Pac-12 Football 

Vilardo: Week 2 Pac-12 Matchups By the Numbers

, 8 min read
Utah QB Charlie Berger passes the ball against Weber State last week. Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Posted on September 10, 2021


  By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Week Two in the Pac-12 brings us the first conference game of the season; four matchups with opponents from other Power-5 conferences; a rivalry game in the state of Utah; and a bye week for the hottest team in the Pac-12.

The Pac-12 will be looking to improve on last week’s disappointing 1-2 record against other Power-5 Conference teams, and its 6-6 record overall.

Here are some general notes about the biggest games, followed by quick-hit notes and stats for each matchup.

Pac-12• In a matchup of a pair of Top 15 teams, Oregon takes their No. 12 ranking and heads to No. 3 Ohio State. The Ducks will be looking to extend their two-game win streak over AP Top 10 opponents.

• The last seven times Oregon has traveled to face an opponent from the Big Ten, the game has been decided by a touchdown or less.

• Washington also travels to Big Ten country to meet Michigan in what will be the Huskies first road game since November of 2019.

• The last time Washington won in the Big House was in 1984. The Wolverines QB that afternoon was Jim Harbaugh, now the Michigan head coach, whom UW picked off three times en route to the win.

• Washington has won their last four regular season games against Big Ten opponents.

• Colorado also faces a Top 5 team from a power conference with No. 5 Texas A&M coming to Denver.

• The last time the Buffs came away with a win over a Top 10 team was in 2007 when they defeated Oklahoma 27-24.

• California travels to Fort Worth to meet TCU of the Big 12. It will be the first time they have visited a school from the conference since knocking off Texas in Austin during the 2015 campaign.

• The Bears are 3-0 in non-conference road games under Justin Wilcox with two of the wins over Power-5 foes—North Carolina in 2017 and Mississippi in 2019, with a win at BYU sandwiched between them in 2018.

• Utah will make the trek to Provo and look to win for its tenth-consecutive time over BYU.

• The Utes will be the second of five Pac-12 opponents for the Cougars this season.

• The Ute defense could get tested by the Cougs’ potent offense, which saw Neil Pau’u catch eight balls for 129 yards, and Tyler Allgeier gain 7.0 yards per carry, a week ago.

• The BYU running back was fourth in the nation last season, averaging 7.53 yards per tote. But the Utah defense is stout, especially against the run.

• Since 2016, Utah has held opponents to 50 or fewer rushing yards in a game 14 times. That is tied with Georgia for the most of any team in the country over that span.

• Offensively, Charlie Brewer had a nice debut for the Utes a week ago, throwing for 233 yards. The transfer from Baylor has 12 300-yard passing games in his career, tied for the most of any active player in the nation.

Oregon Ducks Logo Pac-12Oregon Ducks at Ohio State Buckeyes

• The Buckeyes lead the series 9-0 all-time.
• Justin Flowe’s 14 tackles a week ago were the most by an Oregon freshman since 2016.
• Jaylon Redd and Johnny Johnson have 29 TD receptions between the two of them in their careers, the second-most of any Power-5 WR tandem.
• Last week, CJ Verdell averaged 5.9 yards per carry in the fourth quarter.
• Ohio State averaged a school record 10.3 yards per play in their opener at Minnesota.
• In games in which Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson each score a TD, the Bucks own a 6-0 record.
• Ohio State has won 26 consecutive home games and 22 straight regular season games.

California Golden Bears at TCU Horned Frogs

• TCU won the only meeting between the programs 10-7 in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.
• Cal is 10-2 in their last 12 non-conference games.
• The Bears are 5-0 in their last five trips to the state of Texas.
• TCU has won four straight games and is 6-1 in their last seven played.
• JD Spielman has at least one reception in 37 consecutive games, the third longest streak in the nation.
• Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson was second in the nation last year with 13 passes broken up.

Texas A&M Aggies vs Colorado Buffaloes

• Colorado leads the series 6-3 all-time
• The Buffs are 26-11-1 all-time in neutral site games played in Denver
• Jalen Wydermyer has 12 career TD receptions, the most by a TE in Texas A&M history.
• Ainias Smith is one of 10 players in SEC history to reach the 250-yard plateau in receiving, rushing and punt and kick return yards.

Portland State Vikings at Washington State Cougars

• Washington State leads the series 2-1, but it was the Vikings pulling the upset in Pullman in 2015.
• The Cougars are 18-4 in their last 21 home games.
• Jahad Woods has 332 career tackles, the most of any active player in the Pac-12, and the second-most of any active player in the nation.

Washington football pac-12
Washington Huskies at Michigan Wolverines

• Michigan leads the series 7-5 with a 3-1 edge in Ann Arbor.
• Washington has not allowed an opponent to score more than 35 games in their last 76 games, the longest streak in the country.
• Michigan is 50-26-1 all-time against current Pac-12 teams.
• Michigan is 7-2 all-time in night games played at Michigan Stadium.

Arizona football Pac-12
San Diego State Aztecs at Arizona Wildcats

• Arizona leads 10-5 all-time against San Diego State.
• Gunner Cruz’s 34 completions and 45 attempts vs. BYU were both the most by an Arizona QB in their debut since at least 1980.
• Greg Bell’s 161 yards rushing per game this season are the 12th-most in the nation.
• Noah Tumblin’s four passes defended this season are the second-most in the nation.
• Matt Araiza leads the country with 56.8 yards per punt.

Utah Utes at BYU Cougars

• Utah leads the series 21-17-1 all-time.
• The Utes are 27-1 in regular-season non-conference games since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
• Utah’s last regular-season nonconference loss was in overtime at Utah State in 2012.
• The Utes have scored at least 30 points in four straight games.
• BYU has thrown for at least 200 yards in 28 consecutive games.

UNLV Rebels at Arizona State Sun Devils

• UNLV owns the win in the lone meeting between the two teams.
• Charles Williams has 3,117 career rushing yards, the most of any active FBS player in the nation.
• Jayden Daniels has committed just five turnovers on 657 plays in his career, the fewest among FBS quarterbacks since 2019.
• Arizona State has held opponents to less than 30 points in 21 of 31 games under Herm Edwards.

usc logoStanford Cardinal at USC Trojans

• USC owns a 63-33-1 series edge.
• Stanford has taken six of the last 11 meetings.
• USC is 43-9-3 in conference openers at home.
• The Cardinal are 31-8 vs opponents from California under David Shaw.
• Drake London’s 137 receiving yards per game are the ninth-most in the nation.
• Half of Kedon Slovis’s completions last week resulted in a Trojan first down.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Oregon State Beavers

• Oregon State is 7-4 all-time against Hawaii.
• Six of the 11 meetings have been decided by 7 points or less, including all four of Hawaii’s wins by a combined 18 points.
• Hawaii is 1-18 in their last 19 nonconference road games.
• Oregon State is 16-5 in home openers since 2000.
• Avery Roberts has posted double-digit tackle totals in eight of his 18 career games at Oregon State.

[Read Dane Miller’s Week Two Pac-12 Football Previews]

Follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenVilardo and his organization @SERCenter.

Visit his website at sercstats.com.



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