Saturday was a day of blowouts and wild weather in the Pac-12. Here’s everything (well, four things) you need to know about yesterday’s action.
Lane Kiffin is no longer with the USC Trojans
In what is by far the biggest news of the weekend, USC fired Lane Kiffin after the Trojans were stomped by the ASU Sun Devils to the tune of 62-41. While USC athletic director Pat Haden has always been on the record as supporting Kiffin, the firing isn’t exactly a shock to those who have watched USC’s downward spiral over the past few seasons. The Trojans turned the ball over four times against ASU and gave up 612 yards of offense. USC is 0-2 in conference play in 2013. Ed Orgeron will now step in to try and right the quickly sinking ship.
Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks look unstoppable
Yes, the Oregon State Beavers haven’t exactly played a murderous schedule, but that doesn’t detract from the ridiculous numbers quarterback Sean Mannion and wide receiver Brandin Cooks are putting up. Mannion threw for 414 and a school-record six touchdowns on Saturday in OSU’s 44-17 win over Colorado; Cooks caught nine passes for 168 yards and two TDs. Mannion is the only FBS quarterback averaging over 400 yards per game passing, and his 21 passing touchdowns on the season are four ahead of the next quarterback (Chuckie Keeton). Cooks has caught 52 passes for 807 yards and nine touchdowns so far this year, leading the FBS in each of those categories. While the Beavers have yet to be tested by a tough defense, it’s hard to imagine anyone fully stopping OSU’s aerial assault.
You should be really excited for Stanford vs. Washington
Both the Stanford Cardinal and Washington Huskies took care of business on Saturday, setting themselves up for a great game next week (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Cardinal slapped around the hapless Washington State Cougars, winning by a score of 55-17 in a game that was even more one-sided than the score indicates. The Huskies beat the Arizona Wildcats 31-13 thanks to another strong game from Bishop Sankey, who carried the ball 40 times for 161 yards. Sankey’s 151.75 yards per game leads the FBS (as do his 26 carries per game), but he has yet to face a defense like Stanford’s.
It DOES rain in Autzen Stadium
There is a tradition at Oregon of the stadium announcer always emphasizing how it never rains in Autzen, a claim proved utterly false on Saturday. Cal’s Jared Goff dropped multiple balls while attempting to pass, and Oregon running back Byron Marshall fumbled the ball a couple of times in the first quarter. (Marshall was in as a replacement for De’Anthony Thomas, who tweaked his ankle on the opening kick return.) The wet conditions were unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time, yet Oregon was still able to put up 55 points (mainly thanks to Bralon Addison, who returned two punts for touchdowns). Saturday night’s contest was one of the most sloppy games you will ever see, and hopefully both teams are spending Sunday getting dry.