The Cougars bounced back from a tough loss to Oregon to trounce Cal and record their fourth win in five games.
Recapping the Pac-12 action in Week Five …The six games were decided by 8, 17, 18, 19, 23 and 26 points. And the only single-digit affair, UCLA’s win over Washington on Friday night, was lopsided until the Huskies scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
We cannot remember a weekend of conference play with so little drama.The Bruins and Trojans are 10-0 , the only unbeaten teams in the conference and just two of 14 unbeatens in the Power Five. Are they for real? Yes, although our definition carries some nuance. They’re good enough to contend, but we aren’t yet convinced either team can win the conference and compete for a playoff berth. In a few weeks, our view might change.After gorging on cupcakes through September, the Bruins took full advantage of their opportunity and stomped Washington with a superb all-around performance. They held a 40-16 lead entering the fourth quarter against the same head coach, Kalen DeBoer, who beat them last year in the Rose Bowl with Fresno State.Would you rather have UCLA’s trio of quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, tailback Zach Charbonnet and receiver Jake Bobo, or USC’s combination of Caleb Williams, Travis Dye and Jordan Addison? A quality case could be made either way. At least it’s a topic worth discussing.Each game carried a certain level of interest for the Hotline, but none of the six reached the competitive bar we expect. And the three #Pac12AfterDark games were ideal for insomnia.The Cougars were in a vulnerable spot following their fourth-quarter collapse against Oregon. But with a front seven that once again caused maximum havoc, they flummoxed Cal until the offense found its groove and broke the game open. The result: Vital momentum for WSU entering the toughest stretch of its schedule, with USC and Oregon State on the road, then a home date with Utah.The sterling effort against Washington — he accounted for four touchdowns and averaged 9.5 yards-per-pass-attempt — was exactly the type of performance UCLA envisioned from its leader when Thompson-Robinson decided to return to school. And we have zero doubt that all the attention paid to the guy across town has contributed to DTR’s focus and motivation.One of the top defensive backs in the country hauled in three interceptions against Oregon State, including a 38-yard Pick Six. Why the Beavers were throwing in his general vicinity so often, we cannot fathom. But upcoming opponents will undoubtedly learn from OSU’s mistake and avoid Phillips whenever possible.The Hotline remains baffled how the Pac-12 officiating crew handled a defensive holding penalty on Washington in the second quarter. The Bruins took the 17-yard completionwere given the additional 10 yards for the holding penalty. It seemingly should have been one or the other. And unlike judgment calls that leave fans baffled in every conference every week, this strikes us as a possible error in officiating mechanics — how the rules are applied.When a 23-point loss to a .500 opponent qualifies as improvement, times are tough. For the first time this season, CU’s offense was almost competent, and freshman quarterback Owen McCown clearly has potential. But the defense is a turnstile, the losses are piling up and fan enthusiasm is headed into the gutter. Now that the bye week has arrived, we expect some changes in Boulder. Whether it’s Dorrell or members of his staff remains to be seen.The Cougars are averaging 8.8 tackles-for-loss per game, which is tops in the Pac-12 and No. 2 among all Power Five teams . We view linebacker Daiyan Henley as an early frontrunner for Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.The Cardinal has lost 10 consecutive games to FBS opponents — its last victory over a team not named Colgate came on Oct. 2, 2021 . Even worse, the past seven defeats have been by double digits. What has gone wrong? Everything. And there is zero indication that David Shaw can fix it without staff changes, a different approach to the transfer portal — or both.
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