First and 20: Pac-12 South a virtual toss-up

The third week of the college football season didn’t look like anything special, mostly a pause in the action before the heat of full-on conference play.

And then all hell broke loose in the Pac-12 South.

The game of the week was Georgia-South Carolina in the SEC East (more on that in a bit), but the biggest trembles in Shakeup Saturday occurred later in the Pac-12 South, with results ranging from troubling to potentially disastrous.

–Boston College ran over ninth-ranked USC 37-31. It was easy to overlook the Trojans’ flaws a week earlier because they won at Stanford when the Cardinal was epically bad in the red zone. USC faced full exposure against the Eagles, allowing 452 rushing yards, gaining only 20 on the ground, and looking thoroughly unprepared emotionally to follow up a big win. Let’s repeat to make sure it sinks in: Out-rushed 452-20.

–No. 12 UCLA continues to walk the ledge, escaping personnel-weakened Texas 20-17 in its third straight closer-than-the-experts-think victory and losing quarterback Brett Hundley to a left elbow injury. The word from FOX Sports late Saturday night was that the injury was minor (Bruins fans still hold their breath).

–No. 16 Arizona State won its league opener, 38-24 at Colorado, but the snapshot was starting quarterback Taylor Kelly leaving the field on crutches, his right foot in a boot. There was no immediate word about the severity of the injury, but his sideline body language spoke loudly — towel over his head, emotionless. The Sun Devils also ended the game without a key defensive player — linebacker Laiu Moeakiola, whom coach Todd Graham just last week complimented as a “kind of like a Taylor Kelly on defense.”

The upshot: That UCLA at Arizona State game on Thursday, Aug. 25, could be less a showdown and more a battle of the injury reports. The winner of this matchup has gone on to take the South in each of the past two seasons.

Kelly’s health could leave the biggest mark across the rest of the schedule, but the Pac-12’s glamorous L.A. schools also face long-term questions.

USC, which was shot out of a cannon to start the season with 701 yards and 37 first downs against Fresno State, has a combined 628 yards and 34 first downs in the two games since. What happened to all of coach Steve Sarkisian’s fast-paced goodness? UCLA has yet to show its expected dominance, with spotty play up front on both sides of the line of scrimmage, never a trait of a true contender for the national title.

Is there a sleeper in the South? Eh. In the past two weeks, Arizona has needed a late defensive stop to thwart UTSA and Nevada. More like sleeping than sleeper.

But after a wild Saturday night, it’s hard to tell much about the Pac-12 South.

Five things we learned about the SEC:

1. Things could be thisclose in the East. South Carolina, benefiting from a late fourth-down conversion late that needed a magnifying glass to tell if the football actually nicked the yardstick, went on to beat Georgia 38-35. Hang tight, Bulldogs. The Gamecocks already have a league loss, and this game hasn’t been much of a barometer for predicting the league champ — the winner has gone on to the SEC title game only one time in the past eight seasons.

2. And by thisclose, we mean the East is wide open. There are two ways to read Florida’s triple-overtime victory against Kentucky. Either the Gators are still trying to climb out of 2013’s 4-8 hole, or the Wildcats are much-improved. For now, we’ll give a faster and more physical UK credit for being a tough out, infused with Stoops swagger in its second year under the youngest brother, Mark. Oh, and for the second consecutive season, anybody who sleeps on Missouri does so at their own peril.

3. There is no weak sister in the West. Bret Bielema knows power football, so it should be no surprise the Razorbacks are second nationally in rushing (362.0 yards per game) and first in rushing touchdowns (14). The running back duo of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins is top-notch, helping to chew up Texas Tech 49-28 on Saturday. And the Hogs are supposed to be the worst team in the division.

4. Alabama is sticking with Blake Sims. We keep waiting for Jake Coker to take the quarterback job. Not happening. The Florida State transfer has played in reserve in the Tide’s 3-0 start, while the senior Sims has completed 48 of 64 passes for 646 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. Looks like Nick Saban has made his decision as his team gets ready for Florida and Ole Miss.

5. It’s never a bad idea to give Todd Gurley the ball. The Georgia junior maintained his Heisman status with a tackle-shredding 131 yards on 20 carries. He also ripped off a 54-yard TD run that was called back by holding (like he needs the help). But question Mark Richt for this: First-and-goal from the 4, trailing by three with about five minutes left, college football’s best running back at your disposal … and Georgia tries to pass, ending in an intentional grounding penalty. The Dawgs ultimately missed a 28-yard field goal.

Five players to watch:

1. Baylor WR KD Cannon. The true freshman has 14 catches for 471 yards and five touchdowns. The math doesn’t look right, but, yeah, that’s 33.6 yards per catch. Baylor football, ladies and gentlemen.

2. Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel. The well-traveled sophomore transfer from Notre Dame threw six touchdown passes against Toledo, the most ever by a quarterback making his college debut. Riding his strong arm, the Bearcats could end up being the team among the Group of Five conferences that gets a spot in a big-six bowl game.

3. Missouri DEs Markus Golden and Shane Ray. They have moved from productive backups for Michael Sam and Kony Ealy in 2013 to ultra-productive starters in 2014. Golden and Ray have a combined nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss in three games.

4. Oklahoma CB Zack Sanchez. Pick a Sooner, any Sooner. Oklahoma has an aggressive, playmaking defense in which coordinator Mike Stoops says there is “no real weak link.” Sanchez, with a leaping interception in the back of the end zone vs. Tennessee, has three picks in three games.

5. UCLA QB Jerry Neuheisel. He turned in the feel-good story of the week, as the walk-on son of ex-Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel came in for injured Brett Hundley and delivered a late 33-yard TD strike to Jordan Payton with the help of a pump fake. The proud papa, back in the Pac-12 Networks studios, later interviewed Jerry, who was carried off the field on his teammates’ shoulders.
The fizzling five

1. The Big Ten. More meltdowns. Iowa, with a schedule built to start 10-0, lost at home to Iowa State. Bowling Green, with a backup QB throwing 73 times, beat Indiana 45-42 on a touchdown with nine seconds left. Newcomer Maryland lost 40-37 to West Virginia on a last-play field goal. TCU crushed Minnesota. Illinois rolled over at Washington.

2. Preseason rankings. After three weeks, half of the teams that began the season in the AP top 16 have a loss.

3. The Texas coin toss. The Longhorns lost the coin toss to UCLA, and defensive tackle Tank Jackson told the official that Texas elected to kick, thereby giving the Bruins the ball at the start of each half. Texas coach Charlie Strong fumed while UCLA coach Jim Mora couldn’t believe his luck. “I had trouble believing it at first,” he said. “I asked (the officials) probably four or five times, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure?'”

4. Ohio State DE Noah Spence. Spence, who had eight sacks last season and was expected to be part of arguably the nation’s best defensive line, failed a second drug test, putting him on indefinite suspension.

5. Virginia Tech. It takes just one week to go from national darling to national pretender, following a 28-21 home loss to East Carolina.

Five best week 4 games:

1. Auburn at Kansas State, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. The home team is extra dangerous on a Thursday night as an underdog, and K-State coach Bill Snyder knows how to pull off an upset. As the T-shirts say, with a nod to Auburn’s state rival, “Roll Snyd.”

2. Clemson at Florida State, 8 p.m., ABC. As big as it gets in the ACC. The Seminoles won 51-14 last season. Jameis Winston needs an early Heisman moment.

3. Oklahoma at West Virginia, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX. The snarly OU defense matches up against West Virginia’s Clint Trickett, who threw for 511 yards in Saturday’s win over Maryland.

4. Florida at Alabama, Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS. The Tide’s season starts now. Or not, if the Gators are as iffy as they looked vs. Kentucky.

5. Mississippi State at LSU, Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN. Don’t sleep on the Bulldogs, whose defensive front is good enough to diffuse the Tigers’ power running game and discombobulate a young quarterback.

NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review:

Senior Analyst Rob Rang’s five takeaways on how prospects performed in Week 3. Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).

1. RB Todd Gurley, Georgia, Jr. (6-1, 232, #18/#1): Gurley rushed for 141 yards and 20 carries in a losing cause against South Carolina. Gurley, who has drawn comparisons to Marshawn Lynch and Jamal Lewis from NFL scouts, showed off his strength, acceleration and balance throughout the game.

2. TE Rory Anderson, South Carolina, Sr. (6-5, 232, #193/#10): Anderson was able to attack the seam, hauling in a career-high five passes for 67 yards while showing impressive body control and hand-eye coordination. Scouts will also note that the broad-shouldered, well-built Anderson also is an effective blocker, demonstrating a strong initial punch to generate movement, as well as the tenacity to sustain.

3. WR Justin Hardy, East Carolina, Sr. (6-0, 188, #84/#13): Hardy’s four receptions matched his lowest output since 2011. He frequently drew man coverage from Virginia Tech cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson, both considered quality NFL Draft prospects. Hardy lacks elite top-end speed, but accelerates quickly and cuts sharply. However, he is not a physically imposing receiver and Fuller was particularly successful in driving through him to break up several catchable passes.

4. QB Taysom Hill, QB, BYU, Jr. (6-2, 221, #21 QB in 2016): Hill threw for 200 yards and a touchdown while adding 160 more yards on the ground against Houston. He’s not only much faster than he looks; Hill is very strong, boasting the upper body more typical of a linebacker. Hill’s reliance on his mobility and limited passing skill cap his NFL projection. He was reluctant to throw passes until his receivers were open and shows less-than-ideal ball placement when doing so.

5. RB Jamaal Williams, BYU, Jr. (6-0, 200, #26 RB in 2016): Williams showed lateral agility and surprising balance for a back with his high-cut frame. His acceleration comes naturally — his mother was a standout sprinter at UCLA and he ran for the BYU track team this past spring. Williams showed impressive power for his build, consistently generating yardage after contact. Williams keeps his legs churning and spins out of tackles.

Each week college football insider Anthony Gimino surveys the landscape for the top storyline from Saturday and follows with 20 items of note, plus a bonus reel — NFLDraftScout.com’s film review by senior analyst Rob Rang.