Pac-12 Notebook: Bruins hoping to get Jeff Baca back for Buffaloes

Absence of senior offensive guard Jeff Baca, plus backup junior Greg Capella, costs UCLA dearly.

By Jon Gold

Sep 24, 2012 at 11:36 am ET • 1 min read

Here are some news and notes from around the Pac-12...

UCLA redshirt senior offensive lineman Jeff Baca, the team's lone senior starting on the line, was sorely missed in the Bruins' 27-20 loss to Oregon State on Saturday. Mora told UCLA reporters that Baca would know more about his future Tuesday, Miguel Melendez of InsideSocal.com/UCLA wrote. With Baca and backup junior Greg Capella sidelined with a concussion, the UCLA running game stalled against a tough Beaver defense.
Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian is worried about Stanford's wholistic approach to football. The Cardinal, that is, are a complete team, with a strong running game and perhaps an even better defense, and their well-roundedness serves them well. "They have a cohesive approach to the game --- play really good, sound defense against the run and then have the ability to run the football and utilize play-action pass when you get the lead and teams are really selling out to stop the run," Sarkisian told Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. "So they do a good job of keeping those things together."
USC's offense is dealing with bruised egos as well as bruised bodies, writes Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. The Trojans, with a bevy of postseason-award candidates, rank just 49th nationally in scoring.
It was a game of superlatives, or whatever the opposite of superlative is, for Utah in its 37-7 loss to Arizona State on Saturday. Running back John White was limited to a career-low 17 yards on 13 carries and the defense allowed its most yards in more than a year and its most points since joining the Pac-12 last season, Lya Wodraska of the Salt Lake Tribune writes.
Quick, you think Mike Riley likes his In-n-Out with the grilled onion disc, or does he just go all-in and get it Animal Style? Either way, Riley knows good eats. The Oregon State head coach treated his Beavers to some of the SoCal staple after the team's win over UCLA. No word on how many offensive linemen ordered 6-by-6s.
Arizona State's offensive players might up for bouncer duty if the season goes awry. The Sun Devils were given maroon and gold "SECURITY" shirts for their zero-turnover performance against the Utes, Doug Haller of AZCentral.com wrote.