Pac-12 Notes: Utah cotinues rise behind tough D

Utah is picking up more believers.

The Utes appeared to be a popular pick to be an upset victim heading into Saturday night’s home game against Arizona State. Perhaps the pundits thought the Sun Devils were surging. Maybe they figured Utah would be flat emotionally coming off a hyped home victory over Cal.

In any case, “they” were wrong.

Utah smothered the Arizona State offense and came up with 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 34-18 and move to 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Pac-12.

That victory was good enough for the Utes to move from No. 4 in the Associated Press poll to No. 3, leapfrogging TCU.

“I’m proud of our guys,” said coach Kyle Whittingham. “They’re a tough group of guys. Very physical. Just warriors.”

The best part of Utah’s game was its run defense, as the Utes held ASU to 15 yards on 28 attempts. Part of that effort was five sacks resulting in 32 lost rushing yards. The Sun Devils were without starting RB Demario Richard, and then Utah ganged up to completely shut down that aspect of the Sun Devils’ offense.

ASU failed to score a touchdown on offense.

“Our defense shut them out. I’m very proud of them. Collectively, they were the player of the game,” Whittingham said. “The front four, it starts up front with them. They were outstanding. Our linebackers, the secondary, the whole defense, played well.”

Said linebacker Gionni Paul: “We knew that we had to come in and stop the run. We did a great job with that.”

Utah now has a two-game lead in the loss column in the Pac-12 South, which would have been thought impossible for just about anybody in the division before the halfway point, let alone the Utes. Arizona and Arizona State are 2-2 in the conference; USC and UCLA are 1-2.

There’s no time to rest, though.

Utah plays at USC this Saturday. The Trojans are on a two-game losing streak (Washington, at Notre Dame) and are a bit of a mess right now because of last week’s coaching change, but they remain arguably the most talented team in the Pac-12.

“We wanted to get a comfortable lead in the standings,” said quarterback Travis Wilson. “We wanted to take care of business against the Sun Devils and fortunately, we did.”

ARIZONA (5-2, 2-2)

Game: Arizona 38, Colorado 31. Backup running back Jared Baker ran for 207 yards on 23 carries, and second-string quarterback Jerrard Randall ignited a comeback in which the Wildcats scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Baker scored early on a 79-yard run, but Colorado turned a 17-7 deficit into a 24-17 lead by late in third quarter when Randall entered in place of Anu Solomon. Randall’s running was the change-up the Wildcats needed, as he led the team on TD drives of 97 and 94 yards, and then another drive of 35 yards, capped by his 1-yard run.

Takeaway: Somehow, despite being held without a point for eight consecutive possessions, Arizona rolled up 616 yards. Most of that came early and late, as the Cats avoided being the first team to lose to Colorado in 14 games. Randall saved the day because the Buffaloes were not respecting Solomon’s ability to run, ganging up on other aspects of the UA offense. Randall ran for 81 yards on 11 carries. He isn’t an accurate enough passer to handle the job full time, but he very likely earned himself stronger consideration as a change-of-pace sub.

Next: vs. Washington State, Oct. 24

ARIZONA STATE (4-3, 2-2)

Game: Utah 34, Arizona State 18. ASU’s upset bid fell apart on the fourth quarter after a pair of bad punts and a fumble helped Utah start three consecutive drives in Sun Devil territory. The Utes did not waste any of the scoring opportunities, scoring 13 points off those possessions and then capping the game with a 62-yard run by Devontae Booker with 1:11 left. It was a tough day for the ASU offense, which managed just 15 rushing yards without starting RB Demario Richard. QB Mike Bercovici was just 20-of-41 for 242 yards and the offense failed to score a touchdown.

Takeaway: ASU entered the season talking about championship — of the division, conference and national variety — but will have to contemplate three overall losses and a two-game deficit to Utah in the South. The run defense has been very good of late. The special teams were superb against Utah. The problem has been offense. Bercovici has not thrived in a full-time role, D.J. Foster’s impact has been diminished as he has moved from running back to receiver, and WR Jaelen Strong is now in the NFL, no longer around to save the day.

Next: vs. Oregon, Oct. 29

CAL (5-1, 2-1)

Game: Idle.

Next: at UCLA, Oct. 22

COLORADO (3-4, 0-3)

Game: Arizona 38, Colorado 31. The Buffs took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but the defense couldn’t handle Arizona backup quarterback Jerrard Randall, whose running sparked the Wildcats to 21 fourth-period points. Colorado pulled within 38-31 on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Sefo Liufau to receiver Shay Fields with 2:19 left. Arizona recovered the ensuing on-side kick but punted back, giving CU the ball on the 6 with 38 seconds left, but the Buffs didn’t get far before time ran out.

Takeaway: The Buffs have read this story before. They have come close several times, but the game on Saturday night merely served to extend their conference losing streak to 14 games. “I’m trying to hit every button I can to figure that answer out, and I haven’t figured it out yet,” coach Mike MacIntyre said of his team not being able to finish games. “We’ll just keep fighting along and keep pushing at it. We’re working on it every day. We feel like we’re closer; we feel like we’re near it. We’re just not there and it’s extremely frustrating for everybody.”

Next: at Oregon State, Oct. 24

OREGON (4-3, 2-2)

Game: Oregon 26, Washington 20. Oregon QB Vernon Adams, who had missed the past two games because of a broken finger, returned to the lineup and passed for 272 yards and two touchdowns. The Ducks were also happy to see wide receiver Darren Carrington, who made his season debut after serving an NCAA suspension for a failed drug test before the College Football Playoff championship game in January. Oregon led 23-6 in the third quarter, but the Ducks gave up a 72-yard touchdown run to RB Myles Gaskin late in the third quarter. After an UO field goal, Washington got within a single score after a 3-yard touchdown pass with 3:35 to go. The Ducks had to punt the ball back with 1:11 left, but then sealed the game with an interception at the Oregon 36.

Takeaway: Adams makes a big difference. His passing numbers don’t initially jump out at you — 14-of-25 for 272 yards — but his ability to challenge defenses vertically was what Oregon needed. He had completions of 48, 36, 24, 29, 44 and 27 yards … and all those completions came on third down. Adams injured the finger in the season-opener and tried to play through it at times before shutting it down for a couple of weeks. He says he’s close to 100 percent. “Any time you can add a playmaker back to the team, it’s a big deal,” said Ducks wideout Bralon Addison.

Next: at Arizona State, Oct. 29.

OREGON STATE (2-4, 0-3)

Game: Washington State 52, Oregon State 31. The Beavers entered the game with the Pac-12’s leading pass defense, but they were no match for Washington State’s Air Raid attack. WSU’s Luke Falk threw for 407 yards and six touchdown passes, all in the first half, and ended up completing 39-of-50 passes. For the Beavers, true freshman quarterback Seth Collins threw for 176 yards and a TD, and he ran for a game-high 124 yards and another score. Wide receiver Victor Bolden led the Beavers with 79 yards on six receptions and also scored on a 100-yard kickoff return.

Takeaway: Oregon State, young and adjusting to new coach Gary Andersen, looks like the worst team in the Pac-12, losing its three conference games by a combined 138-62. The Beavers have yielded at least 42 points in each of those games. Andersen, needing to spin something after the loss to WSU, suggested that at least the second half was better. “These kids just kept on banging,” he said. That is something to build on, because growing pains seem unavoidable for the rest of this season, although this Saturday presents the best chance for a win.

Next: vs. Colorado, Oct. 24

SOUTHERN CAL (3-3, 1-2)

Game: Notre Dame 41, USC 31. USC quarterback Cody Kessler completed 30-of-46 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns, but the senior threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter to spoil a comeback bid in the first game for USC interim head coach Clay Helton. USC grabbed a 31-24 edge with 9:40 to go in the third quarter on a 4-yard pass to TE Taylor McNamara, but Notre Dame tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard run by RB C.J. Prosise. The Irish went ahead on a diving, 10-yard reception by wide receiver Corey Robinson and then added a 32-yard field goal. Kessler then threw his second interception.

Takeaway: Don’t toss dirt on USC’s grave just yet. The Trojans have to deal with the firing of coach Steve Sarkisian and a .500 record at the midpoint of the season, but they still have receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (75-yard TD pass vs. Notre Dame) and cornerback/receiver/returner Adoree’ Jackson (83-yard TD pass). Every team should be so lucky. USC trails Utah by two games in the South, but a win over the visiting Utes this weekend would put the Trojans right back in the thick of things. A loss on the other hand.

Next: vs. Utah, Oct. 24

STANFORD (5-1, 4-0)

Game: Stanford 56, UCLA 35. Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey rushed 25 times for a school-record 243 yards and four touchdowns, and he added a 96-yard kickoff return, as the Cardinal beat 18th-ranked UCLA for the eighth consecutive time. The old school single-game rushing record was 223 set by Toby Gerhart against Oregon in 2009. And McCaffrey set the mark in just three quarters. He took a seat after amassing 369 all-purpose yards, which included four touchdown runs.

Takeaway: Stanford is rolling, having won five games in a row and scoring more than 40 points in four consecutive games. McCaffrey has emerged as the star — and rightly so — but the offensive line is doing some amazing work, making everything else possible. “The run-game plan was phenomenal, really well executed,” coach David Shaw said after the UCLA game. “High effort, high energy.” Stanford has rushed for 300 yards in each of the past three games. Everyone knows it is coming, but defenses still can’t stop it — with QB Kevin Hogan mixing in key play-action and the Cardinal changing its look with a Wildcat formation. Led by that line, Stanford has all the answers right now.

Next: vs. Washington, Oct. 24

UCLA (4-2, 1-2)

Game: Stanford 56, UCLA 35. The Bruins lost for the eighth consecutive time to Stanford, unable to stop Cardinal RB Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for a school-record 243 yards and four touchdowns. McCaffrey’s big night including a 96-yard kickoff return. UCLA freshman Josh Rosen completed 22-of-42 passes for 325 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. RB Paul Perkins ran for 104 yards on 14 attempts. WR Darren Andrews had four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. UCLA trailed 35-17 at halftime and never got closer. The losing streak to Stanford is now UCLA’s longest ever vs. any opponent.

Takeaway: That was fast. UCLA was being touted as a prime contender for the College Football Playoff just a couple of weeks ago, and then came losses to Arizona State and Stanford, in which the Bruins have yielded 94 points. Now, after facing powerful Stanford, here comes Cal, which has an Air Raid passing attack with a high first-round quarterback in Jared Goff. That’s certainly a change of pace for the UCLA defense on back-to-back Thursday night games. “That’s the nature of the Pac-12,” said coach Jim Mora. “You don’t get any more radically different than those two. Stanford is old-school football, Cal is new-school football. One similarity is both have an outstanding quarterback.”

Next: vs. Cal, Oct. 22

UTAH (6-0, 3-0)

Game: Utah 34, Arizona State 18. QB Travis Wilson completed 26-of-36 passes and threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns as the Utes overcame a flurry of special teams mistakes and accelerated past ASU in the fourth quarter. Utah gave up a 100-yard kickoff return in the first quarter and took a safety on a botched trick play on a kickoff return. But the Utes defense was typically stout, keeping the ASU offense out of the end zone and holding the Sun Devils to 15 rushing yards. RB Devontae Booker put the final touches on the win with a 62-yard touchdown run with 1:11 left to cap 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Takeaway: Utah is tied for 19th nationally in rushing defense (113.5 yards per game), but none of the team’s other rankings in the major categories really jump out. The Utes are getting it done with a stellar turnover margin (plus-2.0 per game) and efficiency — sixth nationally with a 95.8 percent conversion rate in the red zone, third in the nation in net punting (42.5 yards) and tied for ninth in fewest penalties (4.5 per game). In other words, this isn’t a team that beats itself. Is that sustainable in the second half of the season?

Next: at USC, Oct. 24

WASHINGTON (3-3, 1-2)

Game: Oregon 26, Washington 20. The Huskies trailed 23-6 late in the third quarter but would not go away. RB Myles Gaskin romped 72 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 23-13. After an Oregon 26-yard field goal pushed the lead to 26-13, Jake Browning threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaydon Mickens with 3:35 left in the game. Washington forced a punt and took over at its 20 with 1:11 to go, moving to its 42 before K.J. Carta-Samuels — playing because Browning had hurt his shoulder, coach Chris Petersen said — was intercepted.

Takeaway: Washington’s surprisingly good defense held Oregon to 442 yards, a respectable if not dominant effort, but the Huskies’ didn’t have enough juice on offense, other than Gaskin’s long touchdown run. That’s a familiar theme. Washington has topped 24 points just twice in six games. “We need to get better there and try to figure out a way to try to create some more explosive throws down the field,” Petersen said after the game. “They were dropping a lot of people in soft coverage. So that was a little bit hard but we still have to figure out how to do that.” Also familiar: The loss was Washington’s 12th in a row to Oregon.

Next: at Stanford, Oct. 24

WASHINGTON STATE (4-2, 2-1)

Game: Washington State 52, Oregon State 31. Luke Falk completed 39-of-50 passes for 407 yards and six touchdown passes, with all the scoring throws coming in the first half. Wide receiver Dom Williams had a game-high 11 catches for 158 yards and a pair of TDs. Washington State also received two touchdown receptions from tailback Jared Morrow while rolling up 520 total yards and 39 first downs. The Cougars scored on all seven of their first-half possessions, getting six Falk scoring passes and a 30-yard Erik Powell field goal.

Takeaway: Since opening with a home loss to lower-division Portland State, the Cougars have been playing good ball, losing only at Cal in a tight game (34-28) and beating Oregon in Eugene. There are enough winnable games left for Washington State to get to the postseason after posting a 3-9 record a year ago. WSU won at Arizona two years ago and will try to duplicate that feat this Saturday. Home games against ASU and (especially) Colorado could be put in the win column, and an Apple Cup matchup in Seattle seems no worse than a toss-up.

Next: at Arizona, Oct. 24

NOTES, QUOTES

–What a week for USC. A seven-day span began with the athletic director Pat Haden placing coach Steve Sarkisian on indefinite leave and then firing him a day later as Sarkisian entered treatment to deal with a drinking problem.

With interim head coach Clay Helton at the helm, the Trojans traveled to play Notre Dame in South Bend, where Haden required medical attention after feeling light-headed and dropping to one knee before the game. He was checked out at a local hospital and returned home on a private plane.

On Sunday afternoon, he tweeted:

“Thanks for all the support. I checked out fine and am feeling great today! Proud of our effort vs ND, came up just short. Beat the Utes!

Yes, on top of it all, USC suffered its second consecutive loss, dropping a 41-31 decision to the Irish.

–On Friday night, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre guaranteed a victory over Arizona when addressing the crowd at the Homecoming parade. Can’t really blame a coach for preaching to the masses, but his words became a predictable talking point after the Buffs lost 38-31, their 14th consecutive conference defeat.

“You’re up there trying to get them fired up, get them going,” MacIntyre said of the Friday night rally. “It was a pep rally, excite ’em-type comment, that’s what it was. … Ya’ll have been to pep rallies, things (like that) are said all the time.”

–Former USC All-American Willie McGinest was among a handful of notable alums who addressed the team last Thursday before the trip to Notre Dame. He was all shades of fired up.

“People used to fear when they stepped on the field with us. They used to fear us,” he told the Trojans.

“The weak teams? They knew they didn’t have a (expletive) chance. Pretty good teams? They figured they were slim to none. And the really good teams? They knew they had a fight on their hands all (expletive) day.

“It’s about you guys and what you guys do right now for the future. Come together, become brothers, execute, be accountable. Do your job, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing.”

–Oregon WR Darren Carrington made his season debut after serving a suspension for a failed drug test before the national championship game last season. He wasted no time making an impact, catching a 36-yard TD pass on Oregon’s first possession. He finished with five catches for 125 yards and two scores.

“It was hard,” he said of his sitting out while on suspension. “A couple times I wanted to cry, because I love football so much. It was just good to be back.”

The redshirt sophomore made 37 catches for 704 yards last season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think the best part for me, as I’ve been saying, with all the distractions and everything that has been going on this week, our guys came out and played football. They put everything aside and came out and fought so hard … and I’m so proud of them. It’s really cool to see.” — USC QB Cody Kessler, after the loss at Notre Dame

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 7 IN THE PAC-12:

1. Christian McCaffrey is a Heisman candidate. No other running back can touch LSU’s Leonard Fournette right now, but McCaffrey’s all-purpose work has been too brilliant to ignore. The sophomore leads the nation with 253.0 all-purpose yards per game, which is about 43 more than the second-place guy (who just so happens to be Fournette).

2. Lane Kiffin was right about something. Remember when Kiffin took a commitment from a seventh-grade quarterback? That was pretty silly and very much non-binding, of course, and that kid ended up at West Virginia. And, guess what, David Sills looks like a really good football player. A true freshman, Sills shed a potential redshirt season Saturday to debut … at receiver. He caught two passes for 64 yards, including a 35-yard score.

3. All it takes for Stanford coach David Shaw to break expression is the catch of the year. Francis Owusu’s no-look, behind-the-defender’s-back touchdown catch last Thursday night against UCLA will be shown forever on highlight shows. So, too, might Shaw’s incredulous reaction on the sideline. “I was looking at my call sheet for the next call because I thought it was incomplete, and the guys were telling me that he caught it,” Shaw said. “And I said he didn’t catch it, it’s incomplete. And then it showed up on the board and … I’ve been told that my facial expression was on TV many times. Just a phenomenal catch.”

4. Good luck predicting this league. The Pac-12 began the season with six teams in the AP Top 25. Five of those are no longer ranked. The only survivor is Stanford. Oregon, USC, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State have dropped out. Utah and Cal have moved in.

5. Beware USC. The Trojans rolled up 590 yards against a very good Notre Dame defense on Saturday. “We can beat anybody in the country, hands down,” linebacker Su’a Cravens told ESPN.com. “We’re going to play the No. 4 team in the nation (Utah, now No. 3) next week. If we win that, you’ll be asking, ‘What’s with you guys?'”