FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: An Outside View Of Air Dud Offense

Some observations on USC’s offense from an NFL coach:

  • “Did you notice they ran better without No. 84 (Erik Krommenhoek) in the game? The defense figured out alll you had to do was follow him and you knew which way the ball was going.”
  • “If you use the running backs right, you start No. 30 (Markese Stepp) and wear down a defense, then you put in No. 29 (Vavae Malepeai). No. 7 (Stephen Carr) is not running close to the way he did as a freshman.”
  • “The quarterback had a lot of passes deflected and intercepted because they kept throwing over the middle. That’s the Air Raid offense. These guys think everything they do will work. It seemed like the offensive coordinator was having problems when he wasn’t facing a conventional defense.”

Below is this week’s podcast with Aram Tolegian. Topics include the sad state of L.A. college football, whether Bryce Young could go to UCLA, what went wrong at BYU and how to bet the USC-Utah game.

69 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: An Outside View Of Air Dud Offense”

  1. When all is said and done, BYU had a better QB and outplayed SUCCX FB. BYU deserved their win as much as Oklahoma deserved their victory vs UCLA.

    It’s as simple as that.

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    2. owns, BYU didn’t have a better QB. But they certainly had a much better game plan and much better coaching and play calling.

      BYU staff put their team (and QB) in a position to win. The SC staff did everything possible to put their team in a position to lose, and lose they did.

      But there is no comparison between SC-BYU and OK-bruins games.

      The bruins didn’t even belong on the same field as OK. Sooners could easily have run up 70. Maybe more. There is nothing the bruins could have done to make that game competitive.

      At one time, it John McKay-Tommy Protho and John Robinson-Terry Donahue. Those were exciting times for both programs.

      Now it is Clay Helton and Chip Kelly.

      Depressing for both teams.

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      1. 67 –Ya gotta love how Owns is equating the utter debacle with Oklahoma with our overtime loss…..
        #Owns,MyFriend,LetItGo……

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Michael, we can’t let owns slip that one in.

        That OK-ucla game was a complete beat down.

        BTW, how did owns come up with ucla winning that game 24-17?

        Liked by 2 people

      3. 67 —The whole “Sam thing” is just Owns’ way of erasing the memory of that prediction from our memory…..
        #..GodHelpHimIfLosesThe”Ding”LineInNovember,Too….

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Feel bad for Carr- but not that bad. Truth is, he is holding out, not giving it his 100% like he did as a True Freshman when he was a Stud. Methinks that he is riding out the season and will declare next year; that he doesn’t want to get hurt again and put his potential livelihood on the line for This Coach and program. Proof? He flashes the moves, but doesn’t really lower the shoulder and grind. Don’t really blame him; a lot of terrific backs have gone all out in college, gotten hurt, and never made it to their big payday.

    #Iwoulddothesamething

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    2. Arturo, he looked so different in the first 2 games. Wonder if he was injured and didn’t go out? Based on the BYU game, he should be the third string guy now, or lower. He just didn’t deliver. (And the O-line didn’t make it easy for him).

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      1. 67 —Every word you typed is clearly true. So why doesn’t Helton see it?
        Carr will not break the line of scrimmage vs. Utah. We will waste downs every time he runs (unless we use him as James suggested —as New Orleans used Reggie Bush catching passes coming out of the backfield). The best way to lose to Utah is to get 2.7 yards a pop from Carr every time he touches the ball. It’ll put Slovis in a hole he can’t (and shouldn’t be expected to) climb outta of.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Michael, I believe Carrs’ average yard per carry was somewhere around 2.5 last week.

        Stepp is around 7 yards per carry.

        #ButWhatDoWeKnow

        Liked by 3 people

      3. And I like Carr and that burst against the Tree shows exactly what he can do…but using his in an every down back way as you are all dissecting not only will yield a low YPC, it’s the negative, drive-killing plays that his style of running frequently leads to that is the bigger concern (as you pointed out, it sets up those 2nd and 3rd and long plays that the offense isn’t designed for and that a young QB needs to avoid).

        Liked by 2 people

  3. I was commenting on the TDB that the air raid isn’t the magic bullet it was supposed to be. And as predicted here Kingsburry is not setting the NFL on fire with his brand of Air Raid either. The AZ Cardinals haven’t done much yet this season.
    I was hoping, as were others, that we could blame Helton for the lack of spark Saturday, but Harrell has owned the play calling. He blames the students for lack of execution. Well duh. When you run the “I dunno whata you want to do?” offense you get that from the kids. Harrell’s magic was all smoke and mirrors.

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      1. And coaching for the Bidwells is in a class with coaching for the Spanos or Irsays..all in all, especially given how each game started, it’s amazing they’ve been as competitive as they have been (and as you point out, at least he has the type of QB needed to give the offense a chance to work).

        Don’t think it will work for him, but not many people have had any success whatsoever coaching the Cardinals (other than Kurt Warner carrying them to a Super Bowl, and the three years with Coryell in the mid-70s, you have to go back to when they were in Chicago in the 40s to see any semblance of success).

        Liked by 4 people

  4. Trojan Family-
    Do not worry…we are VERY close to being a GREAT football team. All we have to fix is the team culture, line play, player development, coaching, recruiting, and play calling. Once those small issues are addressed we will be good to go and a force to be reckoned with.
    Fight On!
    -Zack

    PS Does anyone besides me have to push the bile back down their throat when they hear Coach Willie Loman at the pressers saying with a HUGE smile:
    ‘You’ve got to give the other team credit.
    Our guys played a heckova game.
    This is just an early non-conference loss.
    They just made one more play than we did.”

    >>> Show me a good loser and I’ll show you CCH…Yikes!

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    2. TrojanZZZ,
      The guy who uttered the memorable words you quoted (“all we need to do is overhaul our culture, player development, coaching, recruiting, line play, play calling, admissions practices, business ethics, managerial style, sex lives, marital relationships, religious & economic beliefs, etc., etc.”) has gotten his ass fired……
      #LeavingUsWithSlapHappy’sCrazyTalk….
      #…WhichSeemsGoodEnoughForLocalPressAndUSCPresidents

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      1. Let’s not forget the interim SC president who the board of trustees picked, who said about Helton:

        “I support Clay Helton. He doesn’t sleep around, drink, or do drugs.”

        What an idiot. But that is par for the course for what the Board of Trustees does.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. 67 —I actually hate to think about what would happen to a University President who talked that way at Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State…..
        #…TotallyClueless….

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I haven’t quite made my mind up about Helton, his psyche has been discussed here recently…I can’t yet determine if he is delusional or just plain Stupid.

    One thing I’ve determined, his whole persona is off-putting and Putrid.
    I’ve lost all hope and respect for those who have allowed this odious example of a man to be the face of our program.

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Factor13 —-In between delusional and stupid is….crazy like a fox. Helton did not show ONE IOTA of disappointment after the BYU loss. He just talked about how close and exciting the game was. I’ve never seen that from a coach favored to win a game. Conclusion? Helton’s behavior is a sure sign that he stopped being real with the players and the press a long time ago. He just strings a bunch of happy words together—anytime and every time he has a chance to talk. This philosophy has finally seeped deep into the players’ psyches —they’ve bought into the “everything will turn out alright” mindset, too.
      #It’sGonnaBeALittleHardToTurnThatAllAroundInAShortWeek….

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  7. You really have to laugh when USC clearly has better athletes then their opponents, but gets out coached on a weekly basis. Clay Helton has all the resources it takes to keep the Trojans in the top ten, but going into his fourth year they were ranked 43rd ? I’ll never understand why people defend him, it’s comical.

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  8. From The Athletic

    And in case you were wondering, on Monday we also learned Harrell called all the plays against BYU, including those three in the overtime series that were heavily criticized.

    “I liked them all,” he said. “That’s why I called them.”

    So why did the plays coming into the game go from fast to last year plays go through Gomer slow ?

    Gomer throwing Slovis under the bus

    “I thought it was a good call by Graham to get third-and-manageable … and keep us in great field-range,” Helton told reporters Sunday night. “Then called a third-down spacing play, if you go through the read correctly there is a man open. I thought Graham called a good game. The right play was called. … It is what it is. The ball bounced the wrong way.”

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  9. SCooter,

    You said, “Topics include the sad state of L.A. college football, whether Bryce Young could go to UCLA, what went wrong at BYU and how to bet the USC-Utah game”. You have to proof read dude. Did you meant how to bet or how to beat Utah? If you meant how to bet, then go to your local bookie and put money down. If you meant to say how to beat, then don’t worry, Helton will screw that up and SC will have another loss.

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Helton, Clancy, Harrell and the gang are all gone soon, thankfully. I would be excited about it but we all know SC is likely to screw up the next hire, too.

    To save recruiting, Helton needs to be done no later than the bye week.

    From there, let’s hope Folt has someone ready to go as AD and then head coach. I have limited confidence but it’s all we can hope for.

    Friday night I expect SC to start strong and then UTAH will punch us in the mouth and win by 13.

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  11. On August 28, 2004, Reggie Bush ran the ball 9 times for 27 yards, but, Reggie caught 5 PASSES FOR 127 YARDS AND 3 TOUCHDOWNS! A 25.4 YARD AVERAGE….the 3 touchdown passes to Reggie, from Matt, went for 35 YARDS, 53 YARDS AND 29 YARDS! Please try and get the ball to Carr down the field…you can gash the Utes here!

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    1. USC 24 VIRGINIA TECH 13……Virginia Tech had a stout run defense, especially at FED EX FIELD…..remind you of someone? ANSWER: UTAH

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      1. Stephen
        I was living in Annapolis at the time (just down the road from FedEx) and attended that game…
        You make a great point…only problem being that was Pete and Norm Chow (making adjustments)…

        Liked by 2 people

      3. People forget how tough that Va Tech (and Stanford, of course Cal, as well as Oregon State in the fog and UCLA) game was – season ended 55-19, but it wasn’t a cakewalk at all (was pleasantly surprised to see that ESPN rated that team so highly in its Top 150 All-Time).

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    2. The Trojans were down at half, 10-7…..turned the game around in the second half for GLORY! The next day, I drove to Blacksburg, home of the Hokies, and performed a urinalysis on their football field ….God has the tape..,,.lol! These hillbillies gave me a rough time in DC….but, Trojans don’t burst under pressure….

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  12. Shout out, James! I was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1982 in Annapolis….on the Chesapeake Bay! I still have the Apointment, because Navy issues it in hard-cover, degree like form…they recruited me to play baseball and basketball there…

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  13. I was in the Army (at Fort Meade) and lived in an apartment within a jog of your academy (by the way, that’s quite the honor – I always tell people that Navy officers are by far the most impressive and smartest of us all, and it’s really not close)! Annapolis is a great place …

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      1. Stephen:

        Can’t tell you how many times just driving around that area, as a college football fan, the thought would occur to me that this is where Roger Staubach and Joe Bellino and Eddie Meyers and Napolean Kaufmann played! Followed by thinking about how many great (non-football players) people have walked these streets! Well, I mean, we can start with George Washington’s surrendering his command of the Continental Army for starters…I’m guessing my presence was not quite so important! haha

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Since you’re chill, here’s a note on my pic shown here….that’s me in the jacket looking back…..the other player, in the gold jersey looking back, is the Big Unit, Randy Johnson, before he was the Big Unit….we were freshmen left handers together….I was about 8 or 9 months post Tommy John surgery here….dead man walking kinda….. one of the only things that soothed my soul during my particular hell…..was Trojan football…..

        Liked by 1 person

      3. That is amazing! A few months back we had some good discussions about Trojan baseball history (one of the folks rubbed shoulders with Dave Kingman and I believe another was around my boyhood hero Steve Busby)…what memories you must have! TJ surgery has been so improved…it’s almost part of pitcher player development now (since to survive even pitchers throwing in the upper 90s have to turn the ball over with the screwball action).

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      4. I recall having to take 8-10 aspirins before going out to practices, just to pick up the ball and throw it…I went from 95 mph consistently, to 83 mph…game over, just didn’t realize it…what should have been the best time in my life became one of the most disheartening, save Trojan football.,..

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      5. Stephen:

        I wasn’t at your level, but before going into the Army (which was a result of ) I pitched (a very little) JUCO ball and also experienced arm problems (shoulder – slight rotator cuff tear and the accompanying bursitis recurring)…miserable time…got to watch a lot of good baseball played…and the memories are still fond…but not the same as getting to be in the middle of it…

        I mentioned USC’s Steve Busby in above post – I remember as a kid how disappointing it was when his career was destroyed by arm problems (of course back then that was epidemic and surgical procedures were just being pioneered but nowhere near perfected – Busby, Gary Nolan, Andy Messersmith, Don Gullet, Randy Jones, many others)…in Kansas City the old timers still mutter about how many World Series banners would be flying over Royals Stadium if he would stayed healthy…

        Hopefully you have some good memories of those times!

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      6. Dear James, I would say you’re above me in many ways….that’s what I like so much about Trojan following, you get to meet some very interesting people….

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Liked as to the meeting so many different people here – the vast majority fascinating in their own ways, and some really smart people…I have learned a great deal both in terms of the substantive knowledge presented, but also in terms of the psychologies (or what can be gleaned from them) on display…

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    2. For Instance, right after surgery, I met Steve Sommers…he made me laugh for 6 months….we were pledges together…who’s he? He’s an Irishman from Minnesota, who happened to be in the USC Film School….he went on to WRITE DIRECT AND PRODUCE, I believe, movies 🎥 like: VAN HELSING, THE MUMMY, THE MUMMY RETURNS, SCORPION KING…..look in the credits…he’s a Trojan…..✌️

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      1. That must have been fascinating in its own way (I work with a film school grad – not USC’s, but the one that used to be called the College of Santa Fe in NM – very different and interesting way of looking at the world)…I own a couple of those movies!

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      2. Ask the Rock about Stephen Sommers(Trojan) when they filmed Scorpion King…..like a leprechaun lol, too funny….the Rock liked him because Sommers was always keeping him smiling, in the remote dessert shooting, the working conditions were grueling!!! I only know this because I saw him interview and SAY THIS EXACT SAME THING!

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  15. The stats that have defined USC’s start
    270: That’s how many rushing yards opponents have accumulated against the Trojans on runs outside of the tackles this season, according to Sports Info Solutions. That’s the most yardage allowed on such runs in the Pac-12, and the second-most among Power 5 programs, behind only Georgia Tech.
    USC’s strength on defense is up the middle, with defensive lineman Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu. Opponents haven’t had too much success running there, preferring instead to take advantage of the Trojans’ aggressiveness on the perimeter. The coaching staff has discussed it as an area that must be addressed, but through three games it still hasn’t been shored up.
    10.5 percent: The Trojans have forced three-and-outs on 10.5 percent (four of 38) of opponents’ possessions this season, which ranks dead last among FBS programs. USC’s ability to get off the field on third downs was an issue last year as well. Opponents are converting 37.2 percent of their third downs against the Trojans, which ranks 72nd in the FBS. USC has also surrendered 66 first downs, which is tied for 100th. And this is against what was the more manageable portion of the first half of the schedule.
    8.2 points: USC’s offense is averaging 34.3 points per game so far, which is 8.2 points more than the 26.1 the Trojans averaged last season. The offense has looked improved from a year ago, even with its occasional struggles against BYU.
    310: Through three games, USC ranks 20th nationally in passing offense with an average of 310 yards per game, a testament to how good its receivers are, a known strength entering the season. Tyler Vaughns, Michael Pittman Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown headline a stellar group, and they’re a large reason why the Trojans were able to weather the loss of their starting quarterback and not miss a beat with a true freshman thrust into action.
    Copy pasted from Athletic.

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    1. Pendergast and his defense are a much bigger problem than Harrell and his offense.

      Pendergast’s D is giving up 450 yards a game. To Fresno and BYU.

      If there are no changes, then UDub and Notre Dame could go off for close to 600 yards of offense, and nothing that Harrell does could produce a win.

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      1. Yep
        Most of us have agreed with you on that for a long time
        I mentioned to MG that that was what the team needed if this year wasn’t going to be a 5-7 disaster – for CP’s defense to step up and give the offense a sense that it could afford to not force every drive because the D could match 3 and outs (in other words doing what Alabma and Clemson do…and what we did routinely under Pete and back in the days under the Johns).

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    2. Omarstringer — All spring and summer, Helton TALKED about discipline, getting the defense off the field, not giving up first downs on 3rd and long,
      playing physical football, improved conditioning to prevent injuries —–unfortunately he didn’t pass this on to the coaches and players…
      #…ButItSureSOUNDEDGood……

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  16. Boiled down……when you don’t recruit linemen, have no idea what you are doing and want to keep your 4 million per year job…….you bring in the circus run by a young man with nothing to lose with the hope the heat goes away for a while. At least its entertaining…..until its not. Some of the dummies eat up the difference as if tackling, blocking, catching, thinking and execution are not necessary with the circus. Until the better coaches adjust and shut you down. Sears was and is the better QB………..but the magical circus means running is not necessary……now your choices are a shell shocked lower level freshman whose about to get his head handed to him and a guy that has an issue throwing long. The problems at OL have now spread to QB. Nice job Gomer. If we lose Bryce…….its 3 years until we have a QB who might take us anywhere. Pitiful…..just pitiful…..yet some still (on other sites) defend this moron.

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