Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 10: Washington State controls West
By Dana Becker
It’s been something of a lost season for Chip Kelly and UCLA, as any hopes of scoring a signature win in year No. 1 under Kelly was wasted this past weekend at Oregon. Kelly previously led the Ducks to the promised land, which he hopes to do with the Bruins now.
Joshua Kelley was the lone bright spot, as he ran for 161 yards and scored a touchdown. Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled, completing just 9-of-23 passes for 135 yards, as Wilton Speight was more effective with his 13-for-25 line for 147 yards. Speight also didn’t throw an interception.
UCLA remains on the road this week as they travel to red-hot Arizona State still looking for answers on all sides of the ball.
Oregon State hung around with USC this past weekend, trailing by just seven before the Trojans scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game out of reach. Much like fellow cellar-dweller UCLA, this is the first year for new head coach Jonathan Smith.
The Beavers have dealt with problems all season. Sensational running back Jermar Jefferson was held to just 58 yards rushing vs. USC, marking just the fourth time this season he has failed to crack 100 yards — and just the second game he has done so on over 10 carries.
Oregon State also allowed 332 yards rushing to the Trojans, as Jake Luton did counter with his best game, completing 31-of-45 for 301 yards and a touchdown. The Beavers will need more of that this week as they travel to Stanford.
Four games ago, Colorado was sitting at 5-0 and looking like a legit threat to not only claim the South, but win the Pac-12 overall. Now, four consecutive losses later, they are just fighting to qualify for a postseason bowl game.
The Buffaloes were picked apart by Arizona, allowing 16 second half points in seeing a slim 24-23 advantage fall by the wayside. Steven Montez did throw for 343 yards, but that was matched by Khalil Tate’s 350-yard, five-touchdown performance through the air in this one.
As the saying goes, it won’t get any easier this week, as Colorado takes on league-leader Washington State. The game will be in Boulder, a place where they have won three times this year.
The Golden Bears were moments away from forcing overtime this past weekend on the road to Washington State when Gardner Minshew connected with Easop Winston Jr. on a game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass with just 32 seconds left. California was unable to match the scoring drive, falling 19-13.
Chase Garbers threw for 127 yards and a touchdown, adding a game-high 67 yards on the ground. But he was picked off once and the Golden Bears were just 4-for-14 on third-down conversions. Garbers, a freshman, had not thrown a pick since late September, with this marking his fourth game running for over 40 yards.
The loss snapped a modest two-game win streak for the Golden Bears, who m must now defeat either USC, Stanford or Colorado to become bowl eligible after starting the year 3-0.