| USC wide receiver Marqise Lee helps make up the Pac-12 Ultimate Player for the second straight week. (US Presswire) |
We pared down our Ultimate Player a bit this week, chopping off some of the lesser body parts. Who needs a spine right?
Also this week, a coach makes his debut and a battle ensues for the best arm in Los Angeles.
Here's a look at what (or who?) we would build from Week 2:
Brain: Oregon State coach Mike Riley -- Last week the award went to a player, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, for not deviating from the game plan and being accurate and precise with his decision-making. Now we honor Riley for coming up with a brilliant game plan of his own. The Beavers shocked visting No. 13 Wisconsin in a 10-7 win, bottling up star running back Montee Ball to the tune of 61 yards on 15 carries. Spare Parts: Arizona QBTaylor Kelly -- The highest-rated passer in a Pac-12 packed with highly rated passers, Kelly is playing it safe, and playing it well. He has completed better than 75 percent of his passes for 496 yards and two scores, and more importantly, no interceptions.
Heart: Arizona S Jared Tevis -- Quickly becoming the heart of the Wildcats' defense to teammate Jake Fisher's soul, Tevis has turned in a fantastic season so far. The sophomore safety ranks second in the conference in tackles with 21, six behind Fischer, but he leads the Pac-12 with five passes defended and ranks second with two interceptions. The Wildcats' defense has been a revelation, and the play of these two has been the difference. Spare Parts: UCLA DL Datone Jones -- Last season, Jones was an absolute monster during fall camp. This year, he's extended his domination a bit further. His five tackles-for-loss tie for the conference lead, and his take-down of Taylor Martinez for a safety in the win over Nebraska changed the game.
Nerves: Arizona K John Bonano -- Bonano, the Pac-12 special teams player of the week, atoned for a rough first week and helped deliver Arizona a surprising win over Oklahoma State that propelled the Wildcats into the Top 25. Bonano hit three field goals and converted all six extra points a week after missing two field goals -- including one at the end of regulation -- in Arizona's overtime win over Toledo.
Arm: UCLA QB Brett Hundley -- This was agonizingly, painstakingly, too-close-to-call close, between Hundley and cross-town rival Matt Barkley. What gives Hundley the edge, this week, is simply the quality of the opponent. We're betting that Nebraska ends up a tad better than Syracuse, so Hundley's 300-yard, four-touchdown performance weighs more than Barkley's 187 yards and career-high-tying six touchdowns against the Orange. Plus, griping USC fans, Barkley won Week 1 and he'll win again and don't be greedy and just look down.
Hands: USC WR Marqise Lee/USC WR Robert Woods -- The term embarrassment of riches comes to mind, kind of like a gold-plated Lamborghini or Donald Trump bathing in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck. It's just too hard to pick between Lee and Woods, who would make a great buddy cop-movie tandem. Barkley has looked to the tandem often, though Lee seems to get the majority of balls in his direction, leading the conference with 10.5 receptions and 131.5 yards per game. Woods, though, is tied with Lee for the Pac-12 lead in touchdown catches, and you can just imagine if they had to fight over the same ball, much less this silly award. Spare Parts: Arizona WR Austin Hill -- Like teammate Ka'Deem Carey (See: below), Hill just misses the top spot. Those who called his Week 1 seven-catch, 139-yard performance against Toledo a fluke were caught red-faced by the sure-handed target's five-reception, 124-yard day against Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Legs: UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin -- Franklin sprints away from the competition like he's done to numerous Owls and Cornhuskers this season. The once-unsung back, who continues to march toward the Bruins' all-time rushing record, no longer toils in obscurity. The buzz is reaching a fever pitch as he now leads the nation in rushing after two games (215.5 yards per game), which each resulted in Pac-12 player-of-the-week honors. Spare Parts: Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey -- A breakout performance in a win over nationally ranked Oklahoma State (156 total yards, four touchdowns) gets him close, but not close enough as he trails Franklin on the conference rushing chart by nearly 80 yards per game.
Feet: Oregon RB Kenjon Barner/Oregon RB De'Anthony Thomas -- Talk about too close to call. Like the twosome of Lee and Woods, Barner and Thomas will most certainly be found on a TNT near you in the near future, hopefully with Andre Braugher. The Ducks' one-two punch is like Gehrig and Ruth -- Barner delivers the key hits and collects the RBIs, Thomas smashes it out of the park every 3.6 at-bats. No, that would be crazy, right? Sorry, that's just Thomas, who has scored five times in his 18 possessions (10 rushes, 8 receptions). Barner, meanwhile, became the latest Oregon back to eclipse the 200-yard mark in the Ducks' 42-25 win over Fresno State. Spare Parts: Utah P Sean Sellwood -- There's no doubt that Sellwood needed a little of the Mr. Miyagi magic after his 10-punt performance against Utah State. Sellwood's toe accounted for nearly one-third of a mile of turf, 526 yards, in the Utes' loss to their home-state rivals.
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