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Late Night with Pac-10: Week 4 Review

September 27, 2010  |  By Jeff Popelka

It may have looked a bit dicey early, but by the time Oregon got on track and put Arizona State away, the Pac-10 results clearly showed that this is going to be the best conference season in years.

We’re just a couple of years removed from an era in which USC dominated the conference, essentially leaving the others to play in a nine team league of their own.

Now, with four unbeaten teams among the top 18 in the AP poll, the crystal ball looks far more cloudy when looking for a champion.

Stanford’s emphatic win over Notre Dame was a showcase for Andrew Luck and the offense, despite his two interceptions. The Cardinal converted on 11 of 16 third down opportunities against an admittedly soft Irish defense, but they looked both poised and explosive on their way to 404 total yards.

Oregon took advantage of seven Arizona State turnovers and several other mistakes to win 42-31, even after being held to just 145 yards on the ground. Given that the Ducks had piled up nearly 380 rushing yards per game coming in, a lot of credit must be given to the Sun Devil run defense. They were simply undone by those seven turnovers in what might otherwise have been a closer affair.

Oregon State always looked second best on the Smurf-turf up in Boise, as they surrendered 288 yards and three touchdowns to a very impressive Kellen Moore. Beavers quarterback Ryan Katz looked extremely shaky, completing only 12 of 26 passes, and providing no alternative to a running game that finished with a 2.4 yards per carry average. They ultimately fell 37-24 and dropped out of the AP Top 25.

UCLA was responsible for the shock of the weekend, beating No. 7 Texas in a 34-12 rout. The Bruins benefited from four first-half turnovers by the Longhorns, building an early lead that they never relinquished. All of this was accomplished with only 27 passing yards from Kevin Prince, as UCLA did all their damage on the ground, running for 264 yards as a team.

Arizona saved their unbeaten season with a late touchdown drive following a missed Cal field goal attempt. Stymied for most of the game, the Arizona offense put together a nice drive in the last few minutes, capped by a Nick Fowles 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Juron Criner. Perhaps surprising given the offensive punch both teams had showed this season, the game in Tucson on Saturday was a defensive affair, with the last gasp effort by the Wildcats being the only touchdown of the 10-9 contest.

In more predictable news, USC demolished Washington State, 50-16. No further comment needed.

LNwtP-10 went 3-3 last week, bringing the season tally to 14-11 against the spread.

Posted September 27, 2010 4:00 PM