FOOTBALL

Sunday Buzz: This Should Not Be USC Football

One common feeling this season is I never feel better on Sunday about the way USC played Saturday.

It’s hard to get excited about the good, like Keaontay Ingram rushing for 186 yards, when you consider the defensive breakdowns.

Arizona had the worst pass offense in the Pac-12 (210 yards per game) and threw for 339 yards. And it’s not just one guy in the secondary. Isaiah Pola-Mao is having an awful senior season. Isaac Taylor-Stuart got burned but yanked a player’s helmet off to prevent a TD. Chris Steele still grabs and holds too much. And these are the veterans. Josh Jackson didn’t live up to the coaches’ hype and the other young players have struggled.

Are they getting coached? Are they being used in proper formations? I think Todd Orlando’s done a poor job. It’s also worth asking whether Donte Williams has given the cornerbacks the proper attention as interim coach? I saw a grad assistant running the corners through some drills in pre-game Saturday.

Safeties coach Craig Naivar is just a guy who I can’t say much about other than being a friend of Orlando.

It’s all a recipe for disaster. It’s not what USC football should be. A new coach can’t come fast enough.

  • Why couldn’t USC reveal Drake London’s injury Saturday night? His leg was in a cast and it obviously was serious. But as of this writing, we still have no word officially on his injury.
  • USC’s game at Arizona State on Saturday (Nov. 6) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. MT/PT and be broadcast on ESPN.
Advertisement

55 thoughts on “Sunday Buzz: This Should Not Be USC Football”

  1. I suspect all of those involved with defense will be gone. Maybe Donte survives because of his recruiting skill, but that was a horrendous defensive performance last night.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    1. I use to hope Donte survived this mess. But I don’t anymore. He inherited a mushy, soft team and he’s slowly tightening things up. He gets credit for that. But I believe it’s best we make a clean sweep after this season. Anybody associated with 2021 needs to be somewhere where they can’t be seen or heard in 2022….
      #ChangeMeansRealChange

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

    2. Interestingly, Caden Bullock seems to be a gamer Safety and a bright spot on the DB’s. Hope for the future. Chris Steele seems to be playing OK.

      I agree that IPM is playing poorly. Poor angle pursuit and never deeper than the deepest man.

      While the D-line was able to create some pressure vs AZ, I think the LB and DB are maligned as much due to the lack of pass rush over most of this season. ASU will take advantage of this defense on Saturday.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. D-line play has been substandard since EdO left, except to Stevie T. holding the fort most nights in 2016 as a transfer. Herm may be coaching for his career at this point, and they are so up and down…hard to tell, but if Daniels has one of his good games, and Herm empties the deepest recesses of the playbook…could be anything from a third straight close barn-burner to the proverbial Fork being stuck in it…

        BTW Bourbon (now that I – at least temporarily – am being allowed to post…I responded to your earlier posts on Tollner, et al … have question for you – always thought Scott Tinsely should get more attention as one of those unsung hero types for what he did at end of 1980 and 1982…you were there…)…

        Liked by 3 people

      4. Bourbon
        I once mentioned on here that I am of the opinion that the 1980 game was one of USC’s finest moments…had a chance that year, even though team obviously wasn’t as good as year before, to win a national title while on probation…after Adams got hurt and the loss to Washington, and the freak McNeil TD at the end of the UCLA game, could have quit…instead absolutely destroyed an unbeaten No.2 ranked Irish team (seem to recall held them under 100 yards of offense)…I remember watching the UCLA and ND games with Tinsley in for Adams…he wasn’t great, but great to hear you describe him as a “gamer” because that’s what it seemed like from the distance…

        Liked by 2 people

      5. In among the mountain of NFL talent, there were a lot of those types…I remember reading that, even though undersized, the defensive line in that era with Lapka and Sperling (also Edwards, Ussery, and Achica?) was tough as nails…

        Liked by 2 people

      6. It would take a lot of pressure off the d-backs if the d-line could occasionally TACKLE somebody in the backfield…. rather than run by them real fast without so much as touching them…..

        Like

  2. I couldn’t agree with Scott more about the way USC is handling any and all news on London’s condition. Not everything is known and no one expects definitive answers to any questions at this point — but doing their few remaining loyal fans the service of updating them on what IS known shouldn’t be TOO much for the Athletic Department to cope with….

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Frankly, I think the blame rests on bohn (and his controller folt). A good executive would NOT put an inexperienced new manager in charge of an important project… especially one with high visibility and huge problems. It was a gross error to choose a no experience Donte as interim head coach when you have an experienced former head coach in Jinx. This is the second major VISIBLE error after the retaining of a incompetent failure of a head coach to further destroy a once blue blood program. I remain fearful that the next failure will be another loser for the head coach. SC is already the joke of the NCAA and not even mentioned in bowl predictions how much further can we fall??? Returning to the topic of Donte, WHO was his mentor? Where was/is bohn??? Just threw him into the fire and watched him and the team burn. Bohn needs to go and take his controller and boy toy sosna with him.

        Liked by 3 people

    2. MG, didn’t know you were such a fanatic tommy trojan fan. Well, you know what my dad always said, Having dreams is what makes life tolerable. …

      Like

      Reply

  3. We’re finally seeing what we’ve known is coming for the last five years. I can see ASU doing a tap dance on USC then the team mailing in the rest of the season. Winning a game is tough enough, especially when you’re playing in a completely dysfunctional environment like USC, so don’t blame the players, blame the adults who created this situation. If USC is serious about solving this problem, which I don’t think they are, then they’ll do a thorough and complete housecleaning right after the BYU game. Forget going to a bowl game. That would just add to the embarrassment.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

      1. I have a friend who has suffered through the Buffs horrible annual poor performance since Neuheisal screwed up the program. Two weeks ago, Buffs beat Arizona 34 – 0. He told me Colorado finally found someone they could “manhandle.” SC WAS MANHANDLED by Arizona and we eked out a victory. Pretty sad. Now, we need to win two more games to be bowl eligible. You are right Michael, we need not worry about a bowl game. If chance favors SC and they did get to one, I’m not sure I could watch it. It was enough of a punishment to watch last night’s game.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Correct, Carra. Watching USC play outside the Pac 12 isn’t the best way to enjoy the Holidays….
        #Going5-7WouldBeMercifulEndingTo2021

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Matt Leinart on Jaxon Dart:

    Let’s play him the rest of the way. He won’t stay beyond his jr. year if he is as good as everyone thinks he is. So redshirt does nothing. The one drawback is if he gets injured again…but can we fix the o-line immediately next year, assuming the right coaching?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. Hey BruinRob, don’t you have to get on the field to sustain a concussion? I guess Rosen and Hundley don’t have to worry about that.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. How about this stat – Drake’s yardage was nearly double that of the # 2 and # 3 receivers combined:

    Top Individual Receiving Yards thru Week 8

    1,003—Drake London, USC
    528—Calvin Jackson, WSU
    525—Travell Harris, WSU
    465—Stanley Berryhill, UA
    442—Kyle Philips, UCLA
    427—Terrell Bynum, UW
    425—Greg Dulcich, UCLA
    410—Elijah Higgins, Stan
    379—Trevon Clark, Cal

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    2. Thing is the receivers behind “the Drake” are parts of a TEAM. “The Drake,” on the other hand, is the SUCC team. And he paid for it vs AZ.

      Like

      Reply

  6. Full House cleaning needed (but everybody means … everybody … from top down). There is little salvageable from this wreck. Can’t do anything about fact it should have been done years ago, other than get on with it now.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Correct. Time to stop crying (except for the next few Saturdays) and move the fuck on!
      #OnlyQuestion:WillBohnBlowIt?…
      #…[LikeHe’sBlownEverythingElse]?

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  7. I’ll give you 5-1 he blows it…all of the murmurs (except Tebow’s Peterson – why oh why can’t that be true?!) have been bad signs…and with him still under the skirt of Shilala Occidental…but, at least the train is moving again…even if in the wrong direction, at least different landscape to look at…and ultimately hopefully will circle back to where it belongs.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. We have equal confidence in Mike Bohn…. he’s shown about the same amount of knowledge & accountability as the prop people on Baldwin’s movie set…..

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      1. Only Tellesco’s overseer moving Bolts to LA saves Bohn from being the worst football decision-maker in LA…wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have video calls every week to compare notes on how to stay employed while demonstrating the competence level of a middle schooler…

        Liked by 2 people

      2. “Stay away from the bold action required! Don’t rock the boat under any circumstances. Just go along to get along and see how long you last. My guess — given the present conditions at USC —is around 10 years!”
        #TenRepsonsibilityFreeYears!

        Liked by 2 people

  8. London for sure has an absolutely horrible medial malleolar sprain which will cost him at least 4 weeks rehab. It can only get worse after that.

    I don’t expect USC to reveal anything about his injury–esp if London wishes to preserve his medical privacy.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I see that as the new normal for all college and professional sports — announcers will tell fans that “nothing more can be known due to the medical privacy concerns of all involved.”
      #”ItLooksLikeABrokenLeg…
      #…ButWeCouldn’tPossiblyComment”

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      2. Correct. There is no way a college player can keep his medical status a secret from the NFL —and from there it’s only a hop, skip and a jump from everybody in the world knowing…

        Like

  9. Pardon my wonk…

    The Dart vs Slovis “controversy” seems to have a following on this site.
    They both will be tested in Tempe without London and with our O-line issues. Tahj and Gary Bryant JR will need to step up, as will Epps and Ford, the TE’s, and maybe even the RB’s.

    ASU and Herm and Jayden Daniels see its season unraveling and likely will be sporty on late Saturday night. At 5-3, they are no better than a 4-4 USC team which has played ND and Utah and which wipped Wazzu in Wazzu (albeit without de Laura for a half).

    ASU ranks #28 in pass defense in the country per NCAA stats.
    For comparison, Don Brown’s UofA pass defense ranked #24 and has played better passing teams than ASU.

    Digging deeper:
    When you look at ASU’s schedule however, their defense has put up gaudy defensive numbers vs 3 of the worst teams in college football and 3 of the worst offenses in CFB: South Utah (kinda a JUCO team), UNLV, U. Colorado. They held these horrible teams to fewer than 100 passing yards (for the most part). Take out those lows and this defense is speculative at best. Vs the other 5 decent schools Sparky has given up 200 or so yards to nearly all–with only Stanford failing at 175 yards in the loss. Plus, they still have Jack Jack Jones in the D backfield. I enjoyed watching him get burned for a TD yesterday.

    ASU’s run defense is #46 in the country giving up about 130 ypg.

    This is a winnable game in Tempe and the key will be USC’s run game and short pass game–irrespective of Dart vs Slovis. If Dart’s wheels are 100% and he can rip up our #1 defense in practice with his scrambling, then put the kid in. Maybe his torn medial meniscus was not that severe and he’s 100% (?). “If” Orlando can dial up a few stops, USC can beat Sparky. Big “If”.

    The other good news, USC has played good defensive football on the road (?). Not so good at the Coliseum.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Now that we’ve had 24 hours to digest the loss of Drake [and appreciate the presence of Dart and Ingram), I tend to agree. The Arizona State game is winnable…. and, under the circumstances, would be a monster victory for a team that’s been through the loss of it’s head coach and it’s star player….
      #WeNeedAllHandsOnDeck,Though

      Like

      Reply

  10. Memo to: trojnfn4

    Neither Rosen or Hundley are making $25 million a year, or contracted mononucleosis, like some 13 year-old, pimply adolescent, during a NFL season.

    You have to wonder what the hell the Piglet was making out with.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Memo to you, your team is irrelevant. Always has been and always will be. Once you win anything at all you can possibly be taken seriously. Until then you are nothing more than a fart in the wind.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      2. Negative. I like Pudly, but I’m not him. Not sure where he’s been. Hopefully all is well with him.

        I’ve been on here long time as well.

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Is that you Pisley, you POS? Your post goose post certainly smells like you.

        Because “facts matter” AH:

        UCLA: Is 5 – 4 , in 3rd place
        Clown U: Is 4-4, in 4th place

        SUCC FB: A sleazy Sigma Nu trollop

        Like

    2. Somehow, owns seems to be living in a world where last night’s loss is a win, and where a lower drafted player who is nearly out of the league is somehow better than a higher drafted player who starts for an NFL team.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Only a Bruin fan would trumpet being in 3rd vs. 4th. What a loser mentality. If you are not in first who cares. Not something a UCLA fan would understand I guess.

        Like

    3. Hey BruinRob, Rosen was a first round pick who is now on his third team in the NFL. Did Rosen ever win a big game at UCLA? Last time I checked, Darnold was 3-0 against UCLA and was Rose Bowl M.V.P. You fondly remember that game, don’t you? It was the one where you were on this blog crowing like a rooster during the 3rd quarter and the beginning of the 4th quarter, before suffering an epic meltdown when Darnold led the Trojans to an epic comeback. By the way, wasn’t this the year ucla was supposed to win the Pac 12 South?

      Like

      Reply

      1. What a load of bozo BS. James Franklin, the f**king horse’s ass, is solely responsible for Penn St. RB defeat. The only HC to match Franklin’s incredible stupidity is SUCC’s very own Little Petey Pom-Pom.

        Like

    2. Parcelman, All the coaches need to go. Complete house cleaning. Any new coach who is confident in his system will insist on bringing in his own people. But if there is a position group that has improved from last year and improved during this season it is Running Backs (could be the addition of the Tx transfer). Therefore, I want to give props to Jinks as the only coach on this staff that has demonstrated professionalism.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I think that the 2 new running backs that they brought in has a lot to do with that. Also, under this new O-Line coach they are running the ball better though their pass blocking hasn’t improved that much.

        Like

  12. The AZ player who did a dirty trick on Drake London was #4 Jordan McCloud from Tampa, Fla. Watch the video. McCloud tries to tackle London around the waist but fails and London breaks the plane with the ball then as London is going down McCloud uses his feet to hook London’s feet sort of rodeo style and inflicts an intentional injury. But, once again, no call of unnecessary roughness.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

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