It sure felt like a moment. Caleb Williams to Jordan Addison, national TV, Kirk Herbstreit on the call, 75 yards later and Addison is just strolling into the endzone and putting USC up 21-7. Five first-half possessions against the Cardinal, five touchdowns. Lincoln Riley could have stayed in the locker room at halftime, playing Solitaire on his phone. It might still be a tad too soon to proclaim USC is back, but hold onto your butts because USC is certainly fun again. 

The most electric player I’ve ever seen touch a football field, Reggie Bush, tweeted during Saturday’s game against Stanford, “I love what I’m seeing.” Had to feel at least a little familiar. 

This is a gnarly football team. 

What we essentially have is a Madden simulation. You know when you pick the sticks up with a friend and a 77-73 game breaks out because neither of you know how or care to play defense so you just trade off scoring ridiculous touchdowns until the clock runs out?

That’s USC. 

The hope for teams this season is that: A) You have an offense that can hang onto the football, and B) You get the ball last. USC’s defense is playing Russian roulette through two weeks, yielding yards in the hope it can take the ball away at the last second. The Trojans will not maintain a four-turnovers-per-game pace all year. Sorry. 

But unless the opponent gets the ball last, it’s not going to matter. USC’s offense is going to score. Sorry.

Caleb Williams was on the field against Rice for six drives. USC scored points on all six, touchdowns on five. Williams was firing on all cylinders during the five first-half possessions against Stanford.

Eleven total possessions. Very small sample size, I get it, but oh my lord.

On those 11 drives — which, think about it, is about a full game in most instances — USC has produced 779 yards of offense and 73 points. 

That’s 11.1 yards per play. 

It’s 1.043 points per play. 

Here’s where we get a little nerdy.

As a team, through two games, USC has produced 0.868 points per play. Absurd. Again, small sample size, sure, but if the Trojans continue to produce anywhere near that clip they’ll set a modern college football record.

Since 2000, there have only been 75 teams who averaged better than 0.600 points per play for an entire season, which is about 2.8% of every FBS team to touch a football field over that time frame. From that group, only four have reached at least 0.700 points per play for a year — 2006 Hawaii, 2013 Florida State, 2018 Oklahoma, and 2019 Alabama.

That 2018 Oklahoma squad was coached by none other than Riley, and it averaged 0.730 points per play, the second-best mark of the last 22 years. It would stand to reason if he’s done it once, he could do it again, right? 

(By the way, Riley’s Oklahoma offenses were north of 0.600 points per play in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.)

Where’s the 2019 LSU squad? Some say it’s the greatest offense in the history of college football. Joe Burrow led the Tigers to a 15-0 record and a national championship while throwing for an NCAA-record 60 touchdowns. 

That Tiger squad was at 0.672 points per play, the 10th-best mark of the last 22 years. 

“LSU is the greatest offense I’ve seen in the history of college football,” former USC quarterback and FOX Sports commentator Matt Leinart said a few years ago.

That group had a 1,500-yard running back and three wide receivers drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. 

USC could realistically be the same kind of team. There’s less than a 1% chance USC stays averaging a point per play. Maybe Williams doesn’t play enough to put up the same ridiculous counting stats as Burrow, but he could absolutely beat the 7.9 yards per play that Burrow produced at LSU.

Rice won’t be on the schedule every week, and Stanford’s defense has been trending in the wrong direction of late. Better defenses are coming. 

And maybe it doesn’t matter. The signs of a historic offense are there.

What a week for Wazzu

Washington State’s win over Wisconsin on the road was huge. Huge for the Pac-12 after its Week 1 showing. Huge for Washington State. Huge for Jake Dickert. 

And I have no idea how much it actually tells us about the Cougars. 

Full disclosure: I picked Washington State to go 8-4 this year. That calculus did not include a win over Wisconsin. Still, I like the Cougars. Entering into the season, I thought Cameron Ward at quarterback could be a real difference-maker not just in Pullman but in the overall conference race. Not that I thought the Cougars could go win a title, but I wondered if Washington State had a game, frankly, like this in them where they’d catch a team.

But, I thought, if they did catch a team it would be the offense roaring up and down the field and winning the Cougars a classic 45-38 battle. Certainly not a 17-14 one.

Ward is still adjusting to life at the FBS level. So far, he has a 43.6 QBR. Colorado’s JT Shrout is the only other qualified quarterback in the Pac-12 (12 total) with a lower score. Nationally, he’s 96th out of 131 qualified quarterbacks. I’m not going to overreact, but maybe the ceiling is a little lower in this first year than I initially thought it would be. 

So far, though, the defense has kept everything afloat. Only USC has more tackles for loss through two games than Wazzu (18), and only UCLA is allowing fewer rushing yards per carry than Wazzu (3.0). UCLA has played Bowling Green and Alabama State. Washington State has faced Wisconsin, and they largely kept one of the most talented running backs in America in check.

It’s hard to get a gauge on whether this is who Washington State is or if there’s a mid-season flip coming when Ward figures things out.

Even harder when you dig into the box score of this win over Wisconsin. 

The Badgers outgained Washington State 401-253. They had the ball for 38 minutes. Turnovers were even. Wisconsin was 8-for-15 on third down; Washington State was 2-for-11. 

Dating back to the start of the 2017 season, Wisconsin was 33-2 in games where it gained at least 400 yards. 

Washington State handed it loss No. 3 because, in large part, Wisconsin had eight drives that crossed the 50 and only scored on two of them. It missed two field goals, turned the ball over on downs at the 47, punted from the Cougs’ 37 (the Big Ten must be stopped at all costs), and fumbled inside the Cougs’ 25 twice.

How do you replicate that formula? 

The Cougars come home this week to face Colorado State, where they’re a big favorite. Assuming a win, they’re entering into conference play at 3-0. Four of their first five Pac-12 opponents: Oregon, at USC, at Oregon State, Utah. 

How much is confidence worth? And how quickly can Ward get things clicking on offense? 

The Road to Las Vegas (Around the Pac-12)

Utah 73, Southern Utah 7

This running back room is a little ridiculous, and it isn’t talked about enough. Tavion Thomas and Micah Bernard are established weapons at this point. Thomas has three touchdowns in 34 carries so far. Bernard appears to have an even more expanded role as a receiver, with eight targets in two games. 

Now add Chris Curry, who went for 60 yards and a score on six carries in his first extended look of the year. The former LSU transfer stuck it out after not really being part of the rotation last season and looks to have a very real role going forward. 

Then add Jaylon Glover, the freshman who looks like an absolute unit. Glover hype was off the rails in the spring, and his 2022 gave everyone a strong sense as to why. Let’s not get carried away here, but if you wanted to tell me that Glover’s going to lead the Pac-12 in rushing at some point before his Utah career was done, I’d buy you a beer and ask you for some lottery numbers.

Those two had 113 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in Week 2. The production is largely a function of who they were facing, to be fair, but to have a No. 3 and a No. 4 tailback that looks the way both of them do, the Utes have real insurance throughout the season. 

It’s one of the hardest positions to keep healthy, and it’s a spot you just don’t see dominated by 25-carry-per-game players much anymore. Teams like to have depth. There are only a handful of coaches in the country who wouldn’t trade their backfield for Utah’s. 

Given that fact, Utah needs to be able to generate a vertical shot game. One will help the other. We saw quarterback Cameron Rising really open things up in the second quarter this past Saturday, and that needs to continue. 

Washington 52, Portland State 6

The Washington edge rushers have been interesting through two weeks. 

Portland State wasn’t on the field a ton — just 51 total plays — and Zion Tupuola-Fetui played less than half those snaps. Through two weeks, he’s been on the field as a pass-rusher for 25 snaps. Sav’ell Smalls has drawn 28 such snaps. 

Jeremiah Martin and Bralen Trice opened Week 1 as the starters. ZTF came off the bench. Defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said in the preseason all three were going to play like they were starters. I’m more interesting in total snaps, less so in who plays the first one. 

Washington needs those guys to be effective this season. Trice has 14 quarterback pressures already this season, and a 90.5 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus. Both are top-five ranks among qualified Power Five defenders so far. Martin has added seven pressures. 

ZTF has three. 

Two years ago, he produced seven sacks in his first three games. Since, he’s torn his Achilles and dropped about 30 pounds. A big question for UW this offseason was what kind of ZTF we’d be getting. The coaching staff raved about his play in camp, but so far we’ve yet to see any major flashes. 

Is this simply a case of opportunities being more limited? Relying on the 2020 season as a reliable sample size to say “Player X is making the leap” is shaky ground, but it sure felt like ZTF was making that leap before his injury. Is this about health? Just dipping toes in the water when the pressure isn’t as high?

The way the Husky offense is playing, Washington hasn’t needed much from its defense. That won’t always be the case. Just something to keep an eye on.  

UCLA 45, Alabama State 7

Speaking of edge rushers… Grayson Murphy, Gabriel Murphy, and Laiatu Latu have combined for 30 total quarterback pressures in two games, per PFF. Grayson has 12, Latu 10, and Gabriel eight. They’re three of the top five pass-rushers in the Pac-12 right now.

“I feel pretty good,” Grayson said after the game. “It helps with guys like Bo (Calvert) taking you under their wing. I feel pretty good, pretty confident. The more games I play, the more comfortable I get within the defense. But the defense (coordinator Bill) McGovern has is so simple to learn. You just do your job, and everything will fit itself.”

Added Calvert: “We’re an aggressive defense. We get after offenses and we want to control the tone of the game. Being able to have a versatile group where everyone is on the same page and wants to get after them, and have everybody work together great, we have a lot of really great relationships off the field which I think is really helping us get out there on Saturday.”

I wrote about the UCLA defense’s need for more havoc-creation so much during the offseason it feels a little like overkill at this point, but it’s going to be so important to the group accomplishing its goals this season. 

Oregon 70, Eastern Washington 14

In Oregon’s home opener against the Eagles, tight end Cam McCormick dressed out in the No. 18 — Spencer Webb’s old number.

On the first drive of the second half, McCormick found the endzone. It was his first touchdown since 2017.

“It’s been a long journey for myself, but I’m glad that I was able to score a touchdown tonight wearing his jersey,” he said after the game. “It felt like he was right there with me.”

The game began with a moment of silence and Oregon placing a bouquet at the 4-yard-line for Webb, who was set to switch from 18 to No. 4 this season. McCormick caught his first pass for 11 yards in the second quarter, and later coach Dan Lanning said the offensive staff wanted to get him the ball down in the red zone.

“We were talking on the headset on that drive, and Kenny (Dillingham) said, ‘I think I have a way to get Cam the ball.’ I think every single one of us wanted that, especially seeing him wear Spencer’s jersey tonight. We were able to dial a play up and get it to him, and he was able to get in the endzone. I think Cam came off the field with tears in his eyes. That was a special moment for him and our team. Spencer will forever be remembered.”

Oregon State 35, Fresno State 32

The Beavers-Bulldogs game on CBS Sports Network late Saturday night was an early candidate for game of the year. 

(Hopefully that accurately conveyed the frustration with TV distribution.) 

The lead changed hands three times in the final two minutes and the game ended with a walk-off winner from Oregon State. Coach Jonathan Smith, with his Beavers at the 2-yard-line, had to decide between a field goal and overtime or to play for the win. 

Three seconds on the clock, a historic win on the line, and Smith chose to go for it all. 

That called for Jack Colletto.

That call from Smith tells us everything we need to know about the Oregon State Beavers this season — they’re coming. And they have one of the most unique and versatile players in college football to throw at teams. 

Colletto finished the game with three carries for 6 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three tackles on defense. Against Boise State the week prior, he had three carries for 44 yards and a touchdown as well as three tackles on defense. 

Given his three-phase ability, and the fact he’s actually making a significant impact in all three phases, Colletto should be a candidate to land in New York City at the end of the year for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Wait.

… 

…

Maybe not, but I like the enthusiasm. 

If nothing else, Colletto needs to be on the radar of the Paul Hornung Award committee. The trophy, given annually to college football’s most versatile player, was made for a guy like Colletto, affectionately referred to as The Jackhammer.

Arizona 17, Mississippi State 39

Quarterback Jayden de Laura threw three interceptions in the Wildcats’ home loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. They came at really bad times and two came from pretty poor decisions — one was a batted ball that popped straight up into the air, allowing enough time for a Mississippi State defender to get under it; bad timing, but also bad luck. 

Coach Jedd Fisch knew this was going to be part of the rub with handing the keys to the offense over to the former Washington State quarterback. 

The more pressing offensive concern on Saturday was the collapse of the run game. Arizona had 168 yards rushing in its opener against San Diego State, at 4.4 yards a carry (adjusted for sacks). That included an 88-yard debut from DJ Williams, who found the endzone on a 10-yard score to cap the day. 

Against Mississippi State, Arizona had 65 rushing yards on 20 carries (again adjusted for sacks). Williams gained 10 total yards on seven runs. Jonah Coleman gained 12 yards on five runs. Almost a third of the UA’s true rushing attempts were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage. That was certainly not the case in Week 1.

“It was very hard to run the football tonight,” Fisch said after the game. “I would certainly say what was very frustrating was that, we wound up snapping the ball over our head and now it’s a 2nd and 19. We never got into the good down and distances that would allow us to continue to run the football. And then we wind up in those two 2-minute drives. We need to be able to run the ball better. And I think when we can have balance, we’re a better football team.”

It’ll probably turn out to be that Mike Leach’s Bulldogs are pretty darn good, so don’t call Arizona’s Week 1 win a fluke just yet. But the Wildcats had an offensive success rate of 26% in the game. That won’t get it done.

Weekly Superlatives

Offensive Player of the Week: Jordan Addison, USC

I mean, what are you supposed to do? The Addison-Caleb Williams connection is absurd. USC’s star wide receiver went over 100 receiving yards before the halftime break, finishing with 172 yards and two scores on seven catches. 

Defensive Player of the Week: Bralen Trice, Washington

The Husky edge rusher finished with four tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in a game where the UW defense just wasn’t on the field a ton. Pro Football Focus credited him with eight quarterback pressures in 17 snaps as a pass-rusher. That’s dominating your individual matchup.

Football Player of the Week: Jack Colletto

Felt like he needed proper recognition for a literal walk-off touchdown.

Best Player You’re Not Watching: Xazavian Valladay, Arizona State

He leads the Pac-12 in rushing after two games, and he’s a total joy to watch with the football.

Play of the Week: Colletto’s game-winner

One more time for good measure.

Photo of the Week: Eric Gentry takes it all in

Pretty perfect image, which is to say nothing of the beauty of Stanford Stadium’s surroundings. USC is cocky again (with good reason). Love it. Shout out USA TODAY Sports’ Stan Szeto

Sep 10, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Eric Gentry (18) poses for a photo during the third quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Game of the Week: Oregon State vs. Fresno State

Given all the blowouts in Week 2, this one was really a choice of two options. Go with the Washington State upset in Madison or the Beavers’ first-ever win at Fresno State? Neither choice is wrong. I’m going with the points.

Quote of the Week: USC head coach Lincoln Riley

“Look at 12 months ago. This is a good Stanford team and a lot’s changed.”

Week 3 Game I’m Most Looking Forward To: BYU at Oregon (Sept. 17, 12:30 p.m. PT, FOX)