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This Week in Pac-12 Football

Oct 8, 2019

Complete Release, Statistics (PDF)

QUICK HITS
THE RANKINGS: The Pac-12 has had four or more teams ranked in the AP Top 25 each week this season. This week’s rankings include No. 13 Oregon, No. 15 Utah, No. 18 Arizona State.

WHO’S NEXT?: The Pac-12 has had 18 different quarterbacks tabbed to start a game through the first six weeks of the season. Over the course of last season, 20 different Pac-12 quarterbacks started at least one game.

BEHIND EVERY GREAT QUARTERBACK IS A GREAT RECEIVER: Pac-12 receivers have caught nine or more passes 15 times this season with 10 of those occurrences coming over the last three weeks. OREGON STATE’s Isaiah Hodgins has caught nine or more passes three times this season (9 rec/170 yards/2 TDs vs. Oklahoma State; 10 rec/162 yards/1 TD vs. Stanford; 10 rec/123 yards/3 TDs vs. UCLA), while USC’s Michael Pittman (9 rec/95/2 TDs at BYU; 10 rec/223 yards/1 TD vs. Utah) and COLORADO’s Tony Brown (9 rec/150 yards/3 TDs at Arizona State; 10 rec/141 yards/0 TD vs. Arizona) each accomplished the feat twice.

PAC-12 FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
THE RANKINGS:
Three Pac-12 teams are ranked in the AP and the Coaches polls - OREGON (13/13), UTAH (15/15), and ARIZONA STATE (18/21) ... The Pac-12 has had three or more teams ranked in the AP poll each week this season ... Eight different Pac-12 teams have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point this season.

FINALISTS NAMED FOR GOLDEN ARM AWARD: Four Pac-12 quarterbacks are among the 20 finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award that honors the country’s top college quarterback based on player performance on-and-off the field. Those four are WASHINGTON’s Jacob Eason, OREGON’s Justin Herbert, UTAH’s Tyler Huntley, and COLORADO’s Steven Montez.

QUARTERBACK DEBUTS: Due to injuries, Pac-12 teams have combined to start 18 different quarterbacks this season. The Pac-12 started 20 different quarterbacks during the entire 2018 season. Not only has the Pac-12 started 18 different signal-callers, but seven were making their first-ever FBS start. Here’s a look at how those seven fared in their debut:
 • Grant Gunnell, Fr., ARIZ (W vs. UCLA, 20-17) - 29-of-44, 352 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
 • Jayden Daniels, Fr., ASU (W vs. Kent State, 30-7) - 15-of-24, 284 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
 • Davis Mills, Jr., STAN (L at USC, 49-24) - 22-of-36, 237 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Austin Burton, RSo., UCLA (L vs. OSU, 48-31) - 27-of-41, 236 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
• Kedon Slovis, Fr., USC (W vs. STAN, 49-24) - 28-of-33, 377 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
• Matt Fink, Jr., USC (L at BYU, 30-27 OT) - 19-of-32, 163 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
• Anthony Gordon, RSr., WSU (W vs. New Mexico State, 58-7) - 29-of-35, 420 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT

YOU COMPLETE ME: Through the first six weeks, seven Pac-12 QBs are among the 37 FBS quarterbacks who have completed 65.0% of their pass attempts this season. That’s more than any other conference. The septet has combined to complete 746-of-1,062 (.702) for 9,520 yards, 79 TDs, 21 INT.
• 2. Kedon Slovis, Fr., USC .773 (60-of-77, 732 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INT)
• 6. Tyler Huntley, Sr., UTAH .746 (85-of-114, 1,146 yards, 7 TD, 0 INT)
• 10. Anthony Gordon, Sr., WSU .720 (167-of-232, 2,146 yards, 22 TDs, 6 INT)
• 14. Justin Herbert, Sr., ORE .716 (116-of-162, 1,341 yards, 15 TDs, 1 INT)
• 24. Khalil Tate, Sr., ARIZ .675 (81-of-120, 1,243, 9 TDs, 5 INT)
• 26. Steven Montez, Sr., COLO .670 (118-of-176, 1,463, 10 TDs, 2 INT)
• 33. Jacob Eason, Jr., WASH .657 (119-of-181, 1,449, 11 TDs, 3 INT)

NO INTERCEPTION FOR YOU: Two Pac-12 quarterbacks are among the six FBS quarterbacks who have 100 or more pass attempts without an interception this season. OREGON STATE SR QB Jake Luton (161 pass attempts) and UTAH SR QB Tyler Huntley (114 attempts). OREGON SR QB Justin Herbert had his streak of 174 pass attempts (131 attempts this season) without an interception come to an end when he was picked off by California’s Ashtyn Davis in the first quarter of Oregon’s 17-7 win ... Dating back to last season, Luton has a streak of at 166 attempts without an interception and Huntley is at 116 attempts.

YOU GIVETH, I TAKETH: While two starting QBs have yet to throw a pick, four Pac-12 defenses are among the top 10 nationally in interceptions. ARIZONA is third among FBS teams with nine interceptions (had seven all of 2018), Oregon is fifth (8), while UTAH and WASHINGTON are tied for 10th with seven. The Utes have returned two of their four picks for touchdown. Individually, Colorado’s Mikial Onu is tied for second with four, while Arizona’s Jace Whittaker and Lorenzo Burns, Oregon’s Jevon Holland, and WASHINGTON’s Cameron Williams are tied for fourth with three interceptions each.

SEEKING PERFECTION: Thirteen 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. Three Pac-12 kickers are among those 13 - WASHINGTON’s Peyton Henry (11-for-11), COLORADO’s James Stefanou (9-for-9), and WASHINGTON STATE’s Blake Mazza (7-for-7). USC’s Chase McGrath has not yet met the minimum qualifications, but has successfully hit on all four of his field goal attempts.

RECORD-SETTERS: A look at some record-setting performances so far this season. All school records, unless noted as Pac-12 or NCAA:
• 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)
• Touchdown passes in a game: 9 - Anthony Gordon, WSU vs. UCLA (Sept. 21)+
• Most combined points, game: 130 - UCLA (67), Washington State (63) (Sept. 21)+
• Total Offense: 564 - Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA at Washington State (Sept. 21)

+ Pac-12 record
#NCAA

CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS: The Campbell Trophy announced the semifinalists for their award and the Pac-12 was well represented. The Campbell Trophy is considered the academic Heisman Trophy of college football. The list of semifinalsts include: Cody Creason, Arizona; Kyle Williams, Arizona State; Steven Coutts, California; Lucas Cooper, Colorado; Justin Herbert, Oregon; Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State; Casey Toohill, Stanford; Nick Harris, Washington; Gage Gubrud, Washington State. The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Wed., Oct. 30. The finalists will travel to New York City for the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, where the winner will be announced as recipient of the 30th Campbell Trophy.