Week two was certainly not the prettiest week in PAC 12 history, but only Stanford, who lost in a bruising encounter to USC, and Washington State, who look to be in trouble, whose high-octane offense was shut down by Nevada, didn’t come home with a win. Still, there were too many close games to teams from lesser conferences, and even the FCS, for the conference’s reputation to survive a hit. Apart from the sole league matchup, only Oregon can come out unscathed, with a fine 46-27 win over a tough Michigan State team.
Game of the Week
Southern California Trojans @ Stanford Cardinal
When all is said and done, this game can best be described as “butt ugly”, but it fit the recent script for USC-Stanford games – a close game decided by a late field goal and a turnover. Stanford opened with a nice drive, but as was going to be the case for much of the game, a penalty (tripping) bogged them down, and kicker Jordan Williamson missed from 49 yards out. The Trojans struck back straight away, mixing short passes from Cody Kessler, fresh off a toe procedure, and the running of Javorious Allen, before Justin Davis plowed into the end zone from a yard out. The Cardinal sustained a drive behind the passing of Kevin Hogan in the second quarter, and Patrick Skow scored from the two to tie things up.
Hogan led another lightning drive late in the quarter, and Williamson converted this time, from 33 yards, for a 10-7 lead. That was it for Stanford, but USC got a third quarter field goal from Andre Heidari (25 yards), thanks to a 50 yard run from Allen. With time ticking in the fourth, USC tried to pound away on Stanford, but it was a 29-yard pass from Kessler that got them into field goal range.
After contemplating going for it on fourth-and-5, Steve Sarkisian sent Heidari on instead, and he nailed a 53-yard kick to retake the lead. With 2½ minutes left, the Cardinal had plenty of time, and Hogan led another quick drive. But a sack by Leonard Williams forced Stanford to pass on third down, and JR Tavai blindsided Hogan, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Scott Felix, and ending Stanford’s last chance.
Offensive Player of the Week
DJ Foster, Arizona State Sun Devils
Though they were one of the few teams who could hold their head aloft in week two, there were some hairy moments as New Mexico fought back from a 22-0 first quarter deficit to pull to within 29-21. Arizona State let the DJ save their life, as the fed the Foster the ball repeatedly, and he responded in kind, consistently gashing the Lobos to the tune of 214 yards on 19 carries, including a fourth quarter 1 yard TD run to give ASU a commanding 51-21 lead. Foster had 4 runs of 20 yards or more, including 49 and 42-yard runs. To put a cap on a fine night, Foster also played a role in the passing game, catching 3 passes for 54 yards, including one from 39 yards. Fumble? What fumble?
Defensive Player of the Week
Danny Shelton, Washington Huskies
Facing an opponent with an outstanding attack? Need to find an answer before the game gets out of hand? Set Danny Shelton on them. The 339 pound tackle almost matched his previous career total for sacks as he came up with 4 against Eastern Washington. The Eagles had no answer to Shelton, who also had 12 tackles for the second week in a row, and combined on a tackle for loss. The senior already has 6 sacks on the season, leading the nation.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Andre Heidari, USC Trojans
In a game where kickers were prominent, Heidari wins the award, not for racking up outstanding stats, but for making a pressure kick from 53 yards out to win the game. For the second year in a row, Heidari sent Stanford packing with a loss, having hit a 47-yard attempt last season. Also getting a mention is Utah’s punter Tom Hackett, who made life difficult for the Fresno State offense, averaging 55.4 yards on 5 attempts, including a 65-yard punt that was downed on the Bulldogs 4. Any other week it would be his name in lights.
Team of the Week
Oregon Ducks
This is a no-brainer, as only USC could be a contender. However, the Ducks won in style, wearing down the gnarly Michigan State defense to the tune of 46 points. The last team to put 40 or more on the Spartans was Alabama in 2011 Capital One Bowl. Oregon started fast, opening up an 18-7 lead, but the Spartans started to gain the upper hand, shutting down the Ducks, and scoring 20 consecutive points to take 27-18 lead. That was it for Michigan State though, as the heat in Eugene slowed them down in the second half, and the Ducks struck back behind a couple of TD passes from Marcus Mariota, and two TD runs from Royce Freeman. This was a big win for the Ducks, who have recently struggled against tough defenses akin to the Spartans unit.
*Section Photo credit to Steve Dykes, Getty Images ; Featured Photo (above) credit to Matt Kartozian, USA Today Sports
