9. Arizona Wildcats (2-1), Last Week: W 47-28 vs. Hawaii
For the second consecutive game, the Arizona Wildcats were without starting quarterback Anu Solomon. Luckily for the Wildcats, his backup is a pretty exciting player in his own right, and he dominated on Saturday. Brandon Dawkins may not be ready to relinquish the starting job when Solomon gets back, and for good reason.
Against Hawaii, Dawkins went off, racking up four touchdowns in the game. He went 16-of-21 passing, with 235 yards, tossing a touchdown pass to Shun Brown. On the ground, Dawkins was unstoppable, rushing for 118 yards and three touchdowns. It was an incredibly dominant performance by the redshirt sophomore.
The Wildcats built a 34-7 lead against Hawaii, as they gained 363 yards of total offense. Freshman tailback J.J. Taylor also put together a fine effort, rushing for 168 yards and a score. Arizona appears to be hitting their stride, but they have a tough matchup ahead, as they host #8 Washington on Saturday night.
8. Colorado Buffaloes (2-1), Last Week: L 45-28 at No. 4 Michigan
The Colorado Buffaloes went into the Big House on Saturday, as they faced national power and fourth-ranked Michigan. Colorado actually made a statement in the first quarter, scoring three touchdowns, while taking a 21-7 lead. Quarterback Sefo Liufau threw two touchdown passes in the first frame, and would finish the game with three overall.
Michigan came right back, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second quarter. Leading 24-21 at the half, the Wolverines let Colorado right back into the game, as Liufau hit Shay Fields on a 70-yard strike to retake the lead. Liufau was hurt on the play, and it was all Michigan the rest of the way.
The dagger came on Jabril Pepper’s 54-yard punt return. Still, it was a nice effort by a Colorado team that is looking to make some noise in the Pac-12 this season. They have won only one conference game in two of head coach Mike MacIntyre’s three seasons and went winless in the other. This Colorado team looks like it has the talent to win multiple conference games for the first time in MacIntyre’s tenure.
7. UCLA Bruins (2-1), Last Week: W 17-14 at BYU
For some reason, the UCLA Bruins offense has not been efficient this season. Coming into 2016, the team looked to be able to put up points in bunches, thanks mostly to their star quarterback, Josh Rosen. Well, Rosen has not played as well as expected, and the Bruins offense is still looking for answers after three weeks.
On Saturday, the Bruins hit the road to face the BYU Cougars. In a defense battle, the Bruins were able to pick up the road win, but it was not easy. The good sign for UCLA is that their defense actually looked good in this game, after playing horribly the first two games of the season. If they can get it going on offense, they should be able to make a run in Pac-12 play.
Rosen actually eclipsed the 300-yard mark in the game, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns. His main target was Darren Andrews, who caught four balls for 91 yards and a TD. UCLA built a 10-0 lead at halftime, and with the win, ran their record to 34-1 under Jim Mora when leading at the half. The Bruins have now won 47 straight when holding their opponents under 20 points.