{"id":119211,"date":"2023-09-25T15:51:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T15:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/?p=119211"},"modified":"2023-09-25T15:51:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T15:51:39","slug":"pac-12-recap-best-and-worst-of-week-4-as-oregon-uw-dominate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/sports\/pac-12-recap-best-and-worst-of-week-4-as-oregon-uw-dominate\/","title":{"rendered":"Pac-12 recap: Best and worst of Week 4 as Oregon, UW dominate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recapping the best and worst of Week 4 across the Pac-12 \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Theme of the week: Drama<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first full week of conference play brought a series of taut affairs, with three of the six matchups (Utah-UCLA, Arizona-Stanford and WSU-OSU) in doubt in the final minutes and a fourth (USC-Arizona State) unsettled midway through the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

Theme of the season: Northwest dominance<\/strong><\/p>\n

The balance of power tilts heavily to the upper left corner of the conference, with the Washington and Oregon schools all ranked and sporting a combined record of 15-1. Neither of the other regional quartets (the Four Corners and California schools) comes close to matching the overall strength of the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

Game of the week: Washington State 38, Oregon State 35<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u2018Pac-2\u2019 showdown more than met expectations with a slew of big plays, momentum changes and stellar individual performances. The schools left behind in the realignment game were intent on showing a Fox primetime (East Coast) audience that they are worthy of Power Five recognition. Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

Team of the week: Oregon<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ducks obliterated Colorado in the marquee matchup of the weekend, grabbing a 35-point halftime lead before backing off in what became a 42-6 victory. Thanks to complete dominance at the line of scrimmage, Oregon finished with 522 yards, held the Buffaloes to 199 yards and sent a clear signal across the conference that it will be a major player in the title chase.<\/p>\n

Offensive player of the week: Washington State QB Cam Ward<\/strong><\/p>\n

With all eyes on Pullman and an undefeated opponent in town, Ward responded with a near-perfect performance, completing 28-of-34 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. (He ran for a fifth). The former transfer from Incarnate Word doesn\u2019t receive as much attention as USC\u2019s Caleb Williams, Oregon\u2019s Bo Nix or UW\u2019s Michael Penix, but he has played just as well through the first month.<\/p>\n

Defensive player of the week: Utah DE Jonah Elliss<\/strong><\/p>\n

The junior spent most of Saturday afternoon in UCLA\u2019s backfield, recording five tackles-for-loss \u2014 that\u2019s right, five \u2014 and three sacks in the Utes\u2019 14-7 defensive masterpiece. The last name should sound familiar: Elliss is the son of former Utah All-American Luther Elliss, who currently coaches the defensive tackles.<\/p>\n

Coach of the week: Washington State\u2019s Jake Dickert<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second-year coach continued to tap the frustration over WSU\u2019s place in the realignment game with first-rate strategy to produce a stellar product. The Cougars were in control throughout against Oregon State, just as they were in the Week 2 victory over Wisconsin. Dickert\u2019s emotions were on display in the postgame news conference as he called out ESPN talking head Lee Corso for disparaging remarks about the Cougars. It was superb theatre, with the added benefit of moral rectitude.<\/p>\n

Coach of the month: Utah\u2019s Kyle Whittingham<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Utes are 4-0, with three wins over Power Five opponents, and starting quarterback Cam Rising has yet to play a down. No other program in the conference could have faced an equivalent schedule without its on-field leader and emerged unscathed. As with everything else about Utah\u2019s success, this past month was all about the program\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

Speech of the week: Oregon\u2019s Dan Lanning<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lanning granted ABC\u2019s cameras access to a pregame speech in which he took direct aim at what he views as Colorado\u2019s flash and splash approach: \u201cThey\u2019re fighting for clicks, we\u2019re fighting for wins. There\u2019s a difference. There\u2019s a difference. This game ain\u2019t gonna be played in Hollywood; it\u2019s going to be played on grass.\u201d Clearly, the matchup was personal for Lanning, but his speech didn\u2019t stray far from the standard motivational ploys used by head coaches across the country. The difference: We got to see it.<\/p>\n

Quote of the week I: USC\u2019s Lincoln Riley<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asked to explain USC\u2019s sloppy play (10 penalties) in the closer-than-expected win at Arizona State, Riley went the R-rated route: \u201cSh**** coaching.\u201d We applaud the honesty.<\/p>\n

Quote of the week II: Colorado\u2019s Deion Sanders<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the most humiliating loss of his coaching career, Sanders was both honest and patient with the media. \u201cGood old-fashioned butt-kicking,\u201d he said. \u201cNo excuses, no nothing.\u201d When a CU official reportedly attempted to end the news conference, Sanders chose to stay and answer additional questions. He gets high marks for accountability.<\/p>\n

Good loss of the week: USC 42, ASU 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

Installed as a 34-point home underdog following a blowout loss to Fresno State, the Sun Devils mustered a supreme effort and pushed USC deep into the fourth quarter with their third-string quarterback (Drew Pyne) and a makeshift offensive line. When it mattered most, they simply could not stop the Trojans\u2019 high-powered offense, but the effort was first rate.<\/p>\n

Bad win of the week: Arizona 21, Stanford 20<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start with the caveat that bad wins don\u2019t actually exist, especially in conference play. But the Wildcats were not impressive on the road as11-point favorites against a floundering opponent. After a series of lead changes, they needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to avoid a loss that would have haunted them the rest of the season.<\/p>\n

Play of the week I: Utah\u2019s Pick Six<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first play of Utah\u2019s seven-point victory over UCLA proved decisive as linebacker Karene Reid intercepted Dante Moore\u2019s pass and charged 21 yards for a touchdown that became the winning margin.<\/p>\n

Play of the week II: Oregon\u2019s fake punt<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter and reluctant to relinquish an ounce of momentum, the Ducks executed a perfect fake punt from their own 17-yard line as defensive lineman Casey Rodgers rumbled 18 yards for the first down. Nine plays later, Oregon was in the end zone and the lead was 21.<\/p>\n

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