FOOTBALL

Discus The USC-Utah Game

What a turgid game.

It was obvious this was Utah’s first game, especially the awful quarterback play.

Kedon Slovis still far from his 2019 self.

You can say there were some positives but how many were because of Utah’s ineptness.

Tell me what Big Boy programs USC would have beaten tonight?

They still look vulnerable against the run (and the pass). The offense is not explosive. I could keep going.

Clay Helton is still in denial regarding Slovis. After the game, he said, “He did the things we needed him to do to walk out of Salt Lake City with a win.”

72 thoughts on “Discus The USC-Utah Game”

      6. At $4.5 mill per year, Chip might just make more than Clay. And the 2021 recruiting class is ranked 50-something.

        owns, who do the broke brubabies bring in after Chip? A graduate assistant?

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Yep, 67. The d-line played really well against a first rate o-line (even if it was an o-line with an injured center playing their first game)…..

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  2. Hard to get too excited about a win against a team that had a hard time doing anything terribly well. In years past a Pete Carroll team would have gone thru like a buzz saw.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    2. After 6 years of Clay, I am just worn-out. The guy can’t seem to get fired, no matter what he does. At this point, I just root for the kids to succeed in spite of Helton.

      Liked by 5 people

      Reply

  3. Trojans D give up 120 yards rushing vs a very experience Utes O-line: 84 of those yards came on 4 “break-away” runs including an inconceivable QB scamper of 33 yds. Good QB pressure, and lots of helmets on the ball carrier.
    Mauga played well, and the LB’s look improved. Cannot talk pass defense, as Utah was fairly inept throwing the ball. They had graduated their #2-5 top receivers.

    O-line was slightly improved with pass protection and run game “when it counted.” A few stupid O-line penalties.. Vavae gained tough yards when it counted. Slovis had a few bad decisions and bad throws, but was “workmanlike.” WR get another A+ (but I’m biased). Recall, Morgan Scalley of UU is one of the smartest young DC minds in CFB.

    Special teams? Good punter. Good kicker–no more out-of-bounds kickoffs.
    Quit attempting to return kickoffs. Never get to the 25.

    42% probability Trojans go 6-0..

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Yeah –we don’t have one decent return guy — how many times do you have to get stopped at the 19 yard line before you start taking it on the 25?
      [I sure hope Helton isn’t gonna make up reasons to keep Stepp offa the field like he did last year….I’m sure if Stepp were allowed to talk to press he’d say he’s good to go]….

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

    2. Nice summary! And you nailed the kickoff returns issue. What’s up with that? Every time, it is fielded near the goal line, and like clockwork, it is returned to the 19 yard line. Should be 6-0. But you just never know with Clay…

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      1. Clay actually played it smart for once —play it close to the vest and let inexperienced Utah implode….
        #ClaySurprisedMe
        #ButKedonDidn’t—He’sPlayingMoreUnevenlyEveryOuting

        Liked by 3 people

      1. And USC had nothing to do with the 4 turnovers and shutting down Utah’s running game? You must be one of the 10 senileobama sock puppets.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Well just for the sake of accuracy, they had 5 TOs. And we probably had a little to do with it. Wonder how the game would’ve looked if Slovis didn’t drop the ball for a scoop and score? Defense only gave up 1 TD, not bad.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Great intro–smackyd–to discuss QB play.
        While Slovis had two TO’s, the UU QB play cost the Utes any chance of a home victory at a mile high elevation and 30 degree damp cold. The NFL
        became a QB driven league decades ago. I think Trent Dilfer was the last subpar QB to win a SB. CFB is now a QB driven sport.

        Our QB con’t to put USC in a position to win games. I like the kid.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Orlando’s defense can handle any pocket QB…..which leaves us something to worry about at the Rose Bowl in December.
        #ButDefenseIsImprovingWayFasterThanOffense

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Orlando made huge improvements at Texas his first two years. I don’t know what happened in year 3 when it went downhill, but the Texas D is probably worse this year under their new D coordinator than it was in Orlando’s worse year.

        One obvious difference between Utah D and SC D – the Utes just don’t miss tackles. Very disciplined, they wrap up the ball carrier.

        Liked by 4 people

    2. I think the defense is “improved.” LB’s played better tonight. Looking for improvement from the front 7 vs the “rested” CU Buffs next Saturday. Mauga had a very good game and Goforth played well.

      Slovis will be fine parcelman007. He just played his 14th full CFB game.
      He went 10 months between games (Dec ’19 to October 2020).

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  6. Helton was correct about J.T. Daniels. Slovis is becoming another
    Matt Barkley having peaked as a freshman then going down –
    hill. Harrell is a phony and really unimaginative with no mis –
    direction plays. They are set at place kicker for a few years at
    least. Dedich over Nealon at the center position .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Miss St does nothing on defense as of this time…and Georgia has always had an ‘O’ line that can protect the Q/B…usually great running backs too that can also block…j t , a statue who needs the Georgia pass blocking, and he always could pass vs a lousy defense; helton’s has been ideas about offense and a statue q/b still means sc is mediocre at best. sc was nothing under helton before harrel and is still nothing.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I’m sure you DIDN’T watch the game yesterday, nor do you follow the sec or you’d know that MSU is highly rated. You’d also know that the georgia oline is a wreck that can’t run block or pass block against a decent defense and they showed it again yesterday gaining all of 29 yds rushing.
        Your prejudice precedes you, haters always hate. Gotta wonder what JT did to you, tickle your wife’s fancy maybe?

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Kedon said he’s changed his throwing motion somewhat to compensate for the injury he received last year. It looks like the adjustment amounts to simply putting less arm into most of his throws —which is causing the ball to float. It’s easier said than done, I know, but I think he needs to put everything he’s got into every throw. By trying to “save” his arm he’s reducing his efficiency. [And I think he knows it —which accounts for the pained expression on his face every time he gets a close-up after another air ball].

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Lyle…..Reading my mind.
        Before pouring myself a sip of bourbon last night (ie, while still in some control over my faculties), I came up with the brilliant solution of hiring Kurt Warner as QB coach at USC.

        Would he leave Scottsdale for the LA shitshow? Likely not.
        Would USC hire someone who could take over as OC? Likely not.
        DO I still like the idea? yep.

        Liked by 3 people

      6. AMUSING ‘PUD’ LEACH HAS DONE A DECENT JOB IN 1ST YR…BUT THE TEAMS CURRENT RECORD is far less than a great team, while Georgia is not up to par over last few yrs , they are winning and a top ranked team. My comment was not about what a lousy q/b jt is…it is he was never going to be great at sc due to helton coaching and practice style…they will never protect a q/b with no scrambling ability…thanks for your typical irrelevant comment

        Like

  7. same old same old…pathetic
    Utah isn’t going to beat anyone this year.
    interest building for colorado and ucla games
    Oregon looks very avg for the top Pac 12 team…Washington too.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      3. I watched it …they beat a team that is currently a below avg team…Wash may be better or equal to Oregon which also beat a currently below avg team,barely.

        Like

  9. Good win for the Trojans! But I can’t help but think that if Kyle Whittingham had the Trojan players, and Gomer had Utah’s players, the game would have been over by halftime. SC still hasn’t played a clean game and I worry that we are going to have trouble with UCLA if we continue to tackle poorly on defense and leave points on the table on offense.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Kyle Whit was a tough-as-nails LB and knows that side of the ball.
      His RB’s always run hard and smart. I think every RB he has featured has ended up in the NFL over the past 10 years. Interestingly, I think 2 or 3 of his lanky WR’s are doing very well in the NFL.

      What Kyle has failed to do is recruit and develop QB’s.
      If he had a top-notch QB coach, UU could be a juggernaut.
      I’m hoping he doesn’t figure this out.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. It’s even better than you hope for, Bourbon — Kyle doesn’t know what a good QB or a good QB coach looks like — he’d love to have a pair but he doesn’t know good ones from bad ones….
        #It’sNotHisThing…
        #[SoWhat’sHelton’sExcuse]?

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Special teams have improved a bit. I haven’t seen one post this year about only having 10 men on a PAT or kickoff. Also the leading scorer was the kicker with more field goals than touchdowns. That a telling statistic it’s telling me USC figured out they cannot run up the middle from the shotgun in the red zone. 15 points to the backup kicker.
    They learned something finally. At this rate (three subpar games to learn one thing) we should be a good team about 2 months after the season ends.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Beating the blogger at his game –
    Here are my grades
    QB – B (trying to play out of sophomore slump)
    RB – B (Malapei is a good receiving RB but we miss Stepp and is Carr injured?)
    WR – A- (Tyler and Bru were great)
    TE – B+ (OMG, we have TEs on this team?)
    OL – C+ (penalties tough to stomach)
    PK – A+ (sorry Chase, see ya but thank you for participating)

    DL – A- (other than huge QB gain they played great as a unit)
    LB – B- (played up to competition)
    DB- B (no pass interference calls)
    P – B (adequate but not as good as billed)

    Coaching – C (Clay cannot earn better due to his inflated salary and fact he has been paid cumulatively over $25M during his tenure)

    New Category – BOD – F (Nikias is still a skunk and hopefully Caruso will be taken out as person behind the LA City Council corruption scandal)

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

      6. Done, 67. Folt has been placed on probation for ending campus office hours…
        #I’mGivingHer48HoursToSelfCorrectBeforeEntering”F”

        Liked by 3 people

      8. Pudly is correct –Helton has managed the “covid containment” part of the program superbly to this point …. and that ain’t insignificant…
        #HeltonIsn’tASuperstarButHe’sGotSomeManagementSkills

        Liked by 3 people

  12. Before we get too excited about zero positive tests, you should know that an unnamed source has told me that Helton provided the test material. Now that’s way cool except he got PPE mixed up with EPT. On top of that Clay found EPT test kits at the Dollar Tree for a dollar each, so he bought four cases of EPT tests from the Dollar Tree snd the team has holding them in the stream as instructed. There was a couple of false positives but the on campus clinic proved them wrong. Unfortunately the cases have run out and things might change soon. Be prepared.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    2. Yes –we’re up there with Wisconsin and Northwestern. We’ll probably have the good fortune of playing one of them on January 2 in the Fiesta Bowl. That will be such an amazing day!
      [If you want a good laugh check out the Sports Illustrated articles on the game. Oh, fuck. There’s a whole paragraph explaining how “staying in front the whole game helped USC win.” Yes, that’s true —but it’s not exactly the richest observation in the world. In another article somebody says Slovis completed an 8 yard pass to Vaughns on a 4th and 5— w/o saying that the pass resulted in a TOUCHDOWN].

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. Michael, I really hated the stint on SI. The pages loaded poorly on mobile devices and the videos were horrendous. I am pretty sure they grabbed Wolf for his blog draw. I kept on following his SI page because I …(really have no friends)
        But I noticed the writing had slipped around Halloween and found that SI had promoted their swimsuit models to keep them employed. The only person who knows less about USC football than their swimsuit model reporters is Clay Helton.

        Like

Leave a reply to gotroy22 Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.