FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: 10 Things To Fix To Beat Washington State

This is such a weird season I forgot to bring back this list for the first three games. It doesn’t matter because the things to fix never seem to change for USC.

1.) Stay healthy

USC officials are optimistic they will play this week. They just need to avoid positive COVID-19 tests. Or false positives. Or false negatives. And the same goes for Washington State

2.) Fix Kedon Slovis

I think the coaches know Kedon Slovis has a problem . . . and know there’s not much they can do about it in this truncated season. So the company line is nothing’s wrong for another month.

3.) Pick a running back

This tailback-by-committee approach is great for keeping the backs fresh. But when does anyone develop a rhythm? The answer is never. Do tailback recruits notice this?

4.) Blitz less

I like an aggressive defense as much as anyone. But Todd Orlando has two modes: Blitz and blitz more. That’s great vs. Arizona and Utah. But what if you play a good team? USC won’t have to worry about that.

5.) Re-discover Drake London

We all know Drake London is a great prospect and most athletic receiver on the team. So throw him the ball! He has seven receptions in the past two games. When I watch USC, I feel like they want some certain receivers to get their catches even if it is at the expense of others.

6.) Improve on third down

The Air Raid is so great that USC is 10 for 26 on third down the past two games. That’s a whopping 38 percent. Remember that when some TV analyst tells you Slovis is completing 71 percent of his passes.

7.) Watch out for the forward pass

Utah had not mastered the art of completing a forward pass two weeks ago, which explained why USC suddenly stopped getting pass interference penalties. Presumably, Washington State won’t have the same problem.

8.) Remember you are the show

The Pac-12 media-industrial complex told me me how wonderful it was that USC played a 9 a.m. game. And then a coveted Fox daytime slot vs. Arizona. But it doesn’t help if you look sloppy in those games.

USC will be the only college football in the country Sunday afternoon (I think), so make sure the product is good so you don’t drop again in the CFP rankings.

9.) Don’t get outcoached

Hey, this isn’t easy. Washington State has an array of three-star players but Nick Rolovich will probably get more out of his team than Clay Helton unless COVID-19 hits the roster again. I mean look what Kevin Sumlin did vs. USC and what he did since?

10.) Make a good hype video

I sense a lot less bragging from the athletic dept. than was expected before the season from the much-ballyhoed hype videos. The last one, which featured The Mandalorian, was a dud for fans of that show. And they still haven’t gotten out of the hole from the first one that got deleted from the Internet.

64 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: 10 Things To Fix To Beat Washington State”

    1. Yep. 3rd down problems are on Harrell, not Slovis.
      [I kept having Rialto-type problems losing this post —but, thank God, it was pretty easy to remember]….

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    2. Just wondering how espn has our schedule ranked so tough, they couldn’t have consulted with scottie’s secret source..

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Open letter to President Folt:
        The Medical School thing is really nobody’s business. If judges can seal the many, many names mentioned in the Epstein victims’ civil suits, this should be small potatoes.
        #Invoke’StandYourGround’Defense
        #[But,Please,KeepWalking”ThePath”Too]…..

        Liked by 2 people

  3. Stay healthy. Great advice
    Blitz less. It’s working
    Rediscover London. He is getting doubled.
    Watch out for the forward pass. Words to live by since 1970.
    Don’t Get Outcoached. Wishful thinking.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. He makes it sound like a pass play from the 60s… the coach calling a play to a specific position/pattern. I believe Slovis is asked to read the defense and make his choice based on what the defense shows. It’s not odd for a team to say “he won’t beat us”, like taking a batter out by intentionally walking him. When they get tired of ARSB & Bru and TV beating them they’ll be forced into going a more standard zone coverage.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Exactly. Slovis is holding the ball and looking for an opening, but that is tough for any QB if they are dropping 8. Run game seems enticing against a 3-man front. I like that Slovis is now finding the TE a bit more. I can see how a dual threat QB could be very effective in the spread, but Slovis is not that guy. Before the season, Meyer talked about Slovis’s talents, and that under the spread a guy like Slovis should really be able to get his rhythm going, but that hasn’t really clicked yet. I’d like to think that the gaps between O-linemen in the spread, plus the fact that the D is dropping 8 should open things up within 5 yards of the LOS for us.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Not to be contrary, but the running qb is most effective against man on man defenses where the backs have their backs turned to the qb rather than facing him. That was part of our problem till they started spying on the qb with the LB/safety.

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Speaking of running qb’s —are you guys worried that Orlando hasn’t really stopped a true dual threat qb yet? Specifically, are you worried about the UCLA game?

        Liked by 3 people

      6. Michael, are you thinking of DTR or the new ruin QB? Ruins are playing much better with the new kid, but DTR should be back shortly. Tough call for the chipper. He might need an extra dozen donuts to support his decision-making.

        Liked by 3 people

      7. Pudly and 67 — I’m worried about DTR. I think Chip knows he gives the bruins a better chance against Orlando’s defense.
        #IDon’tThinkOfArizona’sQBAsATrueDualThreat…
        #[HeRunsThe40InOver5Seconds]….

        Liked by 3 people

      8. With a true dual threat, we’d probably use a DB or safety as the spy for the obvious quickness they’d bring. But the best way to contain them is with the defensive line keeping them in the pocket and not letting them get to the edge.? We haven’t been the best at containing the outside, for sure.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. 67 — While we’re being snarky let’s add that even the wise & prescient Scott Wolf has not been warning USC over the years “to be careful of covid “……
      #…ItWasn’tOneOfTheThingsToFixLastYear
      #[ButEverythingElseWas]…..

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  4. I’m curious to see how many of the starting offensive line will be playing. Will the young guys be able to communicate? Switch off on blitzes? Drive block for our running backs? Who will have Slovis’ back?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Yes, Kedon is holding onto the ball, looking for that opening. AVT is the blind side tackle, and I’m worried if he is not playing. Perhaps they will focus on the run game to get the O-line in synch. FWIW, I think that Wazzu hired a really good coach.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. And –we can’t forget — Helton is not spectacular at preparing for teams he hasn’t been thinking about all summer (Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin)….
        Helton didn’t know Washington State was on the schedule until a few months ago. That’s not a bit of a problem for a first rate coaching staff —- but it really seems to tax THIS coaching staff…..

        Liked by 3 people

  5. Don’t get outcoached? It used to be all you had to do was show up. If coaching is an artform Helton is still using a 8 color box of oversized crayons. If it was as easy as that he would be a genius. The thing you have to remember is coaching better than the other guy sometimes means getting into the other guy’s head. Helton hasn’t found his way around his own head (again with the troll bait). Helton’s expertise is numbers, he has a math degree. So I guess he could use that to his advantage. Maybe hold up complex equations instead of cards with meaningless pictures. And everything would need to equal 42.
    If coaching was as easy as defecating, Helton would be (and has been shown to be) constipated.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. Meaning of the universe 42

        Image: seroundtable.com
        The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything. The number 42 is, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”, calculated by an enormous supercomputer named Deep Thought over a period of 7.5 million years. Nov 22 2019
        Cardinal: forty-two
        Divisors: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, 42
        Factorization: 2 × 3 × 7
        Ordinal: 42nd, (forty-second)

        Liked by 3 people

    1. Every USC hoops post by Scottie has to include the phrase “Thanks, Enfield”. We may need to wait for the first loss, or an underachieving win for the next Trojan hoops story.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      2. karma — I didn’t know it at the time ….but one guy I prosecuted was one of the most dangerous people to ever do business in Los Angeles. Even his defense attorney tried to warn me —but I was too young and dense to get the message.
        #Hopefully,He’sForgivenMeByNow…
        #[Or,BetterYet,IsDead]…

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Ha! [Reminds me of a supervising D. A. attorney who picked up the Times looking for a critical quote about him by a defense attorney —couldn’t find it anywhere— then picked up the Daily Journal —couldn’t find it anywhere…. then picked up the lowly City Hall Newsletter and found it on the back page…. and threw the paper down, saying “When is the press gonna get off my back?”]…..

        Liked by 4 people

    1. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      You have the nerve to come here and lecture us?

      When will you make a solid admission of deliberately propagating lies and misinformation about Russian Collusion here the last 5 years you FOS lying piece of Libtard dung hypocrite?

      Laughing our asses off 💋 hahahahahahaha

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Come 1/20/2021, Adolph J. Dumbo will be kicking a can down Pennsylvania Ave dodging subpoenas.

        Tell me 22, why do Dumbo’s pathetic litter and Rudely Fooliani need a Dumbo blanket pardon? LOL!!!

        C’mon1/20/2021
        #The snowflakerevolutionisabouttostart….Hee,hee!
        #Firstorderofbusinessreplace22attheBurgerKingwithanillegal
        alien-Jah

        Like

      2. Do you remember all those public hearings where people put their faces & names to eyewitness accounts & signed sworn affidavits testifying to Russian Collusion to help Trump?

        Neither do I.

        Yet in 2020 we have dozens of witnesses to election fraud & the OWNS the Socialist Hypocrite doesn’t give a damn.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Those witnesses didn’t present “serious” evidence, gt —according to Barr, they are “only eyewitnesses” to fraud…
        Statisticians, btw, say it stretches credulity for Biden’s surge to occur in 5 swing cities within 5 swing states…. all of which “saw” the Biden influx occur between 2am and 4am…….. when observers were taking an evening break……
        #HowTheFuckDidTrumpPickSessions…&ThenBarr?
        #ThereAreUmpteen1000ProsecutorsWho’dDoABetterJob

        Like

      4. Owns has been too busy handing out sunglasses to the traveling circus in Westwood.

        #ATruePhilanthropist

        Like

    1. ruin hoops is definitely setting the world on fire after being wiped off the floor by San Diego State and needing OT to beat the Pepperdine surf team.

      And the ruin football team over the last 3 seasons has a .333 winning percentage. What happened to Chip’s natty?

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  10. 10.) Make a good hype video

    A good hype video will definitely help USC on those 3rd and short situations. There’s also the possibility that they can become immune to the COVID virus by making a good hype video.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Hey 22, you pathetic sap, why should I give a damn when the AG, Wm. Barr doesn’t. Ha, Ha, Ha!

    The Russians helped Dumbo get elected, but couldn’t help Dumbo get re-elected.

    #SnowflakersRule
    #22promiseyouwon’twearamask

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

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