Week 3 was supposed to be a dud for the Pac-12, with its top team sidelined with a bye week and almost half the league facing FCS squads.

But so much for a week off. There were upsets and near-misses and blowouts galore. Even a few highlight-worthy performances.

Here’s a look at what I learned about every Pac-12 team in Week 3 …

Arizona: Ground game gets back on track

In a 31-24 overtime loss at Mississippi State last Saturday, Arizona abandoned a running game that just wasn’t working, as ball-carriers not named Jayden de Laura managed just 47 yards on 17 carries.

This week Jedd Fisch brought it back and regained the balance in his offense.

Arizona rushed for a season-high 244 yards on 32 carries to go along with 300 passing yards in a 31-10 win over UTEP.

Arizona State: Kenny Dillingham needs to start from scratch

So much for “Boy Wonder.”

It’s back to the drawing board for 1st-year Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham after one of the most embarrassing performances in Arizona State history, a 29-0 loss to Fresno State that was worse than the final score indicated.

Three ASU quarterbacks — Jacob Conover, Drew Pyne and Trenton Bourguet — combined to complete just 17-of-37 passes and threw 5 picks.

Even worse, Dillingham said QB Jaden Rashada will miss the next month with an undisclosed injury.

Cal: Running back depth proves to be a strength

We probably should’ve known that the Cal running game was bigger than Jaydn Ott in Week 1, when Ott had 192 yards and 2 scores but Isaiah Ifanse had 10 carries for 54 yards and 3 scores and Ashton Stredick added 13 carries for 51 yards and a score in a 58-21 win at North Texas.

On Saturday in a 31-17 win over Idaho, with Ott sidelined due to an injury suffered last week in a 14-10 loss to Auburn, Ifanse stepped up in a big way. The Montana State transfer rushed for 137 yards and a score on 22 carries, adding 3 receptions for 15 yards.

If new Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital is smart, he’ll continue to rely on both big backs.

Colorado: Travis Hunter’s injury scare takes away from 2-OT win

The Buffaloes’ electric dual-threat wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter was an iron man through 2 games and started off hot once more against Colorado State. But after taking a brutal late hit, one that drew scorn from the Buffaloes and ultimately personal foul penalty, Hunter was sent to a nearby hospital for observation.

A later update from his girlfriend implied he avoided serious injury, but it was frightening nonetheless.

Coach Prime said after the Buffs’ dramatic 43-35 win in double overtime over Colorado State that Hunter could miss a couple of weeks.

Stay tuned. Colorado plays at Oregon on Saturday and hosts USC the following week.

Oregon: Pass defense steps up against Warriors

Hawai’i quarterback Brayden Schager had been off to a thrilling start, passing for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first 3 games.

But the Ducks shut him down in a big way, forcing the Warriors to look short and only short in a 55-10 win. Schager managed just 131 yards on 43 attempts, averaging just over 3 yards per pass, as Oregon DBs played tight coverage.

It was a good tune-up, but the next test will be stiffer: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is 2nd in the Pac-12 in passing yards per game (417.0) and 3rd with 12 TD passes.

Oregon State: Beavers take big bites out of Aztecs

DJ Uiagalelei was not at his best Saturday in 26-9 win over San Diego State, but the difference between a suboptimal passing game in 2023 and 2022 is massive. Uiagalelei completed just 14-of-30 passes and 2 interceptions, but he had 284 yards and a score.

Most important, he had chunk yardage, as 4 Beavers averaged more than 24 yards per reception.

Stanford: Once-mighty pass rush disappears

Known as the Trees, Stanford was once known for its towering pass rushers.

Someone has clearly done some deforestation this year.

Playing against an FCS offensive line at home against Sacramento State, the Cardinal managed 0 sacks of Hornets QB Kaiden Bennett. Adding insult to injury, the Stanford offensive line allowed 6 sacks itself. Not a winning recipe.

UCLA: Dante Moore goes deep

No, it’s not going to happen every week, but what a start for 5-star QB Dante Moore.

The true freshman connected on a deep ball for the 3rd straight week to start his career, and the latest bomb didn’t take long.

Moore hit Kam Brown for a 67-yard touchdown on UCLA’s first offensive play of the game, a week after finding Josiah Norwood for an 81-yard touchdown pass. In Week 1, Moore nailed J. Michael Sturdivant for a 62-yard score.

He leads the Pac-12 with 3 completions covering 60 or more yards and is tied with Caleb Williams for the most 50-yard completions.

UCLA had just 3 60-yard completions all of last year.

Utah: Nate Johnson lets it fly in first start

With Utah missing its top 2 targets in the still-out Brant Kuithe, the league’s top tight end, and last year’s leading wideout, Devaughn Vele — plus the run-favoring Nate Johnson under center — you’d expect the Utes to play it safe.

But Johnson was anything but conservative Saturday in a 31-7 victory over Weber State.

Making his first start, Johnson completed 13-of-21 passes for 193 yards and a score, finishing with an impressive 9.2 yards per pass. He also added 71 rushing yards on 16 carries with a score.

Washington: Running game gets going against Michigan State

It is nitpicking of the highest order, considering Washington gained a combined 1,100-plus yards in the first 2 weeks, but the Huskies’ running game was at least a point of conversation for coach Kalen DeBoer. Washington had just 78 rushing yards in Week 1 against Boise State and 109 last week against Tulsa.

On Saturday, the Huskies rushed for 177 yards on 33 carries, with Tybo Rogers helping run out the clock late with 74 yards on 15 attempts.

Oh, Michael Penix Jr. still did his thing, leading the 41-7 road win with 473 yards and 4 TD passes. Penix leads the nation with 1,332 passing yards and is 2nd with 12 TD passes.

But it’s nice when the running game pitches in.

Washington State: Cameron Ward keeps humming

The Pac-12’s forgotten man entering the 2023 season, Washington State QB Cameron Ward continued his phenomenal start in a 64-21 win over Northern Colorado. Ward completed 20-of-26 passes for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, all in the 1st half, giving him 986 yards and 9 scores for the year.

That gives him a 450-yard day and a 327-yard day in 3 games this year; he had just 4 300-yard games all last year.