FOOTBALL

The Latest Line

There was no line on the USC-Texas game, presumably because of JT Daniels’ hand injury. But there is a line today: USC is a 3.5-point underdog. So it’s basically the home-field advantage for Texas.

Meanwhile, check out this video from the USC-Stanford game and keep an eye on right tackle Chuma Edoga.

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28 thoughts on “The Latest Line”

      1. Well ‘Little Lord Fauntleroy’ still has his mitts in ‘re-designing’ the Coliseum to the image that ‘Capper’ saw. He’ll never live down, with cause, that plundering of the Mayr Foundation esp. the salary he was being paid by NBC, his partnership with Dick Riordan and what Nikias was paying him as USC’s AD.

        Wear it forever Haden

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  5. I don’t know what goes on in the mind of Chuma. I’ve been scratching my head for three seasons now because of his mental lapses

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  6. “No line,” the headlines said…Oh betting line. I thought the country knew we haven’t seen the good side of a block for Helton’s tenure. It’s almost as if his motto is “blocking we don’t need no stinking blocking”

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  7. Totally off topic: A good or bad play call isn’t determined by whether or not it works. For example: If the 4th and 2 play call would’ve worked, we would’ve called it a good play call. (I’m not talking about the decision to go for it, but the actual pass play that was called) The play didn’t work so now we all agree that it was clearly a bad play call. That’s fine after the fact, but how do we know what makes a good play call before we see the result? What makes a good play call is its LIKELIHOOD to work. If you’re an OC, by the time you have run your first 15 scripted plays, you should have a slate of good play calls or “go to” plays that are now more likely to work. Why? Because in those first 15 plays, one way AND another, you have been conditioning your opponent as a defense and as individuals. In your first 15 plays, you’re basically developing resources that you can go to at 4th and 2 or 3rd and 9 or in the red zone. Beyond hearing that they need to execute, your players need the right play at the right time. You are recruiting players who only need half a step, and some play calling with a little depth would get them 2 or 3 steps consistently. People can’t cover these players like wet blankets for 60 minutes if you’re doing anything more than just calling this or that play out of the playbook.

    The fact that we have to grind for everything on offense is a function of the fact that our play calling is much closer to checkers than it is to chess. Good, long-term, thoughtful play calling creates space for your playmakers, and we’re not realizing that particular kind of space AT ALL. Anyone can call a play out of a playbook, but there are levels and layers to it. I just feel that there is a lack of intellectualism and sophistication in our offense and the way we utilize it. Would anyone accuse Clay Helton, Tee Martin and Neil Callaway of either of those things? I’m not trying to be insulting and I’m not saying people should be fired, but it shouldn’t be pulling teeth to get these kind of players off. Something is obviously wrong with your plays and/or your play calling theory. 3 points and we’re thinking hard?

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  8. Bates and Wilcox, both ex-SC coaches are doing just fine. BUT, don’t tell that to Swann or he’ll hire them back. SC, IMHO, should go away from the coaching tree and get some big name. Why can’t SC do it? Georgia and Miami recently did. Nebraska did. SC settles for a nice guy, who can’t coach and motivate and get a team ready for a big game worth a damn. Good guys don’t win football games.

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  9. Practicing in shorts negates any play calling,particularly against good teams. Stanford is only a good team, but better than last year ,SC is not and will not be ,they do not practice the kind of football top 10 teams do. Helton refuses to make the practices real and tough for some reason,although he has ‘promised too’ for years,particularly after the Wisconsin bowl game and Ohio St. bowl game,and losses to Stanford 2 yrs ago . They beat teams like unlv ,that’s about it…

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  10. My question is, doesn’t T Martin know he is behind the eight ball as an o coordinator and why hasn’t anyone told him that he needs to start at a junior high school and work his way up to being a college o coordinator. Horrible play calling.

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  11. Watching McVay call offense last night made me weep for just a semblance of competence and innovation from our oc press box. what we have is a dud who skated by with an elite talent who succeeded despite his coaches.

    What more do the rah rah’s need to see? Either we want to be legit or we want to be milquetoast. Time to poach Lincoln Riley or another in the same vein…

    Horns will win by 14. This SC offense is putrid…

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