Pac-10 Things We Learned This Week

The Trojan defense pummels the Golden Bears, Oregon stuns Stanford in the final minute and this season continues to get worse in the Evergreen State highlight the ten trends in week 11 of the Pac-10.

-The USC defense is historically great
Please God – or David Hill at Fox Sports – pit Pete Carroll’s D against Florida or Texas Tech in a bowl game.

-The offense on the other hand…
The sheer yardage was adequate, but the Trojans continue to suffer from an identity disorder that leaves points on the table.

Steve Sarkisian can dial up the right play on occasion, such as the brilliant swing pass to Ronald Johnson that put the game away, but simply refuses to embrace the power running of Stafon Johnson and C.J. Gable.

On key third downs, Sarkisian insists on throwing the ball or using Joe McKnight in some gimmicky manner.

Why USC refuses to simply overpower its opposition is unfathomable. It will cost them a national championship opportunity for the third straight season.

-Cal’s offense wasn’t much better
165 total yards.

2.9 yards per play.

3 points.

As great as the Trojans defense is, could anyone have ever predicted a showing like that from a Jeff Tedford offense?

-The Bears were victims of terrible quarterbacking
Nate Longshore played like, well, Nate Longshore and sophomore Kevin Riley tailed off after his first drive.

Without competent, efficient play from under center, you just aren’t going to beat USC.

-Oregon’s three-headed monster saved the day once again
As they have for most of the Ducks’ erratic season, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and running backs Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount continue to carry this team.

The trio combined for 271 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including Blount’s 3-yard go-ahead run in the closing seconds.

They overcame four turnovers, lots of penalties and a huge time of possession disparity for Oregon’s seventh win this year.

-Stanford’s supposed strength is now a major liability
Remember the linebacking corps that was supposed to rival USC as the conference’s best?

Where were they when Masoli ran for 25 yards on third and eight? Or Blount strolled into the end zone untouched for the game-winning score?

The Cardinal defense, largely responsible for breakthrough wins over USC and Cal last season, has folded two of the last three weeks. Scores by the Ducks and Bruins in the final minute will likely cost Stanford bowl eligibility.

-Losing to Notre Dame is worse than losing to the MWC
If you haven’t been paying attention to the noise coming out of South Bend, the natives are getting restless with Charlie Weis.

It bears striking similarities to the Dump Dorrell campaign – the criticism over having hired a head coach who is learning on the job, the totally undeserved contract extension, consistently inconsistent effort from one week to the next.

Assuming Weis doesn’t completely bottom out and the Irish earn a bowl bid, he’ll be back next season. However, his pronouncement that 9-3 is not good enough could come into play.

With a junior quarterback and two emerging wide receivers, Weis must find a way to justify that ridiculous salary or else someone will take his recruits to the BCS in 2010.

-Arizona State will be 5-6 heading into the Territorial Cup
Not the boldest of assessments to be sure, but the Sun Devils are starting to get on a roll.

Rudy Carpenter has three touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two games, while Shaun DeWitty and Keegan Herring have revived the sagging rushing attack. The shakeup on the offensive line clearly worked, though injuries to freshman guard Zach Schlink might force more changes this week.

With the hapless Cougs and folding Bruins up next, Dennis Erickson’s team has a real shot at the postseason in spite of its disastrous midseason collapse.

-Washington needed Taylor Mays
This Husky defense is totally lacking in impact players and will be the primary concern for Tyrone Willingham’s replacement.

With Jake Locker back next season and a core group of other skill position players like D’Andre Goodwin and Terrance Dailey, there is potential to score points.

On the other side of the ball is a barren wasteland. The team has just three interceptions this season, six total takeaways in nine games. Senior end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim is the only Washington defender with multiple sacks this season.

Mays, the hometown product from O’Dea High, would have the building block for the Huskies. He is big, fast, aggressive and instills fear in the opposition.

Watching him pummel Cal receivers Saturday night was awe-inspiring. For Washington fans, it must be infuriating, a look at what might have been.

-Washington State continues to unearth new lows
That’s 502 points allowed by the Cougars, with three games left to play.