Sports 101: Five lessons from last week | Sacramento Bee

USC coach Steve Sarkisian, center, looks on during his team’s 17-12 Pacific-12 Conference loss to Washington in an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. By the weekend, Sarkisian was placed on indefinite leave, and by Monday, he was fired. — USC coach Steve Sarkisian, center, looks on during his team’s 17-12 Pacific-12 Conference loss to Washington in an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. By the weekend, Sarkisian was placed on indefinite leave, and by Monday, he was fired. Jae C. Hong The Associated Press

In case you missed them, here are some teachable moments from the last seven days:

▪ USC football has a much more serious issue to deal with than a home loss to Washington.

▪ With a little effort, the Dodgers’ Chase Utley may someday take out a left fielder with a delayed slide into second base.

▪ Cal may not be quite ready for prime time.

▪ Baseball has walk-off and balk-off wins, and football, thanks to the Falcons’ Robert Alford, has the pickoff win.

▪ It may take more than a 17-point lead to hand the Bengals their first loss this season.

Jeff Caraska

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Sports 101: Five lessons from last week."