SBNation.com - College football Friday: Stanford takes Rose, NIU stirs up BCS mayhemhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2012-11-30T23:45:47-05:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/34750272012-11-30T23:45:47-05:002012-11-30T23:45:47-05:00Stanford clinches Rose Bowl
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PdDFYhZvpLnBwPls-dlT2Vhk3kM=/39x0:414x250/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4206941/stanfordfanlovesrose.0.gif" />
<figcaption>FOX via @cjzero</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Stanford Cardinal are headed to the Rose Bowl after winning the Pac-12 Championship game Friday night.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/stanford-cardinal" class="sbn-auto-link">Stanford Cardinal</a> clinched a berth in the Rose Bowl with their 27-24 victory against UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship game.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>.@<a href="https://twitter.com/stanfordfb">stanfordfb</a>, 2012 Pac-12 Champs and Rose Bowl bound: <a title="http://twitter.com/BryanDFischer/status/274737385676357634/photo/1" href="http://t.co/IQFRTh5l">twitter.com/BryanDFischer/…</a></p>
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) <a data-datetime="2012-12-01T04:51:12+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/BryanDFischer/status/274737385676357634">December 1, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<p>With the win, Stanford clinches its first trip to the Rose Bowl since the 1998 season. The BCS bowl berth is Stanford's third straight. The Cardinal played in the Fiesta Bowl last season and the Orange Bowl in 2010. The Bruins will likely head to either the Alamo Bowl or the Holiday Bowl.</p>
<p>The game went back-and-forth with each team leading during the fourth quarter. Stanford scored 10 straight points in the final quarter to take the 27-24 lead and were able to just hold on. UCLA had a chance to force overtime, but freshman kicker missed a 51-yard field goal attempt with 34 seconds to play.</p>
<p>In the battle of freshman quarterbacks, Stanford's Kevin Hogan was able to prevail. Hogan threw for 153 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 49 yards and another score. UCLA's <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38230/brett-hundley" class="sbn-auto-link">Brett Hundley</a> threw for 182 yards but didn't throw a touchdown and was intercepted once.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>pac12 champions! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23stanford">#stanford</a> <a title="http://instagr.am/p/SrlyEPHL1l/" href="http://t.co/YvgNc8Yx">instagr.am/p/SrlyEPHL1l/</a></p>
— Fayne S C (@Faynesamantha) <a data-datetime="2012-12-01T04:50:38+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/Faynesamantha/status/274737246509342720">December 1, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<p><b>Box Score Hero: </b>Kevin Hogan didn't put up huge numbers for Stanford, but did enough to lead Stanford to the victory. Hogan completed 16 of 22 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown. UCLA's <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38186/johnathan-franklin" class="sbn-auto-link">Johnathan Franklin</a> had a huge game for the Bruins rushing for 201 yards and two touchdowns.</p>
<p><b>But Did They Cover? </b>Stanford opened <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/odds">as a 10-point favorite</a> and failed to cover with the 3-point victory. It probably doesn't care.</p>
<p><b></b><b>For More On This Game: </b></p>
<p><i>For more on Cardinal football, visit <a href="http://ruleoftree.com">Stanford blog Rule Of Tree</a>, plus <a href="http://pacifictakes.com">Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes</a> and <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com">SB Nation Bay Area</a>.</i></p>
<p><i>For more on Bruins football, visit <a href="http://bruinsnation.com">UCLA blog Bruins Nation</a>, plus <a href="http://pacifictakes.com">Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes</a> and <a href="http://losangeles.sbnation.com">SB Nation Los Angeles</a>.</i></p>
<p><a data-size="large" data-show-count="false" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script></p>
<p class="non primary"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation" title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3713248/stanford-ucla-2012-score-resultsMark Sandritter2012-11-30T22:48:10-05:002012-11-30T22:48:10-05:00Northern Illinois makes BCS claim
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nfzDwIQ_XeEq88JWeSD4PFzLh-E=/0x25:4000x2692/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4203921/20121130_ajw_aw3_073.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Northern Illinois makes its claim for a BCS bowl game in MAC Championship win over Kent State. They're currently ranked No. 21, and will need lots of help to reach the critical No. 16 spot. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/bowl-games-2012-2013/2012/11/25/3687856/bowl-projections-2012-national-championship">Bowl projections here</a>.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/northern-illinois-huskies">Northern Illinois Huskies</a> (12-1) needed double-overtime to do it, but beat the Kent State Golden Flashes (11-2) 44-37 Friday to clinch the MAC Championship and, more importantly, make a case that they belong in a BCS bowl game.</p>
<p>Northern Illinois trailed 10-0 early, but took a 17-10 halftime lead and led 27-20 with 4:53 remaining when quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116594/jordan-lynch">Jordan Lynch</a> fumbled and Kent State's Zack Hitchens recovered and returned the ball 22 yards for the tying touchdown.</p>
<p>On the next drive, Lynch connected with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116605/akeem-daniels">Akeem Daniels</a> on a 43-yard pass that set up a 9-yard touchdown run by Lynch. Kent State tied with with less than 30 seconds remaining on a touchdown 19-yard pass from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/84428/spencer-keith">Spencer Keith</a> to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115936/tim-erjavec">Tim Erjavec</a> with less than a minute remaining.</p>
<p>The teams traded field goals in the first overtime, but a 2-yard touchdown by Lynch in the second overtime proved to be the game-winner. Kent State had a chance to tie, but stalled inside the Northern Illinois 10-yard line.</p>
<p>Daniels had 17 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 67 yards. Northern Illinois outgained Kent State 524-260 overall, but three turnovers helped keep Kent State in the game.</p>
<p><b>Box Score Hero: </b>Lynch was 19-for-34 for 212 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns.</p>
<p><b>Rankings Ramifications: </b>The win is likely to push Northern Illinois up in the rankings and potentially into a BCS bowl. Kent State had a great season, but MAC schools have little margin for error in the rankings, so this loss could possibly drop the Golden Flashes from the top 25.</p>
<p><b>But Did They Cover? </b>Northern Illinois was favored by 6.5 points, so the Huskies covered.</p>
<p><b>For More On This Game: </b><i>For more on Kent State football, visit <a href="http://hustlebelt.com">MAC blog Hustle Belt</a>. </i><i>For more on NIU football, visit <a href="http://redandblackattack.com">Northern Illinois blog Red And Black Attack</a>.</i></p>
<p><a data-size="large" data-show-count="false" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script></p>
<p class="non primary"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation" title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3713068/kent-state-northern-illinois-2012-score-resultsPatrick Hayes2012-11-30T21:57:57-05:002012-11-30T21:57:57-05:00Slippery Pac-12 slugfest
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HVtPRk56clc8fcCeL3E49vzP6S4=/0x0:3990x2660/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4202905/20121130_kkt_ax5_029.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A slippery slugfest! </p> <p>Stanford leads UCLA, 17-14, at the end of a first half on rain-slicked Palo Alto grass, which saw players from both sides slide to early whistles. One player who handled the conditions for the most part is UCLA's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38186/johnathan-franklin">Johnathan Franklin</a>, who has 140 total yards and a touchdown. The Bruins have outgained Stanford by 77 yards, and if not for an interception that turned into an immediate Cardinal touchdown, this game would look very different.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/events/96661#stories_tab">Pac-12 Championship score updates and discussion</a></p>
<p>There have, however, been complains about the officiating:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Pac12Refs">#Pac12Refs</a>, who had the luxury of reviewing these plays in HD, are the best. <a title="http://twitter.com/RuleofTree/status/274703078006079488/photo/1" href="http://t.co/8IFi5ysZ">twitter.com/RuleofTree/sta…</a></p>
— Rule of Tree (@RuleofTree) <a data-datetime="2012-12-01T02:34:52+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/RuleofTree/status/274703078006079488">December 1, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<p>But this is a Pac-12 game. THE Pac-12 game!</p>
<p>Kevin Hogan has done pretty much everything for the Cardinal offense, leading them in rushing with 42 and completing 10 of 12 passes. UCLA's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38230/brett-hundley">Brett Hundley</a> has been better on the ground than through the air, banging out 50 on the wet turf and averaging only 5.8 per throw.</p>
<p><em>Look through SB Nation's many excellent <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#college">college football blogs</a> to find your team's community.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL3FF4E82DBEA5AD7E&hl=en_US" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation" title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" style="margin-left: -15px" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3713062/ucla-vs-stanford-score-pac-12-championship-2012Jason Kirk2012-11-30T20:40:17-05:002012-11-30T20:40:17-05:00Kent State's BCS hopes in trouble
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5AVnAPcchGYJQZsdtUJXryAxnUQ=/0x47:4000x2714/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4200485/20121130_ajw_aw3_016.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kent State needs a win and a little bit of help to get into the BCS. So far, Northern Illinois is not cooperating with the former.</p> <p>Could Northern Illinois cost its conference a BCS payday? If NIU beats Kent State in the MAC Championship, it's unlikely a conference representative will rank high enough (No. 16 or better) to automatically qualify for a BCS spot. And so far, the Huskies have put that windfall in doubt, leading, 17-10.</p>
<p>Kent State bolted to a 10-0 lead thanks in part to a NIU turnover, but 192 total yards from Huskies quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116594/jordan-lynch" class="sbn-auto-link">Jordan Lynch</a> and a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/84428/spencer-keith" class="sbn-auto-link">Spencer Keith</a> interception have boosted NIU to 17 straight points. That NIU has outgained Kent State by 195 yards (245 to 50) also does not bode well.</p>
<hr>
<center><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/events/96662#stories_tab">MAC Championship score updates and discussion</a></center>
<hr>
<p>A Kent State loss likely means Oklahoma or Clemson to the Sugar Bowl against Florida, while a Kent State win could mean the Golden Flashes get into the Orange Bowl and Louisville goes to the Sugar. Lots and lots of things are on the line at Ford Field.</p>
<p><em>Look through SB Nation's many excellent <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#college">college football blogs</a> to find your team's community.</em></p>
<p><a data-size="large" data-show-count="false" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL3FF4E82DBEA5AD7E&hl=en_US" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p><a title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation"><img onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);" style="margin-left: -15px" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3712884/mac-championship-score-update-kent-state-niuJason Kirk2012-11-30T20:16:57-05:002012-11-30T20:16:57-05:00Championship seats still available
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7colldFCvVCrce_QEaoz9Hi_9GQ=/0x0:1016x677/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4199813/screen_shot_2012-11-30_at_8.12.11_pm.0.png" />
<figcaption>Photo by Tim Kawakami</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Both of those nouns singular, yes. Pac-12 Championship attendance resembles <a href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2012/11/30/3712466/mac-championship-kent-state-northern-illinois-live-blog">MAC Championship attendance</a>. A football game at rush hour on a Friday isn't full! Huh!</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Good solid crowd of at least 5,000 here at Stanford stadium minutes before kickoff<a title="http://yfrog.com/ese20kej" href="http://t.co/qEAzZCjV">yfrog.com/ese20kej</a></p>
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) <a data-datetime="2012-12-01T01:00:51+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/timkawakami/status/274679420898394112">December 1, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
At least the pregame stuff was Stanfordy:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>The Stanford band doing Stanford band things: <a title="http://twitter.com/BryanDFischer/status/274679645587267585/photo/1" href="http://t.co/OFWObs6f">twitter.com/BryanDFischer/…</a></p>
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) <a data-datetime="2012-12-01T01:01:45+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/BryanDFischer/status/274679645587267585">December 1, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Stanfordy and functional:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>The smoke will hide the empty seats. Brilliant. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23GoStanford">#GoStanford</a></p>
— Rule of Tree (@RuleofTree) <a data-datetime="2012-12-01T01:10:42+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/RuleofTree/status/274681898444398592">December 1, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Look through SB Nation's many excellent <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#college">college football blogs</a> to find your team's community.</em></p>
<p><a data-size="large" data-show-count="false" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL3FF4E82DBEA5AD7E&hl=en_US" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p><a title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation"><img onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);" style="margin-left: -15px" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3712828/look-at-all-the-stanford-cardinal-fanJason Kirk2012-11-30T12:05:00-05:002012-11-30T12:05:00-05:00Rematch for Rose
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o393WbS1sG7HYqq5uTQtQ5GUpkU=/559x180:3999x2473/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4111789/156915715.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Stanford-UCLA I, Stanford's Kevin Hogan used his legs better than UCLA's Brett Hundley, and Stanford took better, more selective risks on defense. Can the Bruins turn the tables in Palo Alto on Friday?</p> <p>It is rare that you get the opportunity to preview a game that just happened, but here we are, talking about the upcoming UCLA-Stanford game by looking back at last week's UCLA-Stanford game. Here are five observations from the original movie that can help us figure out how the sequel will turn out.</p>
<h4>1. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38230/brett-hundley">Brett Hundley</a> rushed just once.</h4>
<p>Not including sacks, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley carried the ball 91 times in the first 11 games of 2012, an average of 8.3 carries per game. A large percentage of these were scrambles in designed pass plays, but a lot were also designed runs. Against Stanford last week in Los Angeles, Hundley carried just once, and that was on a scramble precipitated by strong Stanford pass coverage. It went for 38 yards and set up the second of just two UCLA touchdowns on the day.</p>
<p>As I mentioned in <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/27/3698134/florida-notre-dame-stats-college-football-2012" target="_blank">this week's Numerical</a>, perhaps UCLA's biggest problem on Saturday was freeing up star running back Johnathan Franklin. Franklin averaged just 2.9 yards per touch against the fierce Cardinal front seven; most of that had to do with Stanford being a fantastic defensive team, but the Bruins will probably need to utilize their second-best playmaker a bit more if they want to move the ball.</p>
<hr>
<center> <a href="http://www.ruleoftree.com/2012/11/29/3702996/stanford-ucla-pac-12-championship-bruins-held-back">Will UCLA really put up more of a fight?</a> || <a href="http://www.bruinsnation.com/2012/11/25/3691386/mora-presser-its-pac-12-title-time/in/3455963">Mora on repeat prep</a> || <a href="http://www.pacifictakes.com/pac-12-football/2012/11/27/3619064/what-if-there-had-been-a-pac-12-and-championship-game-all-along">Pac-12 Championship history</a> </center>
<hr>
<h4>2. In general, Hundley was flustered.</h4>
<p>Well, of course he was. UCLA's offensive line is still rather inexperienced (one true freshman, two redshirt freshmen and a sophomore are among the five starters), and Stanford's defensive front is one of the best in college football. Hundley saw pressure all game long, getting sacked seven times and seeing extensive pressure quite a few other times. He handled it well early on, but he wore down as the game progressed.</p>
<p>On the game's opening drive, facing a third-and-4 from the UCLA 19, Hundley scrambled away from pressure and found Shaquelle Evans open 30 yards downfield. Evans rumbled to the Stanford 10. Two plays later (following a loss by Franklin and a second-down pass getting batted down at the line), Hundley stood in the face of the only six-man rush he faced all game and delivered a touchdown pass to big tight end Joseph Fauria. Success!</p>
<p>Thanks mostly to Evans' catch-and-run, UCLA averaged 14.5 yards per play on the initial drive. The Bruins averaged just 3.8 yards per play after that. By the end of the game, Hundley had been harassed into making some iffy decisions and throwing inaccurately. Of his 18 incompletions or interceptions, five were overthrown passes, two were thrown behind the intended receiver, and one was underthrown. Plus, two were tipped at the line, and, through little fault of Hundley's, an unacceptable four others were dropped. It was a bit of a nightmare scenario for Hundley, and he will need some help to avoid a repeat at Stanford Stadium on Friday.</p>
<p>With fewer drops and better first-down yardage (UCLA averaged 2.8 yards per play on first down, 1.4 if you take out Hundley's 38-yard scramble), the Bruins can keep Hundley a little more comfortable, or at least as comfortable as possible against this Stanford defense.</p>
<h4>3. Stanford's pass rush was both perfect and perfectly timed.</h4>
<p>On Hundley's first pass attempt of the game, Stanford rushed three defenders. On his second pass, they rushed four. On his third, they rushed five. On his fourth, they rushed six. Their patterns were minimal, and their timing was impeccable. When Stanford rushed just three defenders, Hundley was typically able to make something happen. Twelve of his pass attempts came against three pass rushers, and he completed seven of 11 passes for 91 yards and one sack. Average yards per pass attempt: 7.0.</p>
<p>Average yards per pass attempt when facing four pass rushers: 6.6 (12-for-20 passing for 190 yards, one interception and five sacks for 26 yards).</p>
<p>Average yards per pass attempt when facing five pass rushers: 0.0 (1-for-7 passing for five yards and one sack for five).</p>
<p>One interesting note: of the eight instances where Stanford attacked with five pass rushers, six were on third or fourth down, and four were on third-and-short. Stanford was fantastic at flexing its muscles and blowing up the UCLA line in perceived power situations. UCLA faced seven third-and-short (three yards or fewer) situations and gained a total of nine yards. UCLA actually had MORE success on third-and-long. On third-and-9 or more, Hundley completed six of eight passes for 94 yards, one touchdown and one sack. For a redshirt freshman, Hundley showed solid poise in general. This wasn't a situation where he began to feel pressure that wasn't actually there and made panic throws. He only felt pressure when it actually existed; unfortunately for the Bruins, it existed quite often.</p>
<p>Stanford actually ratcheted up the pressure more the closer UCLA got to moving the chains and typically rushed only three or four on third-and-long. It was an interesting approach. And it clearly worked.</p>
<h4>4. UCLA gambled on defense, and it almost worked.</h4>
<p>Stanford has made it quite clear that it will lean on <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77863/stepfan-taylor">Stepfan Taylor</a> and the run game as much as possible. And with the Cardinal defense in its corner, Stanford typically doesn't have to take many chances on the offensive side of the ball. Stanford isn't particularly amazing at running the ball (<a href="http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaaoff" target="_blank">Rushing S&P+ rank</a>: 59th), but they are incredibly persistent about it. And they know that if they can just get a couple of big runs from Taylor, they will probably win.</p>
<p>UCLA's defense, meanwhile, ranks a reasonably healthy <a href="http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaadef" target="_blank">36th in Rushing S&P+</a>. The Bruins have struggled a bit against the pass and on standard downs, but their general recipe for success is a) stop the run on early downs, and b) get to the passer on passing downs. For the most part, UCLA succeeded in (a) against Stanford, but three runs killed them. Stepfan Taylor carried 20 times against UCLA. On 17 of those carries, he gained just 34 yards, failing to break a single tackle along the way. On the other three, he broke four tackles and gained 108 yards.</p>
<p>UCLA supplemented its front seven by keeping strong safety <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38194/andrew-abbott">Andrew Abbott</a> near the line of scrimmage as much as possible (for the game, he had 5.5 tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage), and while this aggressive approach succeeded for a majority of the time, the failures were crippling. Not only was the second level of the defense virtually nonexistent when Taylor did manage to break a tackle, but Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan was devastating on longer passes. Amid the cluster of UCLA defenders, Hogan was a rather awful 8-for-14 for 52 yards on passes thrown within five yards of the line of scrimmage. UCLA snuffed out almost all of Stanford's short game. But on passes thrown further than five yards, however, he was an outstanding 7-for-8 for 108 yards. He was 3-for-3 for 47 yards on passes 15 yards or longer (all to tight end <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77878/zach-ertz">Zach Ertz</a>).</p>
<p>Knowing that it will need to help out its offense by creating some easy scoring opportunities against the Stanford defense, it would probably behoove UCLA to once again crowd the line of scrimmage and force Hogan and Stanford out of their comfort zone as possible. Just because Hogan made it work once doesn't automatically mean he will again.</p>
<h4>4. Kevin Hogan made great decisions.</h4>
<p>Kevin Hogan was a strong, if regional, recruit in the class of 2011. A high three-star recruit (<a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/stanford/football/recruiting/player-Kevin-Hogan-104518" target="_blank">via Rivals.com</a>) and product of Gonzaga College High School in the D.C. area, Hogan fielded offers mostly from east coast schools like Boston College, Clemson, Rutgers and Maryland. But he chose to move across the country in the hopes of succeeding <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/37738/andrew-luck">Andrew Luck</a> instead. Good call. Hogan has started the last three games for the Pac-12 North champions, and he won at Oregon in his second career start. For what Stanford wants to do on offense, Hogan has been pretty much perfect.</p>
<p>Brett Hundley might be the more known rusher of the two quarterbacks in this game, but Hogan's feet helped Stanford more than Hundley's helped UCLA last Saturday. Hogan carried just twice (he gained 25 yards), but his ability to scramble and buy time, even facing a clogged line of scrimmage, was incredibly beneficial. It also allowed him to only take chances downfield if or when they were wide open.</p>
<p>Either via designed bootleg or scramble, Hogan left the pocket to extend a play nine times against UCLA. Those nine plays gained 82 yards, and that includes a six-yard sack. Designed boots off of play-action were wonderfully effective; Hogan completed four of four bootleg passes for 52 yards. He found Ertz for 17 yards, fellow tight end <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77853/levine-toilolo">Levine Toilolo</a> for 10, and fullback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77877/ryan-hewitt">Ryan Hewitt</a> twice for 25 yards. This is an obvious and effective complement to a persistent running game, and Stanford found selective success with it. But on five other occasions, Hogan scrambled either to buy time against good coverage, to escape pressure, or to take advantage of an open hole in front of him. He found running room twice, found <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77850/drew-terrell">Drew Terrell</a> on an 11-yard pass once, was sacked once, and threw the ball away once. His fight-or-flight instincts were virtually perfect, especially for a young quarterback, and Stanford benefited tremendously because of it.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">**********</p>
<p>It probably isn't difficult, then, to figure out the major keys for Friday's rematch in Palo Alto. The team that better takes advantage of its quarterback's mobility will probably win, and the team that takes better gambles on defense will probably win. In the first game, that team was Stanford in both instances.</p>
<p>It isn't out of the realm of possibility, however, that UCLA could turn the tables here. MOST of their defensive gambles worked, and lord knows Hundley can kill you with his legs if you turn your back. Stanford is the obvious favorite, basically, because of that front seven. Along with Alabama's and Notre Dame's, it might be the best in college football.</p>
<p>But if UCLA can force a couple of turnovers (they forced one on Saturday but lost two), create a couple of easy scores, and keep Hundley comfortable early, the Bruins make this one very, very interesting. Pick Stanford, but be prepared to change your mind if UCLA gets hot early.</p>
<p><em>Look through SB Nation's many excellent <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#college">college football blogs</a> to find your team's community.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL3FF4E82DBEA5AD7E&hl=en_US" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation" title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" style="margin-left: -15px" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/29/3706140/pac-12-championship-2012-stanford-ucla-kevin-hoganBill Connelly2012-11-30T12:00:43-05:002012-11-30T12:00:43-05:00Pac-12 Championship viewing info
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/INHLpv-du_pREMt7fqgXdCjaQ2M=/0x0:3041x2027/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4144687/156915827.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>UCLA and Stanford will play for the Pac-12 Championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl on Friday.</p> <p>The 2012 Pac-12 champion will be decided on Friday when No. 16 UCLA and No. 8 Stanford meet in the Pac-12 Championship game. There is plenty on the line as the winner of the game will receive a berth in the Rose Bowl.</p>
<p>Friday's game will be the second between the teams in the last six days. Stanford knocked off UCLA 35-17 last week in the regular season finale. After going on the road last week, Stanford will host the Bruins this week thanks to their superior conference record.</p>
<hr>
<center>
<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/29/3706140/pac-12-championship-2012-stanford-ucla-kevin-hogan/in/3475027">Deciding the rematch</a> || <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ucla-stanford-2012">Pac-12 Championship previews from around SB Nation</a>
</center>
<hr>
<p>The Cardinal won the Pac-12 North thanks to an 8-1 mark in conference play. Stanford and Oregon tied for the Pac-12 North lead, but the Cardinal won the tiebreaker thanks to a 17-14 win against the Ducks. Stanford has won six straight games and a win against UCLA would clinch a berth in a BCS bowl game for the third straight season.</p>
<p>After clinching the Pac-12 South with a 38-28 win against USC, UCLA didn't have anything to play for last week. The Bruins finished the regular season 9-3, including 6-3 in conference. A win would send UCLA to its first Rose Bowl since 1999. The Bruins had won five straight games prior to their loss to Stanford.</p>
<p>Friday's game will be a battle of freshman quarterbacks. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38230/brett-hundley" class="sbn-auto-link">Brett Hundley</a> threw for 3,234 yards and 26 touchdowns for UCLA while Kevin Hogan took over the starting job late in the season for the Cardinal. Hogan will make his fifth start of the season.</p>
<p>Stanford has won four straight games against UCLA.</p>
<p><b>Game time, TV channel:</b> 8 p.m. ET, FOX</p>
<p><b>Online streaming video:</b> N/A</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/ucla-stanford-odds-november-30-2012">Point spread</a><b>:</b> Stanford favored by 10 points.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/scoreboards/divia/today/?xid=sbnation">Check the national college football scoreboard right here</a>, and look through SB Nation's many excellent <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#college">college football blogs</a> to find your team's community.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false" data-size="large">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script></p>
<p><iframe width="600" height="338" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL3FF4E82DBEA5AD7E&hl=en_US" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation" title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" style="margin-left: -15px" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3708624/pac-12-championship-2012-stanford-ucla-tv-scheduleMark Sandritter2012-11-30T12:00:30-05:002012-11-30T12:00:30-05:00MAC Championship viewing info
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H6LV9TLHlxgnlGnnyNHluhu3kf8=/0x20:3085x2077/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4093385/20120901_jla_ad4_440.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Northern Illinois and Kent State, two nationally ranked teams, will go at it Friday night to determine the MAC champion.</p> <p>Though not a BCS conference, the MAC boasts two nationally ranked teams that will take center stage Friday night to determine the conference champion. No. 17 Kent State and No. 21 Northern Illinois are both 11-1 and 8-0 in MAC play, with Kent State winning the East Division and Northern Illinois taking the west.</p>
<p>The two teams did not face each other during the regular season but both feature high-powered offenses that could turn Friday's contest into a shootout.</p>
<p>The Huskies average 40.5 points per game, led by quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/116594/jordan-lynch" class="sbn-auto-link">Jordan Lynch</a>, who has rushed for 16 touchdowns and thrown for 23 more. Wide receiver <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77147/martel-moore" class="sbn-auto-link">Martel Moore</a> has been on the receiving end of 11 of those touchdown passes. Lynch leads the nation in total offense and touchdowns responsible for.</p>
<hr>
<center>><a href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/">Year-round MAC coverage</a> || <a href="http://www.redandblackattack.com/2012/11/28/3701386/mac-championship-niu-northern-illinois-huskies-vs-kent-state-golden-flashes-gameday-vitals">Kent State-NIU essentials</a>
</center>
<hr>
<p>But the Golden Flashes counter with a pretty good offense of their own. The duo of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/84434/dri-archer" class="sbn-auto-link">Dri Archer</a> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/135684/trayion-durham" class="sbn-auto-link">Trayion Durham</a> has run in 28 touchdowns (14 each), to lead the nation's 11th-best team in rushing yards. Kent State also averages 34.4 points per game and handed Big East title contender Rutgers its first loss of the season.</p>
<p><b>Game time, TV channel:</b> Nov. 30, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2</p>
<p><b>Online streaming video:</b> ESPN3.com</p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/odds">Point spread</a>:</b> Northern Illinois is favored by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/odds">6½ points</a>.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/scoreboards/divia/today/?xid=sbnation">Check the national college football scoreboard right here</a>, and look through SB Nation's many excellent <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#college">college football blogs</a> to find your team's community.</em></p>
<p><a data-size="large" data-show-count="false" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB">Follow @SBNationCFB</a>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
!function(d,s,id){varjs,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
// --></script></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL3FF4E82DBEA5AD7E&hl=en_US" height="338" width="600"></iframe></p>
<p><a title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation"><img onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);" style="margin-left: -15px" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png"></a></p>
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2012/11/30/3704956/mac-championship-2012-kent-state-northern-illinois-tv-scheduleRussell Steinberg