Pac-12 Championship Game: Who Were the Studs and Duds?

Dec 5, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) tries to avoid being tackled by Southern California Trojans cornerback Kevon Seymour (13) after running for a first down in the second quarter in the Pac-12 Conference football championship game at Levi

The Pac-12 Championship Game delivered plenty of cause to cheer and jeer as Stanford downed USC for the conference title.

The Trojans were on the losing end once again against the Cardinal, downed by a stellar evening from Stanford’s Heisman candidate.

RELATED: “Pac-12 Killers” — The Greatest Trojans vs. Each Conference Team

Here’s a look at who stood out in the 41-22 defeat for all the right reasons and all the wrong reasons:

Who were the studs?

Christian McCaffrey: It doesn’t matter if they’re a Trojan or an opposing player, when someone has a Heisman night they’re a stud. That’s the only way to describe Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey who gashed USC in a way which could only be described as Reggie Bush-esque. With 207 yards rushing, 105 yards receiving and an all-purpose total of 461 yards, McCaffrey was unstoppable. He ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown and threw a touchdown. The only thing missing from his cycle was a special teams touchdown.

Justin Davis and Ronald Jones II: Impressive as McCaffrey was, his counterparts on the Trojan side of things were plenty productive in their frustratingly small cameo role against Stanford. Justin Davis finished the proceedings with 99 yards. Ronald Jones had 51 and a touchdown. The two averaged 5.8 and 8.3 yards per carry respectively though they combined for 23 carries.

Adoree’ Jackson: It was Adoree’ Jackson’s efforts which kept Stanford out of the endzone on their first possession of the game as he logged a key pass break up to begin his night. Later he would add as second deflection on defense. To start he fourth quarter he took a hand off 27 yards to set up a Trojan touchdown. It wasn’t a particularly newsworthy night for Jackson, but with so few stand out performances by USC players it was notable enough.

Kevin Hogan: Kevin Hogan had less yards passing than Cody Kessler and just as many passing touchdowns, but the difference between the two quarterbacks was night and day. Hogan was an efficient 9-of-12 passing. He took just one sack and protected the football. He also showed off his dynamic ability by rushing for 30 yards gained and a touchdown while also catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from McCaffrey.