Pac-12 Recap: Week 10

The only three constants of life are death, taxes and USC’s defense costing them games.

The marquee PAC-12 matchup of the week between No. 5 Washington and No. 20 USC turned into the shootout that many college football fans expected it to be.

Both teams came into the matchup desperate for a win. Washington looked to stay undefeated and in the CFP chase, while USC would be all but eliminated from conference contention with a loss.

The game immediately turned into a track meet, with all but three first-half drives ending in touchdowns for both teams.

After USC quarterback Caleb Williams fumbled with a minute remaining in the first half, the Huskies scored a touchdown to take a 35-28 lead at the half.

Heisman favorite quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw an interception deep in USC territory in Washington’s opening drive of the second half. USC quickly capitalized, with Williams throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brenden Rice to tie the game.

After that, much like the first half, Washington’s offense was unstoppable. They scored on every remaining possession in the second half (excluding their victory formation drive).

After a huge sack by Huskies defensive end Voi Tunuufi forced USC to punt in the middle of the fourth quarter, running back Dillon Johnson opened the ensuing Washington possession with a 53-yard run deep into USC territory.

Johnson, who finished with an absurd 256 rushing yards, capped off that drive with his fourth rushing touchdown on the day to give the Huskies a 52-42 lead.

The shootout was sealed in Washington’s favor after USC was stopped on fourth down on their last possession.

An already vaunted schedule for Washington does not lighten up, as they have upcoming matchups against No. 13 Utah and No. 12 Oregon State before a potential (expected?) conference championship matchup against No. 6 Oregon. Should they win out, it would be nearly impossible to keep them out of the CFP with their stacked resume.

Williams threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns for USC, but their ineptitude on defense once again cost them a game with a stellar quarterback performance.

This was the last straw for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who was fired the next day.

If you’re a fan of shootouts, tune into USC’s matchup against Oregon next week.

Speaking about Oregon, they kept their status as the committee’s best one-loss team after demolishing Cal 63-19.

Oregon’s lethal offense once again looked unstoppable. Heisman-contending quarterback Bo Nix overcame an interception on the first play of the game to throw for 386 yards and four touchdowns.

Wide receiver Tez Johnson was on the receiving end of two of those touchdown passes to go along with 120 yards on 10 catches.

Arizona continued their strong play since turning to freshman quarterback Noah Fifita. They clinched bowl eligibility after upsetting No. 19 UCLA with relative ease.

Fifita threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 27-10 win.

They also moved into the CFP rankings for the first time since 2017, slotting in at No. 21.

Arizona will turn their focus to next week's matchup against Colorado, who have struggled after being the talk of college football for the first month.

Since opening the season 3-0, the Buffaloes have lost five of their last six, with their latest setback being a 26-19 defeat at the hands of then-ranked No. 16 Oregon State.

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.