Pac-12 Football: Stanford leaps USC, Arizona State jumps in Week 2 power rankings
By Dana Becker
The conference opener for JT Daniels and the Trojans was nothing but a disaster, as they were completely manhandled by Stanford on the road.
Daniels completed just 16 of 34 passes with two interceptions, and the USC running back crew of Aca’Cedric Ware, Stephen Carr and company had just 114 yards on 37 carries.
The Trojans were held out of the end zone and their defense was ripped apart by Bryce Love and K.J. Costello. Love ran for 136 yards and Costello completed an efficient 16 of 27 for 183 yards.
With so many young players on both sides of the ball, the future remains bright for USC. But the road back to the league title game will be tough. And next week, the Trojans are at Texas in a featured game.
Jake Browning and the Huskies rebounded from their loss to Auburn by pasting North Dakota. Now, they get to prepare for a road date with Utah in a pivotal September Pac-12 contest.
Browning offset a pair of interceptions by throwing two touchdown passes and completing 23 of 37 passes for 313 yards. His backup, Jake Haener, was a perfect 7-for-7 for 110 yards and a score, giving him some key playing time for the future.
Haener will be looking to hold off Georgia transfer Jacob Eason next year when Eason becomes eligible.
Myles Gaskin was bottled up, running for just 53 yards, which included a 24-yard burst, on 15 carries. But 11 different players caught passes and Washington did run for almost 200 yards.
In limited duty, Justin Herbert looked great once more, completing 20 of 26 for 250 yards with four touchdowns in a 62-14 rout of Portland State.
More importantly, though, the Ducks found success running the ball, as Tony Brooks-James had 107 yards and two scores, and C.J. Verdell added 106 and a touchdown. Oregon finished the game with 296 yards on the ground and 266 in the air, scoring nine offensive times.
The Duck defense had no troubles with Portland State, holding them to 66 yards rushing on 40 carries. This coming week should be another highlight game for Herbert and company, as they host San Jose State.