Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1007222
2 0 1 8 P A C - 1 2 F O O T B A L L M E D I A G U I D E 34 2 0 1 7 S E A S O N R E V I E W PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP – Dec. 1, 2017 Santa Clara, Calif. - Levi's Stadium The USC Trojans defeated Stanford 31-28 in the 2017 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, making history as the first Pac-12 South team to win the title. USC quarterback Sam Darnold found tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe for a 48-yard reception, the signature play of the Tro- jans' first scoring drive in the first quarter. Michael Pittman Jr., who enjoyed a breakout night with seven receptions for 146 yards, hauled in a seven-yard touchdown to stake the Trojans to an early 7-0 lead. Stanford answered immediately, as Bryce Love punched in a nine-yard score to open the second quarter. It was the 17th touchdown of the season. Love rushed for 125 yards on 22 carries for the night. USC scored 10 consecutive points in the second quarter behind a Chase McGrath 24-yard field goal and a 19-yard scoring strike from Darnold to Tyler Vaughans to push the Trojans to a 17-7 lead. Stanford stayed within range of the Trojans. JJ Ar- ciega-Whiteside's spectacular 42-yard reception in double coverage set up a 1-yard punch in from Cameron Scarlett, trimming the deficit to 17-14 before the half. Ronald Jones II again extended Stanford's lead to 10, at 24-14 with 4:49 left in the third quarter following a six-play, 61-yard drive with a 1-yard TD plunge. Stanford's KJ Costello found his roommate Kaden Smith for an 11-yard touchdown late in the 3rd quarter, cutting the Trojans' lead to 24-21 and setting up the fourth-quarter drama. Momentum was with Stanford to start the final frame, until USC mounted a goal-line stand, including two stuffs of the Cardinal's vaunted jumbo package from the one-yard line. After the Cardinal turned the ball over on downs, Darnold, with both feet in his own end zone, found Pittman Jr. for a 52-yard gain to spark the Trojans' decisive 99-yard scoring drive. Jones II capped it off with an 8-yard touchdown run to build USC's lead to 31-21 with 4:42 remaining. Jones finished the night 140 rushing yards on 30 carries. Darnold, the FCG Most Valuable Player, completed 17-of-24 for 325 yards and two scores. Stanford again closed to within three points at 31-28 as Costello found his trusty tight end in Smith with a 28-yard touchdown catch with 2:09 remaining in the game. The Cardinal could not recover the ensuing onside kick and the Trojans ran out the clock to secure their first FCG title and 39th conference championship. CONFERENCE GAMES ALL GAMES NORTH W L Pct. Pts Opp W L Pct. Pts Opp Stanford# 7 2 .778 271 201 9 5 .643 453 318 Washington 7 2 .778 302 137 10 3 .769 479 209 Washington State 6 3 .667 254 242 9 4 .692 394 335 Oregon 4 5 .444 272 270 7 6 .538 468 377 California 2 7 .222 238 275 5 7 .417 333 341 Oregon State 0 9 .000 172 378 1 11 .083 248 516 SOUTH W L Pct. Pts Opp W L Pct. Pts Opp USC 8 1 .889 328 210 11 3 .786 456 366 Arizona State 6 3 .667 281 262 7 6 .538 414 427 Arizona 5 4 .556 361 350 7 6 .538 537 447 UCLA 4 5 .444 259 326 6 7 .462 422 476 Utah 3 6 .333 244 242 7 6 .538 384 301 Colorado 2 7 .222 222 311 5 7 .417 317 338 # - Division representative in the Pac-12 Championship Game. SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION HOLIDAY BOWL Atten. Michigan State 42 47,092 WASHINGTON STATE 17 FOSTER FARMS BOWL Atten. Purdue 38 28,436 ARIZONA 35 VALERO ALAMO BOWL Atten. TCU 39 57,653 STANFORD 37 HYUNDAI SUN BOWL Atten. North Carolina State 52 39,897 ARIZONA STATE 31 LAS VEGAS BOWL Atten. Boise State 38 36,432 OREGON 28 CACTUS BOWL Atten. Kansas State 35 32,859 UCLA 17 ZAXBY'S HEART OF DALLAS BOWL Atten. West Virginia 14 20,507 UTAH 30 CACTUS BOWL Atten. Kansas State 35 32,859 UCLA 17 GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC Atten. Ohio State 24 67,510 USC 7 PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL Atten. Penn State 35 61,842 WASHINGTON 28 2017 FINAL PAC-12 STANDINGS 2017-18 BOWL RESULTS STANFORD 28 USC 31