Pac-12 Football: Stanford leaps USC, Arizona State jumps in Week 2 power rankings
By Dana Becker
The Kevin Sumlin era out in the desert has gotten off to a rocky start, as the Wildcats sit at 0-2 with just 41 points scored on the year.
Khalil Tate‘s Heisman run is over after a 45-18 setback to Houston this past week. Tate, who had an incredible stretch to close out the 2017 season under Rich Rodriguez, has yet to flash that same brilliance with Sumlin at the helm.
He ran just seven times for eight yards vs. Houston, throwing for 341 but with two picks. Most of Tate’s damage came with the game over, as the Cougars racked up 297 yards rushing and 254 more passing yards on the day with six offensive touchdowns scored.
The road will get a little easier for Arizona this week, as they host Southern Utah.
Just like at Arizona, Chip Kelly’s run with the Bruins has limped back to the Rose Bowl with an 0-2 record after a pasting in Norman vs. Oklahoma.
UCLA went with true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start at quarterback, as he passed for 254 yards and completed a sound 16 of 26, but he was held to negative yards rushing. As a team, the Bruins had just 129 yards on 50 carries against the Sooners, surrendering 179 and four rushing scores on the opposite side.
Kyler Murray had his way with the defense, which has struggled over two games vs. Oklahoma and Cincinnati. It will be interesting to see what Kelly does to get the ship steered in the right direction with Fresno State coming to town.
After a difficult opener at Ohio State in the first week, the Beavers were able to get their first win at home vs. Southern Utah, 48-25.
Oregon State also found itself a star on offense in Jermar Jefferson, as he carried the ball 22 times for 238 yards with four touchdowns. As a unit, the Beavers had 360 yards against an FCS opponent.
Conor Blount shined under center, completing 15 of 22 for 226 yards without an interception. Jake Luton did get in after suffering a concussion vs. the Buckeyes, but it would appear the job is now Blount’s to lose.
Oregon State will have a chance to go to 2-1 when they visit Nevada this week.
We’ll learn a little bit more about the Utes this coming week when they host Washington in a key Pac-12 showdown under the lights on ESPN. Utah kept its record perfect with a victory over Northern Illinois, but it was far from impressive.
They managed just 17 points against the Huskies and needed a late interception return for a score to seal the deal. Tyler Huntley had a strong game with 286 yards passing, as Zack Moss added 66 yards and the lone offensive touchdown.
Utah’s defense was tough, limiting Northern Illinois to 117 yards rushing and 111 yards passing.