STANFORD, Calif. - For the last two years, Andrew Luck has been doing things no other quarterback in the country has. Now he's taking on responsibilities most can only imagine.
For the first time in his career, Luck called his own plays during stretches of No. 7 Stanford's 45-19 victory over UCLA on Saturday night without any input from coaches. No script. No questions. Just Luck.
"We put the formation out there and let Andrew call the play," new coach David Shaw said. "It's 100 percent up to him to get us in the right play.
"We feel we have a phenomenal quarterback."
The Cardinal (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) unleashed the new hurry-up offense with vengeance against UCLA. Luck threw for 227 yards and three TDs to extend Stanford's winning streak to 12, longest in the nation.
Luck even split out to receiver as a decoy - making an acrobatic one-handed, 13-yard catch from receiver Drew Terrell on one play. Luck handed off to Tyler Gaffney and sprinted out to the right side. Gaffney ran left and flipped the ball to Terrell on a reverse, and the receiver lobbed a pass to Luck along the far sideline.
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The reception, which could pad Luck's Heisman Trophy credentials, was the second of his career and first since a 2009 loss at Arizona.
Call him Coach Luck.
"His plays were a little bit better than mine," Shaw said.
The new responsibilities are rare for a college quarterback or even in the NFL, where Peyton Manning - the player whom Luck is often compared - has mastered the skill.
"Our coaches, they challenge us intellectually, as they do the defense," Luck said. "I think that's why a lot of guys come to Stanford. ... It's fun to be in that offense."
Extra points
• Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen presented a game ball to coach Dabo Swinney after the No. 8 Tigers' 23-3 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Clemson (5-0) became the first ACC team to defeat three straight top 25 opponents, beating Auburn and Florida State earlier.
• In a few weeks, it's likely the only thing left to talk about concerning Ohio State is whether Urban Meyer will be the Buckeyes' next coach. Ohio State is 3-2 after an ugly 10-7 loss at home against Michigan State.
Next up is a treacherous three-game stretch: at No. 14 Nebraska on Saturday, at No. 19 Illinois the week after and home for No. 4 Wisconsin after an off week.
Ohio State hasn't missed the postseason since 1999, hasn't finished below .500 since 1988 when they went 4-7 in John Cooper's first year, and hasn't lost four straight games since 1943.
• If healthy, Houston QB Case Keenum should break the NCAA's career passing mark in the next three or four games - he's 1,482 yards behind former Hawaii star Timmy Chang, averaging 401 yards.
• San Jose State snapped a 16-game road losing streak by beating Colorado State 38-31 in Fort Collins on a 38-yard TD pass from Matt Faulkner to Jabari Carr with 54 seconds left.
