2019 Pac-12 Football Season Rewind: Highlights and Summaries from Week 4

Highlights of the biggest games with summaries and results of the others

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The wait is almost over. With the Pac-12 CEO group voting to restart fall football, we’ll continue our rewind of the 2019 season until the 2020 campaign begins on November 7.

Highlights & Overview of Week 4 2019 Games

Week 4 saw four Pac-12 games with No. 10 Utah visiting USC, No. 16 Oregon traveling to Stanford, No. 24 Arizona State hosting Colorado, and No. 19 WSU at home against UCLA. No. 23 Cal finished off its nonconference slate at Ole Miss and No. 22 Washington visited BYU. Arizona and Oregon State had a bye.

UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, California’s Evan Weaver, and UCLA’s Demetric Felton were the Pac-12 Players of the Week.

You’ll find a list of the teams ranked at the end of the week, and a table of the week’s complete results at the bottom of the page.

USC 30, No. 10 Utah

USC’s Michael Pittman runs with the ball against Utah last season. | usctrojans.com

Third-string signal caller Matt Fink tore up one of the toughest defenses in the nation, throwing for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Even more impressive, Fink looked poised and fearless throughout, trusting his trio of receivers to haul in long throws for big plays. Trojan defensive tackles Jay Tufele and Marion Tuipuloto dominated Utah’s front, while safety Talanoa Hufanga performed like the best player on the field, speeding in for tackles everywhere.

No. 23 California 28, Ole Miss 20

Cal’s Evan Weaver makes a tackle against Ole Miss in 2019. | calbears.com

With its normally reliable defense banged up, Cal turned in one of its most consistent offensive performances of the past two seasons against Ole Miss. The Golden Bears piled up just enough points to stave off a late charge from the Rebels, with Chase Garbers throwing for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Cal gave up an uncharacteristic 525 yards of total offense in the absence of two defensive starters. But Evan Weaver took up the slack, recording a mind-bending 22 tackles.

Colorado 34, No. 24 Arizona State 31

Colorado’s Steven Montez passes against ASU last season. | cubuffs.com

Colorado arrived in Tempe at a crossroads, having upset Nebraska before getting upset at home in back-to-back weeks. The urgency was apparent from the start, with the Buffs jumping out to what seemed like a decisive a 14-0 lead. But it takes more than momentum to win on the road, and CU proved its mettle when the Sun Devils stormed back, tying the game at 21, and matching the Buffaloes score-for-score to the final field goal.

Senior quarterback Steven Montez connected on 76% of his passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns, without a pick, and his leadership made the difference for Colorado. Defensively, safety Derrion Rakestraw filled in nicely for the injured Aaron Maddox, leading the unit with nine tackles and an interception.

No. 22 Washington 45, BYU 19

Washington controlled the game from start to finish, save for a brief lull towards the end of the second quarter. It was a confidence-boosting performance against a surging BYU team that had beaten USC the week before. Jacob Eason played like a top NFL prospect, zipping bullet passes into tight windows for 290 yards and three touchdowns. With starting running back Salvon Ahmed out, backup Sean McGrew took advantage of his opportunity, racking up 110 yards on the ground. The Dawgs played a complete game in all facets, capping it off with Aaron Fuller’s 89-yard punt return for a touchdown.

No. 16 Oregon 21, Stanford 6

The Oregon defense overwhelmed Stanford in Palo Alto, thwarting its rhythm, while banishing the Cardinal from the end zone. It was the third-straight game in which the Ducks had limited an opponent to mere field goals.

But against a Stanford team that had given up 90 points the previous two outings, UO’s offense sputtered, playing just well enough to win. Still, a win on the road, snapping a three-game losing streak to a rival, was exactly what the Ducks needed. Herbert continued his record-setting pace, throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns; his 13 touchdown passes over the past three games is a program record.

UCLA 67, No. 19 Washington State 63

Midway through the third quarter against Wazzu, the Bruins looked as bad as their 0-3 record, trailing 49-17 against No. 19 Washington State. Then something clicked. Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s incremental progress over the first three games reached critical mass, propelling him to lead one of the greatest comebacks in Conference history. DTR passed for more than 500 yards, accounted for seven touchdowns, and played like a star.

Not only did the Bruins shock the college football world with their first win of the season, they catapulted themselves into the South Division race. So what happened? For starters, the offense really opened up, using more of Chip Kelly-style tempo and spread formations. UCLA’s defense continued to struggle, but it also forced six turnovers. And while the Bruins allowed a WSU-record nine passing touchdowns, they made the big plays when they had to down the stretch, including linebacker Keisean Lucier-South’s strip-sack to seal the win.

Pac-12 in AP Rankings After Week 4

Team	Rank
Oregon	13
California	15
Washington	17
Utah	19
USC	21

Complete Week 4 Pac-12 Football Results

Date	Visitor	Home team	Result
9/20	No. 10 Utah	USC	USC 30-23
9/21	No. 23 California	Ole Miss	Cal 28-20
9/21	No. 22 Washington	BYU	UW 45-19
9/21	No. 16 Oregon	Stanford	UO 21-6
9/21	Colorado	No. 24 Arizona State	CU 34-31
9/21	UCLA	No. 19 Washington State	UCLA 67-63