Pac-12 Football: Week 13 power rankings
By Brad Weiss
The UCLA Bruins went into their game against USC fresh off a resounding victory against Oregon State the week before. However, the Trojans proved to just be too much for a Bruins team that could not get much going on offense. The defense fought hard, picking off Sam Darnold twice early in the game, but in the end, the Trojans just had too much talent.
Lack of a running game has been an Achilles Heel for the Bruins, who once again got nothing going on the ground. Quarterback Mike Fafual threw for two touchdowns in the game, as the Bruins actually led 14-7 at one point. Jordan Lasley caught both of Fafual’s TD passes, as he found the end zone on his only two catches of the game.
The loss of star quarterback Josh Rosen has been hard on the team, though Fafual has played well in relief this season. With a healthy Rosen in 2017, the Bruins should be able to jump back into the mix for a conference title. With their loss on Saturday, this Bruins squad gave Jim Mora the only losing season in his tenure as head coach of UCLA. The Bruins will head to Cal to finish out their season this weekend.
Oregon State is playing better football as the season goes along, even if their record has not been an indicator of that. This past weekend, the Beavers destroyed the Arizona Wildcats, as Marcus McMaryion had his best day under center. McMaryion threw for five touchdowns in the game, as the Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak.
The team was playing for Seth Collins, their dynamic wide receiver who had to be hospitalized due to an undisclosed issue. Collins is one of the best players on the team, so it was nice to see them get a win for him. Fellow wide receiver Jordan Villamin picked up the slack, catching six balls for 124 yards and a touchdown. All five of McMaryion’s TD passes went to different players, as the Beavers showed incredible balance on offense.
Running back Ryan Nall came back from a foot injury to play a big role in the Beavers offense as well. Nall rushed for 124 yards on 23 carries, while finding the end zone once. This week, the Beavers will take on the Oregon Ducks in the Civil War Game, with the winner avoiding a last place finish in the Pac-12 North.
Oregon will head into their Civil War Game matchup against the Oregon State Beavers flying high, after beating highly-ranked Utah on the road this past week. Darren Carrington scored a touchdown with two seconds left in the fourth quarter, though he was initially ruled out of bounds. The catch gave the Ducks a very special win in what has been a very bad season.
Freshman quarterback Justin Herbert continued to show why he could be the future of the Pac-12, throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns against a very tough Utah defense. Herbert has played some great football since taking over for Dakota Prukop as the team’s starter and will likely head into next season with some high expectations. Wide receiver Jalen Brown caught five balls for 89 yards and a touchdown, as the Ducks rolled up 575 yards of total offense.
Star running back Royce Freeman had his second solid game in a row, rushing for over 100 yards and a score in the winning effort. Defeating the Utes not only gave the Ducks their signature win on the season, but it also crushed Utah’s hopes at a Pac-12 championship. A win against the Beavers this weekend would be a nice capper to a rough season in Eugene.