Pac-12 Football Notebook: Oregon  Turnovers, Washington QB, Etc.

Five questions this week deal with Ducks' counterintuitive stat, Huskies' QB surprise, Utah's uncertain season, Colorado's surprise and USC's luck
Pac-12 Football Notebook: Oregon  Turnovers, Washington QB, Etc.
Pac-12 Football Notebook: Oregon  Turnovers, Washington QB, Etc. /

Whether teams play or not we force ahead with this week's Pac-12 notebook.

Top five questions after Week 2

---Can Oregon keep winning with the worst turnover margin in the country? The Ducks are 2-0, ranked 11th this week and seem to be the Pac-12’s best hope for a berth in the College Football Playoff. But the Ducks have lost three fumbles and thrown two interceptions without forcing a single turnover by their opponents. Their minus-2.5 turnover margin per game is tied with Akron (0-2) for the worst among the 125 FBS schools. Turnover margin is generally considered the best indicator of a team’s success.

---Will redshirt freshman Dylan Morris be Washington’s quarterback all season? Huskies coach Jimmy Lake caught most everyone by surprise when Morris was his starter for the opener against Oregon State. Observers figured he might be the third choice, possibly the fourth, with Sacramento State grad transfer Kevin Thomson being the expected starter. But Thomson remained on the sidelines Saturday wearing a jersey over street clothes. Lake provided no information Monday about why Thomson did not play or whether he will play this Saturday against Arizona.

---Will Utah play a game this season? The Utes’ first two games have been canceled for reasons related to COVID-19, which leads to question about whether Utah should just cancel its 2020 season. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan is still hoping to play this Saturday’s game against USC, but if that game gets canceled it would leave the Utes with just three games before the Pac-12 championship game berths are determined.

---Is USC lucky or clutch? USC was expected to be the Pac-12 South champ, and the Trojans are 2-0. But they were saved against Arizona State and Arizona by tipped passes that became key USC completions in comeback wins. Luck certainly played a role in both wins, but is that an indication of the Trojans’ ability to come up with big plays when it matters most? Let’s not talk about team of destiny yet.

---What do we make of Colorado? The Buffaloes are 2-0 and have already bettered the Vegas over-under line of 1.5 wins projected for them this season. They were picked to finish last in the Pac-12 South, Athlon pegged them 94th in the country (behind five MAC teams) in their preseason rankings, their quarterback (Sam Noyer) played safety last year, and their returning starting tailback (Alex Fontenot) did not play in the first two games. Colorado’s win over UCLA looks better now after the way the Bruins hammered Cal, and the Buffs beat Stanford with Davis Mills back in the lineup. You could say it’s too early to sing the praises of new coach Karl Dorrell, but Colorado has only four more games before the Pac-12 title-game berths are set.

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This Week’s Conundrum

Is Pac-12 officiating on the hot seat again? Controversy continues regarding a fourth-down play in the Oregon State-Washington game. With the Beavers trailing 24-21 early in the fourth quarter, they faced a fourth-and-inches at the Washington 5-yard line. Jermar Jefferson seemed to gain enough ground for a first down, and TV announcers at the game stated it was a first down. But the officials gave Oregon State an unfavorable mark and the ball was placed well short of the first down. The Pac-12 statement in response said there was not enough video evidence to overturn the call on the field. 

What do you think?

Get another look as well as comments from Jefferson and Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith by clicking here.

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Top Five Pac-12 Teams (at the Moment):

1. Oregon (2-0) – Ducks hold the top spot until they lose.

2. USC (2-0) – Maybe the Trojans have been lucky but beating Arizona State counts as the best win in the Pac-12 so far.

3. Colorado (2-0) – Yeah, I know the Buffaloes were not one of the five Pac-12 teams that received votes in this week’s AP poll, but 2-0 is 2-0. (I dare you, try to debate me that 2-0 is not 2-0.)

4. Washington (1-0) – Winning a game in your opener when the opponent (Oregon State) had played the week before is not easy.

5. Arizona State (0-1) – I know the Sun Devils are winless and won’t play more than four games before the Pac-12 title game, but they just look like a solid team. (TV talking heads would call it “the eye test,” whatever the heck that means.)

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Player of the Year Standings:

1. Tyler Shough, Oregon quarterback – The quarterback on the best team gets first dibs for this slot. Besides, Slough leads the Pac-12 in passer rating by a significant margin. (Justin Herbert was only third in the Pac-12 in passer rating last season.)

2. Jarek Broussard, Colorado running back – Broussard was not expected to be a starter this year, but he leads the Pac-12 in rushing (154.0 yards per game) for a team that is 2-0. 

3. Kedon Slovis, USC quarterback – Some of his fluttering passes have people wondering, but he has come up big in end-of-game situations, which is the measuring stick for quarterbacks.

4. CJ Verdell, Oregon running back – The Ducks lost all five starting offensive linemen from last year, but Verdell has rushed for 223 yards while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

5. Sam Noyer, Colorado quarterback – The guy seems to have the "IT" factor.

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Player of the Week

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson – Some players may have had better numbers than Thompson-Robinson, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for 52 yards and another score, but the way he operated the Bruins’ fast-paced offense flummoxed Cal.

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Numbers that Matter

141 – The weight (in pounds) of Oregon State’s 5-foot-5 Champ Flemings, who caught two passes, had one run of 8 yards, and averaged 31.5 yards on four kickoff returns against Washington. He now leads the Pac-12 in kickoff return average (25.8)

1 – Number of starts before this season of Oregon’s entire 2020 starting offensive linemen. That’s the fewest in FBS.

223 – Number of starts Oregon’s offensive linemen had at the end of 2019, the most in FBS

161 – Rushing yards by UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson after two games this season.

198 – Rushing yards by UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson Robinson in 11 games last season

1 – Number of times Thompson-Robinson has been sacked this season

53 – Number of times Thompson-Robinson was sacked in his first two seasons. Cal sacked him six times last year, giving him minus-34 rushing yards for the day. Cal did not sack him at all Saturday, when he finished with 52 rushing yards.

3 – Number of times USC has been stopped short of a first down on fourth-and-1 situations this season.

5 – Number of Pac-12 games canceled this season after just two weeks. This includes the cancellation of the Colorado-Arizona State game scheduled for Nov. 21. Colorado is looking for a nonconference opponent this week, even though the Pac-12 is only allowing conference games.

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Quote

“I love it. Everyone loves it. That’s what everyone is here to do. It just felt great to be out there, hit people, throw the ball. Those butterflies are something you live for.” – Arizona quarterback Grant Gunnell, to the Arizona Daily Star, on being able to play a game after having their opener canceled.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.