Los Angeles, CA – The USC Trojans came out guns blazing in their home opener against the Cal State Northridge Matadors to secure their first win of the season 89-49 on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
USC put the clamps on CSUN early.
Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
The Trojans forced 14 turnovers scoring 20 points off of those turnovers. They also held the Matadors to 32.8% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range.
“I was very proud of our players and how they came out with intensity, they shared the ball, and they played outstanding defense. That’s how we built a lead,” said USC head coach Andy Enfield.
Before you knew it, the Trojans led by 33 to go up 52-19 at halftime.
Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
Memphis transfer and San Diego native Boogie Ellis made his debut as a Trojan with 20 points (9-11 FGs), 2 assists and 2 steals.
Ellis exploded for an emphatic breakaway dunk at the 3:22 mark in the first half and the crowd erupted in his ‘welcome home’ moment.
“It was a great experience,” said Ellis. “I’m just happy to be home playing on the west coast and playing with these guys right here. It’s a really exciting team. I love playing with them so I’m just happy to be back home and playing here.”
USC’s top returning scorer Isaiah Mobley put up 15 points, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
With the fans back in the stands, the energy was electric in the Galen Center.
Photo by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
“It was a fun game. Beginning to end. I thought we played really well. Having that Trojan family back was extremely exciting,” said Mobley.
The Trojans returned six of their top eight scorers from the 2020-2021 season.
USC made an Elite 8 appearance in last season’s NCAA Tournament. The team received their Elite 8 rings and raised their Elite 8 finalist banner in their pregame ceremony.
“It was super cool seeing those highlights, cherishing that memory, and finally getting to see the rings in person. It went beyond my expectations,” said Mobley.
The USC Trojans go on the road against Temple on Saturday, November 13th at 4 pm.
DALLAS (FWAA) – Cornerback Steven Jones Jr. lent a scoring hand from the defensive side of the ball Saturday, returning two of his three interceptions for touchdowns to boost App State’s runaway 48-14 win at Arkansas State. For the two scoring returns and the interceptions that catapulted him into a tie for the national lead, Jones earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 6, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the second time for an App State player to earn this weekly honor and first since 2019 when current super senior defensive end Demetrius Taylor won it following an upset win Sept. 19 at North Carolina. Jones will be added to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.
The 5-10, 180-pound senior from Rockingham, N.C., scored on returns of 47 and 34 yards, sandwiched around a leaping interception at the goal line that gave the first-year starter three pick-six touchdowns and four total interceptions over the last two games. He’s the first Mountaineer to score on a pair of interceptions since 1983, and now has five picks this season in only his 10th start at cornerback. He is tied with South Carolina safety Jaylan Foster the national lead. The two touchdown returns against Arkansas State and four career scores both tie Sun Belt Conference records.
“I was just focused on doing my job – staying on top, looking at the formations,” Jones said. “From watching film, I knew a couple plays and I just capitalized.”
Constant pressure from the front seven – App State had four sacks and 11 tackles for loss against Arkansas State – played a role in the dominant defensive effort. A block from Taylor, App State’s previous Bronko Nagurski weekly winner, paved the way for Jones to reach the end zone on his touchdown that resulted in a 14-0 lead.
Jones ended the first half of last week’s home win against ULM with a 14-yard return for a score. No FBS player has had three pick-six scores in a shorter span than Jones since Houston’s Johnny Jackson set an NCAA record by scoring three times on interception returns in a 1987 game against Texas. Jones tied four other defenders for App State’s single-game interception record and matched three other Mountaineer alums for the pick-six touchdown record in a single game.
The three interception returns for touchdowns in one season and four in a career are school records for Jones, who also scored on a 34-yard return against Troy last season and actually has five career touchdowns thanks to an end-zone recovery of a punt he blocked against Gardner-Webb in 2018.
The Mountaineers host South Alabama at 2:30 pm ET Saturday on ESPN-Plus.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Charlotte Touchdown Club The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1990, the club has raised and donated nearly $3 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.
About LendingTree, Inc. LendingTree is the nation’s leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards, insurance and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers’ credit accounts against offers on their network and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. LendingTree’s purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life’s meaningful moments through choice, education and support.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 today announced its 2021 football season’s tenth weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva. See below for Week Ten’s recognitions across the Conference and keep track of the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year watchlist here:
OFFENSE: Rachaad White, RS Sr., RB, Arizona State (Kansas City, MO)
Delivered a historic performance in Arizona State’s 31-16 victory over USC. White ran for a career-high 202 yards on only 28 carries (7.2 ypc), scoring three touchdowns on the ground. His rushing total was good for the third-most in the NCAA this week.
It is the sixth-most rushing yards by a Sun Devil in a Pac-10/12 game (since 1978). He added two catches for 35 yards to give him 337 of ASU?s 427 total yards of offense (78.9 percent).
White is the first player to rush for over 200 yards since Eno Benjamin’s school record 312 yards against Oregon State in 2018. It was the 22nd instance of a Sun Devil rushing for over 200 yards in program history and the 16th individual to reach the milestone. The 202 yards were the third-most in the 38 games played in the series between the two teams. It was the first time USC had allowed a 200-yard rusher since UCLA Josh Kelly in 2018 (289).
The effort also put White over the 1,000 yard mark in his career at ASU (now at 1,105). He is the first player to rush for over 100 yards (102) in the first half since Benjamin against USC in 2018.
He was also the first ASU player with two rushing touchdowns over 47 yards since Benjamin in that same USC game in 2018. White has multiple touchdowns in seven of his 12 games at ASU and has at least one touchdown in 10 of those 12 games with the Devils. He now has 19 touchdowns in his career (17 rushing, two receiving) in just 12 games played (1.6 per game).
With two plays of over 30+ yards, White now has nine “explosive” plays in his brief Sun Devil career (six rushing, three receiving).
Second Sun Devil to take home this award this season with QB Jayden Daniels winning after Week Five. First ASU RB to win it since Eno Benjamin in October 2018.
Third time that Lloyd as earned this honor this season, winning after both Week One and Week Seven. Only Pac-12 player to take home the award multiple times this season and the first to win it three times in the same season since Arizona’s Scooby Wright did it three times in 2014.
Had a career-high five TFLs (19 yards) and one sack among his game-high nine total stops in the win over Stanford (Nov. 5). In addition, Lloyd added his second career pick-six and third interception of the season, plus a breakup. Two tackles came on third down, as did Lloyd’s pick-six with Stanford backed up inside its own 10-yard line.
Lloyd’s five TFLs are the most by a Ute since 2016, and tied for fourth-most in a game in program history. It is the most by a Power 5 player and third-most in FBS football this season.
Anchored a Utah defense that held the Cardinal to 167 yards, the least amount of offensive yards by a Utah opponent since 2019. Utah’s defense pushed Stanford back to (-)13 yards of offense in the first quarter.
Lloyd is tied for No. 3 in PFF’s linebacker grades (90.3 overall).
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kyle Ostendorp, Soph., P, Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)
Averaged 50.1 yards per punt on seven kicks. Downed four of his seven punts inside the 20, including three inside the 10 and one at the 1-yard line. Played a crucial role in field position as Cal’s average field position was their own 21-yard line.
Fifth in the nation in punting at 48.2 yards per punt. Has the most punts of 50 yards or more in the Pac-12 (24). Has the second-most punts downed inside the 20 in the Pac-12 (16).
First Arizona player to win this award since kicker Lucas Havrisik in October 2019 and first Arizona punter to be honored since Drew Riggleman in November 2014.
Third time in the last four weeks that a Utah player has won this award with Nick Ford taking it home after Week Seven and Week Nine.
Part of a group that protected for a Utah team that produced 581 total yards of offense in the win vs. Stanford (Nov. 5). It included 441 rushing yards for the Utes, the fourth-most in program history and tops since 1991.
Created holes that set up running backs Tavion Thomas (20 carries-178 yds), Micah Bernard (12-110) and TJ Pledger (4-107) to become the first Utah trio to all rush for 100 yards in a game. Among others, Daniels had a beautiful pancake block in the second quarter that left Thomas a hole for an 11-yard touchdown, his fourth TD of the night.
QB Cameron Rising was neither sacked nor threw a pick. Utah QBs have not been sacked on their last 140 pass attempts. Utah produced 440 yards of total offense in the first half, the first 400-yard half for the Utes since amassing 424 yards (1st half) vs. Weber State in 2013.
Also nominated: Dohnovan West, C, Arizona State; Kary Kutsch, OG, Colorado; Ryan Walk, C/LG, Oregon; Josh McCauley, C/LT, Arizona
First time an Arizona player has won this award since it began prior to the 2019 season.
Career-high 2.5 sacks and 3 TFL. His 2.5 sacks were the most of anyone in the Pac-12 this week. Second on the team with five tackles.
Was a key reason Arizona allowed just three points and 122 yards. Helped anchor the defense that allowed 28 rushing yards (1.2 yards per carry). Arizona’s 122 yards allowed is the fewest in a conference game since 2006.
Three points allowed is the fewest since 2013. Cal only had three possessions of 5+ plays. Helped force six three-and-outs.
Tied for third in the Pac-12 with five sacks
Also nominated: Mika Tafua, DE, Utah; D.J. Davidson, NT, Arizona State; Popo Aumavae, DT, Oregon
FRESHMAN: Jeffrey Bassa, Fr., LB/Safety, Oregon (West Valley City, UT)
Fourth time an Oregon player has won this award this season, all by one of their linebackers. Justin Flowe took home the award in Week One before being lost for the season and Noah Sewell went to back-to-back with wins in Week Seven and Week Eight.
Helped lead No. 4 Oregon to a 26-16 win over Washington with six tackles, 1.5 TFLs, one sack, and a pass breakup. Matched his career-high with six tackles for the third straight game.
Recorded his first career sack on a second-down play on the first drive of the third quarter. Came up with a half TFL on a key fourth-down stop to set up a second-quarter TD drive.
A big part of Oregon’s defense that held Washington to just 166 yards of total offense, the first time UO allowed fewer than 200 yards vs. a Pac-12 team since 2010. UO’s defense limited UW to just seven first downs.
Made his fourth straight start at inside linebacker after transitioning from safety this season out of need.
Oregon’s highest-graded player by Pro Football Focus at 79.3.
Also nominated: Will Plummer, QB, Arizona; Nate Rutchena, ILB, California; Xavion Alford, Safety, USC; Cole Becker, PK, Colorado; Eddie Czaplicki, P, Arizona State; Cole Bishop, Safety, Utah
Colorado Brendon Lewis (12) dives for touchdown while being pursued by Oregon State Alex Austin in first overtime of Oregon State vs. Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 6, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue, fi360 News)
Boulder, CU – The Buffaloes find a way to upset the Beavers by keeping the game close and allowing the defense to hold on tight in the thriller 37-34 victory some might call an upset.
Colorado won the game with a true freshman Cole Becker kicking a 43-yard field goal in double overtime, which came shortly after Oregon State’s Everett Hayes missed a 38-yarder.
Oregon State defensive attempts to block field goal by Colorado Cole Becker (36) in second quarter of Oregon State vs. Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 6, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue, fi360 News)
“That’s the moment that all kickers dream about that, right there,” Becker said. “And I’m so proud of the way this team rallied.”
Colorado rested on great play by quarterback Brendon Lewis who threw three touchdowns and 170 yards which was enough Saturday under the lights.
The ground game was critical in helping keep Oregon State offense off the field. Jarek Broussard had 24 carries rushing for 151 yards, while his supporting cast allowed for the team to have 255 total yards rushing.
Colorado Daniel Arias III (6) completes the reception for a touchdown in first quarter of Oregon State vs. Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 6, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue, fi360 News)
“Whew … what a game,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “I felt like our team grew up a little bit today. They rose to the circumstances and they didn’t panic. We’ll see where it takes us.”
Colorado Isaiah Lewis came up with a timely interception to halt the Beavers in the red-zone taking back the moment in second quarter up 10-7. Lewis finished the game with five tackles with his interception.
Oregon State two way star Jack Colletto was making his presence felt on the ground with 3 rushes 22 yards. The big run was wildcats like 14 yard touchdown run to get Beavers on the scoreboard.
Oregon State Jack Colletto (12) runs for a touchdown in second quarter of Oregon State vs. Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 6, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue, fi360 News)
Colorado improved to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Pac-12. Oregon State (5-4, 3-3), trying to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2013, suffered a huge blow in that quest with this loss.
The fourth quarter almost cost Colorado the victory when their 20-10 lead evaporated slowly.
Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig claimed a late 16-yard touchdown catch. Lemonious-Craig finished the day with two catches for 22 yards but the scoring play was the catch that was needed.
Oregon State BJ Baylor (4) is tackled by group of Colorado defenders in first quarter of Oregon State vs. Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 6, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue, fi360 News)
For the defense for Colorado Quinn Perry led the team with 9 tackles to help slow down the Beavers scoring just enough.
“Our mindset was to go out there and score again,” Lewis said. “That’s what we did and came out with a win.”
The Buffalos will travel to the Rose Bowl next week to face the UCLA Bruins and look for another victory.
Colorado La’Vontae Shenault (5), Brenden Rice (2) and Montana Lemonious-Craig (15) celebrates Lemonious-Craig’s fourth quarter lead taking touchdown during Oregon State vs. Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday November 6, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue, fi360 News)
The Beavers will host Stanford Saturday and try to get the much need six victory to get in a bowl game.
The 12th seeded Arleta Mustangs (9-2) were trailing by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but came storming back against the 5th seeded Carson Colts (3-5) in the Division I first-round playoffs to advance with a 29-28 victory on Friday in Carson.
Arleta Head Coach Bill Coan described what it was like to win in the first round of the playoffs.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
“It’s awesome, especially on the road. It was a tough game for both sides. Battled back and forth. It’s our first victory over Carson since our school started, so it’s nice. It’s nice that our kids competed. They never gave up from being behind to winning the game.”
Carson created what seemed to be a comfortable cushion when Jalen Jones ran the ball all the way to the house to put his team up 28-15 in the third quarter.
But this cushion soon dissipated.
Arleta’s senior Kelvin Duran scored on a touchdown run to cut the lead to six, 28-22.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
Arleta was not going away that easy.
In the fourth quarter, Duran scored again to give his team their first lead 29-28 with 10:53 minutes remaining in the game.
In a quick turn of events, Arleta fumbled at the 7:42 mark and Carson recovered.
Carson made a play with 3:52 minutes remaining.
The clock was ticking.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
Carson threw a pass in the endzone but couldn’t connect.
Arleta shut them down defensively when it mattered most.
“We tried our best,” said Coach Coan. “We had a couple of mistakes. We had a couple of fumbles. But our defense picked it up. We played extremely great football in the second half.”
Arleta was on an 8-game winning streak coming into the playoffs, was 6-0 in league and finished 1st in the East Valley league.
Photo by Brianne Ingram
“We’re going to enjoy this one for a little bit and on the weekend study more film,” said Coach Coan.
Arleta faces Canoga Park in the playoff second round next Friday, November 12th.
DALLAS (FWAA) – Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah tied a school record with four sacks as part of eight total tackles to go with two forced fumbles as Kansas State (5-3) blasted TCU, 31-12, last Saturday. For the dominant performance that tied a 21-year-old school record, Anudike-Uzomah earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 30, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the fifth time for a Kansas State player to earn this weekly honor and first since last season when safety Jahron McPherson was the pick for the weekend of Sept. 26. Anudike-Uzomah will be added to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.
The 6-3, 255-pound sophomore from Lee’s Summit, Mo., posted sacks on three consecutive plays at one point, finishing the first half with sacks on consecutive plays and then scoring one on TCU’s first snap of the third quarter. The 4.0 sacks tie Chris Johnson’s single-game school record posted against Missouri in 2000.
Anudike-Uzomah was close to tying the all-time FBS single-game record for sacks. His two forced fumbles came on potential sacks that caused the ball to be recovered beyond the original line of scrimmage, thus officially making them rushes instead of sacks by NCAA rule. If the ball had been recovered on the TCU side of the line – regardless of who recovered – those two would have been counted as sacks to give him six on the day to tie a FBS record and break the Big 12 mark.
Anudike-Uzomah is second in the FBS in sacks (10) and forced fumbles (4) and leads the Big 12 in both categories. He is just 1.5 sacks shy of tying the school single-season record with at least four games remaining, and is 13th nationally in tackles for loss (11.5), also tops in the Big 12.
The Wildcats travel to Kansas for the 119th annual Sunshine Showdown at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on FS1.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Charlotte Touchdown Club The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1990, the club has raised and donated nearly $3 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.
About LendingTree, Inc. LendingTree is the nation’s leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards, insurance and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers’ credit accounts against offers on their network and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. LendingTree’s purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life’s meaningful moments through choice, education and support.
The USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks meet in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to play in the 2020 PAC-12 Confrence Championship on Dec. 18, 2020. (John McGillen)
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 today announced its 2021 football season’s ninth weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva. See below for Week Nine’s recognitions across the Conference and keep track of the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year watchlist here:
First time winning this award but the third time in the last 4 weeks that a Utah player has won it. QB Cameron Rising won it in back-to-back in Week Six and Week Seven. First Utah running back to capture this honor since Joe Williams in October 2016.
Paced the Utah ground game vs. UCLA (Oct. 30) with a season-high 24 carries for a career-best 160 yards, and a school-record-tying four touchdowns. Thomas averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and his four scores (10 yds, 8, 10, 24) were the most on the ground in the Pac-12 this weekend.
It was the first four-TD game by a Utah rusher since 2016, eighth in program history and just the third in the Pac-12 since 2019.
Fittingly on the night that Utah retired the No. 22 jersey, Thomas had the most rushing yards in a game by a Ute since the late Ty Jordan had 167 vs. Oregon State during 2020. In that same theme, Thomas is the first Utah player since Jordan in 2020 both to rush for three touchdowns in a game, and also do so in a half (three for Thomas were in first half).
Third multi-touchdown game of the season and fourth of his career. Thomas recorded his third 100-yard rushing game, fifth by a Ute this season (three different players) and fifth of Thomas’ career.
Utah’s 469 yards of total offense were the most by the team this season and fourth straight game amassing 400-plus yards.
DEFENSE & FRESHMAN: Carson Bruener, Fr., ILB, Washington (Woodinville, WA)
First player to win the Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week in the same week since the freshman award was created prior to the 2019 season. First Washington player to earn the freshman award since QB Dylan Morris won it twice last season. First Washington player to win the defensive award since LB Edefuan Ulofoshio was selected in November 2019.
In the first start of his career, in place of the injured Ulofoshio, Bruener led the Huskies’ defense in a 20-13 win at Stanford. He led all players with 16 total tackles (11 solo, 5 assisted), along with one-and-a-half sacks and a forced fumble.
The solo sack and forced fumble came in the third quarter when Bruener hit the Cardinal QB for a nine-yard loss. The ball was recovered by a Husky teammate and then UW got a field goal on the ensuing drive to increase the lead to 12-3. Washington’s defense held Stanford to 67 rushing yards, 261 yards of total offense and just 13 points.
Also nominated for Defense: Nephi Sewell, LB, Utah; Elijah Hicks, Safety, California; Jahad Woods, LB, Washington State; Avery Roberts, ILB, Oregon State; Jeffrey Bassa, LB/S, Oregon; Anthony Pandy, LB, Arizona
Also nominated for Freshman: Byron Cardwell, RB, Oregon; Ethan Garbers, QB, UCLA; Brenden Rice, WR, Colorado; Karene Reid, LB, Utah; Will Plummer, QB, Arizona; Eric Gentry, LB, Arizona State; Jaxson Dart, QB, USC; Femi Oladejo, ILB, California
SPECIAL TEAMS: Peyton Henry, Jr., PK, Washington (Danville, CA)
Washington’s veteran kicker did the lion’s share of the scoring in the Huskies’ 20-13 road win over Stanford, tying a career high with four field goals in four attempts, accounting for 12 points.
Henry, a Bay Area native, connected on field goals from 24, 37, 35 and 32 yards. He is currently 9-for-11 on field goals this season.
First Washington player to win this award since 2017 when Dante Pettis won it three times. First time a UW kicker has claimed this honor since P/K Travis Coons in October 2013.
Also nominated: Nick Alftin, TE, California; Cameron Rising, QB, Utah; Alex Stadthaus, PK, USC; Brenden Rice; WR, Colorado
OFFENSIVE LINE: Nick Ford, Jr., LG, Utah (San Pedro, CA)
Second time in the last three weeks that Ford has earned this award. He also won it in the final week of the 2020 season.
Moved over to left guard from center as a result of some injury-related shuffling on the Utah offensive line. Didn’t miss a beat, as the veteran Ford helped protect for a Utah offense that generated a season-high 469 yards of total offense and scored on all five of its red zone trips.
It included a career-best 160 rushing yards for running back Tavion Thomas, who tied a Utah record with four touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Cameron Rising was neither intercepted nor sacked on 71 offensive plays, and only two UCLA tackles went for a loss on the night. Rising had four completions of 15-plus yards (total 73 passing yards) and Utah recorded 11 carries of 10-plus yards (total 162 yards).
Ford has led a consistently reliable offensive line which has not allowed a Rising sack in three straight games (total 217 plays).
Also nominated: Matthew Cindric, C, California; Liam Ryan, OT, Washington State; T.J. Bass, LT, Oregon; Luke Wattenberg, C, Washington; Josh McCauley, C, Arizona
DEFENSIVE LINE: Ron Stone Jr., RS Jr., Edge, Washington State (San Jose, CA)
Third time a Washington State player has won this award in the last five weeks. Brennan Jackson took it home in both Week Five and Week Seven.
Anchored a Cougar defense that forced five Sun Devil turnovers in WSU’s 34-21 win in Tempe. Stone finished the day with six tackles, four solo, two tackles-for-loss, one sack and a fumble recovery.
Of Stone’s six tackles, two were behind the line of scrimmage and the other four went for three yards or less. Stone currently ranks second in the Pac-12 in tackles-for loss (10.5) and tied for third in sack (5.5).
Also nominated: Hauati Pututau, DT, Utah; Tuli Tuipulotu, DL, USC; Jalen Harris, DE, Arizona; Voi Tunuufi, DT, Washington
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Kraken fell to the New York Rangers on Halloween night by a score of 3-1. The transition play of the Rangers, as well as goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s masterclass in goal, would be the downfall for the Kraken. This snapped their two-game win streak and ended the first homestand in franchise history with two wins, two losses over four games.
Winger Jordan Eberle would net the lone goal for Seattle on a spinning backhand shot in the second period, assisted by Winger Jaden Schwartz. Seattle would battle hard all game long after giving up a goal a little under four minutes into the game, mounting shots on Shesterkin, but continued power play woes and an inability to finish would doom the Kraken.
Photo by Mellissa Levin / fi360 News
As mentioned, Seattle battled hard. This game easily could have gone to an overtime period, as the tying goal was mere inches away from crossing the line, but the puck didn’t slide in favor of the Kraken tonight.
When asked about getting so many opportunities and ending up with this result, Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer stated “You’re going to win some games you should lose, you’re going to lose some games you should win, and I think that this is one of them.”
The Kraken played a good game, outshooting the Rangers 32-18, and keeping this game close until late in the final period. Seattle got tricked instead of receiving a treat, and this trick was a tough loss at home that easily could have gone in their favor.
Photo by Mellissa Levin / fi360 News
A key phrase that comes to mind is that quality is better than quantity, and that rang true at Climate Pledge Arena tonight. While outshooting the Rangers by 14 is great, New York used their great transition game to take advantage of the quality opportunities they created, that would ultimately get them the victory. Something that would have greatly helped Seattle would be their power plays, which the team had four of. None of those resulted in goals, and it was something both Jordan Eberle and HC Dave Hakstol spoke about in the post-game press conference.
“We gotta find a way to get our power play going,” said Eberle about ways that this team needs to improve, also citing more timely goals as an area of growth.
“Tonight was a nice step for our power plays, we made some changes on both units… overall our possession was good, our opportunities were good, we just weren’t able to finish one,” said Hakstol.
Photo by Mellissa Levin / fi360 News
The power play will be a step that the Kraken need to make going forward if they want to flip the switch to being a certified good team. Seattle has had success after returning home from their season opening road trip, and you could say that this homestand helped them get their bearings, allowing strides to be made. That being said, the Kraken have not scored a power play goal since their October 14th game over the Nashville Predators, the first win in franchise history. Those opportunities have been presented; they just need to be capitalized upon.
With the loss, the Kraken record drops to 3-5-1 and moves them to seventh in the Pacific division. Their next contest comes on November 1st, on the road against the Edmonton Oilers with a 6:30PM PST puck drop.
EUGENE, OR – The No. 7 Oregon Ducks have struggled with consistency this season, but they hit their stride Saturday as they defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 52-29. The win moves Oregon one step closer to competing for their third straight Pac-12 Championship and brings them right back into the College Football Playoff conversation as they move to 7-1 (4-1 in Pac-12 play).
Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown brought a spark to the Duck’s offense where he threw for a career-high 307 yards and threw three touchdowns. The Ducks have struggled to score early this season but jumped out to an early 21-0 lead.
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“It’s good. Especially to get a win,” Brown stated when asked about his performance. “[we’re] trying to build off it.”
With junior running back CJ Verdell out indefinitely due to an undisclosed lower leg injury, the other backs were asked to step up. Brown found junior running back Travis Dye on the first drive of game for a 10-yard touchdown pass, who finished day with an impressive 122 all-purpose yards and 3 total touchdowns.
Freshman running backs Byron Cardwell and Seven McGee also scored their first career touchdowns. Cardwell with a 34-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and McGee punching in a 1-yard touchdown to finish it out in the fourth quarter. Freshman wide receiver Troy Franklin also caught his first career touchdown on a 28-yard play in the second quarter.
The Oregon defense was equally impressive, holding Colorado to a total of 22 yards in the first quarter. The strong first half play from the Ducks gave head coach Mario Cristobal a chance to get other players valuable experience.
“I think we took control of the game relatively early,” Cristobal said after the game. “When it was 45-14, we wanted to play a lot of guys. Guys who not only were backups but guys down the line a little bit that deserve playing time that are going to possibly have to step up and we wanted to let them play.”
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One of those players was five-star freshman quarterback Ty Thompson, who threw a costly interception on his third pass. After the interception Colorado made it a two-possession game after Brenden Rice, son NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Brendon Lewis.
Anthony Brown was subsequently put back in at quarterback, where he finished the game and secured the Oregon victory. Brown and the Ducks will head to the University of Washington next Saturday, Nov. 6, to face the Huskies at 4:30 pm PST (ABC).
Los Angeles, CA – USC running back Keaontay Ingram rushed for a career-high 204 yards to help the Trojans snap a three-game home losing streak with a 41-34 win over Arizona on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“Hard-fought game,” Interim head coach Donte Williams said. “Like I said before, Arizona has no quit in them. Hats off to them because they won the second half of
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the football game. But I do like the way that we won the line of scrimmage tonight. Even on defense, we stopped the run and on offense we ran the ball.”
On the Trojans opening drive, Ingram scored from three yards out to give USC a 7-0 lead. On the following drive, Arizona tied it 7-7 when Jamarye Joiner connected with Tayvian Cunningham for a 73-yard touchdown.
USC didn’t waste any time as Kedon Slovis hit the speedy Gary Bryant Jr. for a 62-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 9:53 left in the first quarter. True freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart came into the game in the second quarter and led the Trojans to a 15-play, 96-yard drive. Dart capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Drake London.
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After the USC defense recovered a fumble caused by cornerback Chris Steele, Dart drove the Trojans down the field and hit London for a 6-yard touchdown. London stayed on the ground after being tackled in the end zone. They put an air cast on his leg and carted him off the field. London caught nine passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury.
“It’s always a fear anytime somebody goes down and you see him go ahead and get the air cast and everything,” Williams said. “So that is a fear. At the same time we have a lot of guys in this locker room that fought hard tonight and they’ll continue to fight no matter what.”
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USC cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart got burned by Cunningham again for a touchdown but it was called back after Taylor-Stuart ripped the helmet off Cunningham on his way to the end zone. The ball was spotted where the helmet came off.
Three plays later, Arizona running back Michael Wiley scored on a 1-yard run to the Trojans lead 28-14. Slovis came back into the game and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Jr. for a 35-14 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the first half.
On the Trojans second offensive possession of the third quarter, Slovis was intercepted by former Narbonne High School linebacker Anthony Pandy, who returned it 40 yards for the score. Arizona trailed USC, 35-21. The Trojans added a 23-yard field goal to extend the lead 38-21 with 6:48 left in the third quarter.
Arizona wasn’t done yet as quarterback Will Plummer scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown. The Wildcats trailed 38-28 with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter.
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Up next for USC is a road game against Arizona State on Saturday, Nov. 6. Arizona will look to win its first game of the season when they host California next Saturday.
