Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
ARIZONA: Rich Rodriguez lived up to his reputation as he guided the Wildcats
to a 24-17 overtime win over Toledo in his debut as the head coach in Tucson.
The Wildcats score belied the 624 total yards recorded by the team, which was
the second-most in school history and the most since 1969. Matt Scott was a
big reason for the offensive barrage, throwing for a career-high 387 yards and
tying a career best with a pair of touchdown passes, including the game-winner
in overtime to Terrence Miller. Scott relied heavily on Dan Buckner (116
yards) and Austin Hill (139) who each had 100-yard receiving games. Scott also
found success on the ground in his first time running Rodriguez's read-option
attack, piling up 74 yards. Arizona's point total didn't match the impressive
yardage due to a pair of touchdowns being called back on penalties and three
turnovers. Making sure to put points on the board will be vital for Arizona
this week, when the Wildcats take on the explosive offense of Oklahoma State.
ARIZONA STATE: Offense was not in short supply for the Sun Devils in their
first game under new head coach Todd Graham. Utilizing the up-tempo spread
attack that made Graham such a success at Tulsa, Arizona State rolled up 554
yards in a 63-6 blowout win over Northern Arizona. Arizona State ran the ball
51 times to just 20 pass plays. Marion Grice, a junior college transfer,
rushed for a team-high 107 yards and three touchdowns in his first game in an
Arizona State uniform. Taylor Kelly completed 15 passes to six different
receivers for 247 yards and a touchdown. Arizona State grabbed three
interceptions, all in the second quarter, highlighted by one by Akron-transfer
Brandon Magee, which he returned 45 yards for a touchdown. The Sun Devils
ranked 108th nationally in pass defense last season (273.0 ypg) but allowed
only 149 yards through the air on Saturday. Next on the schedule is a date
against Illinois, a team that pulled out a narrow 17-14 victory against the
Sun Devils last season.
CALIFORNIA: Jeff Tedford's seat continued to heat up on Saturday as the Golden
Bears lost 31-24 to Nevada in the team's return to the newly renovated
Memorial Stadium. It was only the second loss at home against Nevada by
California and the first since 1903. Zach Maynard was benched for the first
three series of the game for missing a tutoring session earlier in the week
but still managed a solid game. The senior completed 17-of-30 passes for 247
yards and a pair of scores. The game came down to the end with Stefphon
Jefferson's two-yard rush with 36 seconds remaining proving to be the
difference. California converted only 3-of-14 third down attempts compared to
11-of-20 by Nevada. The Golden Bears forced six fumbles on defense but
recovered only one. California had exactly half as many rushing yards
(220-110) as Nevada. Tedford's squad should have an easier time of it this
week at home against Southern Utah.
COLORADO: One of only three teams Colorado beat all last season took revenge,
as the Buffaloes fell 22-17 to in-state rival Colorado State in the Rocky
Mountain showdown. In a game dominated by defense, Colorado was out-gained by
the Rams 298-245. The majority of that discrepancy came in the running game
with Colorado managing only 58 yards on the ground. In his debut for Colorado,
Kansas-transfer quarterback Jordan Webb completed 22-of-41 passes for 187
yards and two scores. Webb was pressured all game and was sacked five times as
Colorado trotted out a starting offensive line that did not have a senior for
just the fifth time in the last 31 seasons. The Buffaloes had a 19-for-19
streak in the red zone snapped when they were held on fourth and goal from the
one in the third quarter. Colorado still leads the all-time series against
Colorado state 61-21-2. Next up for Jon Embree's squad is a date with FCS
opponent Sacramento State.
OREGON: After having to watch conference rival USC get all the attention in
the offseason, Oregon made a statement with a 57-34 win over Arkansas State in
the Ducks' season opener. The score is closer than the game actually was as
Oregon scored 50 points in the opening half. De'Anthony Thomas lived up to the
hype he created in his stellar freshmen season by collecting 119 total yards
and scoring three touchdowns. Along with Thomas, two other players (Kenjon
Barner and Byron Marshall) each had at least 64 yards rushing. In his debut as
the starter, QB Marcus Mariota wasn't phased, as he completed 18-of-22 passes
for 200 yards and three scores. All of that came in the first half as head
coach Chip Kelly pulled a number of starters in the second half. Mariota is
the first freshmen since Danny O'Neil in 1991 to start an opener for Oregon.
The Ducks put up 605 yards of total offense averaging 11.0 yards per pass
completion and 5.2 per rush. The game was the first of a three-game homestand
to begin the season for the Ducks, who continue next week against Fresno
State.
OREGON STATE: Due to the inclement weather, Oregon State's originally
scheduled opener against Nicholls was postponed. A future date for the game
has yet to be determined as the team's bye weeks do not match up and it is
possible the game could be canceled all together. The Beavers will have to
wait until next week to begin their 2012 campaign with a home game against
Wisconsin.
STANFORD: In the first game of the post-Andrew Luck era, the Stanford Cardinal
needed just about all the luck they could get as David Shaw's squad narrowly
pulled out a 20-17 win against an upset-minded San Jose State team. New
starting quarterback Josh Nunes looked pedestrian compared to his predecessor,
completing 16-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Stepfan Taylor
rushed for 116 yards on 26 carries, while also scoring a touchdown. It was the
14th 100-yard outing of his career. Stanford went 2-for-13 on third down
conversions in the game but did convert 2-of-3 fourth down attempts. SJSU out-
gained Stanford 288-280 including a 256-153 margin after the first quarter.
This was the fifth straight season opener in which the Cardinal came out on
the winning end. Stanford will hope to get the rest of the kinks out next week
at home against Duke before the Pac-12 opener against USC on Sept. 15.
UCLA: Johnathan Franklin got his season off to a fast start by rushing for 214
yards and three touchdowns to lead UCLA to a 49-24 defeat of Rice in Jim
Mora's first game as the Bruins' head coach. The Bruins scored on three
different runs of at least 70 yards. Franklin had two (74, 78) and new
starting quarterback Brett Hundley (72) had the other. Franklin carried the
ball only 15 times for an average of 14.3 yards per carry and became the first
UCLA player to have two rushes of at least 72 yards in a game. UCLA out-gained
Rice by almost 300 total yards (646-347). Eric Kendricks had a team-high 11
total tackles and the Bruins had eight tackles for loss as a team including
seven sacks. UCLA had three extra points blocked, all by Rice's Cameron Nwosu
which is an NCAA record. Next week might prove to be an even tougher test for
Mora's Bruins as they welcome in nationally ranked Nebraska to the Rose Bowl.
USC: It didn't take long for the No. 1-ranked Trojans to show off their
explosive offense in their 49-10 rout of Hawaii on Saturday. On the first play
from scrimmage Heisman-favorite Matt Barkley connected with Marqise Lee for a
75-yard touchdown pass and the Trojans never looked back. Barkley completed
23-of-38 passes for 372 yard and four scores to lead the USC offense which put
up 35 points in the first half. The Trojans averaged 15.2 yards per completion
in the game. Lee had 10 total catchers for 197 yards and also returned a
kickoff 100 yards for a score. In his first game as a Trojan, Penn State-
transfer Silas Redd rushed for 56 yards and score. USC's defense was also
impressive. On the opposite sideline from the Trojans was former offensive
coordinator Norm Chow whose squad was held to only 264 total yards while
turning the ball over four times. A cross-country trip awaits the Trojans now
as they travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey to face Syracuse next week.
UTAH: On opening weekend a number of Pac-12 teams showed off impressive
offensive attacks and Utah fit right in, racking up a 41-0 beat down of FCS
opponent Northern Colorado. In the Utes' second season as a member of the
conference they got things started by compiling 414 total yards, while also
dominating on defense by allowing only 114. Utah also had a wide discrepancy
in first downs (26-7) and was especially dominant on defense against the run,
holding the Bears to only 35 yards. The stingy run defense carries over from
last year's team which ranked 20th nationally (113.5 ypg). John White IV, Last
year's Pac-12 leader in carries, got right back to business, piling up 121
yards on 24 carries while also scoring a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Wynn
returned from an injury that sidelined him for the last nine games of 2011 by
completing 19-of-27 passes for 200 yards and a pair of scores. This was Utah's
first shutout since 2007. Utah heads on the road next although it won't be too
far from home, as the Utes take on in-state rival Utah State.
WASHINGTON: Heralded for their offensive potential it was instead the defense
that lead the Huskies to a 21-12 victory at home over San Diego State in the
season opener. It was the lowest point total allowed by Washington since a
19-7 win over Nebraska in the 2010 Holiday Bowl. The defense made the biggest
play of the day when Will Shamburger recovered a SDSU fumble and returned it
44 yards for what would be the game-clinching touchdown. It was one of two
turnovers forced by the Huskies in the game. Desmond Trufant led the team with
2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack, while recording six total tackles. On
offense Washington was led by quarterback Keith Price, who completed 25-of-35
pass attempts for 222 yards and a score. It was the first time a Washington
quarterback has completed at least 25 passes since Jake Locker did so in 2009.
Price completed 13 straight passes after his first of the game fell
incomplete. Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a game-high nine receptions for 82
yards. Washington is now 8-1 in season openers at home since 1989. The Huskies
will have their hands full this week, taking on powerhouse LSU in Baton Rouge
WASHINGTON STATE: In a weekend where several new Pac-12 coaches got started
with big wins, Mike Leach wasn't so lucky. His Washington State Cougars were
dominated on both sides of the ball in taking a 30-6 loss on the road to a
tough BYU squad. Most of the scoring occurred in the first half with BYU
leading 24-6 going into the locker room. It was the first time a Mike Leach
offense failed to score a touchdown in a game since September of 2006 when
Leach, then the coach at Texas Tech, lost 12-3 to TCU. The visiting Cougars
looked to still be learning Leach's Air Raid attack, with the team managing
only 224 total yards. Marquess Wilson, a Second-Team All-Pac-12 receiver last
season, led the visiting Cougars with 61 yards. Wilson has now caught at least
one pass in each of his 25 career games.Washington State is 1-3 all-time
against BYU and 1-2 on the road. Leach's squad will try again for a win this
week at home against FCS opponent Eastern Washington.
The Sports Network