Washington Huskies

What did we learn in Week 11? Read on.

Hogan was the right choice for Stanford: It seemed like odd timing that Stanford coach David Shaw switched starting quarterbacks as his team headed into its biggest game of the year, but freshman Kevin Hogan made his coach look smart, though it wasn't always pretty. Hogan completed 22 of 29 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 27-23 victory over Oregon State. He also rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries. His biggest pass was a 13-yard strike to tight end Zach Ertz for the winning points. Hogan was effective with his feet and his arm, and he didn't wilt when things didn't go his way through most of the second and third quarters. Now he faces a bigger test: Oregon at Autzen Stadium.

USC shows some grit: USC held Arizona State to only 250 yards and three second-half points in a 38-17 win. The Trojans trailed 17-14 early in the third, and it looked as though they might pack it in for the season. But with senior center Khaled Holmes exhorting his teammates on the sidelines, USC showed some grit, particularly on defense. The same defense that got ripped by Arizona and Oregon's spread offenses shut down the Sun Devils, recording six sacks and forcing four turnovers. It was far from perfect. On the day quarterback Matt Barkley set the Pac-12 career passing yardage record (12,026 yards), surpassing the previous mark held by Carson Palmer, he threw three interceptions. Still, the Trojans play archrival UCLA next weekend for the Pac-12 South Division title.

Ducks are banged up with Stanford coming to town, but will that matter? Oregon arrived at California with major injury issues, particularly with its defensive front, and things only got worse as the game went on. The Ducks, however, pulled themselves together and dominated the Bears in the second half, winning 59-17. Still, Stanford, which visits Autzen Stadium on Saturday, is a much better team that Cal, particularly on the offensive line. Will the Ducks get some guys back, such as defensive linemen Ricky Heimuli, Dion Jordan and Isaac Remington? The Ducks don't talk about injuries, but injuries will be something lots of folks are talking about this week. Or speculating on.

UCLA gets its big shot at vulnerable USC: While UCLA let up in the second half at Washington State -- the Bruins were outscored 29-7 and won only 44-36 -- that doesn't change the big possibilities that lie ahead. Now 8-2, the Bruins can win the Pac-12 South Division if they beat archrival USC in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. That would mean stomping on the Trojans' once-hyped season, which would inspire plenty of consternation in Heritage Hall. UCLA fans would love to do that. And it would mean the Bruins could end up in the Rose Bowl, either as the Pac-12 champions or as an at-large selection. So big stakes are at hand.

Huskies step up, Utes step back: Utah and Washington squared off as teams that weathered midseason adversity and had won two in a row. But only one could maintain positive momentum. The Huskies' decisive 35-14 victory boosted their record to 6-4, earning them bowl eligibility. They can continue to climb the pecking order if they can beat Colorado and Washington State over the next two weekends, though both games are on the road. The Utes' offensive surge came to an end, with only 55 yards passing. They need to win their next two games, at home to Arizona and at Colorado.

Picking two first-team All-Pac-12 running backs won't be easy: Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey rushed for 366 yards -- a new Pac-12 single-game record -- and five touchdowns in Arizona's 56-31 win over Colorado. He will take over the Pac-12 rushing lead, as Oregon's Kenjon Barner (65 yards) and UCLA's Johnathan Franklin (66 yards) had subpar games. The final two weeks probably will decide the two guys who end up first-team All-Pac-12.

SEATTLE -- Washington quarterback Keith Price put together one of his best performances of the season, helping the Huskies’ offense get untracked Saturday during a 34-15 victory over Utah at CenturyLink Field.


It was over when: Utah tried to convert a fourth-and-1 from its 43 on the Utes’ first drive of the third quarter. Danny Shelton and John Timu stuffed running back John White. The Huskies quickly scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Price to DiAndre Campbell to take a 21-8 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Game ball goes to: Price. There has been talk all year about the quarterback’s struggles in his junior season, but he put all of that behind him this week, completing 24 of 33 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over and scored a rushing touchdown from 4 yards out in the second quarter.

Stat of the game: If there is one number that has followed Washington all season it has been the Huskies’ inability to score more than 21 points against an FBS opponent. The program peaked above that plateau for the first time this season, as the Huskies’ found their footing on offense.

What this means for Washington: The Huskies improved to 5-1 at CenturyLink Field -- their temporary home -- and won their sixth game of the season to become bowl eligible for the third year in a row. Washington has won its last three games and has winnable games at Colorado and at Washington State remaining on its schedule.

What this means for Utah: Heading into Saturday’s matchup, the Utes were 11-0 when White gained at least 100 yards. That streak ended against Washington, with White finishing with 142 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Utah now needs to win its last two games against Arizona and Colorado to become bowl eligible.

Two-way player: In addition to his duties as Washington’s sophomore tight end, Austin Seferian-Jenkins spent some time lined up at defensive end due to injuries along Washington’s defensive front. The double duty didn’t slow down Seferian-Jenkins on offense. He caught seven passes for 99 yards.

No returns for Dunn: After Reggie Dunn returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in two games, the Huskies avoided kicking the ball to the senior, who didn’t get an opportunity for another big return.

Think USC was left reeling after Max Redfield (left) decommitted this week? Not really. The Trojans appear to be zeroing in on Leon McQuay III (right). And then there's the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Robert Nkemdiche, who decommitted Thursday. It's an open market in this week’s #BlueChipBattles .

You can also rank the battles this week in SportsNation.

Taking a look at four major issue for the Pac-12 in Week 11.

A few storylines to keep an eye on in Week 11.

1. Backups-to-starters: Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz and Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan both started the season on the bench. Now they square off as starters in one of the most pivotal games in the North Division this season. Whichever team wins in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday emerges as the prime contender to challenge Oregon for the division crown and a spot in the conference title game. But the stakes are higher still. Because there's a good chance that if either loses to Oregon, but is able to win its other remaining games, that team could still make the Rose Bowl if Oregon goes to the national championship game. Much on the line with not a ton of experience at the QB position.
2. Backups-to-starters, Take II: While Vaz and Hogan are now starting quarterbacks because of performance reasons, Allan Bridgford and B.J. Denker probably will get the nod in lieu of injured starters Zach Maynard and Matt Scott at California and Arizona, respectively. Maynard suffered a knee injury in the loss to Washington. An MRI showed no ligament damage, but he hasn't practiced much. Scott continues to be evaluated after suffering a concussion in the loss to UCLA and Denker has been taking the bulk of the snaps in practice this week.
3. Bowl-bound? Washington, Arizona State and Arizona all could become bowl-eligible this week with victories. The Sun Devils have the toughest chore of the trio, going on the road to face a disgruntled USC team that gave up 62 points to Oregon last week. Arizona -- despite the questionable health of quarterback Scott -- has the easier task with Colorado coming to the desert. Washington has been tough at home, but hosts a surging Utah squad also looking to get back into the postseason.
4. Slump-buster: Speaking of that Arizona State-USC game, both teams come into the game with losing streaks. The Sun Devils have dropped three straight and USC has dropped two in a row. The Trojans have not lost three in a row since 2001. Someone is going to put the skids on their losing streak.
5. [+] Enlarge

   Russ Isabella/US PresswireUtah may need more kick-return magic from Reggie Dunn to get a win at Washington.
   Something's Bruin: UCLA took a huge step toward winning the South -- no asterisks this year, thank you very much -- with its blowout win over Arizona last week. That sets up a monumental showdown next week with crosstown rival USC -- a team that's had its way with the Bruins every year since 2006. While an upset isn't expected in Pullman, Wash. -- especially given the issues the Cougars have experienced this year -- the Bruins are still a young team and can't be caught looking too far ahead. It's a good thing to control your destiny, but it also can weigh heavily on a team with a lot of freshmen playing on offense.
6. Barner watch: After rolling up 321 yards and five touchdowns last week against USC, Oregon running back Kenjon Barner has played his way into the Heisman conversation. However, the Ducks needed all four quarters to pull away from the Trojans last week and Barner carried 38 times. You have to wonder if the Ducks go back to their standard operating procedure of sitting the starters in the second half should they build a big lead on the Bears.
7. Three week in a row? Can Utah kick returner Reggie Dunn do it again? He has returned three kickoffs 100 yards for touchdowns in the past two weeks -- an NCAA record. And he has four such returns for his career, also an NCAA record.
8. Tough at home: The Utes will need all the points they can get. Washington is 4-1 at CenturyLink Field and the Huskies' defense is allowing only 13 points per game in their home away from home. (Stanford had a defensive touchdown and USC had a special-teams touchdown -- total points are 15.8).

SEATTLE -- As players are pulled aside for interviews after Washington practices, Thomas Vincent often slips past unnoticed.

The blonde backup quarterback walks off the field with his teammates as an unfamiliar face to members of the media. The redshirt freshman walk-on blends into the background.

So, when the Huskies’ media relations staff pulled him aside Wednesday, Vincent flashed a wide, if not somewhat confused, smile. As he explained what life is like as a walk-on, his teammates taunted him playfully as they worked their way toward the locker room.

“I’m just here to earn a spot on the field, make everybody around me better and just win ballgames,” said Vincent, who stepped out of the shadows to talk about his role with Washington.

If the coaching staff needs a receiver, a running back or a defensive back on the scout team, they turn to Vincent, who is athletic enough to fill in wherever he is needed.

“That’s what you’re hopeful you get, a guy that is somewhat of a jack of all trades, but really is willing to do anything,” Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He’s a great teammate. He’s a guy that can play quarterback, running back, DB when we need him to. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Vincent earns opportunities in practice, because he refuses to say no.

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