince left in the second quarter with a concussion/shoulder injury, and his replacement, Richard Brehaut, went 17-for-26 for 264 yards and 2 TDs. Jonathan Franklin led UCLA running backs with 126 yards. Tight end Joseph Fauria had a spectacular day with 6 receptions for 110 yards and 1 TD. UCLA gets a break with visiting San Jose State on Saturday night.

Hawaii 34 – Colorado 17

One of the nation’s best 2010 quarterbacks, Bryant Moniz, spoiled the Colorado coaching debut of Jon Embree by running rather than passing. Moniz had 121 rushing yards for 3 TDs. Colorado QB Tyler Hansen threw for 223 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Rodney Stewart led the Buffaloes rushing attack with 41 yards on 18 attempts (2.3 yd. avg.). Stewart also led receivers with 4 catches for 98 yards. Colorado hosts California in a non-conference game. 

Losers versus FCS Teams:

Sacramento State 29 – Oregon State 28

Let’s start by saying Oregon State needs to improve their pass defense, among other things, after giving up 296 passing yards (at 8.2 yards per pass play) against FCS Sacramento State. Beaver quarterback Ryan Katz completed only half his passes for 87 yards before sitting. Freshman Sean Mannion came off the bench to throw for 143 yards, completing nearly 67-percent. Is there a QB controversy brewing? Beaver RB Malcolm Agnew rushed for 223 yards and 3 TDs. Markus Wheaton had 108 yards receiving. The Beavers will still have too many freshmen playing at No. 10 Wisconsin this Saturday.

Week 1 Pac-12 Running Back Leaders:

Team                    Player                        Yds     TD     

Oregon State         Malcolm Agnew      412      3

Utah                      John White                150      1

UCLA                    Johnathan Franklin   126      1

Washington           Chris Polk                122       0

Washington State   Marcus Mason         88       1

Cal                        Isi Sofele                      69       2

USC                      D.J. Morgan                  65       0

Washington State   Rickey Galvin            64        2

Arizona State         Kyle Middlebrooks    61        0

Arizona                  Ka’Deem Cary            59        0

P12 RB's Absent: Colorado, Oregon, Stanford

Pac-12 Predictions:

For Week 1, my Pac-12 Winners and Losers Predictions were only 91.7-percent correct. Oregon State’s loss (upset) got me. Here were my predictions:

WK1 Predicted Winners: Arizona, Arizona St, Cal, Oregon St., Stanford, USC, Utah, Wash, Wash St.

WK1 Predicted Losers: Colorado, Oregon, UCLA

Note: Notre Dame continues to be overrated and will lose to Stanford & USC.

My Pac-12 Winners and Losers for Week 2:

WK2 Predicted Winners: Oregon, Stanford, USC, Cal, Washington, UCLA, Washington State

WK2 Predicted Losers: Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado, Oregon State

120collegefootballteam.blogspot’s predictions for the Pac-12 differ only by Arizona State:

CFT WK2 Predicted Winners:Oregon, Stanford, USC, Cal, Washington, UCLA, Wash St., Arizona St.

CFT WK2 Predicted Losers: Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Oregon State