Highlights & Overview of Week 5 2019 Games
The conference season was in full swing. Week 5 saw five Pac-12 games with No. 15 Cal hosting Arizona State, No. 17 Washington hosting No. 21 USC, Washington State traveling to No. 19 Utah, Stanford visiting Oregon State, and Arizona hosting UCLA. No. 13 Oregon and Colorado had a bye.
Utah’s Tyler Huntley & Francis Bernard, and Stanford’s Jet Toner were the Pac-12 Players of the Week.
You’ll find a list of the teams ranked at the end of the week, and a table of the week’s complete results at the bottom of the page.
No. 17 Washington 28, No. 21 USC 21
What to make of Washington’s victory over the Trojans in Week 5? On one hand, the Huskies won despite making a multitude of mistakes. Jacob Eason missed on several throws, the offense turned the ball over, and the Dawgs seemed to lack their usual all-around killer instinct. Down the road these characteristics would cost Washington a game or two. On the other hand, UW dominated a talented team without playing their best football. The defense looked amazing, led by nickel-back Elijah Molden, who made a game-changing interception in the red-zone.
No. 19 Utah 38, Washington State 18
The Utes were easily the most impressive Pac-12 team in action in Week 5. Utah’s defense staged a dominating bounce-back performance, holding the Cougars to a fraction of their average points and yards, while shutting them out in the second half. The Ute secondary did what few other teams have done over the previous two years, making WSU’s vaunted Air Raid system look pedestrian. The Ute offense, meanwhile, put up a jaw-dropping 526 total yards, with quarterback Tyler Huntley playing a near-perfect game. The Senior threw for 334 of those yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. And he did it without the help of star running back Zack Moss, who was still out after leaving the game injured against USC.
Arizona State 24, No. 15 Cal 17
The Sun Devils looked like a team poised to make a South title run in their victory over Cal. Arizona State faced down an undefeated opponent in a loud and hostile environment, and had the Bears on the ropes even before starting signal caller Chase Garbers went down. Three takeaways from this game might be used to measure the balance of ASU’s season.
First, the defense dominated once again. With the exception of the 34 points it gave up in a loss to Colorado, the unit had not allowed more than 17 points in a game. Offensively, true freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels was starting to perform like a veteran. In leading the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter against Cal’s ball-hawking secondary, he didn’t force the ball, trusted the run game, and made key throws when needed. But the biggest hero in the final minutes may have been running back Eno Benjamin, whose physical running style proved too much for Cal.
Stanford 31, Oregon State 28
The Cardinal won a game they had to win against Oregon State, jumping to an early lead with backup quarterback Davis Mills at the helm. It wasn’t the most impressive victory, but losing would have had been catastrophic. After bolting to a 21-0 lead against the Beavers, the Cardinal devolved into a shell of themselves, nearly losing the contest for lack of effort. Had the Beavers not committed special teams mistakes, Stanford would have been buried at the bottom of the North with a 1-4 record. Leadership was key, and it had been lacking thus far.
Arizona 20, UCLA 17
Down their starting quarterback and running back due to injuries, the Wildcats held on to beat UCLA with a gutsy performance from backup quarterback Grant Gunnell. The true freshman threw for 352 yards and didn’t commit a turnover. Arizona got it done, in part, with a strong special teams performance, controlling the field position battle and hitting key field goals. The running backs contributed as well, especially in the second half, with Bam Smith catching a 75-yard touchdown pass and Gary Brightwell powering for a 10-yard touchdown on the ground.
On defense, the Cats contained the Bruins, holding them to just 17 points before forcing a missed field goal in the final minute to seal the game. Still, the offensive play-calling in the first half was head-scratching at times, particularly the lack of rushing attempts afforded Brightwell. The team as a whole committed far too many penalties.
Pac-12 in AP Rankings After Week 5
| Team | Rank |
| Oregon | 13 |
| Washington | 15 |
| Utah | 17 |
| Arizona State | 20 |
Complete Week 5 Pac-12 Football Results
|
Date |
Visitor |
Home team |
Result |
|
9/27 |
Arizona State |
No. 15 Cal |
ASU 24-17 |
|
9/28 |
No. 21 USC |
No. 17 Washington |
UW 28-14 |
|
9/28 |
Stanford |
Oregon State |
Stan 31-28 |
|
9/28 |
Washington State |
No. 19 Utah |
Utah 38-18 |
|
9/28 |
UCLA |
Arizona |
UA 20-17 |
—Staff