Posted on December 18, 2020
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A regular season that once was never going to happen ends this week with a four-game weekend. The league had two of 12 teams play all six games that were scheduled, UCLA and Oregon State.
One of the four games played this weekend will of course be the Pac-12 Championship Game between Oregon and USC in the Coliseum on Friday evening. Here are some Championship Game superlatives throughout the years.
Past Pac 12 Championship Games Since 2011 (with MVPs)
• 2011: Oregon 49 UCLA 31 (LaMichael James)
• 2012: Stanford 27 UCLA 24 (Kevin Hogan)
• 2013: Stanford 38 Arizona State 14 (Tyler Gaffney)
• 2014: Oregon 51 Arizona 13 (Marcus Mariota)
• 2015: Stanford 41 USC 22 (Christian McCaffrey)
• 2016: Washington 41 Colorado 10 (Taylor Rapp)
• 2017: USC 31 Stanford 28 (Sam Darnold)
• 2018: Washington 10 Utah 3 (Byron Murphy)
• 2019: Oregon 37 Utah 15 (CJ Verdell)
Some Individual Single Game Pac-12 Championship Records
• Longest Play from Scrimmage: 78-yard pass Kevin Hogan to Devon Cajuste, Stanford vs. ASU, 2013
• Highest Completion Percentage (min 20 att): 74.2%, Brett Hundley, UCLA vs. Stanford, 2012 (23 of 31)
• Most Passing Yards: 325, Sam Darnold, USC vs. Stanford, 2017
• Most TD Passes: 3, Darron Thomas, Oregon vs. UCLA, 2011
• Most Rushing Yards: 219, LaMichael James, Oregon vs. UCLA, 2011 (25 rushes)
• Most Rushing TDs: 3, CJ Verdell, Oregon vs. Utah, 2019; Marcus Mariota, Oregon vs. ARIZ, 2014; Tyler Gaffney, Stanford vs. ASU, 2013; LaMichael James, Oregon vs. UCLA, 2011
• Most Receptions: 11, JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC vs. Stanford, 2015 (87 yards)
• Most Receiving Yards: 146, Michael Pittman Jr., USC vs. Stanford, 2017
• Most TD Receptions: 2, Kaden Smith, Stanford vs. USC, 2017 (4 receptions); Nelson Rosario, UCLA vs. Oregon, 2011 (6 receptions)
• Most Tackles: 19, Kenneth Olugbode, Colorado vs. Washington, 2016
• Most TFL: 4.0, Chris Young, ASU vs. Stanford, 2013
• Most Sacks: 2.5, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon vs. Utah, 2019
• Most Interceptions: 2, Byron Murphy, Washington vs. Utah, 2018; Taylor Rapp, Washington vs. Colorado, 2016
—A few notes and numbers on this week’s matchups—
Oregon Ducks at USC Trojans
Oregon is 3-0 all-time in the Pac-12 Championship game while USC owns a 1-1 mark in the title game. The Trojans will be the fourth different opponent of the Ducks in the conference-decider.
USC is the only South Division team to win the title game in its nine-year history. The nine championship games have been decided by an average of 18.3 points per game, with just three of them being decided by one score or less. The three times that the game has been played on a team’s home field, the host has gone 2-1.
In their last seven meetings, Oregon is averaging 45.9 points per game vs USC, while going 5-2 against the Trojans. In the last eight meetings, the teams have combined for an average 76.6 points per game. Oregon has won six of their last seven games played in the state of California. USC has scored at least 24 points in their last 13 games played, the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
Oregon owns championship game records for most rushing yards with 352 vs UCLA in 2011, most points scored with 51 in 2014, a 38-point win over Arizona in 2014 along with 627 total yards, and 327 passing yards vs the Wildcats in that game. The Ducks are looking to become the second team to repeat as champions of the Pac-12 title game, joining Stanford 2012-13.
In the fourth quarter this season Kedon Slovis is completing 73.1% of his passes, the fourth-most in the nation of any QB with at least 20 attempts in the quarter. USC has scored at least 24 points in their last 13 games, the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
Drake London is tied for 19th in the nation this season with a Pac-12-leading 2.4 receptions of 15+ yards per game. Slovis has completed 71.4% of his 604 career passes. The standard for the FBS career mark is based on a minimum of 875 pass attempts, and the current record holder is Colt Brennan at 70.4%.
Tyler Shough leads the Pac-12 and is 8th in the nation with 329.0 yards of total offense per game and ranks 11th in the nation with a Pac-12 best 9.7 yards per pass attempt. Shough also leads the Conference with a rating of 165.02. He will need to be efficient as USC’s Talano Hufanga leads the nation with 0.8 interceptions per game. The Trojan DB has recorded an interception in each of his last four games.
Jaylon Redd has proven to be a reliable target for Shough, just as he was for Justin Herbert in the past. Redd has caught at least two passes in each of his last 20 games, the longest active streak of any Power Five player and the sixth-longest of any player in the nation.
For the Trojans, Tyler Vaughns is 27th in the nation with 6.7 receptions per game while Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 7.2 per game is the 13th most in the nation with 4.2 resulting in a first down, the 23rd most first down receptions per game of any player in the country. The two receivers are combining for 8.0 first down receptions per game, the fourth-most of any receiver tandem in the nation.
Turnovers could be a factor in this one, and if it is, the edge lies with the Trojans. USC is fourth in the nation with a turnover margin of +1.40 while Oregon is 123rd at –1.40. Southern California has 15 takeaways on the season while the Ducks have given the ball up 11 times over five games.
Washington State Cougars at Utah Utes
Washington State leads the all-time series between the schools 9-8 and has a 4-3 edge when meeting as conference opponents. The visiting team has won nine of 16 meetings in the series. (They met in the 1992 Copper Bowl).
Renard Bell leads the Pac-12 and is second in the nation with 9.0 receptions per game. Travell Harris joins him in the nation’s Top 10 with 7.7 receptions per game. The Cougar teammates’ 16.7 receptions per game are the most of any WR duo in the nation.
Bryan Thompson led the Utes in receiving last season; this year he is only catching 1.75 per game, but he is averaging 22.14 yards per reception. Thompson has picked up a first down on all seven of his receptions this season, one of just two players in the nation with at least seven receptions, and all netting a first down.
Jake Bentley’s 60 career passing TDs are the most of any Pac-12 player and the 13th most of any active player in the nation. The Grad Transfer has completed 73.7% of his passes in the first quarter with no interceptions.
In fact, in the first half, he has three TDs with one interception compared to two TDs and four interceptions after half time. In the fourth quarter he has yet to throw a TD, and has two interceptions and a 96.55 rating compared to a 125.2 for the year. Since 2018, Bentley has completed 48.9% of his passes in the fourth quarter.
The Utes have yet to prevent a team from picking up a first down on a rushing play on 3rd-and-less than 3 yards to go. Opponents are averaging 16.8 yards per carry in the situation, and that is the worst mark in the nation.
Utah has outscored opponents 23-3 in the first quarter while WSU has been outscored 35-20 in the opening 15 minutes of their three games.
This season, Utah is getting flagged just 4.8 times per game, 17th lowest in the nation, for 43.3 yards of penalties per game. The Cougars have been even more disciplined drawing the attention of the officials just 4.0 times per game for 33.0 penalty yards per game, the third-lowest total in the country.
Stanford Cardinal at UCLA Bruins
UCLA holds an all-time lead in the head-to-head matchups 46-42-3 as the teams have met every season since 1927. The last time the teams met in the Rose Bowl, Stanford was a 49-42 winner in 2018 as the teams combined for 998 total yards. The Cardinal have taken 11 of the last 12 between the teams including the last five played in Pasadena.
UCLA is averaging 14.8 points per game in the second quarter, the fourth most in the nation. Stanford is averaging 5.8 in the stanza, ranking 101st in the country, so we will see if this holds true and the Bruins can take momentum into the locker room. In the third quarter this season Stanford is getting outscored 55-35. The 11 points per game the Cardinal are allowing out of halftime is the fifth most of any team in the nation.
Davis Mills is completing 55% of his passes on third down, and all 22 of his completions have resulted in a Stanford first down. He’s the only player in the country with a 100% rate with a minimum of 9 third down completions. Mills has had 204 pass attempts since his last interception thrown, the third longest active streak in the nation.
Mills could be forced to make quick decisions this week. UCLA ranks eighth in the nation with 3.5 sacks per game and the Bruins are averaging 7.5 tackles for loss on the year. Stanford has only allowed 4.0 TFL per game, the ninth fewest in the country, so the battle in the trenches could be a decider in this one.
Austin Jones is averaging 132 yards rushing in the last two games for Stanford. His 91.6 yards per game on the season are the sixth-most in the Conference. For the Bruins, Demetric Felton has been stellar this season. He is averaging 111.3 yards per game and is picking up 6.3 first down runs per game the third most in the country.
Nathaniel Peat leads the Pac-12 and is 19th in the country with a kick return average of 25.67 yards.
Greg Dulcich is averaging 19.96 yards per reception this season, the second-most nationally of any TE. Dulcich has picked up a first down on 79.17% of his receptions, the 29th-most in the country and again the second most of any TE. He is averaging 3.17 first down receptions per game.
Arizona State Sun Devils at Oregon State Beavers
This will be the 45th meeting between the Beavers and Sun Devils. ASU leads 29-14-1 all-time. The last 14 meetings since 2003 have been split 7-7 and OSU owns 6-4 edge in the last ten. The teams are meeting in Corvallis in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2005-06. The Beavers are 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Reser Stadium.
Close games have been the norm for Oregon State this season: Their last five have been decided by six points or less, the longest streak in school history. The Beavers six games this season have been decided by an average of 5.3 points per game. Going back to last season, the previous nine games OSU has played in have been decided by an average of 5.3 points, with just two being more than six-point games.
One thing that was not close was last week’s Territorial Cup, the Sun Devils were up 14-0 before a minute had even gone off the clock en route to a 70-7 victory over Arizona.
In that game, Jayden Daniels was 9-for-11 through the air for 203 yards and a couple of scores, he added 26 yards and a TD on the ground. For the game, Daniels averaged 15.3 yards per play. On the season he is averaging 7.31 per play, 36th in the nation. Rachaad White ran for 133 yards on 10 carries for an average of 13.3 yards per carry. He is now averaging 9.03 yards per play this season, the eighth-most in the nation.
Jack Colletto has moved from his linebacker spot to the offensive backfield for nine carries this season, seven of them coming in third-and-short situations. The Junior has picked up a first down on all seven of those runs. He joins Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez as the only player in the nation with at least seven rushes in that situation and a 100% conversion rate.
Jermar Jefferson has averaged 143 yards per game and rushed for three TDs in two career games vs. Arizona State. Jefferson is averaging 151.0 yards per game this season the fourth most in the nation. The Junior is 180 rushing yards away from 3,000 for his career.
Tyler Johnson has collected 5.0 sacks in three games for Arizona State, his 1.67 per game are the second-most in the nation. That has helped the Sun Devils to their mark of 3.0 per game, 19th in the nation. Oregon State is allowing 2.0 sacks per game, ranking 49th in the country.
Arizona State is the highest-scoring Pac-12 team after halftime, averaging 17.7 per game. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 37-0 in the third quarter this season. The Beavers have averaged a Pac-12-best 11.8 fourth-quarter points per game, the fourth-most of any team in the nation.
Looking at some selected national individual ranks
• Jarek Broussard, Colorado: Second in the nation with 173.0 yards from scrimmage per game
• Britain Covey, Utah: Leads the nation with 22.4 yards per punt return
• Timarcus Davis, Arizona State: Sixth in the nation with 1.33 passes defended per game
• Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washinton: Leads the nation with 1.75 sacks per game
• Lucas Havrisik, Arizona: 10th in the nation with a Pac-12 best touchback rate of 80.95%
• Kedon Slovis, USC: Second nationally with 29.8 completions per game
Looking at some selected national team ranks
• Washington State: Has scored on 100% of Red Zone trips, one of two teams (Eastern Michigan) that are perfect on the season
• Oregon: Ninth in the nation with 7.25 yards per play
• California: Ninth in the country allowing only 10.75 plays of 10+ yards from scrimmage per game
• Oregon State: 11th in the nation with a conversion rate of 77.3% on runs on third-and-short
• UCLA: Eighth in the nation with 3.5 sacks per game
• Stanford: Third in the nation with .6 blocked kicks per game
Career Records Watch
Tyler Vaughns, USC
Last week, he caught 8 passes for 128 yards and a TD. He now has 220 career receptions, tied for the 17th-most in conference history with former Beaver Mike Hass. That total is the third-most in USC history. He has eight catches from the Top 10. He now has 2,777 receiving yards for his career, the 33rd-most in Conference history, with Keyshawn Johnson just 19 yards ahead of him. He is 10th on the USC all-time list for yards. His 20 career receiving TDs are tied for the 47th most in Pac-12 history.
Oscar Draguicevich, Washington State
Draguicevich did not play last week. He has a career average of 45.42 yards per punt, which would be the second-best mark in all-time in conference history behind the 45.74 by Mitch Wishnowsky. (Third-best should Turk continue his rate.)
Michael Turk, Arizona State
Turk punted twice for a 49.5-yard average. That brings his career total to 46.45 yards per punt on 77 career punts. If it holds, that would be the best average in conference history.
Follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenVilardo and his organization @SERCenter, and visit his website at SERCenter.
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