Happy Friday!
Leading off
Another double-overtime game. Another game that comes down to the last possession. Another home team falls. Just another night in the Pac-12.
If you stayed up for the Utah-Oregon State drama, you were rewarded with yet another fantastically entertaining game.
Here's some reaction from the action at Reser:
Gina Mizell hits on the high and low points for Oregon State.
Matthew Piper of the Salt Lake Tribune breaks things down from the Utah side.
Devontae Booker wanted the ball, writes Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Here's the video of Booker's game-winner.
Some postgame video with Kyle Whittingham.
Pick 'em
Every Friday we bring you some picks from folks who cover the conference. The Pac-12 blog, which continues to muddle its way through this torturous weekly exercise, posted its picks Thursday morning. Here's what some other folks have to say about this weekend:
Christian Caple of the News Tribune likes a big win for the Trojans and a narrow win for the Cardinal.
Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman-Review likes the Ducks.
David Fox of Athlon Sports goes against the grain and picks ASU and Cal.
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News likes the Buffs and the points.
A happy return?
There are always questions when things don't go according to script. And more than once, the Pac-12 blog has received a letter or two about Brett Hundley's decision to return to college for another season. An unnamed NFL scout talked about that decision with Chris Foster of the L.A. Times. And Hundley called his return "a worthwhile experience."
The scout pitched the idea of Hundley coming back for one more season next year. Here's what he had to say:
He has a long way to go. He's still athletic. He's still smart. He's still a good worker. He just needs to become a better passer in the pocket, and he needs to learn that he's got to stay in there and throw the ball accurately inside the pocket ... Don't take those sacks. You never see Peyton Manning taking those kind of sacks. You can't hold onto the ball for five seconds.
Accuracy hasn't necessarily been the problem. Hundley leads all FBS quarterbacks with a 72.2 completion percentage. The sacks, however, have been. Head coach Jim Mora and offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone have gone out of their way to say that sacks aren't just on an offensive line. That sometimes the quarterback is at fault. Sometimes it's the receivers. And sometimes the other team just makes a play. Will be interesting to see in the coming months if Hundley even entertains the idea of coming back for one more year. However, he told the Pac-12 blog in the preseason that regardless of what happens, this was his last year at UCLA.
News/notes/team reports
Arizona's Cody Ippolito has done some growing up.
Jaelen Strong is writing himself into ASU lore.
Some post-practice video with Sonny Dykes.
Running the ball will be key for the Buffs against the Trojans.
A rivalry won't get in the way of the Armstead-Thompson bromance.
For Strong and Sun Devils, the Stanford game isn't about revenge.
UCLA's defensive coordinator is happy to take the heat.
A look at USC's revenues and expenses.
Chris Petersen talks Oregon in his final meeting with the media for the week.
The Cougs turned up the intensity in a bye-week scrimmage.
Just for fun
Oregon State's Dylan Wynn is awesome. #Damcancer indeed.