| After only one week, is Cal coach Jeff Tedford on the hot seat?(Getty Images) |
Pac-12 scoreboard
Nevada 31, Cal 24: Starting quarterback Zach Maynard was benched for Cal's first three series of the game and while he was on the bench, the Bears struggled. Cal only totaled 24 yards in the three series that backup QB Allan Bridgford was under center and Nevada was able to jump out to a quick 14-0 lead. The Bears fought back to tie game at 24, but Nevada was able to come away with the win when RB Stefphon Jefferson scored on a 3-yard run with 36 seconds left. Despite missing Cal's first three series, Maynard still finished the game with some decent numbers, the senior QB went 17 of 30 for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
Colorado State 22, Colorado 17: Colorado jumped out to an early 14-3 lead, but then the Buffaloes didn't do much the rest of the game. In his first start, Colorado transfer QB Jordan Webb threw for 187 yards, but 125 of those came in the first half. Webb had a chance to engineer a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, but the drive ended on the Colorado State 39 when the Buffaloes failed to convert a fourth-and-2. Webb was 22 of 41 for 187 yards and two touchdowns in his first Colorado start.
USC 49, Hawaii 10: Matt Barkley threw a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage and things only got uglier for the Rainbows. USC jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead before taking their foot off the gas for the game's final two quarters. The Trojans utilized all three phases of the game getting five touchdowns from their offense, and one each from their defense and special teams. The defensive score was a pick-6 by Hayes Pullard while the special teams score was a 100-yard KO return by Marqise Lee. Barkley opened up his senior season with 372 yards and four touchdown passes.
Washington 21, San Diego State 12: Washington scored two first quarter touchdowns and that was all they needed to beat the Aztecs. Keith Price threw for 222 yards and a touchdown and that TD went to his 6-6, 266-pound tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. It was a must-win game for Washington which will play No.1 USC, No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Oregon and No. 21 Stanford in four of their next five games.
Arizona 24, Toledo 17 OT: If Rich Rodriguez doesn't send his kids to the University of Toledo, you can't blame him. In his first year at Michigan, the Rockets knocked off Rodriguez's Wolverines in Ann Arbor 13-10. On Saturday in Tucson, the Rockets gave Rodriguez a scare again. A 10-yard touchdown pass by QB Matt Scott to Terrence Miller in OT clinched the win for Arizona. Despite only scoring 20 points in the game, the Wildcats amassed over 600 yards with 461 of those coming from Scott. The senior QB threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 74 yards.
Oregon 57, Arkansas State 34: The Marcus Mariota era got off to a good start at Oregon. Mariota, who beat out Bryan Bennett for the starting QB job, finished his first career start 18 of 22 for 200 yards and three touchdowns in just over one half of play. De'Anthony Thomas kept up his argument for being the best all-around player in the game, the sophomore touched the ball seven times, totaled 124 yards and scored three touchdowns. Thomas rushed for 64 yards in the game on three carries.
Play of the weekend: USC QB Matt Barkley started his Heisman campaign in pure Matt Barkley fashion: with a 75-yard touchdown pass to sophomore WR Marqise Lee on the Trojans first play from scrimmage. Barkley finished the season opener 23 of 38 for 372 yards. The Heisman isn't handed out until December, but maybe this year, they should hand it out on Sept. 2. And maybe, they should cut it in half and split it evenly between Lee and Barkley. Lee started his own campaign with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to go along with his 75-yard TD catch.
He said what? Cal coach Jeff Tedford was asked when he decided that quarterback Zach Maynard wouldn't be starting the opener, "Back in early June, we knew that Zach wasn't going to start the game," Tedford said. Later, Cal star WR Keenan Allen was asked when he found out Maynard wasn't starting, "Yesterday," Allen said, meaning Friday, one day before the game. Possible miscommunication?
RapidReports offensive star of the day: WR Marqise Lee, USC. If Matt Barkley doesn't win the Heisman, it's going to be because Lee does. Lee had 10 catches against Hawaii for 197 yards and a touchdown, the second-highest total receiving total in his career, but don't think Lee just limits himself to one position. The sophomore also tacked on a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the game.
RapidReports defensive star of the day: DB Usua Amanam, Stanford. Amanam didn't play Saturday, he played Friday, but he's still our defensive player of the day for Week 1. The senior nickelback recorded two sacks against San Jose State, which is two sacks more than most nickelbacks get in a game. Amanam also led the team in tackles for a loss (4) and if that's not enough, he also recovered a fumble in the Cardinal's 20-17 win over San Jose State.
His seat is getting uncomfortable: Jeff Tedford. If Tedford's seat wasn't hot before Saturday -- and athletic director Sandy Barbour says it wasn't -- it definitely warmed up a few degrees after the Golden Bears' 31-24 loss to Nevada. The loss came in front of a sellout crowd during the grand reopening of Cal's Memorial Stadium, which had undergone a $321 million renovation. Tedford benched starting quarterback Zach Maynard for the game's first three series, then watched the offense produce all of 24 yards during those three series.
A possible spot on the bench for: K John Bonano, Arizona. The Wildcats survived an overtime scare from Toledo, a scare that could have been avoided if Bonano wouldn't have missed two second half field goals. The senior kicker missed a potential game-winning 25-yard field goal as time expired, which sent the 17-17 game to OT. Bonano also missed a 24-yard field goal in the game.
Why you care about these three stat lines:
- De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon: Thomas ran for 64 yards and a touchdown on three carries and caught four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns. That's three touchdowns on seven touches, a ratio that's so ridiculous, Thomas will be the unanimous Heisman winner if he keeps it up. He won't keep it, the sophomore is unarguably one of the best all-around players in the country, if not the best.
- Matt Barkley, USC: Barkley kicked off his Heisman campaign with a 372-yard, four touchdown performance. The Trojans scored 49 points against Hawaii Saturday and it's hard to imagine them getting upset if Barkely's playing as smoothly as he was against the Rainbows.
- Matt Scott, Arizona: Scott's performance will most likely be overlooked because the Wildcats overtime game against Toledo ended at 2:30 a.m. ET, but Pac-12 teams may want to take notice. Scott threw for 387 yards and ran for 72 more in the Wildcats win. The senior ran Rich Rodriguez's offense to perfection and his clutch performace included a 10-yard OT touchdown pass that won the game for Arizona.
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