PAC – 12 Wrap – Up Week 3 | NFL and College Football | NFL and College Football Previews, Predictions, and Recaps

PAC – 12 teams fared as expected during this high scoring weekend. No front runner has yet emerged, but answers will begin to come this week as true conference play is scheduled to start. Overshadowing the entire prospect of conference play is talk of conference expansion. However, the real question is which PAC – 12 defense will be able to slow down the opposition and rise to the top?

Colorado 28 Colorado St. 14

After a monster game against Cal, Paul Richardson was held to 27 yards, leaving Tyler Hansen and Rodney Stewart to carry the offense. The two seniors overcame a slow start to hand Colorado St. their first loss and the fourth straight in this rivalry. Colorado benefited from several Colorado State miscues but will not be able to rely on mistakes to get past PAC – 12 opponents.

Texas 49 UCLA 20

A fast Texas start buried the Bruins who fall to 1-2 on the year. Case McCoy looked like a veteran QB connecting with D.J. Grant three times and Fozzy Whitaker abused the Bruins D. Poor quarterback play again doomed the Bruins. Richard Brehaut came in relief of Kevin Prince after 3 early interceptions. UCLA needs to find some stability at quarterback and find its ground game with Jonathan Franklin or it will be a long season.

SDSU 42 WSU 24

A fast WSU start was stamped out by Ronnie Hillman’s 4 touchdowns as the nation’s leading offense could not keep pace with the Aztecs. The WSU offense looked in fine form with replacement QB Marshall Lobbestael connecting on long passes to Marquess Wilson to put up WSU until late in the game. The WSU had no answer for Hillman and the SDSU ground attack and faltered in the twilight of the game. Still, this is progress for a traditionally pitiful WSU squad.

California 63 Presbyterian 12

Zack Maynard and the Cal offense put the game against Presbyterian away early, putting up 49 points before half. Isi Sofele also added a hundred yard game and two scores. Cal will need to continue this success to contend with a Washington squad that put up 38 points against a strong Nebraska defense. Good news for the Cal defense is Sean Catthouse who lead the secondary with two interceptions.

Oregon 56 Missouri St. 7

LaMichael James returned to Heisman form as the Ducks sped past win less Missouri State. James will need to continue to be the core of the Ducks offense that has relied heavily on Darron Thomas’ arm this season. The Ducks will look to continue this output against an Arizona defense that has struggled the past two weeks.

USC 38 Syracuse 17

Matt Barkley threw for 5 TDs as the Trojans’ passing attack was too much for Doug Marrone’s squad from the Big East. The Trojans rattled off 24 consecutive points to put the game against the Orange early. The USC defense looked strong not allowing any large plays during their long scoring stretch. USC faces Arizona St. next week in an interesting PAC – 12 South matchup.

Utah 54 BYU 10

Utah capitalized on six BYU fumbles to pile up on the Cougars during this installment of the Holy War. The Utah defense eliminated the BYU ground game early and Utah continued to establish its ground success with John White IV. If Utah can continue this balance and get consistent play from Jordan Wynn they can be competitive in conference play.

Illinois 17 Arizona St. 14

After a thrilling OT victory at Missouri, the Arizona St. offense looked anemic on the road at Illinois. Ron Zook’s team brought the heat early, leaving 6’8 QB Brock Osweiler with a 50% completion rate. Arizona St. did not seem ready for a Big Ten defense and key turnovers did not help its cause. Arizona St. can rebound with a big game against USC.

Stanford 37 Arizona 10

Arizona’s troubles continued as they were unable to stop a balanced Stanford attack on Saturday night. Nick Foles had a solid game but Juron Criner’s return was not enough to lift a Arizona offense devoid of any ground game. Arizona does not get any break as they host Oregon this weekend. Arizona’s defense will have to play better if they have any chance of rebounding. Stanford’s biggest news from this game is probably the injuries it will have to live with for the rest of the season.

Nebraska 51 Washington 38

Nebraska got revenge for last season’s Holiday Bowl loss with this fast paced game in Seattle. Washington did not have the answer for the Cornhuskers’ ground game as Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead stacked up yards throughout the game. Washington continued to have solid play from Kevin Price and Chris Polk but accumulated too many mistakes to stop Nebraska’s dynamic offense. Expect a shootout when Washington faces Cal this week.