Why has USC been unable to intercept a pass in three games?
Here is a big reason: Clancy Pendergast only plays man-to-man coverage in the secondary. It’s pretty hard to get interceptions when you never play zone. The corners and safeties are running around chasing receivers the whole game and there are never adjustments, which makes it easier for the offenses to find weak spots.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
Huh? Now you’re an expert on zone vs. man-to-man D? Stay in your snarky lane, Scottie, we love you, but take ‘er easy now….
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That crazy reception by Amon-Ra in the 2nd qtr. had interception written all over it. The ball thrown by Daniels took 7 seconds to reach him – the TX defender had to have had his head ripped off this week with that blown inability to catch it but TX won anyway. Daniels doesn’t have much of an arm in terms of velocity
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I love the kid Daniels and his future. But I actually like to see Jack Sears in action because his mobility might cover up the O-line’s weaknesses much like Darnold used to. I think we might be pleasantly surprised by him.
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You have touched on something that might irritate USC fans going forward. JTD doesn’t have that strong of an arm. If folks think he is the 2nd coming of Carson Palmer, slinging 15-yard out routes through tiny windows, they are going to be very, very disappointed.
I see JTD as Cody Kessler 2.0, an improved Cody Kessler, a very accurate QB but one who can see the entire field (and just the first 15 yards, who can throw over the top and whose feet don’t look like they were fitted with cement shoes. And that’s a college QB who you can win a lot of games with, provided . . .
Like Kessler he is short and a little slight, and he needs a clean pocket and a running game to open up passing lanes and keep the pressure off him. Like Kessler he is a scheme and tempo QB but, unlike Sam, he isn’t going to be able to go off script and camouflage deficiencies in scheme and playcalling.
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Fair analysis and good insight. Let him grow into his body and see if he becomes more formidable. Thanks.
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JT Daniels is the second coming of John David Booty! Iman Marshall has no problem pick him off in practice!
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Maybe the fourth string Dbacks arent sure is what a football is. But let the other team drop a pass and they’re right there with their dance. (Hmmm thinks it might be a good way to teach the words they’re, thate and their )
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USC better go into some zone this week, we don’t have much in the way of safeties to rotate.
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Scooter, it is because all the db’s are in the end zone and then they will move up to make the tackle. Horrible defense.
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Fancy Clancy is just collecting a pay check no one wanted him after the 3rd time he left SC … or was it the 5th time.
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USC football under Clay Helton…sad.
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My understanding of how Pendergast’s defense works is that its predicated on pressuring the quarterback into throwing bad passes. His corners are usually in man so that they can send pressure with linebackers and dbs. I’m not sure if the problem is the lack of zone coverage, but rather our pass rush hasn’t exactly been getting to the qb consistently.
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I think this is a good question, Wolf. For me, it’s not just this year as I always felt Adoree should’ve had more picks while he was here. When I watched Stanford’s DBs, they all seemed to be more aware of the ball than ours ever are. I don’t think you can blame it all on playing man vs zone defense.
This is actually a pet peeve of mine so I’m going to ramble. Ye of faint scrotum should turn back now. It’s obvious that you need to know where the ball is in order to make a play on it. If you’re just running around with your back to the action staring at your man, how are you going to make a play on the ball? I don’t believe in this reading the receiver’s eyes and reacting to him crap. It’s like you’re planning or coaching to never intercept the ball if you’re playing this way. It seems and felt to me like an insecure way to play defense. Play myopically, blind to anything except your man… Ballers and gamers don’t play like that. Guys with skills don’t play like that. Guys who are slower than the receiver they’re covering play like that. Guys who don’t have real makeup speed play like that. As a real gamer who only happens to be playing DB, I’m trying to get to the spot on the field where it is possible for me to catch the ball. There is a specific spot on the field for that on every pass. If I’m a receiver, I don’t want the guy sticking me to see the ball at any point. The guy I’m going to have problems with isn’t the guy who is staring at me waiting for a reaction, it’s the guy who is trying to beat me to that spot on the field. We’re exerting physical pressure on each other because we both know where we’ll need to be and we’re jockeying for position. I don’t want to play against that dude all day and my QB probably doesn’t want to throw at him. My QB doesn’t like DBs who see the ball either btw.
IDK man… If I’m a football player, I mean the type of guy who is always around the ball and making plays, I need to know where it is. So, if I’m playing receivers as large and “handsy” as Stanford’s, how hard is it for me to run with them, keep contact and look back to find the ball? The bottom line is that guys who don’t see the ball don’t play the ball and guys who don’t play the ball don’t get the ball. We don’t get the ball.
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