THIS WEEK IN PAC-12 FOOTBALL – WEEK SIX

KORE Producer October 4, 2023 News, Pac 12 Football

QUICK HITS

FIVE ALIVE: The Pac-12 has 3 teams entering this week at 5-0 (Oregon, USC, Washington), tied for the most in FBS right now.  Its the first time since 2013 the conference has had 3 teams reach 5-0 (Oregon, Stanford, UCLA) and just the 5th time in the last 70 years (1998, 2001, 2005).

Coming off a bye, Washington State is at 4-0.  Should they defeat UCLA this week, it would give the Pac-12 four teams starting 5-0 for the first time since 1926 (Oregon State, Stanford, USC, Washington).

DO IT AGAIN?:  USC’S Caleb Willams became the 5th different quarterback to be named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after going 30-40 for 403 pass yards with 6 pass TD to match his career high (in 2021 with Oklahoma). 

Williams is just the 6th Pac-12 quarterback since 1996 to have 6 pass TD and at least 400 passing yards in a game while also completing at least 75% of their passes and the first since Washington State’s Gardner Minshew in 2018 against Arizona.

Through 5 games, Williams numbers are up significantly from his 2022 Heisman winning campaign.  While attempting 18 fewer passes so far this season, Williams has increased his passing yards (1,402 to 1,603), passing touchdowns (12 to 21), yards per attempt (8.82 to 11.37) and completion percentage (67.3 to 74.5).

LOADING UP THE LEADERBOARD:  While Williams is 7th in FBS in passing yards per game (320.6), he’s 4th among Pac-12 quarterbacks.  Washington’s Michael Penix Jr, who led the nation last season, is once again 1st with 399.8 ypg.  Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is 2nd (356.2) and Washington State’s Cameron Ward (347.3) currently 3rd in the country.

Since 1996, only 2 times have quarterbacks from the same conference finished 1-2 in FBS in passing yards per game:

  • 2015 Pac-12:  Luke Falk, WSU (380.5) & Jared Goff, Cal (363.0)
  • 2006 WAC:  Colt Brennan, Hawaii (396.4) & Chase Holbrook, NM St (384.9)

MILLER TIME:  Entering last Saturday’s game against USC, Colorado true freshman WR Omarion Miller had not yet caught his first career pass.  He finished the game with 7 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown against the Trojans.

  • Tied for most receiving yards in first career game with a reception by an FBS player since at least 1996.  Georgia’s Terrence Edwards also had 196 in 1999 against Utah State
  • Most receiving yards in first career game with a reception by a Pac-12 player since at least 1996.  Previous high was Colorado’s Dylan Edwards who had 135 in this year’s season-opener at TCU and Stanford’s Bryce Love who had 135 vs. UCF in 2015.
  • Most receptions in first career game with a reception by a Pac-12 player since 2018 (USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown – 7 vs. UNLV)
  • Most receiving yards in any game by a Pac-12 true freshman since 2011 (USC’s Marquis Lee – 224 vs. UCLA)

WEEK SEVEN:  Game times and TV networks announced this week:

     Friday, October 13, 2023

  • *7:00pm PT / 8:00pm MT – Stanford at Colorado (ESPN)

     Saturday, October 14, 2023

  • 12:00pm PT / 1:00pm MT – California at Utah (Pac-12 Network)
  • 12:30pm PT – Oregon at Washington (ABC)
  • 4:00pm PT – Arizona at Washington State (Pac-12 Network)
  • *4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET – USC at Notre Dame (NBC)
  • 5:00pm PT – UCLA at Oregon State (FOX)     

     * previously announced

    Bye week:  Arizona State – Pac-12.com –