Roundup: The Axe and Territorial Cup are on the line
We have a couple of rivalry games for you this weekend, with Big Game being an evening highlighter (7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN). There have been some wild finishes between Cal and Stanford, and Cardinal grad/ESPN.com writer David Lombardi relives the 1990 Big Game from the perspective of two Stanford fans. The game featured a recovered onside kick for Stanford to help the Cardinal come back to defeat Cal.
Connor Letourneau notes that Cal looks to “axe” its five-year Big Game drought (clever use of the word “axe,” Connor). The Golden Bears’ last win in the series came in 2009, a game that cost Stanford a shot at the Pac-12 title. The date of that game was also Nov. 21 – bad omen for Stanford?
It’s rivalry time in the desert, and The Arizona Republic’s Sarah Kezele previews the Territorial Cup with Zack Rosenblat and Doug Haller (12:30 p.m. PT/1:30 p.m. MT, FOX Sports 1/FOX). I’m sure Sarah will be going to the game with a half-Sun Devil, half-Wildcat hat to show love for both teams.
Meanwhile, Pac-12 Networks analyst Curtis Conway says that “all records go out the door” when Arizona State plays Arizona.
NOOOO – the father of Utah running back confirmed Devontae Booker is out for the rest of the regular season after having knee surgery Thursday. Huge loss for the Utes, who will be without their NFL-ready back against UCLA (12:30 p.m. PT/1:30 p.m. MT, FOX).
Jack Wang talks with Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune to give UCLA fans a scouting report on Utah.
Huge game in Eugene with Oregon hosting USC (12:30 p.m. PT, ESPN), and Chantel Jennings says it’s a must-win game for both Oregon and USC. The Ducks still need a Stanford loss to control the North, while USC can win out and claim the South.
Chantel Jennings also goes on to tell us about the difference in Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner’s on-field and off-field personalities.
As the Cougs get set to host Colorado (7:45 p.m. PT/8:45 p.m. MT, ESPN2), you should know that Mike Leach is a Coach of the Year semifinalist by the Maxwell Football Club.
Colorado women’s basketball coach Linda Lappe got her 100th win at Colorado Thursday night as the Buffs put down Northern Colorado 63-41. It’s her 150th career W.
Did you know that Oregon State men’s basketball will travel over 6,000 miles this weekend in search of improving on the road? The early returns were good Thursday night, as Oregon State won at Rice 77-69. Up next is a game at UCSB Saturday afternoon.
How ‘bout Marquese Chriss going for 29 points and 10 rebounds in Washington basketball’s 100-67 win over Mount Saint Mary’s Thursday night, eh? And how about this stat – the Dawgs have 122 rebounds in two games thus far. That’s unreal.