The Week 2 Hangover: Pac-12 Bests Big Ten; An SEC Welcome For Missouri, Texas A&M

Sept. 8, 2012; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Kevin Ozier (82) in the second quarter against Illinois Fighting Illini at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE
There might be no Week 2 hangover greater than the Big Ten’s — or at least, no conference is reaching for the Aspirin today with the same urgency. Big Ten members went 1-5 against BCS conference competition, including 0-3 against their Rose Bowl counterparts out west.

Whether it was Oregon State grinding down Wisconsin in a defensive struggle, UCLA pressing the accelerator early and buckling down late on Nebraska, or Arizona State simply pounding Illinois, the Pac-12 had its way with the Big Ten in Week 2. Wonder if Larry Scott is frantically trying to reignite the ill-fated Pac-12/Big Ten challenge squashed earlier this year?

UCLA abused Nebraska’s once-feared defense, particularly on the ground. This was an aspect of Noel Mazzone’s offense that perhaps didn’t get enough love while he was calling plays at Arizona State, but the attention is certainly focused there now.

Mazzone’s system has running back Jonathan Franklin putting up early Heisman numbers. He exceeded 200 yards for a second straight outing. Franklin is excelling in much the same way Cameron Marshall produced at Arizona State a season ago. But as the Sun Devils’ proved, Mazzone’s scheme requires prolific action from the passing game to keep defenses guessing.

Brett Hundley played like the quarterback UCLA has sorely lacked every season since 2005 — not coincidentally, the Bruins’ last as a top 25 team — and the defense answered the bell when it was needed. Taylor Martinez attacked UCLA efficiently in the first half, but the second half was a different story. Such has been the case in each of the Bruins’ two wins to start the Jim Mora era. That the defense improves as games are progressing is a positive. If it starts opening games in similar fashion, this team is a threat in the Pac-12 South.

That said, Bruin fans should keep their expectations tempered for now. Bear in mind, when Rick Neuheisel began closing the rivalry gap in 2008 he coached UCLA to a defeat of SEC member Tennessee. The victory was celebrated as landmark — at least, until the Bruins languished through another mediocre campaign and the Volunteers had a historically bad season. Maybe Nebraska is destined for a similar letdown — until its rush defense gets its act together, and its own run game become more refined, the Cornhuskers are a work-in-progress. But in the meantime, this is more what UCLA faithful had in mind than previous regimes provided.

Elsewhere, Mazzone’s former employer abused Illinois as payback for last season’s offensively anemic loss in Champaign. There might be something to this High Octane Offense Todd Graham once touted, and the Sun Devils might have something special at quarterback, the greatest question mark for the offense this summer. Taylor Kelly is the starter, and managed an effective game, but the addition of Michael Eubank in certain situations proved bedeviling for the Illini defense.

Not to wish away the many weeks of football still remaining, but early indicators are the Sun Devils’ annual rivalry clash with Arizona will be a dandy. The Wildcats put a bow on the Pac’s impressive day with a 59-38 defeat of No. 18 Oklahoma State that christened the Rich Rodriguez in style.

Saturday was a great day for the Pac-10, anyway — Pac-12 newcomers Utah and Colorado were either trying to forget a loss to a lower conference opponent, or experiencing it.

SEC newcomers Texas A&M and Missouri had their debuts spoiled, but both proved they belong with the nation’s most elite conference. A&M dropped a game it probably shouldn’t have, and all the conditions for an upset were in Mizzou’s favor before Georgia pulled away, but this was hardly the Little Sisters of the Poor impression some of the more overzealous SEC honks would have you believe two former Big 12 members would make.

Missouri lost by three touchdowns, though the final score wasn’t indicative of how competitive this game was most of the way. The Tiger defense was stingy through three quarters, to the point Georgia head coach Mark Richt was chasing points in the third. The Bulldogs were down 17-9 when Aaron Murray connected with Tavarres King midway through the period, and Richt gambled on a two-point conversion that worked. His risk turned the tide, and the Tiger defense wore down with the offense unable to sustain drives.

Credit Todd Grantham’s defense, which was without a considerable amount of starters — four, to be exact. Not much to disprove Steve Spurrier’s joke(?) about drawing the Dawgs early in the season. Of course, Julius Jones plays like he’s two or three different defenders. The USC transfer is a ball hawking, backfield menace. He’s an outstanding foundation providing pressure at the line for when this defense is whole.

MARYLAND & WAKE FOREST A COMBINED 4-0…WAIT, WHAT?
Sep 08, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) carries the ball during the first quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE
Maryland and Wake Forest combined to beat FCS opponents William & Mary and Liberty by four points in Week 1. Both had offensively anemic showings, and long seasons seemed to be in store for each. But lo and behold, the unpredictable ACC is unpredictable. How about that?

Both had impressive wins in Week 2 to move to 2-0. The Terrapins exacted vengeance for last year’s embarrassing loss to Temple — though the Terps tried their damnedest to suffer another embarrassing defeat of a different kind. UM jumped ahead big early, but had to withstand a late Owl barrage.

Wake Forest was on the right end of a rally, after surrendering one. The Demon Deacons were outscored 13-0 for much of the second half, but quarterback Tanner Price rushed for his second touchdown in the waning minutes.

So are these wins signifying something more from two programs predicted to finish the season below .500? Tough to say. Freshman Stefon Diggs is certainly living up to his five star hype, and fellow frosh quarterback Perry Hills showed poise via three touchdowns. The Temple win is difficult to gauge, as the Owls lost plenty from last year’s top ranked defense. Big East media slated Temple for the conference cellar. I suspect Temple will exceed expectations, but right now it’s all guesswork. Wake’s win is more impressive — Phil Steele tabbed UNC to win its division despite its ineligibility for the conference championship.

Price is a quarterback I like, but the Deacs’ inability to establish any kind of rush offense does not bode well moving forward. Price accounted for both ground scores and running back averaged 1.9 yards per carry.

THE BIG EAST REALLY ISN’T SO BAD

I know. Your cache of Big East jokes is hilarious and original, much like pairing an ironic t-shirt with a mustache. And ESPN programming is so dedicated to trashing Big East football, I await “This Is Why It’s Trash” to join the midday lineup of talking head shouting matches. But you’ll have to trust me on this one: the conference really isn’t so bad.

Louisville rolled its way to 2-0. Rutgers ate its second cupcake, but the Scarlet Knights have held opponents to an impressive 12 points combined. RU meets fellow 2-0 Big Easterner USF in an early match-up with conference superiority possibly at stake. That’s because the Bulls stole a win in one of the more impressive road performances a team is going to have this season, particularly out-of-conference.

USF traveled further than any team will on the continental United States to face a Nevada bunch coming off an emotionally charged defeat of Cal. The Wolf Pack built a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter. The weather, the altitude, the opponent — everything in Reno was working against the Bulls, but they showed resolve with a pair of late touchdowns. BJ Daniels capped a stellar day on those drives, wrapping up his afternoon with three scores and 363 yards. Most importantly for USF’s season-long outlook, he was not intercepted.

His performance the Bulls’ 32-31 win might overshadow the play of Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo though, and that’s unfortunate. The Pack sophomore had another outstanding day, scoring three touchdowns of his own, passing for 271 yards and rushing for another 134. Skip Holtz’s defense is unlikely to face another quarterback with the same two-way abilities.

Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib is not going to tuck and run like Fajardo, but he is putting up significant numbers. The Orange fell to 0-2, but Nassib is having quite the start to the season. He played well against the USC defense, bringing his season total of passing yards to 804. SU has glaring defensive issues that will keep the Orange from competing in the Big East, but Nassib ensures that the offense will at least be exciting to watch.

EVEN DVR CAN’T SAVE ME FROM THESE COMMERCIALS

Last season, it was dancing hamsters in Scions and Pitbull imploring me to have a real good time. This season, it’s the highly produced, lip-synced styling of Nicky Minaj and a Bizarro Amy Winehouse. It seems that no matter how many channels are available or how active the DVR is, there are certain commercials I cannot avoid seeing a few hundred times per autumn.

GAME BALLS

• Danny Taylor, Head Trainer, Tulsa
  Sometimes, wins and losses are treated like life and death. Genuine life-or-death events put that misguided outlook into perspective. Devon Walker’s life was in jeopardy when he collided with a teammate in Tulane’s game at Tulsa. The fast actions and quick thinking of Tulsa head trainer Danny Taylor saved Walker’s life. Hero is a word thrown around when describing sports, a trivialization of the meaning. Taylor and the Tulsa training staff were true heroes on Saturday.