FOOTBALL

If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Today’s column will be in part in two parts: The history part will come later.

I view Kedon Slovis signing an NIL deal with Klutch Sports (of LeBron James fame) as a riskier move for the company than others probably do.

I don’t think Slovis is a slam-dunk NFL star QB and there are a lot of questions to be answered athletically. Not to mention questions from last season.

That doesn’t mean he won’t generate a lot of endorsement income. It just means he might not be as good a long-term investment as other marquee quarterbacks.

  • Here were are in late July and USC still has three players with No. 6 (Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Joshua Jackson, Miller Moss) on the roster. This is truly the program that cannot say no to any player.

Taylor-Stuart and Jackson cannot both wear No. 6 because they are cornerbacks. USC originally waited on taking away No. 6 from someone in case someone transferred. But Taylor-Stuart and Jackson are both expected to play this season.

  • QB Devin Brown, who is committed to USC, is officially a four-star prospect after a successful summer. It’s amazing how much attention the USC media poured on Brown compared to five-star Malachi Nelson of Los Alamitos, who committed to Oklahoma over USC. USC: good. Everyone else: Bad.
  • Does anyone think the Pac-12 will come out ahead at the end of the latest conference realignment maneuvers?
  • Nick Saban gave an answer this week that Clay Helton never could regarding his longevity: “That’s simple, you have to win. What does it take to win? That answers the question better than anything. You have to have culture
  • OK, I will have some history here. This color video of Wrigley Field in Los Angeles is worth a look:

48 thoughts on “If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column”

  1. Scooter,

    did you see the kid pouring a liquid from the bottle into a cup and serving the drink to the person? At dodger and angel stadium, they never have done that. In the midwest, like St. Louis, they did or might still do.

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  2. So, when the season starts, what are people going to look for when they see SC football?

    I am going to see if they even know how to run the ball. I will look at the oline and see if they are competent or not. If they can’t run the ball then it will be a long season.

    on Defense, if the move Jackson back to playing de and not lber, and get Echols or Foreman to rush, then the defense might be good. We will see.

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    1. 67 wisely said he’s sick of us criticizing Helton —because it’s all been said. So I am gonna refrain from adding to the nearly infinite universe of Helton criticism. Until he loses his first game. But —as a closing shot before my abstention —-may I remind Scott (& everyone) Helton WOULD and HAS said the same words as Saban. He said them within days of becoming head coach. He said them after the Cotton Bowl. He said them after the Holiday Bowl. He’ll say them again at Pac 12 Day.
      #NotEveryoneSayingTheseWordsIsEqual

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      1. Michael, I willing to pony up my share to buy out Clay. After Kedon nearly had his arm torn off in the world famous Holiday Bowl, he should have been gone. Even putting winning aside, you cannot keep a coach who knowingly puts his players in a situation where they are going to get injured like that. With Helton as HC, Tom Brady wouldn’t have lasted 3 years in the NFL.

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      2. Really good point, 67. And that’s why folks who claim Helton is a “nice guy” are missing the point. A “nice guy” —whether he’s a commander on the battlefield or the coach of a football team — knows when he could be placing someone in unnecessary physical danger and does everything in his power to avoid it. Helton has ignored the o-line from the beginning….and the results are there for everybody to see.

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    2. The chances to see USC run the ball significantly might be a rare ocurrence this year with the Air Raid offense.

      #FireHeltonForBringingTheAirRaidToUSC

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  3. Satchel Paige? I thought she was a singer from Cats.
    Why are we down on Slovis? He throws a passable pass and does not throw more than ten interceptions a game. He’s one of the best quarterback prospects we have for the lingerie league. (I hear Los Angeles might get a franchise if they find a boob to run it)

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    1. I don’t trust him as an offensive coordinator or, God forbid, a head coach but when it comes to evaluating air raid QB’s I trust Harrell. Harrell is looking for a guy who throws with speed and confidence “to the open guy” (something Slovis did pretty well in his first year ….and in the last minute of the last quarter last year). Slovis looked like he had so much potential in his first camp, Harrell favored him over his other talented quarterback, J. T. Daniels. Wayne pointed out yesterday that Slovis takes too much time finding the open guy (or “the green grass” as Harrell sometimes puts it). And, yes, that was frequently the case last year. But it seemed Slovis was afraid to pull the trigger due to an injured shoulder (the one Harrell kept denying). When he was healthy, Slovis crushed it —the way he did against Stanford in his first full game as a Trojan. I think we’ll see the old Slovis this season. And we’ll need him if we’re gonna go anywhere….. cuz I bet our running game will be improved but uneven….

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      1. Arm was definitely a factor. It was almost torn off by Iowa, and that should never happen if USC plays Iowa. Since when does Iowa dominate the LOS against USC? I think the main issue is play-calling against the 8-man zone. Spread offense is typically about getting it out of the QB’s hand quickly in the open, but 8 defenders covering 4 or 5 receivers is a challenge, particularly when the 3 man rush is more than competent against 5 offensive linemen.

        Play-calling has to deliver consistently second down and 6 or better, third down and 2 or better, there were way too many times Trojans were in second and 8 or 9, third and 7, and that 8 man zone just laid back there, knowing what was coming. I’ll say it once more, Helton should have been gone after Slovis nearly lost his arm against Iowa. That should have been the wakeup call to Bohn.

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      2. 67 —You could tell from the big post game smile that Helton KNEW losing to Iowa didn’t matter. He was already talking about coming BACK — and achieving “greatness.” [And I bet he considers gaining less than a 100 yards a game rushing last season…and getting beaten out of the Pac 12 Championship in our own stadium by a less than average Oregon team –success!]…..
        #MissionAccomplished

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  4. Urban Meyer on Slovis: “The guy that I love, I love Slovis,” Meyer said.

    This is Kedon’s third year, and the team absolutely has to fix pass protection, play-calling to offset the opposing D to play 8 men deep (how about a delay run?), and to figure out how to get the ball out of Slovis’s hand faster (which has lot to do with an 8 deep defense).

    Slovis has worked with Kurt Warner since he was 12, so he knows defenses inside and out. Something is very wrong when he has to hold the ball for what seems like an eternity.

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    1. Agreed, 67. As I said above, I think Slovis’ problem last year was mental — he didn’t trust his arm. I’d see Vaughns or St. Brown actually WAVING to Slovis they were open and, then, watch Slovis wait another 2 seconds…..until it was too late or he was sacked. I don’t think that’s the guy we’re gonna see this year. Just the opposite in fact.

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      1. Slovis was hurting, and on the run. Tough to make those throws in that situation. He did pull out a bunch of last minute victories. And if he is hurting, they had one of the most powerful runners in college football (Stepp) and one of the fastest runners in college football (Christon) ready to carry and take the pressure off. Stepp averaged 7 carries a game, Christon averaged 1.5 carries per game. Sheesh, looking at these stats makes me nauseous…

        Liked by 1 person

    3. If Mr Slovis has a hard time throwing clothes lines this year then I’d bet he has an injured rotator cuff. I suspected it last year. I doubt it’s healed without surgery.

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  5. Slovis will be hurting again this season. Just wait until Notre Dame gets a crack at him. USC is just as irrelevant as Trump! 😂😂😂

    #Softestpower5teaminthecountry

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      1. Ahhh— a bag of chips and Chip! It’s kinda sweet to see Chip SO happy, isn’t it?
        #ImagineIfThatWereAnOpenBoxOfFresh,SugaryDonuts….

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      3. Yes! I want to see a photo of smiling Chip next to a UCLA training table with a big can of pure lard, a giant box of pure sugar and a king size bottle of corn oil.

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      5. You were right all along, 67 —We need to move away from criticizing Helton 24/7….. and toward 24/7 disgracing of UCLA’s coach…..
        #Couldn’tHaveCourseCorrectedWithoutYou

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      7. There will be a lot less to complain about after Clay and Chip get 86’d. Unless their replacements are of the same competence, which is almost a given for Westwood as I believe every coach they have had in the last 25 years or so has been fired, and unfortunately is much too high a probability for USC, given the current “leadership” on campus.

        Liked by 1 person

      8. Yeah, 67 –One never knows what “Coach” Folt has in store for us next…..she’s wittingly or unwittingly saying and doing things that are antithetical to the football team’s best interests….
        #NextUp –BringBackClay’sBrother?

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      9. T67
        I’d like to remind you that only one item contains the four basic food groups. Sugar, fat, caffeine & alcohol.
        An Irish coffee.

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    2. Just like SENILE dementia Joe Biden and His Criminal Cocaine Son Hunter plus his Brother in law getting Million s of Dollars from Russia and china for Doing Absolutely Nothing. .. Getting Away with Murder. ..This is your Senile dementia president. . Turning America into MARXISM. With HATRED. Open Borders. Having a PANDEMIC. .While china is Laughing at Senile dementia Joe. Being brain Dead. Take Away your Freedom and this your Country. ….

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      1. You’re being unfair. Who can really say whether Joe is suffering dementia? There are so many other innocent explanations for his stopping mid sentence or getting that blank look in his eyes or challenging supporters to push up contests or going into a tirade when reporters ask him simple questions. I’m so tired of everyone seizing on dementia as the only explanation. We should give the Commander of our Armed Forces the benefit of the doubt.

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    3. Notre Dame hell! I guarantee you She-don Slovis gets hit, knocked down and sidelined against San Jose St.

      That girl Slovis won’t last the season, she’s too fragile.

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  7. If you want to see some beautiful color pictures of Old Wrigley, track down the old Warners Bros. Tab Hunter musical, “Damn Yankees!”

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    1. It’s beautiful….up until the moment Ray Walston pulls a little magic on poor Gwen Verdon as she tries to leave …..
      #GoodFlick

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  8. We complain about the o-line a lot here, and for legitimate reasons, but another factor is that O-linemen get fired up to open holes and knock their defender backwards. USC linemen hardly have a chance to do that anymore, and it shows in their performance. And just think about all of that RB talent not being utilized…

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    1. Exactly! Give them back their pride, Harrell! Run the damn ball once in awhile. Give them something to be proud about!
      #GetTheO-LineIntoTheGame

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  9. Story that’s only funny because it’s true; I’m painting the laundry room in our mobilhome and I’m using premium one cost paint. Unfortunately the room is 80s style paneling with a print. It didn’t cover in one coat. I went back to get more paint and told the guy they should rename the paint to Monte Kiffin. He asked why and told him it covers about as well as Monte Kiffin’s defensive secondary when he was at USC. The other guy at the counter offered me a refund an then said “fight on.”
    Now if that would just apply to our current coaches I’d buy season tickets again. (Currently my Dr. Advised against it due to high blood pressure.) Getting a refund on the way out is the way of the future.

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      1. Monte’s Tampa Two needs a really quick MLB to make it work, since the MLB drops deep into coverage. My nephew (WR) and his team played against a team that ran Tampa Two and the MLB would immediately telegraph the coverage by running backwards immediately, sometimes ever before the snap, so the offense knew exactly what was coming. They scored 5 TDs in the first half. The other team abandoned Tampa Two in the second half, and then my nephew’s team only scored one TD.

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      2. That is such a good observation, 67. The only time I was really impressed with Monte at USC was when we beat Oregon at their place. And —guess what? — for the whole first half he abandoned his old Tampa Two defense (or, at least, it was so modified I didn’t recognize it)….

        Liked by 1 person

  10. In order to have longevity you have to win. CH may have proven that wrong at SC. He’s been around for a long time and he still hasn’t won big.

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      1. If the Pac 12 winds up with a reduced schedule due to renewed ‘pandemic’ restrictions we’ll wind up stuck with Helton for the next few years…..
        #Folt:”He’sTheTopPandemicCoachInTheCountry”

        Liked by 1 person

      2. A little late on this but there is talk in Vegas about rumors if this new strain of fear and loathing 19 spreads then Vegas could shut down within 2 weeks.

        Like

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