FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Where Was The Emotion?

Someone who was on the sideline during the USC-Stanford game told me they were shocked at the lack of emotion on the sideline during the game.

This does not contradict USC’s performance. In the second half, it looked to me like USC had either lost interest or given up as it became apparent the Trojans’ offense wasn’t going to be able to mount a comeback with its struggling offense.

It also raises questions about the leadership, which starts wit the coaching staff. USC looked listless Clay Helton did not seem confident in the second half that USC would be able to muster some offense.

And I wouldn’t put it all on the offense. How many times did you see the defense put pressure on K.J. Costello? Don’t forget three of the four captains our on defense and they weren’t exactly firing up their teammates via their performance.

Meanwhile, look at what happened with USC’s No. 1 Super Fan. He has turned on Clay Helton. Again.

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Remember in 2016, he wanted to fire Helton and make him national coach of the year within three months.

24 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Where Was The Emotion?”

  1. That’s a good and sad assessment of not just this game but what was seen last year too (UT, ucla, OH St. and notre dame). It is regrettable but few of us really can change – what we see is what Clay Helton is – someone completely out of his league in terms of skill set and knowledge. The staff he has assembled is his trademark – listless and unemotional. The assistants are what win the games by seeing what their job title is totally focused on. Sooner Helton moves on the better for all.

    On the other side of the USA there is a certain qb about to begin his career with the NYJ @ DET this evening 4:10 pm PDT

    https://bit.ly/2Mj3FW1

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  2. The emotion? Oh that was in the stands with the fans and alumni alternating between angry and sad.
    In the mid eighties I attended a Stanford game at USC and watched an uncoached USC get outsmarted by Stanford. I’ll never forget the tha lady five rows down in USC gear crying her eyes out because we were about to lose.
    Now I know how she felt. And after watching Fink run the offense for a series, I know how deep in do-do we are. That kid has been on campus for 3 years and looks like he’s a walk-on.

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    1. I know what you mean OT. I stopped cursing at the TV because the neighborhood didn’t have a clue why I was yelling “throw the f @$%ing ball!”
      After a while it seemed like an older sibling torturing a younger kid. It looked like high school kids trying to play college men. I have up when we punted in the 4th quarter.

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    2. Exactly Right! If the coaches are doing such a great job, Fink and Sears would be spectacular players and JT would be in development for future years. They had to go to the true freshman because they have not developed any competence within the coaching staff. And the QB coach has zero experience…

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  3. I don’t dispute that Helton shoulders alot of the blame.

    But I think Tee Martin is the biggest problem with the team right now. It’s his offense and it sucks. Pendergast’s defense did, I thought, a decent job containing Bryce Love (mostly) and by only allowing Stanford 3 points after half time.

    If the defense played that well against a good team, then the problems do not seem to be spread across the team. When you have a bad coach, it’s on every aspect of the team. But the defense thus far this season is serviceable. But not the O.

    Tee Martin has been around USC too long and been OC long enough to not give him any more slack. I believe he is the big problem because his offense is soft and he doesn’t have it as a playcaller. It’s his offense that is bringing down this team, not the D right now.

    Calling out Clay Helton is fine, I get it. But someone needs to turn up the heat under Tee because this USC fanbase will not tolerate another game with no TD’s. USC is better than that, even with a freshman QB.

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    1. UH, who is Tee IQ 11’s boss ? That would be Gomer, the man who said Tee was a great play caller.

      This is ALL on Gomer, he could have cleaned up his staff, fired his daddy’s buddy who ” coaches ” the O line, the idiot DB coach, gotten a better OC, but Gomer doesn’t think anything is wrong with his staff, plus he can’t seem to fire anyone.

      Gomer has no business being the head coach at USC, NONE

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. I do agree with having a come to Jesus meeting with Martin right away. Callaway simply just needs to pack up and leave quietly. But Helton is the guy that creates the overall emotional level, which is not there. I thought he may bring it this year but it looks like he isn’t.
      Agree that it is weird how USC is blossoming on one side of the ball and drying up on the other.

      I could care less what Wolf and Cowherd both think, particularly about each other.

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      1. Gomer hired an OL coach to coach his RB;’s, what does that tell you ? He did coach RB’s, 20 years ago at UNLV and Montana St, but his forte is coaching the OL, so why doesn’t he take over for senile Neil Callaway ? Because Gomer can’t fire his daddy’s buddy that’s why, what a mess.

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  4. Gomer Helton isn’t going to change, this train wreck will continue until he’s gone.

    This is Swann’s mess to clean up, we’ll see if he’s up to the task.

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  5. And did anyone notice how Tee IQ 11 said it was all about failure to execute ? That’s coach speak for the players F’ed up, not me, it’s also called throwing the players under the bus. Now, did the players not execute? Sure, but this blithering idiot calls the same 7 plays a game, can’t get his best players the ball, doesn’t know how to call plays TO SET UP PLAYS, he’s in over his head just like his boss

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  6. How in the world did Gomer and his staff not keep monitoring JT’s hand ? After the game it was said, I think by Tee IQ 11, that they had no idea how swollen JT’s hand was, why ? Did the doctors or trainers just stop looking at it ?

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    1. I thought his throwing motion changed in the second half. I think we should stop treating JT like an 18 year old. He is a man and he is a gamer and more professional and inspiring than most. He will get better but the Tee needs to have a game plan to kick in when we were moving the ball on the ground in the first half.

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      1. Um, Tee IQ 11 isn’t going to get better, he’s not smart enough to get better, plus he thinks it’s all the players fault, the guy is a disaster and yet he keeps his job and is even lauded as a great play caller by his boss, Gomer Helton.

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  7. Trading places? Below was from an article written 12 years ago about Stanford’s coach. Replace Harris with Gomer and Stanford with USC:

    “Walt Harris, the Coach
    I think this is where the real problem lies. In the years that I’ve followed Stanford football, few are worse than Harris. He has no charisma on or off the field, no ability to put together a sound game plan, no clue on how to adjust the game plan during a game…”

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Replace Gomer with Ted Tollner, could recruit but not coach, team had zero emotion, poor game prep, no halftime adjustments, wasn’t qualified for the job, same thing just 30 years later.

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  8. The Trojan defense gave up a few big plays. But they held Stanford to just 17 points for the game. They did their job.
    The Trojan offense and Tee Martin did not do their job. Martin did a poor job of adjusting to Stanford’s defensive game plan. I believe Norm Chow or Lane Kiffin would have adjusted to Stanford’s defensive game plan. This Trojan team lacked passion, and they didn’t believe in themselves!

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    1. Lane Kiffin ? Leinart used to audible out of the Kiffer’s play calls all the time, they don’t call him Fade for nothing, he’s just a slimmer younger version of Gomer

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      1. Dummy, Leinart was taught excellent reads and given the plays to audible to. Nobody has called an audible since Helton has been coach. Sam didn’t and it looks like JT has nothing. But then JT cannot get past his first progression, he stares down the primary on every pass play.

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  9. “Someone who was on the sideline told me…..” That’s a real “Inside USC” nugget, Scottie! Maybe Alicia, Dan, Ryan, Shotgun or any number of other beat reporters are the better source of that kind of first-hand info. Just stick to what you do best (and what I LOVE) – the snark!

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