This Week in Pac-12 Football
Complete Release, Statistics (PDF)
THE RANKINGS: Six Pac-12 teams are in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2015 (Sept. 20, 2015) ... No other conference has more teams ranked in the Top 25 - Pac-12 (6), SEC (6), Big Ten (5), Big 12 (3), ACC (2), Mountain West (1), American (1), Notre Dame ... It’s the first time the Pac-12 has seen five or more teams in the AP Top 25 for four straight weeks since the first six weeks of the 2015 season.
EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS: The Pac-12 is proud to join @CFBPlayoff & @CFPExtraYard in celebrating teachers as part of Extra Yard for Teachers Week.
ROSE BOWL HALL OF FAME: Former USC QB Matt Leinart (2004, 2006 RBGs), former WASHINGTON RB Jacque Robinson (1982 RBG), former Ohio State QB Cornelius Greene (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 RBGs) and Harvard HB Eddie Casey (1920 RBG) to be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The induction ceremony will take place December 31, 2019, outside the Rose Bowl Stadium.
THE RANKINGS: For the first time since Sept. 20, 2015, six Pac-12 teams are ranked in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 - UTAH (10/11), OREGON (16/17), WASHINGTON STATE (19/19), WASHINGTON (22/21), CALIFORNIA (23/23) and ARIZONA STATE (24/24) ... It’s the first time the Pac-12 has seen five or more teams in the AP Top 25 in four consecutive weeks since the first six weeks of the 2015 season ... It’s also the first time since 2016 that five Pac-12 teams were listed in the AP preseason Top 25 ... Eight different Pac-12 teams have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point this season.
COUGAR QB LINEAGE: WASHINGTON STATE has opened the season 3-0 for the third consecutive season. Here’s a comparison of the last three starting Cougar QBs (the last two are now playing on Sunday) through the first three games over each of the last three seasons:
• 2019: Anthony Gordon -- 96-of-122, 1,324 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INT, 13.8 yards per completion
• 2018: Gardner Minshew II -- 117-of-165, 1,403 yards, 8 TDs, 3 INT, 12.1 yards per completion
• 2017: Luke Falk -- 94-of-122, 880 yards, 9 TDs, INT, 9.4 yards per completion
YOU COMPLETE ME: Through the first three games, four Pac-12 QBs rank among the FBS top 10 in completion percentage. The quartet has combined to complete 273-of-356 (.767) for 3,509 yards, 32 TDs, 6 INT.
• 3. Anthony Gordon, Sr., WSU -- .787 (96-of-122, 1,324 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INT)
• 4. Tyler Huntley, Sr., UTAH -- .778 (42-of-54, 602 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT)
• 5. Kedon Slovis, Fr., USC -- .773 (58-of-75, 715 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INT)
• 10. Justin Herbert, Sr., ORE -- .743 (77-of-105, 868 yards, 11 TDs, 0 INT)
NO INTERCEPTION FOR YOU: OREGON SR QB Justin Herbert is one of three FBS quarterbacks without an interception in 100 or more pass attempts this season. Dating back to last season, Herbert has a streak of 150 pass attempts without an interception. Four Pac-12 starting QBs have kept the ball away from the opposition this season - Herbert (105 attempts), OREGON STATE’s Jake Luton (96 attempts), ARIZONA STATE’s Jayden Daniels (77 attempts) and UTAH’s Tyler Huntley (54 attempts).
I BEG TO DIFFER: While three Pac-12 teams and four starting QBs have yet to throw a pick, four Pac-12 defenses are among the top 10 nationally in interceptions. ARIZONA is the FBS leader with eight interceptions (had seven all of 2018), OREGON is third with five, while COLORADO and UTAH are tied for eighth with four interceptions each. The Utes have returned two of their four picks for touchdown. Individually, Arizona’s Jace Whittaker and Colorado’s Mikial Onu lead all FBS players with three interceptions each.
SEEKING PERFECTION: Thirty-two FBS kickers who meet the minimum qualifications (min. 1 FGA per game/must play in 75% of team’s games) remain perfect on their field goal attempts. Five Pac-12 kickers are among those 32 - ARIZONA STATE’s Cristian Zendejas (8-for-8), WASHINGTON’s Peyton Henry (6-for-6), WASHINGTON STATE’s Blake Mazza (5-for-5), USC’s Chase McGrath (4-for-4), COLORADO’s James Stefanou (4-for-4).
RECORD-SETTERS: A couple of school record-setting performances so far this season:
Single-game punting average (min. 5 att.): 63.0 avg - Michael Turk, ASU vs. Kent State (Aug. 29)*
Longest play from scrimmage: 96-yard pass - Steven Montez to K.D. Nixon, COLO vs. Nebraska (Sept. 7)
*NCAA and Pac-12 record
THE RETURNEES: A total of 174 starters, who started at least half of his team’s games or a majority of games at a specific position, return to Pac-12 football squads in 2019. That’s out of a possible 288 (including placekickers and punters) for an average of 14.5 starters returning per team. OREGON returns the most with 19, followed by UCLA (18), ARIZONA (17) and ARIZONA STATE (17). STANFORD returns the fewest starters with nine. Among those returning starters are 11 first-team and 13 second-team All-Pac-12 performers. Eight of the 12 squads return at least seven starters on offense, and seven squads return at least seven starters on defense.