Pac-12 Football: Washington takes over top spot out West
By Dana Becker
It was the Eno Benjamin show last week, as the super-talented sophomore running back gained 312 yards in a 52-24 victory over Oregon State at home. Now, Benjamin and the Sun Devils are tasked with going on the road to face Colorado as they embark on a pivotal stretch to the season.
After visiting Boulder, Arizona State hosts Stanford for a Thursday night contest on October 18 and heads to USC the following Friday.
By the time November rolls around, we should have a good understanding if Herm Edwards’ team is the one that beat Michigan State and pushed Washington, or the one that lost to San Diego State.
Benjmain is averaging 119 yards rushing per game, a number given a healthy boost by his record-setting performance. Manny Wilkens has thrown 10 touchdowns and has over 1,200 yards passing this year.
The Sun Devils are allowing just 20 points per game and 363 yards of offense, forcing seven turnovers and recording a league-high 18 sacks.
It was a tough week for the Golden Bears, as they fell out of the Top-25 after a loss to Oregon, 42-24.
After taking a 10-7 lead early in the second following a 28-yard touchdown run by Brandon McIlwan, California could only watch as the Ducks reeled off four consecutive scores, including a defensive touchdown, to take control at 35-10.
McIlwan had his best game at quarterback since arriving on campus, throwing for 128 yards and adding 123 on the ground. He accounted for two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions.
The Golden Bear defense has forced eight turnovers, including seven picks, but has just six sacks in four games. They are allowing 25 points and 348 yards of total offense per game as they head into a road date at Arizona.
Washington State needed every bit of Gardner Minshew‘s 445-yard performance in a 28-24 victory over Utah this past Saturday, including a late fourth quarter 89-yard pass-and-catch for six to Easop Winston, Jr.
Minshew, a transfer from East Carolina who originally planned to attend Alabama before receiving a phone call from Mike Leach, leads the conference at 398.4 yards passing per game and is second behind Oregon’s Justin Herbert with 14 touchdowns.
On a national level, Minshew ranks second in passing yards (1,992) and tied for eighth with his TD passes. He is the NCAA leader with 185 completions and 273 attempts.
The Cougar defense did a sound job controlling the passing game of the Utes, but were gashed a bit by Zack Moss and Tyler Huntley on the ground. For the season, Washington State is sixth in the league at 21.2 points allowed per game and second with 277 yards allowed. They have 14 sacks and have forced six turnovers.
It will likely be another strong offensive day this week, as Minshew and company visit Oregon State.
The final quarter of USC’s win over Arizona was filled with emotion and interesting plays, but in the end, the Trojans hung on for a 24-20 victory thanks to 197 yards and two touchdowns by Aca’Cedric Ware.
After missing time with an injury, Ware returned with a vengeance, carrying the offensive load for the Trojans.
It’s been a difficult year for the USC defense, as they are allowing 381 yards per game and 26 points, numbers which rank in the lower-half of the league. They have forced just three turnovers and have nine sacks. Of those nine sacks, Porter Gustin has 5.5, which ranks first in the nation.
The return to Pac-12 play has been good for USC, as they have won back-to-back games over Arizona and Washington State by a combined seven points after losses to Stanford and Texas by 37.