Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - ARIZONA: The Wildcats opened their Pac-10 schedule with a 31-10 victory on the road against UCLA. Willie Tuitama led the way for the Wildcats, as the signal caller threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-29 passing. Mike Thomas paced the team with 115 yards on four receptions, but it was Rob Gronkowski who was on the receiving end of both touchdowns. Arizona's ground game was not very successful in the victory, as Nic Grigsby had a team-best 59 yards on just 3.0 ypc. Grigsby also scored a touchdown for the Wildcats, who finished with 111 rushing yards on 35 carries. Defensively, Arizona limited the Bruins to a pathetic 196 total yards, and that included just 81 yards through the air. The defensive unit held UCLA to just 11 first downs, and a mere 4-of-17 on third down attempts. Arizona will enjoy a much needed week of rest, but the team will return back to the gridiron on October 4th when the Wildcats host the Washington Huskies.
ARIZONA STATE: After starting the season with two straight wins, the Sun Devils have dropped their last two games, including a tough 27-10 setback to top-five foe Georgia this past weekend. ASU did very little against the tenacious defense of Georgia, as the Sun Devils finished with just 212 total yards of offense. Arizona State finished with just four rushing yards on 19 carries, but the passing game was a bit better. Rudy Carpenter only tossed one touchdown in the loss, but the signal caller finished with 208 yards on 23- of-36 passing. However, the Sun Devils were unable to make many big plays offensively, as ASU collected just 14 first downs, and converted only 2-of-11 third down attempts. The Sun Devils will be off this weekend, but the team will return to the field on October 4th when ASU travels to Berkeley to take on the California Golden Bears.
CALIFORNIA: The Golden Bears were idle this past weekend, and that was likely a good thing for Cal, which dropped its last matchup, falling to Maryland, 35-27. At 2-1, the Golden Bears will now host the Colorado State Rams this weekend in Berkeley.
OREGON: With Justin Roper sidelined with an injury, the Ducks turned to Jeremiah Masoli to lead Oregon against the Boise State Broncos. Unfortunately, Masoli left the contest with an apparent concussion, and with inexperience under center, Oregon eventually fell to the Broncos, 37-32. Oregon tried desperately for a comeback, scoring 19 points in the final frame, but the team still ended up on the wrong side of the final score. Masoli only completed 3- of-4 passes for 27 yards before leaving the game, and was replaced by Darron Thomas. Surprisingly, Thomas had a strong performance, throwing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Even more impressive was the performance of Oregon's ground game, which racked up 227 yards on 4.4 ypc. LaGarrette Blount paced the team with 99 yards and one touchdown, while Jeremiah Johnson added 94 yards and one score on 22 totes. Unfortunately the defense was picked apart through the air, as Boise State finished with 386 passing yards. Oregon will now have to regroup and hit the road to take on the Washington State Cougars this upcoming week.
OREGON STATE: The Beavers were idle this past weekend, giving the team time to enjoy their first win of the season. After starting the year with back-to-back losses, Oregon State grabbed its first victory of the 2008 campaign with a 45-7 win over Hawaii. Now the Beavers will have a very tough task this weekend, as OSU will host the top-ranked Trojans of USC.
UCLA: Since their incredible season-opening victory over Tennessee, the Bruins have lost two straight games, including a tough, 31-10 setback to Arizona this past weekend. The Bruins could get nothing going offensively, as the team finished with just 196 total yards, including only 81 yards through the air. Kevin Craft only completed 15-of-31 passes in the loss and finished the game with 81 yards, while also being sacked three times. The ground game was led by Chane Moline, who rushed for 72 yards on 11 totes. Overall the offense was inept, as the team collected only 11 first downs, and converted just 4-of-17 third down attempts. The Bruins will try to return to the win column when they host the Fresno State Bulldogs this upcoming weekend.
USC: The top-ranked Trojans relaxed this past weekend, enjoying a much needed rest after pounding the Ohio State Buckeyes, 35-3. It was the second win of the season for USC, which opened its campaign with a 52-7 win over Virginia. The Trojans will return to the field this Saturday when they open their Pac-10 schedule on the road against Oregon State.
WASHINGTON: The Huskies have stumbled out of the gates this season, losing their first three games. After their embarrassing, 55-14 setback to Oklahoma, the Huskies used a much needed week of rest this past Saturday. Washington will try to collect its first win this weekend when the Stanford Cardinal come to town for a Pac-10 tussle.
WASHINGTON STATE: After starting the year with three straight losses the Cougars finally found the win column this past weekend when they defeated the Portland State Vikings, 48-9. It was clearly the best offensive performance for the Cougars, as the team compiled a whopping 638 total yards, including 277 yards on the ground. Dwight Tardy led the way with 80 yards and one score on 11 carries, while Christopher Ivory rumbled for 78 yards and one touchdown on 7.1 ypc. WSU also finished with 361 yards through the air, but the success of the passing game came with a cost, as Gary Rogers and Kevin Lopina both suffered injuries. Rogers threw for 103 yards and one touchdown before suffering a fractured neck. Lopina finished with 109 yards, but also tossed two interceptions before suffering a shoulder injury. Surprisingly the most impressive signal caller for WSU was third-string QB Marshall Lobbestael. Lobbestael completed 9-of-12 throws in the win, finishing with 149 yards and two TDs. The Cougars will remain home this weekend when they host the Oregon Ducks.
