USC names Cody Kessler starter Cody Kessler has been named USC's starting quarterback, the school announced Monday.
No. 5 Stanford pulls away from Army in second half Played to a near standstill the first two quarters by a 30-point underdog, the Cardinal regrouped in the second half and beat the Black Knights 34-20 on Saturday. Kevin Hogan threw for three touchdowns and Tyler Gaffney had two touchdowns and 132 yards rushing for the Cardinal (2-0).
UCLA rallies from 18 points down to shock Nebraska Brett Hundley threw three touchdown passes while No. 16 UCLA wiped out an 18-point deficit to defeat No. 23 Nebraska 41-21 and stun into silence a record crowd of 91,471 on Saturday.
No. 19 Washington slips Illinios at Soldier Field Keith Price wasn't quite ready to celebrate, nor were his teammates. Even though No. 19 Washington came away with a rare road win to remain unbeaten, this was hardly a perfect game. Price threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, Bishop Sankey ran for a career-high 208 yards and the Huskies held off Illinois 34-24 at Soldier Field on Saturday.
Arizona State holds on to upset Wisconsin on strange final play Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave ran to the left, started to put his knee down and placed the ball on the ground, thinking he had set up the Badgers for a potential game-winning field goal over Arizona State. Instead, he set off a whirlwind of confusion. Marion Grice ran for four touchdowns, but Arizona State's 32-30 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin on Saturday night will be remembered for Stave's play and the chaos it caused.
ASU extends Todd Graham Arizona State has agreed on contract extensions for football coach Todd Graham and athletic director Steve Patterson through 2018, a person familiar with the deals told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Wednesday because the contracts have not been made public yet. The deals still must be approved by the state board of regents later this month. Graham's salary will be increased from $2.05 million to $2.3 million on July 1. There will be annual increases until it reaches $2.6 million in 2016. There are smaller increases in 2017 and 2018. It also includes numerous performance bonuses. His contract had run through the end of the 2016 season.
No. 5 Stanford builds big halftime lead, beats No. 23 Arizona State What seemed like Stanford's coming-out party this season -- and it still might have been -- ended with players feeling distraught and disappointed in the locker room. Tyler Gaffney ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns, Anthony Wilkerson added 68 yards and another score, and No. 5 Stanford started strong and struggled late in a 42-28 victory over No. 23 Arizona State on Saturday night in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.
No. 13 UCLA honors ex-WR Nick Pasquale, routs New Mexico State The Rose Bowl crowd cheered when Shaq Evans left the UCLA huddle and went to the sideline before the first play, leaving just 10 Bruins on the field in tribute to Nick Pasquale. And after the Bruins honored their late receiver, they settled in for a blowout win over an undermanned opponent. Brett Hundley passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 13 UCLA beat New Mexico State 59-13 Saturday night with Pasquale's memory firmly in their minds.
Keith Price leads Washington to rout in Pac-12 tuneup Deontae Cooper fought back the tears in Washington's opener when he finally got his first collegiate carry. His teammates battled their emotions on Saturday when Cooper finally scored -- three years and three major knee surgeries after he was supposed to be one of the Huskies' young stars. "I wanted to get him in the end zone. I thought he deserved it," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I knew the team would be so excited for him. ... Those moments mean a lot." Keith Price threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns in less than a half, Cooper scored his first career touchdown, and No. 17 Washington routed Idaho State 56-0 on Saturday in the Huskies' final tuneup before the start of Pac-12 Conference play.
No. 20 Baylor has 3rd straight game with at least 60 points Baylor keeps quickly piling on the points -- like no other team in more than eight decades to start a season. The 20th-ranked Bears scored 10 touchdowns, two on interception returns, in a 70-7 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
Sherman Morris resigns from ASU Arizona State assistant athletic director Sherman Morris has resigned, several weeks after being arrested in an alleged domestic-violence incident. University officials announced Tuesday that Morris resigned Friday. The assistant AD for football recruiting had been on administrative leave since early September.
NCAA to USC: There's no comparison Despite recent talks between the two sides, the NCAA on Friday turned down an appeal by USC asking to gradually reduce the penalties that have plagued the Trojans' program since 2010. USC athletic director Pat Haden and Dave Roberts, USC's vice president for athletic compliance, met with NCAA president Mark Emmert and other officials this week in Indianapolis after the NCAA decided to reduce sanctions levied against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. "There is no comparison between USC and Penn State," the NCAA said in a statement Friday. "USC's appeal was denied, and there is no further consideration being given." Read more http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/coll...ege-sports-turns-appeal-usc-sanctions-reduced
USC loses three players for year Three USC players have been declared out for the season with injuries, further depleting the NCAA-sanctioned Trojans' shaky depth. Cornerback Devian Shelton, offensive tackle Zach Banner and defensive end Greg Townsend Jr. won't play for the Trojans this year, coach Lane Kiffin said after practice Thursday night.
Kevin Hogan's 3 TDs lead Stanford in rout of Washington State Hogan threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 5 Stanford won its 12th straight with a 55-17 rout of the Cougars on Saturday night.
Bishop Sankey has school-record 40 carries in Washington win With wind and rain wreaking havoc throughout Husky Stadium on Saturday night, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian turned to the ground game and running back Bishop Sankey time and time again. Sankey had carried just four times last week in a blowout win over Idaho State. Against Arizona, Sarkisian put the game on Sankey's back. Sankey carried a school-record 40 times for 161 yards and a touchdown and Keith Price threw for two scores to lead No. 16 Washington to a 31-13 victory over the Wildcats.
Pat Haden: Lane Kiffin 'battled me' USC athletic director Pat Haden intends to keep his search for the Trojans' next coach very private over the coming weeks. "You can't forget your current team," Haden said Monday during an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on ESPN Radio. "I don't want to be talking publicly about searches for the next three months while we have eight games to play and a senior class that deserves my support and respect and effort and energy." Haden fired Lane Kiffin at the Trojans' private airport terminal in Los Angeles after the team plane returned from Arizona early Sunday following a 62-41 loss at Arizona State. Ed Orgeron, the former coach at Mississippi who was Kiffin's top assistant, has been named USC's interim head coach. "We'll get it done," said Haden, speaking for the first time outside of a news conference setting. "This happens every year in college football. We'll do a search. "We think we have a very attractive job and we'll get the right person for our job. But I'm not going to be talking about it a lot publicly because I don't think that's respectful and fair to our senior class in particular." Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is expected to emerge as a candidate to replace Kiffin permanently, NFL sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "There isn't anything to say," Del Rio, a former All-America linebacker at USC, said after the Broncos-Philadelphia Eagles game Sunday. "It's all speculation at this point. I've got a job to do here. My focus is right there." Read more http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/coll...ans-ad-pat-haden-keep-coaching-search-private
Cal dismisses DE Chris McCain California has kicked defensive end Chris McCain off the squad for conduct detrimental to the team. Coach Sonny Dykes announced the move Sunday, a day after the Golden Bears lost 55-16 to Oregon to fall to 1-3 on the season.
WR Marqise Lee injures knee USC wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a left knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Trojans' 62-41 loss to Arizona State on Saturday. Lee was injured around midfield after he was tackled following an 18-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter while USC was down 48-21. Lee laid down on the field for several minutes after the play before being carried off the field by two teammates to the team's training table.
ASU eyes first back-to-back sweep When putting together a schedule, seeing USC and Notre Dame on back-to-back weeks has to be intimidating. Not to Arizona State coach Todd Graham, whose No. 22 Sun Devils (3-1) can become the first team to beat the Trojans and Fighting Irish in consecutive weeks during the same season by defeating Notre Dame (3-2) on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. "Obviously, we are going there to play and it is a big deal for us," Graham said. "Our guys will be very motivated to play in this game. It is a national game. It is a game that is very important." Read more http://espn.go.com/college-football...rst-ever-sweep-usc-notre-dame-back-back-weeks
Brett Hundley, No. 12 UCLA hold on for win over Utah, 4-0 mark He throws for touchdowns, runs for them, catches them -- even mixes in a punt now and then. Yes, Brett Hundley is the quarterback who can do everything, and with a UCLA defense that did more than its part by making six interceptions, there was no way he could lose. Hundley hit the trifecta with a touchdown each passing, rushing and receiving Thursday night to lead the 12th-ranked Bruins to a 34-27 win over Utah that lifted UCLA to 4-0 for the first time since 2005.
