FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Colorado Report Card

QUARTERBACK

If only we could read the mind of JT Daniels while Kedon Slovis keeps leading the team. If Clay Helton doesn’t get fired, he is going to hate dealing with this. I doubt any new coach would have a similar dilemma. And a new coach would probably teach Slovis to avoid contact.

Grade: B-

TAILBACKS

Graham Harrell was in heaven knowing he would not run the ball much (22 carries). Kenan Christon could have handled more carries but Harrell is a genius because Amon-Ra St. Brown got three carries.

Grade: C

WIDE RECEIVER

It never surprises me when Michael Pittman has a big game. It doesn’t surprise Helton either although he barely played him for his first 18 games. Drake London was supposed to be good and he is living up to his hype.

Grade: A-

OFFENSIVE LINE

This was an area of concern before the season and nothing’s changed after eight games. The fact Colorado frequently had three-men rushing does not give the line a pass for being average (or worse).

Grade: C-

DEFENSIVE LINE

With Drake Jackson out, USC looked even worse on the edge. But more than that, the defensive tackles were getting pushed around and had trouble tackling Colorado’s tailbacks.

Grade: D+

LINEBACKERS

Did you know middle linebacker John Houston was the highest-graded linebacker in the Pac-12 the past 2 games? Still, the entire defense was subpar until Colorado QB Steven Montez got knocked out of the game.

Grade: C

SECONDARY

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao got pulled in the second half and the cornerbacks got a huge break when Steven Montez was clearly not the same after he got hurt.

Grade: D+

SPECIAL TEAMS

Chase McGrath finally missed a field goal but he’s entitled. Has USC done anything on a punt or kick return since Velus Jones had a TD in Week 1 vs. Fresno State?

Oh, I almost forgot the guy running on the field so USC had 11 men on the first extra point.

Grade: C-

COACHING

You can claim going to five receivers or playing “press coverage” was a reason USC won. That’s called “coaching” at other schools and not considered something to blow a horn about.

If not for the fact Montez got hurt and Colorado couldn’t recover a fumble, USC likely loses to a team that couldn’t beat Arizona and got blown out by Washington State and Oregon.

USC looked like a team ripe to lose. As usual, individual performers rescued the Trojans because there is no cohesive reason to win as a group.

And when the does sideline sloppiness end? 10 men on the field. 12 men on the field. There are probably 20 staffers on the sideline but it’s never organized.

Grade: D

25 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Colorado Report Card”

    1. All of this endless banter over the bullshit air raid system and coach speak. Meanwhile SC is getting pounded like Pudly on leather bar night (in recruiting). The powers that be better make a move soon or the program is destined for another decade of 7-6 seasons.

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      4. gt — I’m not worried about him —but I wish he’d return [even if it’s to face the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”]….
        #…We’llComeToYourDefense,Pudly!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. The ball isn’t round and it bounces funny. There’s more to this year’s team than meets the eye. My guess is Scott doesn’t like his balls bouncing funny because they’re still round. Oh and of course I’m talking about footballs you just read it wrong.

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  6. You are too generous for the coaches. The grade should be Z—-. When the oline is calling for a linemen to get into the game on an extra point, you wonder what is going on. In high school, teams are better organized than SC, a wannabe big time football team. It used to be, but with Helton and the rest, it has fallen to the heights of Western Kentucky. Horrible.

    Liked by 4 people

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  8. If USC had a real Head Coach the players would not have been celebrating last Friday night. They would have been quiet and thinking we are so freaking lucky we won and practice this week is joining to be hell!
    Can you imagine what Marv Goux would have said to them after that game, John McKay, John Robinson even Pete would have been hot!!!!!
    Oh well, welcome to mediocrity as long as we have a dimwit for Head Coach!

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      1. I admire him for apologizing. He’s a class player. It’s not his fault they missed it. The Pac 12 refs seem incapable of calling a game fairly for both teams.

        Liked by 4 people

      2. Usually so called ‘missed calls’ and ‘bad calls’ are debatable —-[meaning, you can, at least, make a case for the call on the field even if you disagree with it]. That’s not the way it’s been since Larry Scott has been running the show in the Pac 12. Pac 12 refs are a whole new thing.
        #ANewDimensionOfBad

        Liked by 3 people

  12. Slovis throws for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns, despite getting the crap beaten out of him because the offensive line can’t protect him. It would have been a TKO if the game had gone on any longer.

    And he gets a B-? (He did fumble but those were not costly). Compared to a D for coaching?

    How can coaching be a D when they gave up 31 points to a team that could only score 3 against Wazzou?

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    2. Slovis threw up some panic balls and he was lucky they weren’t intercepted, he also got lucky on his fumble, but he has what it takes to be very good, too bad he has idiots for coaches.

      Coaching should always be an F as long as Gomer is employed

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      1. Agree with the first part totally, karma. As for the “F” in perputuity, it’s probably a good rule of thumb to grade performances AFTER they’re performed…
        #Signed:”TheEternalOptimist”
        #[Let’sSeeWhatHappensThisSaturday]

        Liked by 2 people

  13. There is an excuse for the guy running on the field late for the extra point. He had to wear a different jersey for that play because he wears the same number as someone else on the field. But there was a hitch. He forgot where he put his extra jersey and finally found it under one of the walking wounded players. JT Daniels was spitting sunflower seed shells on it because he didn’t want to mess up the carpet under his feet. On the plus side of that play the whole squad on field was motioning for the late lineman to hurry up. So at least the college men can count to 11.
    Could you imagine what the coaching grade would have been if a timeout had been taken?

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