AROUND THE PAC-12
CALIFORNIA (0-2, 1-4) at #9 OREGON (4-1, 1-1)
Fri., Oct. 15 • 7:30 pm PT • ESPN
CALIFORNIA: Looking to beat a Top 10 team on the road for the first time since 1969 when they beat #10 Indiana 17-14. Won last year’s meeting in Berkeley 21-17, shutting out the Ducks in the 2nd half. 3 of their 4 losses this season are by 7 points or less. Have held 3 of their 5 opponents this season under 400 total yards. All 4 of QB Chase Garbers’ career game with 300+ pass yards have come on the road, with 2 of them this season. Garbers did not have a passing TD last week but has not gone 2 straight games without a pass TD in his career.
OREGON: Have won 12 of the last 13 meetings at Autzen with their last home loss to Cal coming in 2007. Overall have won 15 straight home games, the 3rd longest streak active streak in FBS. Oregon leads the Pac-12 and is 3rd in the country with a +11 turnover margin. Safety Verone McKinley III has 4 INT this season, tied for the most in FBS this season. RB CJ Verdell was injured in their last game at Stanford and will miss the rest of the season. RB Travis Dye had 115 rushing yards at Cal in 2018.
ARIZONA (0-5, 0-2) at COLORADO (1-4, 0-2)
Sat., Oct. 16 • 12:30 pm PT • PAC-12 NETWORK
ARIZONA: Have won 5 of their last 6 meetings in Boulder since 1986 with the last 3 wins all by 7 points or less. Allowing 154.0 pass YPG this season, 2nd best in the Pac-12. Have held opponents under 200 pass YPG for a season only once in the last 25 years (181.9 YPG in 2008). Have outgained their opponents in 3 of their 5 games this season. QB Jordan McCloud suffered both knee and ankle injuries against UCLA and will miss the rest of the season. WR Stanley Berryhill III has 40 receptions this season and is on pace for 96 which would break the school record of 93 by Bobby Wade in 2002.
COLORADO: Won last year’s meeting in Tucson 24-13, racking up 407 rushing yards including 301 by Jarek Broussard. TE Brady Russell leads the team with 9 receptions and is the only Pac-12 tight end to be his team’s sole leader in receptions.
STANFORD (3-3, 2-2) at WASHINGTON STATE (3-3, 2-2)
Sat., Oct. 16 • 4:30 pm PT • ESPNU
STANFORD: 5th game away from home this season (4 road, 1 neutral), the only Power 5 team to play 5 of their first 7 games away from home. QB Tanner McKee had 356 passing yards, the first 300-yard game of his career, but had his streak snapped of 168 straight attempts without an interception to begin his career. TE Benjamin Yurosek had 6 catches for 118 yards, the first 100-yard game by a Stanford TE since Colby Parkinson in 2018. Through 6 games, Stanford has started 9 different players in their secondary. In the last 3 games, WR Elijah Higgins has 18 receptions for 275 yards with a TD in each game and the first two 100-yard games of his career.
WASHINGTON STATE: Have won their last 4 meetings with Stanford, their longest win streak over the Cardinal in over 50 years. Looking for their first 3 game win streak since starting 3-0 in 2019. QB Jayden de Laura had 3 passing touchdowns in the win over Oregon State, the 3rd time in the last 4 games he’s thrown for 3 scores. de Laura’s 399 passing yards are the most by a WSU QB in the Nick Rolovich era. WR Travell Harris had 8 receptions for a career-high 147 yards. RB Max Borghi has 23 career rushing TD, tied for 3rd most in school history with Rueben Mayes and needs 2 more to tie Jerome Harrison for 2nd.
UCLA (4-2, 2-1) at WASHINGTON (2-3, 1-1)
Sat., Oct. 16 • 5:30 pm PT • FOX
UCLA: Best start through 6 games since 2015. Has won 3 straight conference road games for the first time since a 7-game streak from 2013 to 2015. Rushed for 329 yards at Arizona last week, their most in the Chip Kelly era and most in a road conference game since 2007 at Stanford (338). RB Brittain Brown (146 yards) and Zach Charbonnet (117 yards) became the first UCLA teammates since 2014 to have 100+ rush yards in the same game. Have outrushed their opponents in 12 straight games, their longest stretch since doing it in 15 straight over the 1984-85 seasons.
WASHINGTON: Have won the last 2 meetings with the Bruins and have not lost to UCLA since 2014 in Seattle. Held 3 of their 5 opponents so far this season under 300 total yards after doing it 4 times over 17 games in 2019 and 2020 combined. RB Sean McGrew has multiple rushing TD in 3 straight games and the last 4 straight games he’s appeared dating back to last season. Defense has allowed 17 plays of 20+ yards so far this season, fewest in the Pac-12.
#18 ARIZONA STATE (5-1, 3-0) at UTAH (3-2, 2-0)
Sat., Oct. 16 • 7:00 pm PT • ESPN
ARIZONA STATE: 3-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2012 and 5-1 overall for the 2nd time under Herm Edwards (2019). Have won 5 straight conference games, all by double digits. Defense allowed just 13 rushing yards to Stanford, the fewest they’ve allowed in a conference game since 2016. DL Tyler Johnson had 3.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks against Stanford, most TFL in a game by a Sun Devil since he had 4.5 against UCLA last season. 255 rush yards vs Stanford and have 150+ rush yards in 10 straight games, their longest streak since a 12-game stretch from 1975-76. RB Rachaad White with at least 1 rush TD in every game this season.
UTAH: Have split the last 4 meetings with ASU with the winning team taking each game by at least 18 points. Looking to start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2015. QB Cameron Rising had 306 passing yards and 3 scores in the win at USC, the first Utah QB with 300+ pass yards and 3+ pass TD in a game since Tyler Huntley did it against USC in 2018. RB Tavion Thomas ran for 113 yards and a score against the Trojans, his 2nd 100-yard game of the season. 1 of 5 Power 5 teams this season with 3 different players with 100+ yard rushing games.
BYE WEEKS
OREGON STATE (4-2, 2-1): Will host Utah next week after the bye and are 3-0 at home. Best start through 6 games since also starting 4-2 in 2014. 309 rushing yards at Washington State, the 2nd time they’ve rushed for 300+ yards this season and the only Pac-12 team to rush for 300 in a game this season. Had not lost a game when rushing for 300+ yards since 1996. RB B.J. Baylor with 3 straight games with 100+ rush yards, Jermar Jefferson did it in 4 straight last season.
USC (3-3, 2-3): Travel to Notre Dame next week after the bye and have won 8 straight road games since losing at Notre Dame in 2019. WR Drake London leads the country with 64 receptions and is 2nd with 832 receiving yards. London has 4 straight games with 100+ receiving yards, the first Trojan to do that since Nelson Agholor in 2014. QB Kedon Slovis had 401 passing yards against Utah for his 5th career game with 400+ pass yards, the most in USC history.
