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The five things you need to know from this weekend in the Pac-12.
There wasn’t a name for the ruthlessly successful 13 personnel jumbo lineup Oregon debuted in its 41-20 win over No. 12 BYU on Saturday, but when left guard Marcus Harper was asked to come up with something, he kept it simple.
“Big Boy package,” he said.
With the big package, came big plays. Oregon rushed for 212 yards and had nine runs of at least 10 yards. Six of them came when running behind tackle TJ Bass and the left side of the line.
“I think everybody in the stadium at some point probably realized what we were doing when we ran [294-pound freshman] Josh Conerly and our big group with three tight ends out there,” coach Dan Lanning said. “We were about to get big and go play ball. We didn’t really care if you knew what we were going to do, you had to stop us.”
Against BYU, Oregon’s ground attack was centered around gap run schemes. Gap runs include “down” blocks, which come away from the play and create a natural wall between the defender and the ball carrier.
“It was almost the same play every time,” tight end Terrance Ferguson said.
According to PFF, Oregon recorded a run blocking grade of 78.2, far superior to its grade 55.0 against Georgia and 65.8 last week against Eastern Washington.
The “Big Boy” lineup, featuring a sixth offensive lineman — Conerly — and three tight ends, helped Oregon effectively put the game away before halftime with a 13-play, 79-yard march that consumed more than five minutes of clock and pulled the Ducks ahead 24-7.
The drive featured a pair of fourth-down conversions — one of which came in Oregon’s own territory — from freshman running back Jordan James and was a masterclass in game management.
How refreshing.
After Lanning and Co. orchestrated back-breaking drive after back-breaking drive against the Cougars on Saturday afternoon, ESPN’s broadcast team of Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler spent the final hours of the evening ripping Miami, and former Oregon, coach Mario Cristobal.
Down 8 with under five minutes to go, Miami dumped it down underneath for five yards, then quarterback Tyler Van Dyke ran for little gain. Cristobal’s team meandered back to the line of scrimmage, inexplicably fumbled away precious seconds and then punted. It was the dagger in a winnable game in which Texas A&M recorded just 256 yards.
In the loss lay a reminder of how far Oregon has come in that department. It seems in some ways, the 36-year-old Lanning, who we’re often reminded is the youngest in the Power Five, already has a leg up over his predecessor.
Oregon is still reaping the rewards of the physical offensive front that Cristobal built. Credit to him. But as Oregon goes about building its new identity here under Lanning, it’s also nice to see the Ducks shed some parts of their past.
Michael Penix Jr. and Washington Huskies should be feared
When’s the last time Washington had a scary quarterback?
Cody Pickett put up monster numbers in 2002 and Keith Price in 2011. Jake Browning had three good years and one stellar (2016) during his four-year stretch.
But frightening to fans? Hair-raising to coordinators? Daunting to defenders? Not sure about that.
Michael Penix Jr. is horrifying.
With the arm talent of the best Washington quarterbacks preceding him, and an ability to extend plays with his legs setting him apart, Penix Jr. and the Huskies are more than formidable offensively. They’re dynamic.
That’s a meteoric leap after a putrid 2021 season on that side of the ball.
Now equipped with a 39-28 upset over No. 11 Michigan State, Penix Jr. has proven he’s one of the conference’s best.
Since 2000, only one other Pac-12 quarterback, Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, has started the season with 1,000-plus yards, 10-plus touchdowns and fewer than two interceptions through three games.
From Seattle Times Columnist Matt Calkins: “One of the principal rules of column writing is to not let the moment lure you into hyperbole. Consider that rule noted. Because it’s not an exaggeration to say that the Washington quarterback launched himself into the Heisman race in his team’s 39-28 win Saturday. And it’s equally accurate to say his performance instantly turned the Huskies (3-0) into Pac-12 championship contenders.”
The Indiana transfer with a checkered medical history amassed 397 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions Saturday in Seattle. It was another early season statement for the Pac-12 and the second big win of the year for the conference in the budding Big 10 rivalry.
“You got a guy you can win football games with, not a guy who can just manage a game,” Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer said.
Herm Edwards, Sun Devils reach nadir in Phoenix
When coach Herm Edwards’ Sun Devils submarined Oregon’s 2019 playoff hopes in the desert, I thought it was the beginning of something for Arizona State.
I was sure of it.
The true freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels — now starting at LSU — had the potential to be a marquee name in the conference, I thought. The Sun Devils’ skill position talent was impressive; the defensive pieces intriguing.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. In actuality, it was the beginning of the end of what was a brief rise for the program.
It was all a sham.
Edwards, the transfer quarterback Emory Jones and the Sun Devils reached a nadir Saturday. They lost to Eastern Michigan 30-21 and suddenly ASU might be the Pac-12’s most dismal team outside of Colorado.
“Like anything, when you’re in combat, you support your officers,” ASU President Michael Crow told The Arizona Republics postgame. “And we’re in combat. But we’ll have to decide where we’re going from here and decide what the issues are and see where we’re headed.”
That was telling as it gets.
Fans called for Edwards’ firing in Phoenix. He didn’t even make it to Monday. Reports began surfacing Sunday afternoon that Edwards and the program would part ways.
Wrote ESPN’s Pete Thamel: “Edwards finishes his tenure at Arizona State (1-2) at 26-20 with one bowl win in five years. His time there will be remembered much more for the antics and issues off the field, as the NCAA investigation led to five full-time coaches leaving the staff, including both coordinators. The roster soon atrophied, as the program’s best quarterback, running back, defensive lineman, linebacker and two best wide receivers transferred out in the last year.”
Near-nightmare at the Rose Bowl
Chip Kelly should send Edwards a hand-written thank you note.
ASU’s collapse is the only thing keeping Kelly’s UCLA program out of the media dog house this weekend.
The Bruins’ 32-31 win over South Alabama in a nearly-empty Rose Bowl was far from stirring. South Alabama ran up and down the field and largely controlled the game before a mind-numbing decision to go for a fake field goal on fourth-and-2 late in the game squandered its chances.
The Bruins are off to their first 3-0 start since 2015. I couldn’t be less impressed.
With one of the softest non-conference schedules you’ll see (Bowling Green, Alabama State, South Alabama) and a game against the lowly Colorado Buffaloes next week, it’ll take some time before UCLA is a blip on my radar again.
To the Power Rankings:
Hoffmann:
1. USC
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Utah
5. Washington State
6. Oregon State
7. Cal
8. UCLA
9. Stanford
10. Arizona
11. Arizona State
12. Colorado
Alger:
1. USC
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Utah
5. Washington State
6. Oregon State
7. UCLA
8. Stanford
9. Cal
10. Arizona
11. Arizona State
12. Colorado
— Shane Hoffmann
@Shane_Hoffmann
