FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Is Graham Harrell The New Alfred E. Newman?

Last year, I compared Graham Harrell to Eb Dawson from Green Acres.

But maybe he is really Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine, whose motto was What Me Worry?

Ever since he got hired at USC from North Texas, I’ve written I heard even coaches at North Texas felt like Harrell didn’t really like running the ball.

Harrell was asked Tuesday how concerned he was about the run game at USC?

“I think when the quarterback goes 17 of 17 and throws five touchdowns, you’re doing some things well. So that’s our level of concern,” he said.

So he doesn’t care?

How was the offense in the second half? Has USC been good this season in short-yardage situations?

One thing about UCLA is its defense has noticeablt improved from a year ago, hard to believe when it hired Johnny Nansen.

So there could be some situations when USC needs a yard or two.

And Harrell’s lack of concern is not funny. It also would not impress me if I were an athletic director at a school he applied to be head coach. I mean, he needs to sign a tailback, right?

32 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Is Graham Harrell The New Alfred E. Newman?”

  1. Basketball defeated the anteaters soundly, shooting 50% from beyond 3pt line…91-56. Look forward to opening Pac12 play at home vs stanfurd Sunday.

    Thanks Enfield 😂

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. And against UCONN they were 16% from 3 point range, with a 3 guard offense.

      Enfield has 2 highly rated kids that are 6’10” and 7 foot, you think you might want to pound the ball inside, but at USC these days, pound the run and pound the ball inside is just too aggressive for the woketard hierarchy or the passive coaches they hire.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. They shot bad vs ucon no doubt, but as bad as they shot they only lost by 3 and that was WITHOUT their point guard. Probably made a little difference getting the ball inside. But don’t let reality get in your way.
        Woketard, I guess you’d know. You worry too much of things you can’t control.

        Like

    2. Hoops team has a lot of potential. I didn’t see last night’s game (Thanks, Larry Scott, for not signing with DirecTV), but against UConn they lost only by 3 and made mistakes that can in principle be easily fixed – ball movement, turnovers, and the lack of the PG was obvious. I like the aggressive 2-3 zone, just need to tighten that up around the foul line. They could go places.

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      3. Governor Mimbo violates Governor Mimbo’s lockdown. But only for high priced political fundraisers at Michelin starred restaurants. His chances for a 2024 run are looking slimmer and slimmer, given the way he has governed CA.

        Liked by 3 people

      5. You know what’s funny, 67? In spite of all the pain he’s caused California. Gavin will be re-elected. Easily. The majority of California voters need to feel in sync with the N. Y. Times —hence Kamala, Bachedara (as Biden pronounces it), Feinstein, Garcetti, Schiff etc., etc.

        Liked by 3 people

      6. Michael, we will have 4 years of amusing malaprops from Joe. And yes, CA voters seem to enjoy shooting themselves in the foot. Last month, they did go against the tide of the state legislature, voting down business property tax increase (would have undone prop 13), voting down affirmative action in college admissions and state hiring, voting down expansion of rent control, allowing Uber drives to still work as independent contractors. Maybe people have had enough. Fingers crossed.

        Liked by 3 people

      10. USC Basketball streamed the whole game, commercials and all on Periscope last night. No idea why. About 14 people, myself included, watched.

        Like

      11. Notice how even I have thrown in the towel on a second Trump term?
        I’m very tired – going to take a nap now…

        Like

  2. UW might be “forced” to cancel game with ducks, if the covid spread went on it could force cancellation of the fuskies playing in the CCG and opens the door for the showdown most want..

    Liked by 3 people

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      1. Liked by 2 people

  3. I would like to think that 30 carries a game is realistic (for Harrell), when there are roughly 70 offensive plays . Last year, SC ran 23 times for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns against the gutties.

    They probably would have run more had Slovis not been playing pitch and catch with the WRs. 37/47, 4 TD, no picks, 515 yards.

    Plenty of one-offs last week regarding the running game: new o-line, played a lot of young guys in second half. My main concern is whether Stepp is ready to go. Despite the o-line, he didn’t look like the same RB as we know.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Agree about Stepp. And those runs that went east-west rather than north-south didn’t help him out either.
      In the first three games we ran the ball 40 – 32 & 31 times, so your estimate is about right…I can’t blame the running numbers for the last game on him yet. But we’ve got to be able to run the ball for first downs when necessary. Not just on an odd breakaway run now and then. Got to be able to kill the clock, or make them bring their safety up.

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      1. Exactly. Offense is becoming too predictable. On some of our first downs, I see the LBs on the opposing team dropping back into zone coverage even before the ball is snapped.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Any ideas as to why they’re choosing to have Stepp run to the outside rather than up the middle? [Not that we’ve had much success up the middle either]….

        Liked by 3 people

      4. Any time the Mason Dixon line is not being heavily defended, the choice is to outflank the enemy. I believe that is why General Harrell prefers artillery to frontal assault.
        The problem is that the commanders all went to the same military training and can anticipate the obvious. Colonel Helton is master of the obvious. What is needed is subterfuge. Better disguised plays (than the usual fake nose and mustache) would go a long way toward beating the enemy.
        Sorry grading online history tests It’ll all make sense someday

        Liked by 4 people

  4. He has the speed in principle to get to the outside (timed at 4.4 several runs). The new o-line really didn’t get the job done on Saturday, inside or outside. No holes, had a hard time holding their blocks. But sounds like the starters are back for the gutties on Saturday.

    Liked by 3 people

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      1. Even Christon needs a hole —he’ll take it from there…
        #..TakeItToTheHouse
        P. S.
        If you’re right, Pudly —and Stepp decided on his own to take it to the outside—I wonder if Stepp has started having second thoughts about the long term effects of those beautiful, suicidal runs in which he seems to be aiming at the middle linebacker.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. He’s not seen a complete season since early in high school. Those tough runs carrying multiple defenders look great and fire everyone up, but they can take their toll too.

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Savvy point, Pudly. [There’s a great special on ShowTime or HBO on Hector Camacho —it deals with how he changed his fighting style after getting hurt for the first time in a title fight — athletes are human—they adjust when they taste mortality —even in little ways]……

        Liked by 3 people

  5. In the latest bowl projections, they have USC vs UGA. Is that a matchup made for tv?

    Get to see SC vs an SEC team and the whole JT Daniels vs Kedon… sounds fun to me

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Pingback: Could Graham Harrell Still Be An NFL Candidate? – InsideUSC with Scott Wolf

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