This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the fourth season in a row, a quarterback from San Clemente (Calif.) High School will start the Utah-USC game.
Utah's Travis Wilson went 1-2 as a starter against the Trojans, leading a last-minute drive in a 24-21 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2014, between two poor performances in Los Angeles. Sam Darnold has been promoted as USC's starter for Friday's game, replacing Max Browne.
USC coach Clay Helton is hoping Darnold brings "an ability to move the ball into the end zone," he said during the Pac-12 coaches' teleconference Tuesday.
The Trojans produced 353 total yards but scored one touchdown in a 27-10 loss at Stanford. Helton also likes Darnold's running ability, both in scrambling away from pressure and in executing designed quarterback runs.
Darnold has appeared in all three of USC's games, completing 14 of 22 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns — both against Utah State.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said his staff recruited Darnold "very hard" and "we know a lot about him."
The San Clemente football program's Twitter account is asking Whittingham to go easy on the redshirt freshman after Utah sacked San Jose State's quarterbacks 10 times: "Hey Utes! Remember our rule that the QB is not live and two hand touch is in effect Friday in #sacklakecity. Signed #Utahpipeline."
Stopping the run
UCLA's defense held BYU running back Jamaal Williams to 28 yards on 14 carries, with a long gain of 5 yards. Remember those numbers, after Stanford's Christian McCaffrey faces the Bruins this week. McCaffrey has totaled 291 rushing yards vs. Kansas State and USC.
The Bruins were determined to take away the running of Williams and BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, loading up inside and playing "a ton of man coverage" in the secondary, coach Jim Mora said.
"We take pride in it, and we did a nice job," Mora said. "Every week's different, but it certainly gives you confidence when you come out of a game of defending the run well. It's better than giving up 300 yards and being on your heels, that's for sure."
Stanford coach David Shaw described UCLA's defense as "markedly different" with lineman Eddie Vanderdoes, who missed most of last season. The Cardinal will remain committed to using McCaffrey, though. "We're going to give him a bunch of different ways to affect the game," Shaw said.
Mora bristled about the subject of UCLA's eight-game losing streak against Stanford, saying he's accountable only for the previous four seasons. But that period covers five contests, counting the 2012 Pac-12 championship game.
Huskies expecting first test
Washington has beaten Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State by an average of nearly 40 points, raising questions about what will happen when the Huskies find themselves in a tight game — potentially, Saturday at Arizona in a Pac-12 opener.
"As a coach, you're always looking for different situations that you're trying to put your kids in," Washington's Chris Petersen said. "We'll deal with those situations when they come. Our guys have played enough that they know how [tough] this league is."
The Huskies dropped one spot to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 after a 41-3 win over Portland State. That fall went contrary to Petersen's having marveled during the summer about how much credit his team seemingly was receiving for not doing anything.
Bears' embarrassment
California's 50-43 upset of then-No. 11 Texas gave the Bears a sweep of a home-and-home series and ranked high on coach Sonny Dykes' list of victories in four seasons in Berkeley. Yet the Bears are not getting full credit, because of all the talk about Vic Enwere's dropping the ball short of the goal line in a continuing trend in college football. Although the play had nothing to do with the game's outcome, it overshadowed the victory.
"I don't really care what people talk about," Dykes said. "I'm a little disappointed that it's taken that tone, but I'm not surprised."
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Pac-12 power rankings
1 • Stanford (2-0)
Christian McCaffrey: Eight straight games with 200 all-purpose yards.
2 • Washington (3-0)
Huskies are eighth Pac-12 team to appear in AP top 10 over three seasons.
3 • Utah (3-0)
Utes are 20-1 in nonconference games (including bowls) as Pac-12 members, losing only to Utah State in 2012.
4 • UCLA (2-1)
Coach Jim Mora is 34-1 when Bruins lead at halftime, including last weekend at BYU.
5 • California (2-1)
Chad Hansen: 12 or more catches in each of first three games.
6 • Oregon (2-1)
Season-ending injuries to Olympic hurdler Devon Allen and OL Tyrell Crosby are big losses.
7 • Colorado (2-1)
Buffaloes were tied with Oregon at halftime last year before losing 41-24.
8 • Arizona State (3-0)
Kicker Zane Gonzalez will keep adding to Pac-12 record of 424 points.
9 • USC (1-2)
Trojans in danger of matching 1-4 start of Pete Carroll's first season (2000).
10 • Arizona (2-1)
Win over Hawaii makes Wildcats' all-time record 600-444-33.
11 • Oregon State (1-1)
Beavers use 92-yard run, 75-yard interception return to beat Idaho State.
12 • Washington State (1-2)
Cougars will play nine straight weeks, beginning Oct. 1 vs. Oregon.