Pac-12 midseason report: Oregon State, Colorado and Washington take home our top awards
It’s the midpoint of the Pac-12 Conference season, to the extent that you can have a midpoint when some teams have played four games, two teams have played two games, and one team has played one.
We took sample size into account for the coach and player honors.
Top coaches
1. Colorado’s Karl Dorrell: No matter what else happens, Year 1 has been a success.
2. Washington’s Jimmy Lake: He picked the right identity for the offense and, it seems, found the right quarterback.
3. Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith: Mr. More-With-Less has the Beavers two years ahead of schedule.
Best games
1. Oregon State 41, Oregon 38: Everything you would want in a rivalry game upset, and a few extras for good measure.
2. USC 28, ASU 27: The first 56 minutes were forgettable, the last 4 were something to behold. Feels like four years ago.
3. Oregon 38, UCLA 35: Plenty of entertainment on the Oregon Trail this season, partly because there have been no cancellations.
Top Offensive Players
1. Oregon State tailback Jermar Jefferson: Leads the Pac-12 in rushing – it’s not close – and is second in the nation at 168.8 yards per game. We’ll see if he keeps it up over the final three weeks, because that’s an epic pace. Oh, and don’t forget the seven touchdowns.
2. Washington tight end Cade Otton: Averaging 5.3 catches per game – top five nationally at his position – and has emerged as rookie quarterback Dylan Morris’ favorite target. Caught two touchdown passes against Utah, including the winner with 36 seconds left.
3. UCLA tailback Demetric Felton: Leads the conference and is third nationally in all-purpose yards (202 per game). Has given the Bruins a dependable option in the running game capable of gaining tough yards and producing big plays.
Top Defensive Players
1. Washington linebacker Zion Tupuloa-Fetui: An easy call. The sophomore leads the nation with 2.3 sacks per game and has forced three fumbles. Causes havoc so consistently that it often seems like there are two of him.
2. Colorado linebacker Nate Landman: A tackling machine who can be disruptive in the backfield. Has been productive since the day he arrived but seems to have gone next level in his final season.
3. UCLA linebacker Mitchell Agude: The Riverside Community College transfer spends as much time in the offensive backfield as any defensive player in the conference.
Top Freshmen
1. Washington quarterback Dylan Morris: Redshirted last season, earned the start in UW’s opener and hasn’t looked back. Included in his 3-0 record is a 12-play, 88-yard winning drive to beat Utah.
2. Colorado tailback Jarek Broussard: Technically, he’s a sophomore, but we’re using editorial license because Broussard missed back-to-back seasons after arriving in Boulder (redshirt and injury). Second in the conference at 144 yards per game.
3. Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell: Has been one of the few standouts on a defense that has otherwise underperformed. Averaging 5.8 tackles per game and has five tackles for loss. Making big brother proud.
Best Players
Regardless of position, team, stats, opportunities, these are the two players we want.
1. Washington nickelback Elijah Molden: Dare we suggest that he’s as good as his father, Alex, the former Oregon star … if not better.
2. USC receiver Drake London: If you’ve pondered the havoc he would cause running the ball 10-12 times per game, join the club.
You can reach Jon Wilner via email at pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.