FOOTBALL

Sunday Buzz: Why Doesn’t USC Go For It?

I never expected USC to actually beat Notre Dame.

But here is what burned me Saturday and even today.

USC had a bye week to prepare for the game. It knew it was playing a better team in a hostile environment.

So why didn’t the Trojans just go for it?

Why not run a couple trick plays? Maybe you fake a punt or field goal on special teams? Why not gamble to try and even the odds?

Instead, it was the same exact game plan that has led to losses to Stanford, Oregon State and Utah. Nothing different. And USC lost in a predictable manner.

It mystifies me because Donte Williams is an interim coach. What does he have to lose?

Instead, he’s coaching like a guy who thinks he can hold on to the job if he just stays the course and takes no chances.

65 thoughts on “Sunday Buzz: Why Doesn’t USC Go For It?”

  1. Firstly, these idiot coaches would have to have some knowledge to do something different. They do not. Simply, lack any of the talents needed. Same crap every game for a decade. From the never ending Kiffy bubbles. The Suckisian every other play hitch. And now this AirRaid garbage. Only good plays from USC O over the years was the Darnold scramble.
    Don’t even start with the undersized, slow, soft D’s. We have had to witness under these past and present idiot coaches.

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    1. Bear with me, apparently the Commodore 64 based program that Mr. Wolf is using to format this blog is on the blink and isn’t allowing too much to be written at one time so I’ll have to break it down.

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      1. “Why Doesn’t USC Go For It?”

        It’s the same crap plays over and over again every week. 80% of the plays are passes thrown within 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.

        The running game is a complete joke because there isn’t one.

        Call it the “Air Raid” or whatever, Kiffin and Sarkisian ran the same shit when tbey were at USC.

        It was bubble screen left, bubble screen right get the ball out fast…with a few running plays where the RB has to improvise, he has no chance because he has no blockers.

        Full Stop

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    2. As much as Kiffin and Sarkisian had terrible results, you can’t fault their offensive calls. Those same plays seemed to work fine at Alabama. Maybe USC looks ourselves in the mirror and see if their are other problems with the football program, like disloyal fans that won’t support good coaches that might need more time to be the power that we want USC to be. Instead of destructive cantankerous criticism perhaps a pat on the back is what is needed for the coaches and players.
      I know many of you didn’t support Coach Clay Helton but he had a winning record, his kids didn’t get in trouble, you never found him in a scandal and his kids graduated. He was about Faith, Family and Football. You have to be spiritually bankrupt to argue against values like that!

      #onceatrojanalwaysatrojan

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      1. Absolutely SUCC4Life, the Sigma Nu Frat. Bro’s would certainly agree with your bozo Faith, Family, Football schtick.

        #Cue: Debby Boone’s “You Light up my Life”

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      2. Owns-No matter what (Helton apologensia included), one should never, ever, cue “You Light Up My Life” – unless prepared to unleash a full torrent of the bad side of the ’70s, like “Send In The Clowns,” “There Has To Be A Morning After,” and “The Night That The Lights Went Out In Georgia,” just to name a few!…

        #SomeThingsForgottenShouldNotBeRememberedOrResurrected
        #Captain&Tennille’sMuskratLoveBeethovenLevelGeniusByComparison

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      3. Idea for Ralph Bakshi animated cartoon: Carol Folt is tied to the baroque rocking chair in her Santa Monica mansion’s living room — whereupon “There has to be a Morning After” is played continuously…. until her mind melds with Satan’s…..
        #…ThenABlindfoldedMikeBohnIsEscortedIntoRoom&CarolIsUntied…
        #HappyHalloween

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      4. Owns & MG – The infamous Wolf “log in for each comment and not allowed to like” syndrome has struck again…so liking your comments…sans Debbie Boone…great idea on animating this…just like with other things afoot, perhaps animating this disaster would be a way of desensitizing us to it and finding a way to accept it while slipping into…to add to the theme/list, your posts suggest: “…Nobody does it better…” Don’t take that too far, fellow idiots! Carly Simon would not appreciate it, nor would Roger Moore, Paul Simon, Neil Young, or any of the others associate with her…

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      5. me too on 4life and I am 78…but sc did not hire a spiritual guru /leader, but a football coach in the spirit of sc4life…and hellton ain’t it. You want him that;s your choice ,I see your post as inane…I respect your right to state and post it…but that’s all.

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      6. In re-reading MG’s proposed…just struck me that that sounds a lot like a scene from Hellbound Hellraiser…Clive Barker becomes the chronicler of USC’s football demise…we’ve certainly been tricked not treated to a host of cenobites (sp?)…best too leave that train of thought at the station for now…will be having nightmares of Pinhead materializing with Clay Helton in tow saying “Your suffering shall be legendary, even in football Hell..ton!”

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      7. Helton failed to bring talented young men (who had sacrificed so much of their young years to be fantastic football players) to their full potential. Part of being a trusted CFB coach is to develop the most out of the ESPECIALLY gifted players and help the rare few who can earn a living with their talent.

        No one on this site granted more lee-way to Helton than I did, and no one on this site was more supportive of all the Trojan FB players than I. In the end, he was building a mediocre program and no REAL USC Trojan accepts mediocrity.

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  2. It’s rare, as I’ve stated before, but I gotta side with Flow on this one. Donte is not getting the head coaching gig, that’s abundantly clear. Maybe he stays on as an assistant. So why not channel your inner Big Balls Pete and use some trickery? There were opportunities to win or at least make the game closer, but we ended up just puking all over ourselves. Shitty.

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    1. “Graham Harrell…Kiffin, Sarkisian, Helton Understudy”

      Kiffin and Sarkisian at Alabama put up numbers because they had a mammoth offensive line that gave the QB all day to throw ans it opened up running lanes you could drive a truck through for the RB’s…hell a monkey could call plays at Alabama and be successful.

      Helton and Harrell have the same problem as Kiffin and Sarkisian, they can’t comprehend why it’s necessary to focus on and build an offensive line, it’s just a mystery to them.

      Full Stop

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  4. I agree……get rid of all these coaches especially the ones from the state Texas which is the majority. The running game improved only because ND knew USC could not beat them running the ball.

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  5. USC put no defensive line or linebacker pressure on the ND QB. Drake Jackson is the most overrated defensive player USC has had in recent years. Too much hype for an average player that disappears on Saturdays. By the way the DE End from Oregon is a great player, and put alot of pressure on the UCLA QB yesterday play after play. This kid wanted to come to USC before heading to Oregon. Definitely, a first round pick. Drake Jackson has not improved since comng to USC, and although he will make the NFL he has been a bust at USC. What concerns me is Korey Foreman our No.1 recruit is headed in the same downward direction as Drake Jackson.

    Alcatraz- Update:
    Any news on Bru McCoy and Kenan Christian the speedy running back. Does USC put these kids in prison/ solitary confinement for 6 months before announcing a decision. It appears USC assumes all supects are “guilty first before being proven innocent”….which is entirely opposite of how things should be.

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    1. I agree. Drake Jackson is useless. Korey Foreman is a homosexual. Corona Centennial has betrayed y’all. Or USC just doesn’t actually practice or teach anything. Either way, this team is harder to watch than the Twilight Zone episodes from the 80’s.

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      1. The Carolina Panther’s are finding out the Piglet isn’t worth a sh*t also.

        Carolina 3 – NY Giants 25 – THE GIANTS!

        Sam Darnold: 16/25 111yds 4.4 Avg. 0 TD 1INT

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    2. Agree w/ Tommyd that Jackson is a complete bust. He needs to rush the
      passer on every down. No LB crap for him. Use the old 4 – 3 on the
      defensive line. The receiving core is lame except for London. Slovis
      is fixated on him to the exclusion of others. Better spread last year
      with Brown and Vaughn. Who has Williams recruited the last two
      years outside of Bullock (S), and don’t know about Jaxson Dart?

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    3. Do you ever think that maybe, just maybe, it’s the way Jackson is used and coached ?

      I wouldn’t blame him if he’s mailed it in and is trying to stay healthy for his pro career

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    4. You don’t get it, tommyd. It’s not “the opposite of how things should be” anymore. Keeping them off the field while holy people investigate the details of their past lives (while ruining their careers and reputations) is part of being on The Path of Righteousness.

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    5. title 9 under folt is like the russian gulag…she is a parasitic abomination on sc,and so is bot for choosing her,they had to of known her past history.

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      1. Tim – Great point…it’s termed ‘natural selection,’ not ‘proper selection.’ This is the natural consequence of an ill-advised decision that clearly could not have been based on merit or a reasonable assessment of probable outcomes, else this is the outcome that they selected for, whether they consciously knew it or not (and if they weren’t consciously aware of it, therein lies the problem).

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  6. HC, OC, DC have no idea what they’re doing. Mike Bohn may start calling plays from his luxury box. Play sheet in one hand, cocktail in the other.

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  7. The new coach will sweep this staff away, no one, including Williams, will stay.

    Fickell’s boys had trouble with 1-5 Navy, aside from ND this year, and we saw that they aren’t exactly good, who has he ever beaten ?

    Franklin shit the bed, AT HOME, against a shitty Illinois team.

    The Iowa St guy beat Okie St, who isn’t that good, guy does nothing for me as a coach.

    If Bohn has any sense, and I doubt he does, he’s all in on Aranda and he better bring the cash because other schools, LSU, will be throwing cash at him.

    Aranda is from So Cal, he’s a defensive coach, he can attract top assistants as well as players, anything less and I think it’s another 5 years of crap football from USC.

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    1. The Trojans had the chance to get Aranda in 2015 when they played Wisconsin in the Holiday bowl. At the time he was considered one of the top two defense coordinators in the nation. He lived in Redlands at the time. Had they gotten him he probably would’ve been the head coach by now.

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      1. If we had a really good defensive coordinator, he would have been able to cover up the offensive problems and that would have just prolonged the misery. The best thing possible was allowing Helton to get horrible coordinators who were going to fail, so we can get a decent HC.

        Aranda has two games Texas and OK that will prove his mettle. But he might have a huge buyout.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I’m with you on Aranda being the best guy of the bunch of a good OC comes with him (which I assume would happen). I’m also with you on not seeing Franklin as a guy that will make us nationally relevant again. He’s not gonna scare the Sabans and Dabos (he’ll get back on track) of the world. Campbell, meh. I do think Fickell deserves a look; He is 38-7 in his last 45 games at Cincinnati. He’s doing something right.

      Williams has value as a recruiter. Essential to USC right now because all that is left is brand and hype which is fading by the day. Get the right guy and you won’t need the hype bull shit.

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      1. Brad, Fickell beats no one in a very very average conference. Look at his record, every time he’s played a top team, not good. Yes, he beat ND this year, nice but ND isn’t exactly great.

        Aranda is the choice, doubt Bohn pulls it off.

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    3. My thinking is with (traditional) USC talent in the trenches and no gimmick schemes he can recreate a winning football culture and do well. I doubt he wants to coach in LA anyway. Doesn’t seem to be his kind of place. I don’t blame him.

      I agree on Aranda being better all the same. And I think see have a chance to get him.

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  8. We Shall See…

    If USC doesn’t get this next hire right, they’re going to be in for another long decade.

    I can tell you one thing for certain, James “Milk Toast” Franklin is not the answer, he is average at best.

    We’ll see how committed USC is to winning when it has to compete with LSU and possibly Texas for the best possible coaches once the season is over.

    Right now the only commitment I see coming from USC is it’s commitment towards not taking football seriously.

    Full Stop

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  9. DRAKE JACKSON is not a great football player doesn’t matter where you play him on defense.. I just don’t see what the hype was for. ND knocked this guy around like a puppet yesterday. 3 years of hype with this guy, and maybe 1 or 2 sacks that’s it. The guy at Oregon – Thibodeaux is all everything and should be 1st round pick.

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    1. I kept telling you clowns that Jackson and now this Foreman kid were sure fire busts, but you kept listening to that idiot pudly when he was constantly touting them as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

      pudly doesn’t have a clue just like his daddy Clay and apparently all you clowns who bought in and believed him are even more stupid than he is.

      Talk about Dumb & Dumber…you all are the 3.0 version.

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    2. Thibodeaux is probably going to be the 1st player taken, BY THE LIONS !

      Jackson has had nothing but shitty coaches, the guy will probably have a nice NFL career.

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  10. Don’t Williams is not Head Coach. Arterial. He’s not known as a great x’s and o’s guy or a good fundamental position Coach. So, what’s he known as? A great recruiter, which is why Bohn brought him in to begin with. In other words, Williams is a good bullshitter, which is what recruiting is.

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  12. USC 0.4% chance to win Pac 12 Championship (9th best). Mike Bohn is this part of your 2019 plan? In case people don’t realize, you’re full of sh*t.

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    2. Good job Charles digging up the facts. I love the question to the Bohner. Everyone should email that question to him. The crap game last night has his fingerprints all over it. He paid for these awful coaches. He kept Gomer when he signed on in 2019 and then kept him after 2020. About the only thing that will placate the fan base right now is hiring Fickell or Aranda.

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  13. After the TD to begin the 4th quarter – they probably should have scored to end the 3rd quarter if they didn’t mismanage the clock – I thought USC should have gone for an onside kick.

    Game was still within one score and a full quarter to play. If they did try an onsides and got it back, that could have been the match to fire up a comeback, I thought.

    #OrWouldItHaveBeenLikeTheOnsideTryAndBadCallFromThe1991Game?

    #GottaTryThingsWhenEvenTheRefsAreRootingForTheIrish

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  14. Why do people think, that all it takes is for Donte Williams to wave a magic wand over the sorry ass program, that a hollow head imbecile coach assembled , and suddenly make them better? The culture is horrible, and they don’t have the players on the line of scrimmage to compete. So stop with the expectations 🙄

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    1. It’s not rational to think Donte can fix this mess…
      #..ButIt’sNotIrrationalToSayDonte’sNotHeadCoachMaterial
      #…..[He’sSlowlyMovingTeamInTheRightDirection,Though]

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    2. .

      That clown Donte Williams prescribes to the same damn philosophy as Clay Helton.

      Williams has changed nothing, no player personnel other than putting Dart in only because he had to.

      The same shit schemes that were being run under Helton are still being run. Williams could have insisted that Harrell and Orlander make changes to their play calling but he hasn’t.

      Harrell is too fucking stupid to draw up anything other than the shit offense he runs so he’s a lost cause.

      Orlando still running that fucking 3-4 defense which is the height of stupidity when he knows it’s not working.

      And Williams himself, instead of rotating some DB’s in he keeps the guys out there that are always getting burned or drawing flags.

      And you’re saying it’s not his fault?

      Fucking do something different, anything to where you’re not so predictable, what has he got to lose?

      Donte better hope he can recruit because he sure as hell can’t coach.

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      1. Well, if you’re gonna go down that road —I guess we have to say he can’t recruit either….
        #ThePlayersHeCan’tCoachAreThePlayersHeRecruited

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    3. That clown Donte Williams prescribes to the same damn philosophy as Clay Helton.

      Williams has changed nothing, no player personnel other than putting Dart in only because he had to.

      The same shit schemes that were being run under Helton are still being run. Williams could have insisted that Harrell and Orlander make changes to their play calling but he hasn’t.

      Harrell is too fucking stupid to draw up anything other than the shit offense he runs so he’s a lost cause.

      Orlando still running that fucking 3-4 defense which is the height of stupidity when he knows it’s not working.

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      1. And Williams himself, instead of rotating some DB’s in, he keeps the guys out there that are always getting burned or drawing flags.

        And you’re saying it’s not his fault?

        Fucking do something different, anything to where you’re not so predictable, what has he got to lose?

        Donte better hope he can recruit because he sure as hell can’t coach.

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      2. Donte is not really the head coach, just the head motivator/recruiter. The two coordinators still run their sides of the ball and it is a disaster. You cant fix this team with two horrible coordinators.

        Helton didnt run either side of the ball when he was head coach, so nothing really changed, except they committed that they would fire Helton and allowed themselves time to search for a new head coach.

        Despite the lack of accountability in the coordinators, SC really has one problem, if fixed, will lead to some wins. They simply need some new plays for the red zone. Opposing teams are just dropping back coverage and allowing USC to gain yards into the red zone, because they know USC cant actually get the ball in the end zone.

        A couple weeks ago I remember there was one play where they used misdirection and had a guy wide open, but that seems to be the only play GH could come up with.

        They need to add 10 plays specifically for the red zone, and then add 5 more each week. Plays that work when the field is shortened and have a low probability of negative yardage. They keep just running the same plays over and over. The very definition of insanity.

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  16. Michael Pittman just wrapped up the game for the Colts. And to think that Gomer had him buried on the bench until his Dad tweeted that he was going to enter the transfer portal. Then Gomer gave him a few plays per game the rest of that year. And the following 2 seasons he developed into a stud WR. The Pittman family was so pissed that younger brother Micah Pittman went to Oregon and is a fine player. It just goes to show that if his dad (a former NFL player) hadn’t piped up, Gomer would have kept him on the bench. Which provokes 2 questions:
    1. How many other good players never got a chance to play because they weren’t Gomer’s favorites?
    2. How did this Gomer pawn himself as a football coach when he couldn’t see he had NFL talent rotting on the bench?

    The moral of this story…we are all upset about the coaching in the ND game, but this game and all of the other games this season have Gomer’s fingerprints all over it. The shit coaches. The lack of big uglies on the O-line and D-Line. The poor tackling. The idiotic penalties. etc. etc. The damage this idiot did on the USC football program will take 2-3 years to unwind.

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  17. williams is barely an asst coach, he is really more a recruiter than coach…everybody knew unless Dart starts SC is going nowhere, like a few yrs back when’SAM’ led sc.

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