By Nick Bartlett, SuperWest Sports
YoIt was another mixed week for three of the four West teams in action in the Pac-12 and ACC.
Washington State bounced back from a tough loss two weeks ago with a win over Toledo.
Cal and Stanford were not so lucky and lost to Virginia Tech and Miami. The Beavers had a break to prepare for this week’s game against the Cougars and continue their search for a new head coach.
Here’s my take on all four teams heading into Week 10.
The Bears at the crossroads of a pivotal season with Justin Wilcox
Yo I know the west coast is quiet, but at some point, Cal needs to find out what they’re doing with Justin Wilcox. 5-3 this season isn’t bad, but if they can’t beat Virginia Tech, what are the Golden Bears really doing?
California’s remaining schedule is tough, meaning they could end the season with a losing record. It would be the eighth time in nine years with him at the helm.
The Bears host Virginia this week in a matchup they should be able to win. The Cavaliers are beatable; they barely survived their last two outings against North Carolina and Washington State, both overtime victories.
The key for Cal is to not have any more excuses. Time is up. It’s time to beat some good teams or get a new coach.
The Golden Bears have the talent to beat UV at home and match up well with the Cavs’ passing attack. The Bears rank 33rd in passing yards allowed per game. Virginia also struggles defending the pass, ranking 88th in yards allowed per game.
Cal travels to Louisville the following week and then has a bye before Stanford and Notre Dame to finalize its slate.
Grades
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- Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 1,982 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also had two touchdowns on the ground.
- Kendrick Raphael leads the team with 566 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He has 135 rushing attempts on the year.
- Trond Grizzell has 448 receiving yards and one touchdown reception.
- Cade Uluave leads the team in tackles for sacks and TFL with 81 and 10.5. He is also tied for the team lead with three sacks.
The Tree seems to be improving and could still pull off a surprise
YoIf you look at the final result of last week’s game, it looks horrible. But Stanford was tied 7-7 at halftime against Miami. While a 42-7 loss won’t make the boosters smile, the Cardinals are starting to show they can play some defense.
Holding the Hurricanes to seven points in the first half is impressive and shows consistency after holding Florida State to 13 points the week before. If the Tree plays this type of defense against Pittsburgh, they could pull off an upset at home.
The Panthers have the eighth-ranked scoring offense nationally, but they have a playmaker with limited playing experience.
Mason Heintschel has only started four games at the collegiate level; He replaced Eli Holstein after Pitt suffered back-to-back losses earlier this season.
Stanford will need Ben Gulbranson to take advantage of Pittsburgh’s 74th-ranked pass defense in yards allowed per game. They rank 13th in rushing yards allowed per game, so moving the ball on the ground can be difficult.
It seems that the Cardinal is improving. They are in the process, but they could throw up some surprises in the process.
Grades
- Ben Gulbranson threw for 1,585 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
- Cole Tabb has 376 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
- CJ Williams leads the team with 476 receiving yards and is also tied for the team lead with two touchdown receptions.
- Matt Rose leads the team with 68 tackles and is also tied for the team lead with five TFLs as a linebacker. He also added a sack and two pass deflections.
Cougars look to finish season strong, can’t overlook OSU
jImmy Rogers is building something in Washington state. The win against Toledo will fly under the national radar, but the Rockets are a legitimate program, having had a winning record of 14 in the last 15 years.
UT gave the game to the Cougars, but WSU gave away the previous game against Virginia. Either way, a 28-7 win over Toledo is impressive, even with Chip Trayanum out.
Turning the week, the Cougs have a chance to finish the regular season 8-4, but they can’t overlook Oregon State. The Beavers enter this contest with a 1-7 record, earning their first win against Lafayette before the break.
OSU has yet to beat an FBS team this year. The key for Washington State is to destroy the soul of the Beavers early on.
The Cougars’ offense has struggled most of the season, but occasionally has random stretches. They scored 21 points in the second quarter against UT.
If WSU could get one of these bursts in the first quarter, it could put the Beavers away early. But this looks like a trap game and a win is necessary to build momentum heading into Pac-12 Part 2.
Grades
- Zevi Eckhaus threw for 1,100 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He also added 168 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
- Kirby Vorhees leads the Cougars with 351 rushing yards. He also added two touchdowns.
- Carter Pabst is averaging 22.4 yards per catch. He has 157 receiving yards and one touchdown reception.
- Parker McKenna leads the team with 60 tackles and one interception. He also has one sack and 3.5 TFL.
The Beavers look to restart their season with a win over the Cougars.
ohRegon State has a chance to change the narrative of their season, but they have to do it against Washington State.
Although the Beavers’ record is terrible, from a talent standpoint, they should be able to compete in this matchup.
Coinciding with OSU’s last four games is the search for a new head coach. Interim coach Robb Akey likely won’t be the candidate, given his struggles as head coach at Idaho.
Akey, however, has the opportunity to make an argument for himself. But he’ll likely have to win to even be considered.
Among the candidates proposed by various outlets are Brent Vigen, Brennan Marion, Paul Chryst, Bryan Harsin, Ed Orgeron and Jason Eck. Other potential candidates mentioned include Jonathan Smith and Nick Rolovich.
The Beavs’ last four games are winnable, but a loss this weekend all but ends interest beyond the coaching search. But Oregon State could definitely beat the Cougars. It is important to never overlook the Beavs in Reser.
Grades
- Maalik Murphy threw for 1,722 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
- Anthony Hankerson leads the team with 671 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. He has 154 rushing attempts on the year.
- Trent Walker leads the team with 48 receptions and 609 yards.
- Aiden Sullivan leads the team with two forced fumbles at linebacker. He also has 48 tackles and 3.5 TFL.
He writes about football and basketball as a senior writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.
