60-13. 51-13. 45-2. 70-14. 57-16. Just some of the scores Oregon has dumped on Pac-12 foes during its five-year run in the nation’s top 10.
Utah just put an Oregon-style beatdown on the Ducks ... in Eugene
Good morning! It’s your morning roundup of college football stuff, but first, a word on the Utes.
Saturday, a Pac-12 team finally served one of those back up, with a 62-20 mark, one of the worst losses in Duck history. Sure, Oregon’s lost in that time, and by multiple scores to Arizona and Ohio State, but it’s been a long time since the Ducks truly got dunked on from all angles by an opponent that looked to be amusing itself to stave off boredom.
You know, exactly like what the most sadistic Chip Kelly teams used to do to people.
The No. 18 Utes faked a punt to capitalize on a confusing re-punt situation. They had their star running back throw a touchdown. They ran a fake punt return for a touchdown. They smeared 530 yards on the No. 13 Ducks, took advantage of three turnovers, battered Oregon into a QB controversy, and even broke out a vintage Oregon third quarter; Utah’s 28 points in the post-half frame looked every bit like those hope-snuffing barrages UO’s unloaded on suckers over and over.
And it was Utah that did it. In Autzen Stadium. Utah, the new guys in the conference and the ones picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 South, let alone the Pac-12. In Autzen, a charcoal pit of blaring swagger where the Ducks had lost only four times since 2008.
I don’t know what this means for the Pac-12’s Playoff chances, especially considering the Utes join Cal and UCLA as the conference’s only unbeatens (and Utah plays Cal next). But Utah made a lot of friends all around the West Coast Saturday night by showing the bullies exactly how it feels.
Texas shootout. No. 3 TCU vs. Texas Tech was a preposterous game and had an equally preposterous finish. The Horned Frogs scored the game-winner on a touchdown tipped from one Frog to a diving teammate, aided by a bizarre Red Raiders botched snap that resulted in a crucial safety. And because this game was in Lubbock, of course tortillas were involved.
The other top five teams. No. 1 Ohio State rolled past Western Michigan, and the OSU band put on a circus. Central Michigan stuck around with No. 2 Michigan State, but the Spartans won comfortably. Fellow No. 3 Ole Miss was in real trouble against Vanderbilt, while No. 5 Baylor dropped 70 on Rice.
Los Angeles > Arizona. No. 9 UCLA earned that ranking with a 56-30 win at No. 16 Arizona, while No. 19 USC’s 42-14 win at Arizona State was even easier than it sounds (Trojan fans seemed to find a little extra stress in it, though).
Why not Memphis? Steven Godfrey talked to Justin Fuente after the Tigers won their 11th in a row. How do you manage players who’ve never, ever won like this before?
The streak lives on. Florida was 5 for 5 on fourth-down conversions, with a dramatic late touchdown completing a comeback victory over Tennessee. That makes it an 11-year streak for the Gators, who last lost to the Volunteers when Ron Zook was the head coach.
Oh, Texas. For the second straight week, the Longhorns lost on a horribly botched late special teams play, and Charlie Strong seems to have questions about the officiating. To make matters worse, Texas may have lost a starting offensive lineman to injury.
It’s a Jerry World tradition! For the second straight year in Arlington, Texas A&M beat Arkansas in overtime. Kliff Kingsbury was almost right! The No. 14 Aggies celebrated, while Arkansas fans are mystified by Bret Bielema’s poor record in close games.
That’s not allowed. How far offside was this Rutgers player? So offside.
Bad rule. Apparently you can get flagged for taking a practice kick right after being iced? That’s a thing now?
Piesman update. What a day! We saw touchdowns from:
Great moments in VIOLENT PUNTER CELEBRATION. Syracuse kept things close with LSU, and the best part was the punter hurdle/almost punch an LSU player on accident Scott Shafer drew up. Oh, and Leonard Fournette being Leonard Fournette.
How seriously do we take Michigan? The Wolverines smoked BYU, 31-0, and that opening week loss to Utah is looking much better. Michigan's offense was particularly encouraging, with a sweet Odell Beckham-like one-handed catch and what appears to be a running back who can teleport. Throw in the Butt family and you have a complete Saturday.
Ruthless. With West Virginia up 38-0 in the second half against Maryland and facing fourth-and-long, Dana Holgorsen did the only thing he could -- a fake punt, of course. It worked, because Maryland is bad. The Terps’ day got worse as co-punch line of a pretty great Bowling Green t-shirt.
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