Pac-12 Notebook: Most conference graduation rates below NCAA average

Stanford and Washington are the only two Pac-12 schools above the NCAA's average graduation success rate for FBS schools.

By John Breech

Oct 25, 2012 at 7:04 pm ET • 2 min read

Oregon State coach Mike Riley likes taking his team to In-N-Out, but he doesn't like late kickoffs. (US Presswire)

With no Thursday night Pac-12 football to look forward to, we have something almost as good: Links from around the conference.

The NCAA released its annual football graduation rates, and the news wasn't exactly positive for the Pac-12. The NCAA's numbers revealed that an average of 70 percent of incoming FBS freshmen in 2005-06 went on to graduate, reported ESPN. However, only two Pac-12 schools -- Stanford (90) and Washington (74) -- surpassed that rate. The news is even worse for Cal, which has a graduation success rate of only 48 percent, the second lowest among all FBS schools -- only Oklahoma was lower (47 percent). The graduation rate was so bad in Berkeley that the school released a statement.
Like most Pac-12 teams, State" data-canon="Arizona Wildcats" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> has struggled in the kicking department this season. Sophomore Alex Garoutte has only made 54.5 percent of his kicks (6 of 11) this year, so coach Todd Graham has decided to give a walk-on the job. Junior Jon Mora will handle kicking duties for Saturday's game against UCLA, Fox Sports Arizona reported. "No one's really stepped up to be that clear-cut guy," special teams coach Joe Lorig said. "So we've just had to make a decision based on practice."
Arizona hosts No. 11 USC in a nationally televised Pac-12 South showdown on Saturday, and the Wildcats could have a few injured players back, according to the Tucson Citizen. WR Johnny Jackson (ankle) could be back on the field Saturday, as could starting OG Trace Biskin (toe) and starting S Jared Tevis (ankle). The Wildcats are one of the few teams in the Pac-12 that releases an injury report.
Cal QB Zach Maynard has been sacked 32 times this season, which makes him the most sacked quarterback in the nation. Maynard will have to be on his toes Saturday, the San Jose Mercury News reported, because the Bears offensive line will be going up against the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country: Utah standout DT Star Lotulelei .
When all was said and done on signing day last February, Stanford's recruiting class was ranked No. 5 in the country. Rivals.com caught up with Cardinal offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton to assess how the freshmen class has played so far this season.
Washington TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a career-high 110 yards receiving against Arizona on Saturday and is on pace to break every school record by a tight end, according to the Seattle Times. The sophomore needs only 11 receptions to break the single-season receptions record by a tight end and 17 to break the career record.
"Win the day" is a weekly theme at Oregon, but coach Chip Kelly will have his hands full making sure his team doesn't look past Colorado to the Ducks' Nov. 3 showdown with USC, the Oregonian reported.
Oregon State coach Mike Riley isn't a big fan of late kickoff times, according to the Oregonian. Most In-N-Outs are open past 1 a.m. on Saturdays, so that isn't the problem. The real problem for Riley? "Waiting all day" for the game to start. The Beavers kick off at 10:15 p.m. ET against Washington on Saturday.