FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: USC Has How Many Players On Injury List?

There are at least 20 players on the USC injury list today.

Maybe 2-3 will return this week but last year’s strength coach, Ivan Lewis, must be laughing at the criticism he received from me and others.

I warned the night Aaron Ausmus was hired that it was “retread hire” and listed issues during the Lane Kiffin era but the know-nothing pundits praised him the entire spring and summer.

This is why you fire Clay Helton 2-3 years ago. He doesn’t hire the best. It’s never just Helton. It’s his staff too.

USC currently looks like a MASH unit. Remember when USC teams used to be the ones doling out physical punishment?

  • Anyways, if USC lost its top 3 tailbacks to injury with an Air Raid offense, how soon would these guys have been hurt if they ran the old I formation?
  • USC is going to start its fifth-string tailback (Kenan Christon) against Colorado. I still haven’t heard Helton explain how a walk-on was fourth string last week?
  • USC tailbacks have carried the ball 194 times in seven games. That’s almost 28 carries a game and three guys are out. Like I said last night, Marcus Allen carried it 37 times a game in 1981. Ricky Bell averaged 32 carries in 1975.

21 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC Has How Many Players On Injury List?”

  1. Patriots 33 – NY Piglets 0

    The Piglet, who couldn’t wait to face NE, had a huge Carson “the Bomber” Palmer type game tonight: 11 – 32; 86yds and, count ’em folks, Four (4) INT’s.

    #Ouch!

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      1. Not so good Monkey Man, of course, Rosen’s never had a stunning 3.6 QB rating after a game.

        “He (the Piglet) was miserable against New England, finishing 11 of 32 for 86 yards and a 3.6 quarterback rating. ESPN had Darnold wear a microphone during the game, and he was caught on the sideline saying, “I’m seeing ghosts” at one point.”

        #Heymonkeymanquitscratchingyourballssomuch

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    2. Rosen 7-18 97 yds 1 INT vs. NE. His stats would have been worse I’m sure but he doesn’t start, not even for the worst team in the NFL

      The Pats are making everyone look bad, giving up 48 points in 7 games is ridiculous

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      1. I’m not claiming Rosen is good, but 7 – 18 (39.0 comp) and I Int/no fumbles is nowhere near the Piglet disaster:

        11 – 32 (34.0 comp.), 4 ints, and a fumble all contributing to Pat’s 33 points and culminating in a magnificent “3.6 QB game rating.”

        Not bad for 30million and change.

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    3. Just puke,

      It was a ruin players fault that cost the Jets to lose. I don’t care if they are on the Jets or some other team. Once a loser, err… ruin, always a loser, loser.

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  2. Scott, don’t talk about USC running backs carrying the ball too many times, because the know-nothing pundits will crawl out from under their rock, to argue that nobody wins games like that anymore. But then again, nobody has ever won a national championship that stupid air raid offense either, and they never will, just don’t tell Bozo Helton that ..😂😂

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  3. If I am a know-nothing pundit so be it, but there is no exercise for prevention of landing wrong on your shoulder. The only issue I see that might be a conditioning issue is hamstring injuries. The strength of one’s arms and legs cannot stop a player from being hit obliquely on the ankle. In fact Stepp’s injury should have been a broken leg, but all of that muscle held his leg in place. Knees twisting in the grass is a footwear problem. Calling out strength and conditioning is unfair and uncalled for.
    Where was strength and conditioning when Alabama’s QB went down? Stuff happens, aside from the silly comparison to Santa Anita, the Trojans have had a run on injuries at the Coliseum for most of this century. I think strength and conditioning should be praised for having so many backups ready. I am however, a know nothing.

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  4. I 100% agree RT. Things happen. I see Alabama players out with injury all of the time. They supposedly have the greatest system. The same with every team. It is part of the game. I think blaming the Strength and conditioning coach is ridiculous. I get you don’t want Helton. I agree a change needs to be made, but the greatest coaches in the world deal with injury.

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  5. Some of the injuries come from the exceptional punishment from the extremely hard and grueling practices Helton puts the players through.

    Actually, the injuries, other than the dislocated shoulder, could be coming from the players actually playing harder and stressing their bodies beyond anything that they would ever do in a Helton style practice. Practice should be harder than games, but not in our USC culture.
    #Can’tTheyGetAnythingRight

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  6. SCooter,

    I do remember those years where SC punished and destroyed the other teams by just flexing its will upon them in total annhilatilion. Now, SC has become ruins 2.0.

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  8. Yeah, I remember when that idiot McKay lost Ricky Bell for half a season just when it looked like he was a shoo-in for the Heisman. Idiot.

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    1. What year was that genius ?
      He led the county in rushing in 1975 with 385 carries for 1,957 yards and 13 touchdowns , was a Fullback in 1974 and a bench player in 1973, so McKay didn’t lose him to anything

      In 1976 he had nagging injuries under Robinson and still had 280 carries for 1,433 yards and 14 touchdowns

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      2. TRUE…AND HE HAD THE ONSET OF AN UNK (at the time) CRIPPLING DISEASE …which ended his short nfl career and life…other than maybe OJ, I think he was the best tailback ever at SC.

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    2. And it’s doubtful that he would have beaten out Dorsett for the Heisman in 1976 due to the east cost bias by the writers, that and the fact that Dorsett had a helluva year himself.

      370 carries, 2150 Yds, 5.8 Avg, 22 TD

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      1. He might have (there was some lingering pro-Bell sentiment from the year before when Archie Griffin won what many refer to as one of two Heismans that probably should have went to other players – but he was also a great college RB, so no diss)…

        But that went out the window on opening night at the Coliseum against Mizzou…

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  9. Regarding Darnold: Does it seem to anyone else that he’s just flustered in the head? Like an anxiety issue? Maybe it comes on in waves.

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