Gangline Recap: Week 10

Washington Opponent's Record: 61-48

Record this Week: 5-7

Record in Games that Mattered: 2-4

This week was less than stellar. The state of Oregon continues it's amazing run this year, at least the state schools ... with a record of 16-1. I am shocked at the outcome of the SDSU Boise State game, though maybe I shouldn't have been ... LSU should have won, but didn't, and Portland State's youth really showed through.

Games that mattered

SDSU (7-3) at Boise State (7-2)

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eHw1KGtxAyg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The Aztecs were 16 point underdogs in this game, but that didn't slow them down. They were able to score when they needed to against a solid Bronco D that held BYU to 6 points earlier this game. SDSU took an 8 point lead with 12:20 to go in the fourth quarter. Boise State scored a TD, but went for the 2-point conversion and failed to get it. There were 5 1/2 minutes to go in the game, and all Boise State needed to win after that was a field goal. Unfortunately for the Broncos, the Aztecs drove down the field ever so methodically, holding onto the ball for the rest of the game. The result was that SDSU is making a solid claim for the Mountain West title, and Boise State is no longer in the top 25 ... Final score: Aztecs win 21-19

Alabama (9-0) at LSU (7-2)

Here's Fox Sport's highlight video ... oddly, I couldn't find highlights to embed anywhere. An Alabama loss sure would have made things interesting. It would have been awesome if there wasn't an SEC team in the National Championship game this year ... I guess we'll have to wait until the playoff system starts up ... LSU had the game in the bag until their safety got juked out of his jock strap. The result was a screen pass that went the distance and put Alabama on top for good. The mighty Crimson Tide gave up 435 yards to the LSU offense. Zach Mettenberger threw for 298 yards, but only one touchdown. That was really the defense. Alabama came up big when it needed to. Final score: Alabama wins 21-17

Northern Colorado (3-6) at Portland State (3-6)

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kTOO1vlyhV8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Leading 28-10 midway through the third quarter, Portland State looked to have the game in the bag. Then they gave up 22 unanswered points to an equally struggling Northern Colorado team. The result ... well, it wasn't pretty. Those 22 unanswered points were sparked by an 83 yard punt returned for a touchdown. What the Vikings had going on defense up to that point was subsequently negated. Northern Colorado ripped of scoring drives of 64 and 57 yards, scoring TDs on both, to seal the deal. Final score: Northern Colorado wins 32-28

Arizona (5-4) at UCLA (7-2)

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=F0bTdtNjoB8QQegHtvKPH7JD2sG5eiFC&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=F0bTdtNjoB8QQegHtvKPH7JD2sG5eiFC&height=540"></script> It appears that Arizona is similar to Washington. They are solid at home, and then forget to play football on the road. The result, poundings when they visit good teams. Part of this could be a little bit of the afterglow of the USC game still lingering, but I doubt it. Arizona has been such a different team on the road this year. It really showed last Saturday. This was, in my opinion, worse than Washington's loss at Arizona. Arizona looked so crappy on the field, you would have thought UCLA's scout team was in there. Brett Hundley continues to be a revelation. Final score: Bruins win 66-10.

Arizona State (5-4) at Oregon State (7-1)

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=M0cGduNjo5uxnDESZ-e7vdCY08UsoU7O&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=M0cGduNjo5uxnDESZ-e7vdCY08UsoU7O&height=540"></script> This game could have gotten ugly, quick. Arizona State jumped out to an early 14-3 lead after they recovered an UGLY Cody Vaz fumble in the endzone, but that was the only momentum the Sun Devils would have the rest of the game. Cody Vaz threw three touchdowns, and Terron Ward ran 53 yards for a touchdown. The Beaver defense played well, only giving up 303 yards total. 9 of ASU's points came off of that fumble recovery and a blocked punt in the endzone that resulted in a safety. Final score: Beavers win 36-26

Games that didn't matter

Stanford (7-2) at Colorado (1-8)

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=x2MnFsNjq4Y01XsxsgSgiuPWexMSsnnk&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=x2MnFsNjq4Y01XsxsgSgiuPWexMSsnnk&height=540"></script> I would love to say that perhaps Kevin Hogan could provide a better spark on offense than Josh Nunes. I just can't say for sure, since Stanford played Colorado this Saturday. I didn't see anything more out of Hogan than I saw out of Nunes when the Card played at Arizona. In fact, the scale might weigh in Nune's favor since the game was on the line and he still was able to pull out the win. Regardless, this game showed how bad Colorado is playing. At halftime, Stanford was up 35-0. Colorado couldn't do anything right. Stanford pulled out 7 sacks, that's 17 in 2 games by the way, and held Colorado to a whopping 0 points and 76 total yards (-21 rushing). Mr. Embree is not going to be around for long. Final Score: Stanford wins 48-0

Oregon (9-0) at USC (6-3)

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=VvNjhtNjrNgCqt3L7LjOXTZJS4BNWHP4&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=VvNjhtNjrNgCqt3L7LjOXTZJS4BNWHP4&height=540"></script> 730-615: these are the total offensive yards for each team, respectively, in last Saturday's game. Kenjon Barner is a beast, as he racked up a measly 321 yards on 38 carries. Marcus Mariota passed for 304 yards, and then rushed for another 96 ... the result was a high-scoring affair where Oregon finally didn't beat a team by more than 11 points. Luckily for USC, they scored a TD in the final seconds, or that would have been 18 points in the loss. By the way, Oregon set a record, well, there were several records set: USC had never given up 730 yards in one game, EVER. Final score: Oregon wins 62-51

Washington State (2-7) at Utah (4-5)

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=0xeHJsNjoBy-E1k5PFcwanEAC6-1KFx2&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=0xeHJsNjoBy-E1k5PFcwanEAC6-1KFx2&height=540"></script> Reggie Dunn ran back his third 100 yard kickoff for a touchdown in three games. That's Leon Washington "esque." The Utes would have killed the Cougs last week, but according to Mike Leach, they were already dead. Well, it sure looked that way. Utah was up 31-0 at the half in a game that was never close. Washington State lost any hope at getting bowl eligible, though there wasn't much hope of that before this game. We'll see if Wazzu gets any more wins the rest of the season. Final score: Utes win 49-6