Huskies too much for Portland St

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September 10, 2022

Seattle, WA- A balanced attack though the air and on the ground was the Washington Huskies gameplan to drop Portland State Vikings 52-6.

Huskies receiver Jalen McMillan showed off the team speed catching a skinny post route going 84 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. McMillan finished with 4 receptions for 127 yards averaging 31 yards a catch to go along with his touchdown.

“I’m just proud of the way we start fast, especially in the first
half,” said Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, “Looking forward to seeing
the energy we have going into next week.

Washington offense amassed 617 total yards with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who completed 20/27 passes for 337 yards. Running back Wayne Taulapapa took a few snaps under center in the wildcat to create a mismatch. He led the team with 94 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.

“As long as I continue to trust the preparation, I’m always
going to just keep going back to that,” said Penix Jr. “Trust in the preparation and the play calling.”

Portland St on had 131 yards of offense, Dante Chachere was under pressure all game from the Huskies front line.

Jalynnee McGee was able to rush for 58 yards and lead his team with 12 carries. His running mate Andrew Van Buren carried 8 times for 22 yards.

The Huskies crowd was enjoyed watching their team dominate as they moved to 2-0 record anticipating a bigger challenge next Saturday.

Washington will host the Michigan State from the Big Ten and Portland State will travel to play Montana on September 17th.

Air Force stomp the Buffalo

By

Eric Lambkins II

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September 10, 2022

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO — Fullback Brad Roberts ran for 174 yards
and three touchdowns to lead Air Force to a 41-10 nonconference victory
Saturday over Colorado before 46,692 at Falcon Stadium.

Air Force put up 443 yards, with 435 coming on the ground. This marks
consecutive games won over the Buffaloes. Air Force last defeated
Colorado in Boulder in 2019. Colorado has opened the season 0-2 for the
first time since 2012.

Air Force running back Brad Roberts (20) is tackled by Colorado linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo (8) in the second quarter at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday September 10, 2022. Air Force won by a score of 41 to 10. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

“It’s an awesome feeling (to beat Colorado),” Roberts said, who hails from
a Denver suburb and attended a few Buffalo games as a child. “We played
a really good game, and our defense really stepped up to the plate.”

With the win, Air Force improves to 2-0 on the season.

At halftime, Air Force led 20-10. The game turned in the third quarter when
Air Force scored 21 straight points. After a late second-quarter field goal,
Colorado’s final six drives: fumble, turnover on downs, punt, turnover on
downs, punt, punt.

Colorado quarterback J.T. Shrout (5) hands off to tailback Deion Smith (20) in the second quarter against Air Force at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday September 10, 2022. Air Force won by a score of 41 to 10. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

“Today was a disappointing performance,” Colorado head coach Karl
Dorrell said. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t play to our capabilities. …
We’ve got to continue this work and develop this football team. It’s
unfortunate, though, that we had a performance like that.”

Roberts led the rushing attack with 24 carries. John Lee Eldridge III carried
eight times for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Colorado’s Deion Smith carried 11 times for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Colorado tailback Deion Smith (20) takes the handoff towards the edge while tight end Brady Russell (38) blocks Air Force linebacker Bo Richter (8) in the firs quarter at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday September 10, 2022. Air Force won by a score of 41 to 10. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

“I’m trying to make (fullback) hip again,” Roberts said. “I love being a
fullback, especially the way we run our fullbacks in this offense. It is
awesome.”

Colorado safety Isaiah Lewis (23) dives in an attempt to tackle Air Force quarterback Zac Larrier in the first quarter at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday September 10, 2022. Air Force won by a score of 41 to 10. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News)

Next week, Colorado travels to Minnesota. Air Force travels to Wyoming on
Friday to open Mountain West Conference play.

Only the second time in school history Weber St wins

By

Joseph Whalen

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September 10, 2022

2B5A9282 — Photo by Jason Strother / fi360 News

Logan, UT – Maverick stadium today Weber Head Coach Jay Hill notches a big win Saturday evening not just his first FBS win since 93’.

You’d have to go back to 1978 if you’re looking for the last time the Wildcats beat Utah State two big victories separated by 44 years 1978 was a roughing up of the Aggies 45-6 Weber State takes the win. Let’s go back to the future September 10,2022.

Utah State answers an early field goal from Weber State. Kyle Thompson with an electric 100-yard return coming via Terrell Vaughn who founds his blockers and a path wide open to the house. Get this Aggies crowd, was hyped!

Aggies with their first lead off the evening 7-3 didn’t hold up as long as they may have liked as Wildcat’s Josh Davis takes the hand off from 17 yards out for a touchdown, its followed with a missed extra point.

Logan Bonner 6 of 19 for 62 yards 2 interceptions only one part of the Aggies troubles as the run game was being suffocated by Wildcat’s defense as the boo’s reign down from the Aggies faithful of the blue. With 22 seconds before the half 2^nd and 8 to go from the 8-yard line run up the middle no gain. Time out Aggies bring up 3^rd goal Logan Bonne rolling to his left throws for the end zone, and it’s picked off huge, missed opportunity there to go up by 1 heading in the locker room plenty of football left yet.

Both offenses needing to adjust at just 13-7 game is still up for grabs both teams come and quickly go 3 and out. Hills squad would be the ones to shake it’s first half woes. 8:57 remaining in the 3^rd Bronson Barron scrambles for the 1st down to keep the drive alive now Weber State moves to the no huddle another 3^rd down conversion for Weber States a 15-yard pass on a crossing route brought down at mid field.

Now we have an offense sustaining a drive eating up yards and clock, here we go again Weber State facing another 3^rd down this time, 5 to go for a 1^st Josh Davis picks up 7 yards and a new set of downs. 4 for 4 on 3^rd downs this drive Bronson Barron with another completion.

This time Creyton Cooper for 3 yards why not another Wildcat 3^rd down Bronson Barron hands to Josh Davis gets 7 for that right Weber State first down a remarkable 5 for 5 on 3^rd conversions Weber faces another 3^rd down this time from just inside the 10 Bronson Barren drops back steps up throws for the corner of the end zone he finds Ty Macpherson for 6..

Bronson Barron orchestrates an incredible 18 play 86 yards while eating up 9:29 off the clock Wildcat’s offense emerges flawless on 3^rd down attempts going 6 for 6 in what essentially secures the upset for Weber State.

Jaydn Ott has a debut for the record books

By

Troy Ewers

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September 6, 2022

UC Davis Aggies Vs. California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on, September 03, 2022. (photo by Jorge Birelas / fi360 News)

Berkley, CA- Saturday’s game for Cal football was not only a big debut for the Bears, but a historic day for freshman running back Jaydn Ott, who recorded the most yards from scrimmage for a Cal player in their debut since Keenan Allen in 2010. Ott booked 130 yards from scrimmage in his NCAA debut. Keenan Allen on his debut, 158 yards.

The California Bears offense was flowing like a river down the field and the rushing game was the key point in the flow. In the second quarter Jaydn Ott took over the majority of the rushing snaps and would do so for the rest of the game. Ott’s downhill style of play averaged him 6 yards a run, which would set up Jack Plummer to get a pass off that would extend their drives into the red zone and eventually score.

Ott wasn’t just the main piece of the rushing game, he would also catch 1 of those Plummer touchdown passes in the second quarter. Ott’s 130 yards from scrimmage are an example of how fluid this Bears offense is and going into their next game against UNLV, they’ll need this offense to keep firing on all cylinders.

Plummer back to pass during the UC Davis Aggies vs. California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on, September 03, 2022. (photo by Jorge Birelas / fi360 News)

Ott ‘s big running day freed up Plummer to see every option and if the offensive line can hold back UNLV longer than they did UC Davis, Ott will have another big game, possibly even adding his first NCAA career touchdown to his already impressive stat sheet. Unlike Keenan Allen who recorded his debut 158 yards with 120 receiving yards and 38 rushing, Jaydn Ott ran for 104 yards and got 26 yards receiving, again showcasing how his contribution was the legs holding the table that is the Cal Bears offense.

Saturday, September 10th in Berkeley, Cal will face UNLV and eyes will be on the whole team once again, but scouts will have their eyes on the freshman running back. Jaydn Ott. Between Ott, Mavin Andersen, and J. MIchael Sturdivant the freshman pieces on this offense are worth watching.

Sue Bird’s career, Storm season ends in game four loss to Las Vegas Aces

By

Charles Hamaker

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September 6, 2022

N3L07955 — Photo by Channel Foster / fi360 News

Seattle, WA – In their game four matchup of the WNBA Playoff semifinals, the Seattle Storm would fall to the Las Vegas Aces, 97-92. In yet another down to the wire game in this series, Seattle punched first and seemingly had the upper hand for a majority of the series. As the fourth quarter waned on, the Aces showed their toughness, weathering the Storm and pulling ahead late. Seattle could not overcome their slow third quarter, thus their season, and Sue Bird’s legendary career, came to an end.

For the fourth time in this series, Aces guard Chelsea Gray struck fear into Storm fans everywhere. As the second half ticked past, Gray started to wake up, hitting numerous contested shots and showing no signs of fatigue. While most of the attention defensively typically goes to A’ja Wilson or Kelsey Plum, Gray has terrorized the Storm all series long. The offensive presence that Gray brought to the table may ultimately have been a major part of Seattle’s downfall, as the Storm were not able to guard all of the Ace’s weapons. Storm head coach Noelle Quinn discussed Gray’s impact postgame.

Sue Bird with the layup. Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News

“I don’t think that anyone on planet Earth can guard her. She was unconscious. We tried a lot of different things this series to slow her down. We slowed her scoring down, limited her scoring. She has the ability to pass and play make, she is an incredible player. I think we did a great job at limiting her, but when a player is on a roll like that? It’s tough,” Quinn remarked.

Breanna Stewart put every fiber of her being towards trying to win this game. Stewart scored a WNBA Playoff record 42 points on the night, setting the tone for Seattle and pushing the pace of the game. Seattle did not help those two out much on the offensive end. A stat that indicates this, was that Seattle went nearly 28 minutes between field goals by players other than Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd. This spanned from Sue Bird’s three-pointer at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter until her second three-pointer of the game at the 9:25 mark of the fourth. Stewart shared her thoughts about the result, postgame.

“Tonight, we definitely left it all out on the court… Jewell and I texted before the game, and we wanted to make sure that we left it all out on the court, make sure that we did everything we possibly could. As sad as it is that we aren’t competing for a championship, I think that the most devastating thing is that we can’t be on the court with Sue. We won’t be with her in practice, we won’t see her in games. That’s what hurts the most, is that coming to reality really quickly,” Stewart stated.

The final flight has come to its end. The legendary, historic career of Sue Bird has closed the book on the final chapter. That book features a list of accolades that would take up an entire article on its own, but let’s take a quick walk through. A four-time WNBA champion, the only player in league history to win a title over three separate decades. The league’s all-time assists leader. A 13-time All-Star. Five Olympic gold medals, joined by Diana Taurasi as the only basketball players to have that many. The winningest player in WNBA history, and so much more. Bird herself talked about what it feels like now that her playing journey is over.

“It’s kind a weird, definitely surreal. Initially, you feel sad about the season and the game… and then as the emotions come to the surface, I know that was my last game… overall it just feels kind a weird. I am proud of everything that we accomplished here, and of course I’m sad but, there is happiness too… to have a moment like that with the fans, to have them chant the way that they did,” Bird reflected.

The 2022 Storm season could be deemed successful under most any under circumstances. While the goal for a professional sports team is always a championship, considering the condensed schedule, injuries, and issues with COVID early on, the Storm were very resilient. Breanna Stewart has all but won the most valuable player award. But, and it’s a big one, none of that necessarily matters tonight considering that Sue Bird did not go out with a title. Sadly, our heroes don’t always ride off into the sunset as we hoped.

Clemson Uses Second Half Surge To Secure 41-10 Win Over Georgia Tech

By

Michael Wilson, Jr.

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September 5, 2022

B19W9473 — DJ cuts up field in the red zone. Photo by fi360 News

ATLANTA, Georgia – The Clemson Tigers began its 2022 campaign with a victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Second Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.

The Tigers though still have a lot of work to do before anyone considers them to be legitimate College Football Playoff contenders.

The first quarter was a penalty-riddled, defensive slugfest. On Georgia Tech’s first offensive play, Clemson defensive back Andrew Mukuba intercepted a deep pass from quarterback Jeff Sims. The Yellow Jackets defense responded with a three-and-out. On the Tigers next offensive series, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei fumbled the ball deep in Georgia Tech territory.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets had a bad habit of gaining tough yards on offense, then losing those yards (and then some) with multiple penalties. Their defense mitigated a potential disaster by limiting the Tigers to 43 total yards, 0-for-2 on third down conversion attempts and no points. Uiagalelei admitted that the Georgia Tech defense “had a lot of good calls” that prevented Clemson’s offense from sustaining drives.

Clemson’s offense finally came to life midway through the second quarter. Will Shipley scored on a 1-yard touchdown run that was set up when Brannon Spector recovered a muffed Georgia Tech punt on the 5-yard line. It still took the Tigers 4 plays to go the 5 yards needed for the score.

Clemson went up 14-0 on its next possession, when Uiagalelei found wide receiver Beaux Collins in the back of the endzone for a 6-yard touchdown.

Just before the half, the Yellow Jackets finally got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by Jude Kelley.

In the third quarter the Yellow Jackets made the game interesting – momentarily. The offense put together a 9 play, 57 yard drive, culminating with Sims throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to E.J. Jenkins, to make the score 14-10.

Clemson finally decided that they had enough.

While the Tigers defense and special teams unit held the Yellow Jackets scoreless the rest of the way, the offense scored on five of their last six possessions. B.T. Potter kicked two field goals, Uiagalelei and Shipley each added touchdown runs, and backup quarterback Cade Klubnik threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Will Taylor to solidify the 41-10 victory.

After the game, Georgia Tech Head Coach Geoff Collins acknowledged that “ten penalties and two blocked punts is not a recipe [for success] against a team of that caliber.” The Yellow Jackets also suffered when star linebacker Charlie Thomas went out of the game. Even though his backup came into the game and played well, Coach Collins lamented that “when you lose a player of the caliber of Charlie, it hurts.” Ultimately, Coach Collins felt that his team had some good things to build on. He intends to use the next five days to put this loss to bed and get his team ready to take on Western Carolina.

Coach Dabo Sweeney was happy that his Tigers won the first game. He lauded the defense for starting the game strong. He praised his offense for going 7 out 7 in the red zone. He also acknowledged that Uiagalelei was under a lot of pressure to show improvement, and he felt that his quarterback handled the situation well. For his part, Uiagalelei tuned out the outside noise. When asked how he felt about his performance, Uiagalelei responded that he was happy that the offense found its rhythm and “did a good job of keeping drives alive.” As the game went on, Uiagalelei felt more comfortable. “The first two dives in the second half [in particular] really felt good and the game really slowed down. It is a lot of fun and makes the game a lot easier.” Uiagalelei and Coach Sweeney both hope that that sentiment, coupled with improved play from the line, his playmakers and the defense, will carry over from this game to the rest of the season.

UP NEXT:

Clemson hosts Furman and Georgia Tech welcomes Western Carolina to Atlanta on 09/10/22.

Storm collapse in overtime, losing game three to Aces in thriller

By

Charles Hamaker

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September 4, 2022

Seattle, WA – In a critical swing game, the Seattle Storm failed to hang with the Las Vegas Aces in overtime, falling 110-98. A myriad of things went wrong for Seattle, but the Storm only have themselves to blame. Missed free throws late that should have iced the game, poor defense against the best offensive team in the league, and an ice-cold start doomed the Storm. Seattle now has their backs against the wall, and will have to force a game five in Las Vegas. Game four is now a win-or-go-home situation.

Prior to the game, Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon stated that her team must “win” the first five minutes of this contest. Five minutes in, they had done that, with a score of 14-7. Although that’s only a seven-point lead, the Aces were hitting essentially any shot that they wanted. The Storm couldn’t buy a basket if they tried, and those two factors created a disaster mixture for Seattle.

Aces Coach Becky Hammon. Photo by fi360 News

While Seattle was able to shore up their shooting percentage a bit by the time the final whistle blew, their bone-chillingly cold start would set the stage for a slew of self-inflicted wounds. Tina Charles missed two free-throws with seven seconds left that should have been the final nail in the coffin. The Storm were very poor in the rebound department. And there were too many occurrences where the Storm were left in the dust on defense.

It really doesn’t need to be stated, but Sue Bird is one of the most iconic players in basketball history, let alone women’s basketball history. The Storm point guard almost had another iconic moment to hang her hat on in this game. A potential game winner, spoiled by the defensive breakdown that took place on the very next play.

With 1.9 seconds left on the game clock, and the Storm down by two points, Seattle had a decision to make. Who would get the ball in this situation? Breanna Stewart, who was heating up in the fourth quarter? Jewell Loyd, a player with clutch ability in her DNA? Or Stephanie Talbot, who had scored all of her points in that quarter? None, Sue Bird got the ball in the corner and splashed a three pointer to put Seattle ahead by two. What should have been one of the most memorable shots in league history, was essentially wiped away right after. Bird where she thought the game was really lost.

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) (Photo by fi360 News)

“We were up four with not a lot of time left, and that really to me is where we lost the game. Letting them take the lead, meaning they scored five points in three seconds, that to me is where we really let this one go. I understand the last plays will stick out because they’re dramatic and great TV, but we were up four,” Bird remarked.

At several points throughout this game, the Storm looked like a team that was drowning. Unable to find much of any rhythm offensively, simply couldn’t stop the Aces shooting, even with great defensive positioning. This game can easily be viewed as a potential must win, considering the depth and firepower that the Aces have. Now, after stealing a critical first game in Las Vegas, the Storm have failed to play to a level that would match the Aces in back-to-back matchups. Sue Bird discussed how Seattle can bounce back after the loss.

Seattle bench celebrate. (Photo by Channel Foster)

“You just do. I think right now, you’re not going to see happy faces, you’re not gonna see people that are thrilled with what happened, and that’s okay. You kind of have to go through those emotions to get to the other side, and then tomorrow we have one day to prepare… You just have to find a way to put this one behind you and move on,” Bird reflected.

The next game in this WNBA playoffs semifinals series is on Tuesday, September 6th. The series remains at Climate Pledge Arena, in a do-or-die game for the Storm. Tipoff is at 7PM PST between the fourth seed Seattle and first seed Las Vegas. Sue Bird’s final season rests on the shoulders of what takes place this Tuesday.

Washington Huskies handle Kent State for season opening win

By

Charles Hamaker

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September 4, 2022

NelsonAaron_Montana_Washington_9_4_2021-29 — Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle, WA., (Aaron Nelson / fi360 News)

Seattle, WA – The Kalen DeBoer era for the Washington Huskies began with a bang, thanks to a 45-20 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes. The season opening win is a much better result for Washington, compared to the disastrous loss to Montana that opened the 2021 campaign. Starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr hushed doubters with a great game through the air, while safety Asa Turner snagged two of the defenses three interceptions. The win is a positive sign moving forward, as the Huskies look to establish a new identity with a new head coach.

The Washington offense last season under John Donovan lacked creativity, and more importantly, an ability to move the football. With a new coaching staff, the offense moved the ball in a balanced manner against Kent State. Transfer quarterback Michael Penix Jr aired the ball out to ten different receivers, finding talented wideouts Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan often. Washington used a committee at running back, with transfer Wayne Taulapapa, Will Nixon, and Cam Davis splitting carries.

Of the ten drives that Washington had tonight, only three of them failed to score points. Those three drives all came in the second half with the Huskies up by multiple touchdowns. After Washington first drive of the game, coming off of a first play interception, the Huskies rattled off three drives of 75+ yards. This sort of efficiency and balance is an incredibly encouraging sign, and showed what Michael Penix Jr is capable of behind center. Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke about his starting quarterback, and his efficiency, postgame.

“There are some subtle things a fan would not understand, especially in the second quarter. He must’ve checked the protection three or four times… he kept us out of the bad plays, some things that he saw and heard. Putting pieces together, knowing where the pressure might come from, where the defense might be. Just really impressed about him,” Deboer remarked.

On the other side of the ball, the Huskies saw mixed results. The very first play of the game was an interception by junior safety Asa Turner, setting the tone immediately. After Kent State’s first two drives, quarterback Collin Schlee seemed to find some rhythm. The Golden Flashes used a heavy run game and receivers Dante Cephas and Devontez Walker heavily. With that sort of mixture, Kent State put up a fight and the Husky defense couldn’t properly dominate.

Washington’s defense failed to get much pressure on the quarterback, but did see success in pass defense, a calling card the Huskies have held for years. There were gashing runs and blown coverages that will need to be adjusted. On special teams, Washington’s kickoff coverage allowed Kent State to have great field position too often. Those sorts of things come in a season opening game. Football, like all sports, is a game of adjustments.

This victory alleviates some of the nerves and anxiety that surrounded this game, due to a number of reasons. Following the loss to Montana to open up last season and the general turmoil that carried throughout the year, Husky fans and players wanted to rip that page out and start anew. While it wasn’t pristine, the win showed some great potential of what the program an do this season, and some healthy areas of growth. The Huskies look to be in a good spot, and DeBoer seems ready to build off of this. The first-year Washington coach would reflect on the game.

“There are teams you should beat, but it’s never easy. You still gotta go out and do it. They made it tough for us and times, I thought that we were steady… took what they gave us offensively, we were efficient and converted when we needed to. In the second half, we got off of the field when we needed to,” DeBoer reflected.

Coming off of this victory, Washington will continue their non-conference schedule next week when they host Portland State. Kickoff for the September 10th 1PM PST.

The Huskies will look to capitalize on a Portland State Vikings team that struggled last season in the Big Sky conference, and opened this season with a loss to San Jose State.

USC dominates Rice on both sides of the ball to win season opener

By

Eric Ramos

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September 3, 2022

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEPT 03 RICE at USC — LOS ANGELES, CA -SEPTEMBER 03: US Running Back Raleek Brown strikes a Hiesman pose in the end zone after scoring a touchdown during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans on September 03, 2021, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Los Angeles, CA – Lincoln Riley’s debut saw the USC Trojans score early and often with the defense scoring 21 points in a dominating 66-14 win over Rice on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards on six carries.

LOS ANGELES, CA -SEPTEMBER 03: USC Quarterback Caleb Williams looks to throw the ball during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans on September 03, 2021, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

USC had three pick six in the game and finished with four interceptions. USC’s three interceptions returned for a touchdown in today’s game tie the school single game record of three also accomplished on Nov. 11, 1982 at Arizona.

“Great first win. Really, really proud of the team,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “It’s a fun moment to finally be here. I think the team was anxious and excited just with all the buildup, just ready to finally go play, and I thought we responded well. Obviously, how do you start with anything but the three pick-sixes? I was told its a Pac-12 record and a USC record. They’ve been playing ball around here for a long time. You don’t break records very often.”

The Riley era got off to a hot start as USC drove down the field on its opening possession and scored on a Caleb Williams 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison.

LOS ANGELES, CA -SEPTEMBER 03: USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans on September 03, 2021, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Rice responded with a 16-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Ari Broussard. Rice evened the score 7-7 with 3:09 remaining in the first quarter.

On their second possession of the game, Stanford transfer Austin Jones scored from four yards out to give USC a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. USC freshman running back Raleek Brown used his speed to get into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

The USC defense got in on the scoring when safety Caleb Bullock intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 93 yards for the touchdown and a 28-7 lead in the second quarter.

Broussard scored his second touchdown of the game to cut USC’s lead 28-14 with just under two minutes left in the first half. USC added a field goal and took a 31-14 lead into halftime.

LOS ANGELES, CA -SEPTEMBER 03: USC Linebacker Shane Lee intercepts the ball and returns it for a touchdown during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans on September 03, 2021, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

USC linebacker Shane Lee opened the third quarter with a pick six. He returned the interception 40 yards to give USC a 38-14 lead. On the ensuing drive, linebacker Ralen Goforth gave USC its third pick six of the game. Goforth returned the interception 31 yards for the score and a 45-14 lead.

“I think that’s what we set out to do as a defense is to play together, play hard, just run into the ball and be physical, and I think we did,” Lee said. “I think we accomplished that today. Especially by playing together. This is the first day we got to step on the field against an opponent, someone that wasn’t in the same color as us.”

LOS ANGELES, CA -SEPTEMBER 03: USC Linebacker Ralen Goforth intercepts the ball and returns it for a touchdown during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans on September 03, 2021, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)

Williams threw his second touchdown of the game to Addison and the Trojans took a 52-14 lead in the third quarter. Jones and Darwin Barlow scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to extend the lead and put the game away.

Next week USC will travel to open PAC-12 play verse Stanford.

Plummer leads Cal in Season Opener

By

Troy Ewers

-

September 3, 2022

DSC_4878a — UC Davis Aggies Vs. California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on, September 03, 2022. (photo by Jorge Birelas / fi360 News)

The only time it looked like UC Davis had a chance to make a comeback, Hastings would be intercepted by freshman cornerback Jeremiah Earby and from there the game would genuinely be put to bed. The 4th quarter was a stalemate until Jack Plummer would throw his final touchdown of the day to Mavis Anderson, making the final score 34-13 Cal. An impressive game by a quarterback who before the game started was the biggest variable fans and media had going into the game.

The topic of discussion from every media guy in the stadium was “how good is Cal’s quarterback Jack Plummer?” and this first game can make anyone believe that Plummer might be the guy.

If you only watched the first quarter of this game, then Plummer made no impression on you. Between getting sacked twice in the first 2 drives to getting intercepted by Teddye Buchanan of Davis in the 3rd drive, Plummer was not the guy that would be considered a person who can lead a team. At the end of the quarter, it was 7-0 UC Davis and energy was down in Berkeley, but the second quarter would change the energy for the rest of the day.

At the start of the quarter, Plummer only had 4 passing yards. By the time he was on the field this quarter, he strung together 3 straight passing first downs, 2 of them to Junior receiver Jeremiah Hunter who would end his day with 78 yards and a touchdown which would occur on this exact drive that tied up the game 7-7.

Plummer would get the ball back halfway through the 2^nd quarter and in 4 minutes and 8 seconds, he led the team 87 yards for another passing touchdown to backup running back Jayden Ott. 14-7 Cal. Plummer was showing poise all through the quarter and before the half, Cal would get a field goal (17-7), but the highlight before the half was how Plummer led the drive only passing to Hunter and Ott.

After halftime momentum was clearly in Cal’s favor after UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings would throw an interception to Craig Woodsoon for a touchdown making the game 24-7 Cal. A 60 yard touchdown run by Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. would scare the fans a little, but that touchdown would be the last for the Aggies today.

Plummer would lead the team down the field all 3rd quarter, but would only get a field goal. His composure when the pocket collapsed was the highlight of his day. Cal’s offensive line never was able to keep UC Davis from getting to Plummer, but his awareness would leave him unscathed. He was obviously my standout performer today, but Jeremiah Hunter, Jayden Ott, and Jeremiah Earby were the players that deserved a round of applause for making big plays when it mattered.

The only weaknesses I saw from this Cal team was the offensive line and that’s not a surprise considering their All Pac-12 o-linemen Brett Johnson will be out due to injury. The defense of Cal is very strong from what was seen today.

The secondary never let a big pass get through and inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon is clearly the leader of this Bears defense. All that being said, Cal will be tested heavily this season, playing Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford, and USC, so even though this game against UC Davis is a good confidence booster, it’s still just the first game of the season. At least the coaching staff can breathe a sigh of relief knowing Jack Plummer is their guy for 2022.