Pac-12 Digest
Pac-12 signs Dish
Much to the delight of fans around the country, Pac-12 Enterprises and Dish Network has reached a deal, the conference said in a statement Saturday.
The network will be distributed to millions of people around the country.
The station, which began broadcasting in mid-August, had received criticism for not being widely available to those who wanted to watch the network. The only carriers for the station currently are Time Warner Cable, Cox, Comcast and Brighthouse, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Notable carriers missing include DirecTV and Charter Communications.
The Pac-12 Network will show more than 800 events a year, including several events that will not be available through other stations, including the USC-California game on Sept. 22 at the Coliseum.
Huskies on the pitch
Pac-12 soccer was dominated by a pair of players from Washington last week, as sophomore forward Jaclyn Softli and senior goalkeeper Karli Davidson won conference player of the week honors for women’s soccer, the Pac-12 announced Tuesday.
A backup, Softili helped the Huskies improve their record to 7-0 on the season by scoring a goal against Notre Dame and another against Gonzaga. Washington is ranked No. 23 in the country.
Davidson, on the other hand, did her damage on the defensive side of things. She had four saves against Notre Dame and a whopping 11 against Gonzaga. She did not give up a goal last week. The Huskies next game is against Utah State in Logan, Utah, on Thursday.
Teeing it up
The USC women’s golf team began its quest for a national championship this week, finishing in third place at the College of Charleston Cougar Classic in South Carolina.
The Women of Troy were led by junior Sophia Popov, who finished the tournament 1-under-par 215. Sophomore Doris Chen finished with the same score.
As a whole, the team finished at 1-under-par 863. Florida won the tournament, finishing 12-under-par.
USC finished last season the season No. 3 in the country, behind Alabama and UCLA.
Though women’s golf is majorily a spring sport, USC plays in three tournaments during the fall. It will next play in the 2012 Fall Preview at the University of Georgia starting Oct. 5. They will wrap up the fall season at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
Big time players
UCLA senior running back Johnathan Franklin and sophomore linebacker D.J. Welch were named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, respectively, the Pac-12 announced earlier this week.
In an upset of then-No. 16 Nebraska, Franklin rushed for 217-yards, leading UCLA to a 36-30 victory at the Rose Bowl. Franklin is currently the nation’s leading rusher, having run for 431-yards in two games. UCLA is ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll.
Welch had seven tackles in the Beavers upset victory of then No. 13 Wisconsin. It was the Beaver’s first game of the season, as their scheduled season opener against Nicholls State was postponed because of Hurricane Issac.
Special teams Player of the Week honors went to Arizona kicker John Bonano, who three field goals in an upset over then-No. 18 Oklahoma State.
It was a great day for me last Saturday when I saw that the Pac-12 Network games were available on Dish. I’m glad I could flip to the Fresno State/Oregon game and others with my Hopper’s GameFinder App. The Pac-12 Network is part of my Dish subscription so I found all the available games through the app all day. A coworker at Dish told me about this feature, and it’s helped me keep up with the scores in real time, instead of relying on the sports ticker. I can’t wait for the USC/Cal game since it will be a big conference test for the Trojans, but I think they’ll be in the national championship game!