But that was about the only real bright spot for the three West teams in action in the Pac-12 and ACC.
Stanford dropped to 3-7 overall with its loss to North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Oregon State suffered one of its worst losses in program history, falling to then-winless Sam Houston.
The Cougars used their bye week to lick their wounds and regroup after losing to the Beavers two weeks ago.
Here’s my take on all four teams heading into Week 12.
Record: 6-4, 3-3
Last Week: Defeated Louisville, 29-26
This Week: Bye
Cal’s win against Louisville could be considered the most important in Wilcox’s tenure. These are the type of results that the Golden Bears should be expecting under him.
California is now bowl-eligible and only needs one more victory to clinch its first winning season since 2019.
The key for the Bears entering the bye is to keep working on their rushing attack. Kendrick Raphael is a solid halfback, but Cal ranks 132nd in rushing yards per game.
They also need to establish a consistent identity.
The Golden Bears are good at throwing the ball and defending the pass, but it feels spotty. They rank 41st in passing yards allowed per game and 30th in passing yards per contest.
They’ll also need Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to continue to protect the ball. After the three-interception game against Duke, he’s only thrown two in the last four outings.
Does anyone really know what to think of Cal? They’re more confusing every week.
They get to relax this weekend, and then travel to the Farm for “The Big Game.”
Notes
- Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has thrown for 2,518 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He’s also added two touchdowns on the ground.
- Kendrick Raphael leads the team with 167 rushing attempts, 695 yards, and 11 touchdowns.
- Jacob De Jesus ranks sixth nationally in receptions. He leads Cal with 73 receptions, 699 receiving yards, and four touchdown receptions.
- Hezekiah Masses is tied first nationally with five interceptions at cornerback. Masses also has 37 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and one TFL.
Record: 3-7, 2-5
Last Week: Lost to North Carolina, 20-25
This Week: Bye
More important than the defeat is the continued development of Elijah Brown. He took a lot of sacks, but played decent besides that, throwing for 284 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against a Bill Belichick-led defense.
As Brown continues to age, he’ll need to develop a better pocket presence. He will also need his offensive line to improve. The Cardinal O-line ranks 133rd in the nation in sacks allowed, and has struggled all year.
Caden High and Brown showed chemistry, with High pulling in 10 catches for 102 yards, despite having only eight catches entering this matchup.
If both players stay on the farm next season, they could prove to be a promising duo.
The Bears need more continuity on offense: They rank 128th in points scored per game. They could probably use a few transfers as well.
The Cardinal have a bye, and then host Cal the following week.
Notes
- Elijah Brown has thrown for 502 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception this year.
- Micah Ford and Cole Tabb have rushed for a combined 904 yards and six touchdowns. Ford has also added 10 receptions for 102 yards.
- CJ Williams leads the team 53 receptions, 659 receiving yards, and five touchdown receptions.
- Matt Rose is tied 20th nationally with 83 tackles at linebacker. Rose leads Stanford in tackles and TFL’s with seven. He also has two sacks and a forced fumble
Record: 2-8, 1-0
Last Week: Lost to Sam Houston, 21-17
This Week: at Tulsa
Akey put his trust in Gabarri Johnson, and it backfired.
Johnson threw for 286 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in the loss against the Bearkats. He also struggled the week prior.
The focus of OSU’s program is on their future coach, but it would be nice if they could remain competitive on the field.
The Beavs travel to Tulsa this week in what should prove to be a winnable contest: Oregon State is favored by 2.5 points.
Both teams enter this game with only two wins on the year.
The key to this matchup should be whether the Golden Hurricanes can stop Anthony Hankerson. Tulsa ranks 114th in yards allowed per game. The Beavs aren’t amazing on the ground but Hankerson’s tough.
Both teams are competent in throwing the ball, with Tulsa ranking 67th in passing yards per game, and OSU at 72nd.
This is a must-win for the Beavers. A loss kills all hope.
Notes
- Gabarri Johnson has thrown for 459 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
- Anthony Hankerson leads OSU with 212 rushing attempts, 969 rushing yards, and nine rushing touchdowns.
- David Wells Jr. leads the team with three touchdown receptions. He has 37 receptions for 405 yards.
- Aiden Sullivan leads the Beavers with 6.5 TFL’s and with three forced fumbles at linebacker. He also has 62 tackles.
Record: 4-5, 0-1
Last Week: Bye
This week: vs. Louisiana Tech
The Cougars are still in the beginning of the Jimmy Rogers era, but they lack offensive talent outside of Joshua Meredith.
WSU doesn’t have any skill position players who can win one-on-one matchups.
And it won’t get much easier—they’re facing Louisiana Tech this week, which ranks 18th in points allowed per game. This number is a little deceiving though, because the Bulldogs rank 110th in pass yards allowed per game.
The Cougs will hope players such as Carter Pabst and Tony Freeman can take advantage of their secondary. Tech is much better against the run, ranking 39th nationally in yards allowed per game.
Washington State’s defense has shown it can play with any squad in the country, so they should be able to limit a La Tech team whose offense is mid.
The Cougs have only allowed 17 points their last two outings.
This is a must win game for WSU.
Notes
- Zevi Eckhaus has thrown for 1,246 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He’s also added a 192 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
- Kirby Vorhees leads the Cougars with 397 yards rushing. he also has three rushing touchdowns.
- Tony Freeman is tied for the team lead with two touchdown receptions. He has 34 receptions and 361 receiving yards.
- Tucker Large leads WSU with five pass deflections at safety. He also has 56 tackles and 2.5 TFL’s.
