Five ranked teams lead Pac-12 Football
QUICK HITS:
• For the fifth time this season, a pair of ranked Pac-12 teams will face each other when No. 14 WASHINGTON STATE visits No. 24 STANFORD. Two of the Pac-12’s top passing teams will look to air it out behind WSU’s Gardner Minshew II (392.1 passing yards per game) and the Stanford’s K.J. Costello (263.1 passing yards per game). It’s no wonder that five of the league’s top 12 receivers (in receptions per game) will be featured in the game: WSU’s Tay Martin (6.6 rec/g), James Williams (5.6 rec/g) and Easop Winston (4.6 rec/g); Stanford’s JJ Arcega-Whiteside (5.3 rec/g) and Trent Irwin (4.9 rec/g).
• UTES SWEEP PAC-12 WEEKLY HONORS: For just the fourth time since the Conference began honoring Players of the Week for Offense, Defense and Special Teams, has a team won all three in the same week:
Oct. 22, 2018 - Utah QB Tyler Huntley, LB Chase Hansen, PK Matt Gay
Oct. 14, 2006 - Oregon State WR Sammie Stroughter, LB Derrick Doggett, PK Alexis Serna
Nov. 20, 2004 - Oregon State QB Derek Anderson, DE Bill Swancutt, PK Alexis Serna
Sept. 24, 1988 - USC SE Erik Affholter, LB Scott Ross, PK Quin Rodriguez
THE RANKINGS: For the second time this season, five Pac-12 teams are ranked in both the AP poll and the Coaches poll. WASHINGTON STATE (14/15) makes the biggest jump in the AP poll this week, moving up 11 places, followed by WASHINGTON (15/13), OREGON (19/21), UTAH (23/24), and STANFORD (24/23) ... Washington has now appeared in the AP Top 25 for 41 consecutive ranking periods, and have been in the Top 10 in 29 of the last 40 ranking periods ... Utah makes its first appearance in the AP poll this season, becoming the ninth different Pac-12 team to grace the rankings this year.
THE ROAD MORE TRAVELED: Pac-12 teams are 18-3 (.857) at home in non-conference play, but just 15-11 (.576) on the home turf in league play ... Four of the five ranked Pac-12 teams are on the road this week
LAST THREE... Both UTAH and WASHINGTON STATE are riding three-game winning streaks and have put up impressive numbers during that successful stretch of games ... Over the last three games for Utah: Ute rush defense has allowed 62.3 rushing yards per game ... Ute offense has averaged 41.0 ppg ... QB Tyler Huntley has completed 53-of-69 passes (.768) for 741 yards (247.0 avg) and 7 TDs and just one interception ... RB Zack Moss has rushed for 364 yards (121.3 avg) and 3 TDs ... Over the last three games for Washington State: Cougar pass defense is allowing just 203 passing yards per game on 55-of-91 passes (.604) and just one receiving TD, while collecting nine sacks and 21 tackles for loss ... QB Gardner Minshew II is 100-for-147 (.680) for 1,198 yards (399.3 ypg) and 12 TDs.
TAKING A STAND: Washington LB Ben Burr-Kirven leads all Pac-12 players with 10 or more tackles in a game six times this season. He has compiled a league-best 108 tackles to date for a 13.5 tackles per game (2nd in the FBS). Here’s list of those defensive stalwarts with the most games having double-digit tackles:
6 Ben Burr-Kirven, WASH
5 Evan Weaver, CAL; Jordan Kunaszyk, CAL
4 Jalen Harvey, ASU; Nate Landman, COLO; Adarius Pickett, UCLA
3 Troy Dye, ORE; Colin Schooler, ARIZ; Tony Fields II, ARIZ; Peyton Pelluer, WSU, Chase Hansen, UTAH
2 Jalen Moore, OSU; Cody Barton, UTAH; Bobby Okereke, STAN
1 16 players
THORPE AWARD SEMIFINALISTS: The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award tabs a pair of Pac-12 safeties as semifinalist for the prestigious honor that recognizes the best defensive back in the nations - senior Ugochukwu Amadi, ORE and senior Taylor Rapp, WASH. Conference players who have earned the award include Mark Carrier, USC (1994); Darryl Lewis, ARIZ (1990); Antoine Cason, ARIZ (2007); Adoreé Jackson, USC (2016). Colorado’s Deon Figures (1992) and Chris Hudson (1994) claimed the award, but that was prior to the Buffs joining the Pac-12.
BOW UP: Washington QB Jake Browning and RB Myles Gaskin are climbing the Pac-12 career charts and are among the all-time top ten in several categories.
Career Passing Yards
5. 11,818 Carson Palmer, USC, 1998-2002
6. 11,304 Connor Halliday, WSU, 2011-14
7. 11,249 Derek Anderson, OSU, 2001-04
8. 11,005 Jake Browning, WASH, 2015-18
Career Total Offense
6. 11,713 Brett Hundley, UCLA, 2012-14
7. 11,621 Carson Palmer, USC, 1998-2002
8. 11,285 Cade McNown, UCLA, 1995-98
9. 11,200 Jake Browning, WASH, 2015-18
Career Touchdown Passes
5. 96 Jared Goff, CAL, 2013-15
6. 90 Connor Halliday, WSU, 2011-14
7. 89 Jake Browning, WASH, 2015-18
Career Rushing Yards
1. 6,245 Charles White, USC, 1976-79
2. 5,621 Royce Freeman, ORE, 2014-17
3. 5,082 LaMichael James, ORE, 2009-11
4. 5,044 Ken Simonton, OSU, 1998-2001
5. 4,814 Marcus Allen, USC, 1978-81
6. 4,678 Myles Gaskin, WASH, 2015-18
Career Rushing Touchdowns
1. 60 Royce Freeman, ORE, 2014-17
2. 59 Ken Simonton, OSU, 1998-2001
3. 53 LaMichael James, ORE, 2009-11
4. 52 LenDale White, USC, 2003-05
5. 50 Myles Gaskin, WASH, 2015-18
PAC-12 HEADLINERS: Among 177 returning starters are a number of headliners, including a total of 10 first-team and 12 second-team All-Pac-12 performers. Nine of the 12 squads return at least six starters on offense, and seven squads return at least six starters on defense ... Returning are the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in Stanford senior running back Bryce Love, as well as the Freshman Co-Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in Arizona running back J.J. Taylor and Stanford offensive lineman Walker Little, and Arizona linebacker Colin Schooler. Four teams have multiple returning First Team all-conference performers - USC linebacker Cameron Smith, defensive back Marvell Tell and all-purpose/special teams Michael Pittman Jr.; Stanford’s Love and offensive lineman Nate Herbig; Washington offensive lineman Kaleb McGary and defensive back Taylor Rapp; Utah placekicker Matt Gay and punter Mitch Wishnowsky. Additional returning first team performers include Arizona State junior wide receiver N’Keal Henry and Oregon junior all-purpose/special teams Brenden Schooler.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE: Tyler Huntley, QB, UTAH
Completed 22 of 29 pass attempts (.759) for a career-high-tying 341 yards and four touchdowns in Utah’s 41-28 win over USC. Also rushed for 33 rushing yards and a touchdown in amassing 374 yards of total offense. Huntley’s 46-yard touchdown pass to Britain Covey on third down and five in the first quarter sparked a run of 34 unanswered points by Utah. Huntley’s scoring drives averaged 82 yards per drive.
DEFENSE: Chase Hansen, LB, UTAH
Hansen led Utah with 11 tackles (3.0 TFL) and his second interception of the season in Utah’s 41-28 win over USC. Hansen was integral in holding USC to just 3-of-14 on third down conversions, including 0-10 through the first three quarters. His interception came in the first quarter on the USC 20, eventually setting up the field goal that closed USC’s lead to four (14-10). 10 of his 11 tackles stopped USC from a first down. With his 3.0 tackles for loss against USC, he has 14.0 on the season, ranking second in the Pac-12 and fourth in the nation.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Matt Gay, PK, UTAH
Gay was 2-for-2 on field goals and 5-for-5 on PATs against USC. He had seven kickoffs for 459 yards (65.6 average) with five touchbacks. His 33-yard field goal to open the second quarter cut USC’s lead to 14-10, then added a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter, giving Utah a 20-14 lead. He leads the Pac-12 in scoring by a kicker per game (8.0) and field goals per game (1.43). He is a perfect 6-for-6 in the 30-39-yard range this season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOTES: The Utah trio of Huntley, Hansen and Gay are the fourth set of teammates to sweep all three weekly awards. It was accomplished by Oregon State twice (Nov. 20, 2004 and Oct. 14, 2006) and once by USC (Sept. 24, 1988) ... Colorado’s Lavisk Shenault is just the fifth receiver to earn Offensive Player of the Week twice in the same season. He joins USC’s Dwayne Jarrett (2006), Stanford’s Troy Walters (1999), California’s Bobby Shaw (1997) and USC’s Johnnie Morton (1993) ... Washington’s Ben Burr-Kirven is the first player to repeat as Defensive Player of the Week since Arizona State LB Antonio Longino in 2015 (Nov. 16, 23), and the first Husky defender to repeat since CB Derrick Johnson accomplished the feat in 2002 (Nov. 9, 17).
POLL NOTES: WASHINGTON’s preseason AP No. 6 ranking was its highest preseason ranking in the AP poll since 1997 when the Huskies opened the year at No. 4. The Huskies have now appeared in the AP Top 25 for 41 consecutive ranking periods ... STANFORD has appeared in the AP preseason Top 25 for the eighth consecutive year. The Cardinal are one of eight teams to have appeared in the preseason AP poll in each of the last eight seasons, joining Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, USC, Oklahoma, LSU and Georgia ... USC has appeared in each of the last 17 presesaon AP polls and 58 preseason polls overall. Only Ohio State (65) and Oklahoma (60) have appeared in more preseason AP Top 25 polls.