FOOTBALL

Discuss The USC-Notre Dame Game

At least it was close!

This the world we all live in under Clay Helton. We’re all surprised he covered and kept it close.

The shame is USC had a great chance to win this game. But the defense wilted in critical situatons and the offense took way too long to generate anything.

Can someone fire Helton, Graham Harrell or whoever is responsible for keeping Markese Stepp off the field? Vavae Malepeai got 8 carries, Stephen Carr 9 and Markese Stepp 10 so everyone is happy. That is more important to Helton and Co. than playing the punishing back who was shredding the Notre Dame defense.

It’s sooo frustrating to watch this stuff.

“It’s gonna be a long flight home with a lot of heartache,” Helton said in the post-game press conference. He also said USC controls its destiny and can win the Pac-12.

UPDATED: Amazing quote from Graham Harrell on Markese Stepp: “

“We gave it to him about as many as he could handle. He was sucking wind from what I understand.”

He had 10 carries!

If he was so tired what are the strength and conditioning coaches doing?

64 thoughts on “Discuss The USC-Notre Dame Game”

    1. The talent is absolutely there.

      Time to stop the charade with Helton, Pendergast et. al. before the talent disappears and more years are lost to rebuilding.

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    3. Can’t agree more. Even my 15 year old daughter could see what they needed to do. Run Stepp more to pull the safety’s in and force them to stop the run that will open up the passing game and take some pressure off of Slovis When you have a back getting 8+ yds/carry you go with him. Duh. If he’s tired you spell him at times since you have Vavae and Carr but don’t limit Stepp to just 10 carries. Why couldn’t Harrell see the obvious. So frustrating to watch.

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  2. Never realized how slow USC is on defense, compared to other schools I have watched like Oregon and Oklahoma. No wonder everyone runs outside, there is nobody there.
    Slovis is the real deal though and so is Stepp.
    #NoJustificationToKeepClay

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      1. Arturo, I completely agree regarding Jackson – he seems to be a star in the making (with the right coaching). But I don’t get the overpursuit on D and that the D-line always looks gassed. That said, the D did play with heart, but gave up close to 500 yards. The problem is Pendergast.

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      1. The overpursuit and the missed tackles were comical. Tragicomic. Our D made #6 look like Errol Campbell, and he is little more than a scatback. Just disgusting … the utter lack of fundamentals. THAT was what cost us the game — not the bad call on EA (schitt calls by refs are part of the game; good teams win despite them).

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  3. SW, you…. The loss hurts, but the D played their hearts out. Dude, you’re a low life saying that they wilted. You are implying that they are soft. I still think that it is schemes. They didn’t wilt, but if anyone would know about being soft and wilted it would be you.

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    1. It wasn’t scheme. It was the utter lack of fundamentals. Over pursuit by LB’s and DL, inability to hold the edge, apart from Jackson, and inability to tackle. ALL FUNDAMENTALS. All down to coaching, and to our lack of it.

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    2. 67– Helton likes to say “good boy me” to himself. He insisted on keeping Callaway because Callaway was washed up and had nowhere else to go (literally) . “Good boy me.” He insisted on letting Toa snap because he thought Toa was “a great young man —who I love to neck hug.” More “Good boy me.” And now he’s got Baxter fucking up just enough so that we lose close games. Baxter’s been washed up for years and no one on earth wants him. So Helton keeps him on payroll. The ultimate “Good boy me.”
      #Clay–You’reSuchAGoodBoy….HopeFoltSendsYouPacking…
      #…ButSheWon’t:”GoodGirlMe”

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  5. I don’t often post the same thoughts on two blogs but this bears repeating. It took five Irish and one myopic head coach to stop Steppe.
    And now for an original thought: How about those special teams? Several punts inside the five yard line and SC couldn’t down them outside of the end zone. Their onside kick play made no sense. Even Baxturd knows the only way to win the onside kick is to carrom the ball off a player or bounce it high enough it’s a jump ball. Our onside kick try looked like a once Crazy Roll And Punch C.R.A.P.

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    1. Rialto — I don’t often wish people to die on this blog —but, one way, or the other, Baxter needs to gooooooooo…… special teams players are clueless on returning kickoffs and covering punts. And they get worse every week —& given where they started off that’s not easy…..

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  7. Under a different coach, we have a different verdict. Play calling remains atrocious. Tackling again was substandard. We don’t prepare or play against dual threat quarterbacks well. Special-teams was anything but. We definitely have the talent to win, but… we also have Helton.

    Hoping we call in Operation Tarmac II shortly…

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    1. It takes 6 guys to tackle him and then some. He runs a 4.4 forty, faster than last year’s state 100 meter sprint champ. He is a one-off.

      He could have been the difference tonight had he played more.

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      1. Yes, 67. WE could have completely controlled the ball with Stepp in the first half —and scored some TD’s. McKay knew to how use O. J. Simpson. Robinson knew how to use Marcus Allen. Pete knew how to use Reggie and Lendale….
        #…PoorHeltonWantsToMakeSureThe”WholeFamily”GetsToPlay…..

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    2. Michael, on the one hand, there is Kelly, who said he would drop 8 to stop the vertical routes. He did that, kept Pittman in check, and won the game.

      On the other hand, there is Pendergast, who again gave up nearly 500 yards of offense, and seemed to have no ability to figure out how to stop the run or keep a medicore QB from making play after play.

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      1. 67,
        You’d think we’d KNOW that, from here on, defenses are gonna take Pittman out of the game. [& This stuff Harrell said about Stepp being too tired to carry more than 10 times is just a Heltonesque lie to justify keeping all 3 backs happy]….
        #IDon’tRespectThisCoachingStaffAsCoachesOrMen…..

        Liked by 5 people

    1. SUCCX was ahead only at 3 – 0. I saw numerous Clownster’s jumping up and down celebrating ND mistakes like they were the reason for the ND mistake.

      If someone farts on the defense or offense the team goes Hollywood bat shit.

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      1. The team had every right to celebrate… it felt good to take that 3 point lead [and…deep down….everybody knew it wouldn’t last]…..
        #LiveInTheNow,Owns

        Liked by 1 person

  12. I’m sorry, but the pac12 officials really screwed their own league school. Non pass interference calls, at least 3, horrible roughing call, which cost a field goal, and then Kelly out on the field. It was almost as if they were determined not to be criticized for favoring the pac12 school. They succeeded!

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    1. As someone who I like to think regains his sanity within 5 minutes after a loss (it use to be an hour —but that was before Helton), may I suggest that there has to be something beyond incompetence driving Pac 12 officiating? How else do you explain no offensive interference call against Notre Dame’s tight end when he shoves off right in front of the official? Or smiles all around when Notre Dame decides to coach FROM THE FIELD on the onsides kick? Everybody knows how we got called for a player in dress clothes going ONE yard on to the field. Something is wrong. Pac 12 officials are lame —but they’re not THAT lame…..

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      1. Michael, on the money regarding the dichotomy regarding Hufanga one yard on the field and getting the flag, and Kelly far enough on the field to literally throw a block, and the officials looking the other way. It is bizarre…

        Liked by 3 people

      2. I’ll say this, 67 —-There is NO WAY IN HELL that Notre Dame gets away with that (and a bunch of other crap that happened in that game) if Meyer was on the sideline. The Pac 12 officials let it all go because they don’t respect Helton one tiny little bit. When he bitches to them about a bad call or a non call, they don’t care if he’s in the right or not. They fuck him over every chance they get —yes, it’s cowardice on their part (they’re just siding with more respected coaches and more respected teams because it’s the path of least resistance)—but that doesn’t help us any. We need a coach that officials respect ….
        #AndThat’sNotHelton….

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      1. As long as he brings toughness to the team and head coaching experience to the position then he’s ok with me.

        #CFBRecruiting=TheMostWorthlessPseudoSpectatorSportEverContrived

        #CFBRecruiting=”Sports”ForThoseWho’veNeverPlayedSports

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      2. John McKay, Woody Hayes, Dan Devine, Tom Prothro were not ‘magnetic’ but they won and right now winning trumps being ‘magnetic’

        Nothing wrong with Del Rio

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  14. What exactly does Just owns own.

    A below average intellect? His intellect rivals that of belly button link, or Helturd.

    Why Helturd chooses not to run Stepp is a mystery.

    Just like the mystery of why just owns decides to hang around a USC blog.

    Kinda like a fart in church, it’s noticed but not often appreciated.

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      1. Keep it clean Mike – don’t mock church and the respect therein. You want to kid around with that louse from ‘Peckerwood U’ have a it – yours and yours alone. Dawg exhaust

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  16. as I was watching the games I thought poor Michigan when they play ND ,now it seems it could be poor ND…similar to when I watched Georgia ND play ,I saw two good teams,not great ones,no wonder Georgia lost to a avg/good S.Carolina team.I don’t think either ND or Georgia are top 10…
    LSU /Florida looked top 10 and of course Bama/Clemson…Wisconsin ,Ohio St, Penn St,Oklahoma are top 10, the rest are fillers,maybe I missed one or a q/b just was off,which does happen.
    SC ‘O’ line again looked slightly better, and Slovis actually moved his dead ass once in a while…maybe there is something brewing there.
    SC maybe has a decent chance vs Arizona and Colorado…and ucla…the rest OREGON,ARIZ St , Cal…maybe not so much unless the ‘O’ line really gets with it…
    3 points in first 1/2 …up and down the field and 3 points… when it gets tough yardage time they could not do it.

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  18. I forgot to include ,I think the most significant change I saw that made a difference ,other than slovis actually can move or run some when needed …SC discovered they have a TIGHT END that can catch a football and get 1st downs,and even can block…who knew??? these coaches are ,well never mind.
    AND still the tackling is sub par.

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      2. They also called one on UCLA according to reports before the band could take the field those PAC 12 refs called unsportsmanlike conduct in both teams he proceeded to say Notre Dame and UCLA. The fighting Irish fans started chanting UCLA UCLA .
        Larry Scott has a lot explaining to do. There isn’t one reason for a member of a professional officiating crew should ever forget the team names a game he is working. It is clear that the crew was biased against SC. If our AD has any eggs he’d be on the phone Monday demanding an investigation and assurances that the crew will never be involved with USC again I’d start with my school is investigating becoming an independent in football and your crew moved us closer than we have ever been.

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