Game of the Week

USC at #16 Stanford

Saturday, October 9^th (8:00 PM EST, ABC)

When USC has the ball: The USC defense has been consistently good this season. Led by sophomore QB Matt Barkley, the Trojans are 13^th in the nation in total offense (471.6 yards per game) and are the very definition of balanced offense (234 rushing, 237 passing yards per game). Quietly, Barkley (12 TD, 4 INT) leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency, and has plenty of talented receivers to target downfield. What has killed the Trojans on offense has been penalties. As a team, USC ranks 117^th in the nation in yards penalized (409), an average of more than 80 penalty yards per game. For the Stanford defense, the goal will be to contain the running game, especially talented back Allen Bradford. The senior had a career game last week against the Washington defense, racking up 223 yards and 2 touchdowns. The numbers suggest that Stanford's run defense is suspect, but most of those yards were put up by Oregon last week...and Oregon can run on anyone. And Stanford has been very solid on third down, allowing opponents to convert first downs just 33 percent of the time. Look for USC to take to the air more often this week, in an attempt to keep Stanford honest.

Game of the Week

#9 Stanford at #4 Oregon

Saturday, October 2^nd (8:00 PM EST, ABC)

When Stanford has the ball: The Stanford offense is one of the most balanced in the entire country, averaging 223 yards on the ground and 234 through the air per game. Not too bad for a team that was expected to struggle to run the ball following the departure of RB Toby Gerhart in the offseason. Stephan Taylor is certainly no Gerhart, but the sophomore is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and is coming off of a 114-yard performance against Notre Dame. Perhaps the surprise in the running game has been QB Andrew Luck. Everyone knew he could thrown the ball with the best of them, but suddenly Luck is a serious threat on the ground (17 carries, 163 yards, 1 TD). And Luck's numbers through the air are definitely justifying his place on Heisman watch lists – 62.7% completions, 912 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT. Despite all of the early success of Luck and the Stanford offense, they have yet to face a defense of the caliber of the Oregon Ducks. Led by ferocious senior DT Brandon “Grizzly” Bair** (14 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 passes broken up), the Ducks are currently third in the nation in scoring defense (11 points per game) and lead the nation in turnovers forced (18). For Luck to have success he will need to get some production from the running game and the offensive line, which has allowed just 1 sack all season, will need to continue to provide adequate protection. Look for Oregon to be aggressive in their blitzing schemes, forcing Stanford to turn to screens and draws to move the ball on the ground. They're going to make Luck beat them, and he's certainly good enough to do it.

** To my knowledge, no one actually calls Brandon Bair “Grizzly”....so let it be known that I have a trademark on that nickname, 'cause it's just so DAMNED clever!

Best game:

UCLA   34

Texas     12

Texas got caught looking ahead to the Red River Rivalry...and the Bruins made them pay. In dominating fashion, UCLA came into Austin and made a statement. Offensive coordinator Norm Chow made some adjustments over the past two weeks, opting for a pistol formation, run-heavy attack and it worked to perfection. Led by sophomore RB Johnathon Franklin, the Bruins racked up 264 rushing yards and controlled the clock for more than 35 minutes. Texas was able to move the ball, outgaining the Bruins 349 – 291 in total offense, but they turned the ball over 5 times and managed just 12 points and 85 rushing yards. The UCLA win marks the second consecutive week that a Pac-10 team has taken down a top 10 non-conference foe (Arizona beat #9 Iowa last week).