FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: USC-Arizona State Report Card

QUARTERBACK

Is there anything Caleb Williams can’t do? He makes touchdown throws going against his body, eludes sacks and constantly pulls something out of nothing. I don’t even care he threw an interception. I’d love to see him play Alabama, Georgia or Ohio State.

Grade: A-

RUNNING BACKS

They weren’t exactly breathtaking but they always get bonus points because Travis Dye is ready to check people’s egos when necessary.

Grade: C+

WIDE RECEIVERS

It was good to see more receivers involved even with Jordan Addison and Mario Williams the top two receivers as usual. I’m not sure why tight end Malcom Epps isn’t utilized more given his athleticism. He’s caught three passes in five games.

Grade: B

OFFENSIVE LINE

The sycophants will try to blame it all on Justin Dedich not playing. C’mon. The line was getting beaten all over the place, not just one spot. Did Andrew Vorhees get a holding penalty because Dedich didn’t play? They had a lousy game. The end.

Grade: F

DEFENSIVE LINE

Stanley Ta’ufo’ou doesn’t get a lot of publicity but led the line with four tackles. They need to get better against the run, however, as the Trojans are ranked No. 84 nationally in run defense.

Grade: C+

LINEBACKERS

Now we know one reason Nick Saban wasn’t playing Shane Lee. His coverage skills are, uh, suspect. This was the worst performance of the season for the linebackers, which is good because it shows what they need to improve as two competent quarterbacks are ahead.

Grade: D+

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Did you think Emory Jones would complete 23 of 32 passes for 243 yards? He sliced up the secondary until Alex Grinch blitzed more and this week will be another challenge vs. Washington State QB Cameron Ward. Hopefully Domani Jackson keeps getting more playing time.

Grade: C-

SPECIAL TEAMS

They got caught off guard on the onside kick. And committed two illegal block in the back penalties on kick returns. This type of stuff makes a difference in a close game. Does it matter USC doesn’t have a special teams coach?

Grade: D+

COACHING

Can anyone say Arizona State defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson didn’t have the best game plan? USC was simply saved by Caleb Williams’ wizardry. I liked that Alex Grinch made noticeable halftime adjustments that influenced the game. It’s refreshing to see changes being made if something isn’t working.

Grade: C+

TOWEL GUYS

These strength coaches have no idea of the tradition of USC, or maybe more important, UCLA, where towel waving is admired. They need to stop. Now.

Grade: F

68 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC-Arizona State Report Card”

  1. Last year USC was outscored in the 3rd quarter by their opponents 91-69. This year, so far, they are outscoring their opponents in the third quarter 63-14. That tells me that they are making adjustments at half time. This is something that they never did under Helton. What did they do last year? They probably gave them a rah, rah speech on trying harder but never any adjustments. 

    Liked by 5 people

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      1. WE ARE BACK IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT WHERE WE BELONG

        WE ARE NOT ALL THE WAY BACK YET
        BUT HEY
        5-0 AND A NUMBER SIX RANKING
        WHAT A TURN AROUND FROM 4-8 LAST SEASON
        YEP
        ITS GREAT TO BE A TROJAN!!!!!

        Liked by 2 people

      3. hi John, missus say i got smelly vagina…errr I mean posterior cavity. wut i need 2 do 2 fix problem? she also say steveg49 got stretched out mouth frm wking overtime on Lincoln Riley N Caleb Williams

        Like

    2. Last year USC was outscored in the 3rd quarter by their opponents 91-69. This year, so far, they are outscoring their opponents in the third quarter 63-14. That tells me that I have too much time on my hands, and I need to jerk off more often than twice a day . This is something that I us to do looking at pictures of Clay Helton wearing pink panties. And btw, I’m almost sure Caleb Williams has a bit of sugar in his tank, because he sounds so sweet during interviews ❤️

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      2. Thank you for your comments mister brown parcelman007……or is that gold…..it’s hard to tell what color your avatar is but I know it’s not blue like mine…..brown or gold….either way it is the color of an imposter. 

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      4. Tirebiter
        I do think that we are at least back in the hunt for a NC and that hasn’t happened in a long time.

        Like

    3. On the money. There is a YouTube video of Helton at halftime telling the team, “You’re not playing like Trojans —You’re Trojans! —get out there and prove it!’ That’s like a trainer telling a fighter, “you’re losing —get a knockout.” It’s not exactly self executing advice.
      #SpecificFixesAreBetterThanBullshit…
      #Riley&GrinchAreAboutFixes
      P.S.
      Arizona State & Washington State are tied for second best D-Line in the Pac 12. Both are too much for our O-Line.
      Unfortunately, Utah has the best D-Line in Pac 12.

      Liked by 1 person

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    4. Nice data on the Q3 scoring.
      Still, I would hazard to make any comparisons to last year’s team or any USC team which was coached by “The Unmentionable.”
      I, for one, have moved on and will never again use “the H word.”

      As for the Trojan fans, Coach Riles has graced us with 3 payback wins already. We were lucky to beat Wazzu last year, after a slightly dirty hit to De Lauria put him out of the game and Dart shined in relief. We get a tough Wazzu team on a neutral site. Gonna need to put some pressure on the their QB and the DB’s will need to keep playing like they do. The PI calls last week were touchy-feely. I think Gilmore was correct.

      #forgettheunmentionable.
      #he’sGASO’sproblem

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. …yes…. Caleb’s performance and the enthusiastic home crowd lost us ALL our recruits…
        #WeHaveNoneLeft

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      2. I think that they were impressed. These are not 45 year old coaches who look at games and say that the technique of the O-Linemen is not good or the D-Linemen are not controlling their gaps. These are 18 year old kids. The only thing that impresses them is the scoreboard.

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  2. This coaching staff doesn’t mess around. They had an 82 yard TD pass called back because of a holding call in the 2nd quarter on Cortland Ford. They took him out and he never played another down in that game.

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    1. If SC can win these next 2 games(which I wouldn’t bet the ranch on), they will finish the regular season 11-1 or 12-0. I say that because if they win the next 2 games they will be 7-0 with the next 3 games after that being Arizona, California and Colorado. I don’t think that they will lose any of those games. That will make them 10-0 with UCLA and ND left. I can’t see them losing both of those games. If they lose to UCLA they will definitely not want to lose 2 games in a row at the end of the season and 5 years in a row to ND. If they beat UCLA, then they end up at least 11-1 and possibly 12-0.If they win one of the next 2 games(say they beat WSU and lose to Utah) then they will be 9-1 after 10 games. Then they will end up 10-2 or 11-1 for the same reasons. All this is assuming that they don’t have any major injuries.

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      2. Luckily, Washington State has a shitty offensive line [worse than ours if you can believe it]. We should be able to get to their QB. [Unluckily, Utah has powerful D and O-Lines. And we’re gonna get fucked on interference calls in Salt Lake City. Not a great combination of factors].

        Liked by 2 people

      3. If SC can win these next 2 games(which I wouldn’t bet the ranch on, because this team is soft as caca 💩) they will finish the regular season 11-1 or 12-0, but we all know that ain’t happening 😂 . I say that because if they win the next 2 games they will be 7-0 with the next 3 games after that being Arizona, California and Colorado. Lincoln Riley is extremely lucky that he has the easiest schedule in college football, because his Trojans team ain’t Shit. Btw, I put a picture of Caleb Williams over my bed so I have something to jerk off to in the morning. Thanks steveg49 for such a great idea. 😀

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    2. This coaching staff doesn’t mess around. They had an 82 yard TD pass called back because of a holding call in the 2nd quarter on Cortland Ford. They took him out and he never played another down in that game.I bet Lincoln Riley is working hard on trying to make another easy schedule for next season. They are horrible, but look decent because of they have the easiest schedule in college football

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      3. Brown Parcelman007
        I disagree. I might have agreed with you at the start of the season but the Pac-12 has turned out to be a lot tougher than we thought that it would be.

        Like

  3. I do not think the line play was as bad as scottie thinks. True the 1st half was poor,but SC seems to struggle vs q/b’s that pose a run threat,as most teams do. The ‘O’ line overall was a ‘C’ as was the ‘D’ line in the 1st half. 2nd half a ‘B’ for both. Linebackers were ‘B’- overall.

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    1. HI TIM
      HEY
      GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE AGAIN AS I SAID BEFORE
      ITS EIGHT A M ON THE EAST COAST
      THE START OF A NEW DAY
      HEY TIM
      OL TROJANS NEVER DIE
      THEY JUST FIGHT ON !!

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      1. WELL,I LIKE YOUR IDEA,and kind thoughts, and we do live on ,but we are all appointed once to die…in memories we live and one of 2 other places…for eternity.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. THOUGHTS FROM AN OL DOG

    I WOULD LOVE TO SEE RALEEK USED AS A WIDE OUT ALONG WITH ADDISON AND MARIO
    ON SOME SETS USE A FOURTH WIDE OUT OR ONCE IN A WHILE GO EMPTY BACKFIELD AND SEND FIVE OUT
    HELL CALEB HAS A QUICK RELEASE

    SHANE IS A VERY GOOD PLAYER
    IF HE AINT SO HOT IN PASS COVERAGE THEN LET HIM PLAY THE RUN
    GENTRY AND OTHER LINEBACKERS CAN PLAY WELL AGAINST THE PASS AND CAN DROP INTO COVERAGE WHEN NECESSARY
    WE RARELY PLAY COVER TWO AND FIVE UNDER

    FINALLY
    NO NEED TO WAIT UNTIL HALFTIME TO MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT GRINCH MADE
    THE DOG MAKES IT AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER IF NOT SOONER
    SEND THAT PRESSURE TO HELP OUT
    AND
    LETS GIVE BARLOW AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE CARRIES A GAME
    HE RUNS WELL TOO !!

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. I think Grinch would have liked to keep his blitz package under wraps till Washington State ….. but the game was too close not to unveil it in the second half.
      Now Washington State is gonna practice picking it up all week.

      Liked by 2 people

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    1. Obviously Riley thinks the team needs to be cheered on —he senses they lose momentum if you’re not going over the top on the sidelines.
      #He’sJustTryingToUndo”TheHeltonEnnui”

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      1. This teams defense is really intriguing. At times they really do look good. They looked good against Oregon State. They looked great against ASU in the 2nd half. One pundant I was watching on you tube said that ASU only gained 14 total yards and a -13 rushing (in the second half). I don’t know whether that’s true or not but he had his own college football show so he must know something.

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    1. She put up a mighty battle with Breast Cancer.
      What a brave woman on so many accounts.
      I still have her solemn appearance emblazoned on my brain.

      Brando? IDK.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. She handled the moment she was given with dignity. As for Brando —deep down he always wanted to be the real life version of the hero/avenger he played in Viva Zapata —the fact he didn’t know who to target or why he was targeting them never crossed his mind.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. MG:
        I’ve spent a large part of my younger (and mid) life caring for my Native American friends/patients. Heck, my Homecoming date was a beautiful Paiute woman. My Ute and Navajo friends in AZ/Utah/NM/CO are/were fantastic people.

        I know from my “Haole” Hawaii family that relationships are not always pleasant in the 50th state. I’ve always tried to keep a low profile when I visit.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Bourbon,
        Very cool to hear about your “patient/ friends.” My kinda doctor!
        I gotta truthfully say I get on better with our Godfearing, family-oriented Hawaiian neighbors than even our easygoing transplanted Canadian neighbors ….and WAY better than the angry Northern Californians [who seem to’ve brought all their temperamental crap with them]…..

        Liked by 2 people

      4. Michael:

        Not surprised that you get along well with the Hawaiian Islanders.
        Great to hear. I find it interesting how honesty, caring, and inclusiveness (along with a great command of art, literature and history)–all great strengths of yours–make you a friend of the Native Islanders.

        I’m thinking it’s a Dago thing?

        Liked by 1 person

      5. When I was a prosecutor, I always liked [ maybe let’s say, “got along with better”] the cops, firemen & building inspectors better than the lawyers. It’s fun to be able to mess around and not be serious all the time. And that’s the spirit here —folks play hard and work hard —but they’re very loving and forgiving [way the hell more than I am —so I’ve learned a lot]…

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Las Vegas sees something I don’t see — USC is a whopping 11 point favorite over Washington State.
    #IsItWashingtonState’sCrappyO-Line?

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. WSU seems to have a similar playing style as OSU so therefore correlated together?

      I agree with you, I do not think the game will be close by any means unless Caleb throws a 44% completion rate again.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Caleb felt SERIOUS pressure from Oregon State. His reaction was a combination of surprise at the effectiveness of the Oregon State rush, anger with the play of his own o-line and disappointment with himself…
        #IDon’tThinkWe’llSeeThatAgain..
        #IThinkHe’sReady

        Liked by 1 person

  10. The offensive lines lack proper depth. Haskins replaced Ford and they still had to put a tight end next to him or chip the defender all game. Wolf is spot on the line play. USC played more zone on first and second downs. Those players needs to get better in zone coverage. There’s truth to everyone’s comment but how much truth? I don’t see an undefeated season this year because of the lack of high end output from the linemen. But if they did, great job by everyone in the program to achieve that. Can’t wait to see the rest of this story.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Great analysis!

      We beat Wazzu at home, IMHO.

      I’m pure psyched to watch Young Riles coaching against the Old guy Whittingham at raucous Rice-Eccles. We’ll talk about those match ups in a week!

      Enjoy a solid W vs Sparky. Happy to see them leave my World pretty soon. Prep for a tough Wazzu. Also happy we won’t need to visit that tiny town any more.

      Liked by 1 person

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  11. Pasadena, we hit La Grande Orange for lunch yesterday. Glad to see they survived the pandemic.

    We had the “3:10 to Yuma” pizza (with chorizo) and their DELICIOUS take on chilaquiles (with chicken). Got the second order to-go only because we saw someone else order it and looked too good to pass up.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. So Cal,

      I have been there. Pretty good place. Next time you are in Pasadena, I recommend a Ramon place on the east side of Fair Oaks just a half a block north of Colorado. Im thinking of going there tomorrow night.

      There is a Hawiian resturant in South Pasadena either on Freemont or Fair Oaks and it is pretty good. Gus’ BBQ on Fair Oaks in South Pas.

      Sahara on Colorado Blvd, really good Armenian/Middle Eastern food.

      I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.

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      1. Yes, but do those places have a bar? I love the sign in La Grande’s bar: “I’d rather eat in a bar, than drink in a restaurant.”

        We watched the Washington-Dallas game as we enjoyed our meal. We aren’t up that way often anymore, but will check out one of those places next time. Thx!

        Like

      2. So Cal,

        Slater’s 50/50 on Union and Raymond have a bar and it is catered to sports on tv. The Hawiian place has one. the 35er, a bar, has tv for sports. That is on Colorado and Fair Oaks, Slater’s is a place to grab a very good hamburger and their selection of beer is good.

        Like

  12. QB. A. One bad play (in the red zone no less) out of 75 snaps in a game you know you will win.

    RB. B. Riles knew he could shred the Sparky D, so he played pass first FB. The RB’s were pretty good at picking up the multiple gaffes by the front 5. Dye IS THE HEART of this team.

    Oline. D. Can they put in a solid performance in 2 weeks in SLC?

    WR. A. Some nice down-field blocking. I don’t recall any drops.

    Dline. D. Can they put in a solid performance in 2 weeks in SLC?
    There is talent there.

    LB. B-. This bunch LIKES TO BLITZ. They will need to come up big on blitz packages versus Utah.

    DB. A. The PI calls were questionable. With no pass rush most of the day, giving up 240 yards and one TD pass to an SEC calibre QB is a great night in the Pass Happy (rules) D1 world.

    Special teams. F. Just don’t punt or kick FG’s. Fair catch everything. Kickoffs out of the endzone. Done.

    Coaching. A-. These dudes are smarter than us, and they knew that our offense would scorch Sparky. Pretty much scored every time we possessed the rock. Nice adjustments by the D. I think we figured out that Spark’s O was not as bad as advertised.

    FPI data comes out on Tues or Weds. I like our D versus Wazzu. They will gain plenty of yards through the air and put points on the Board.
    It would be nice to have some noisy fans in the stands….

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Yeah to almost everything. Riley has seen enough of our UnSpecial Team play to order fair catches — why would he want or let HIS offense repeatedly start from the 17 yard line?
      [I’m worried if our weak legged kicker tries to kick outta the endzone he’s gonna lose control of the ball and kick outta bounds].

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. Pelosi and Biden need to tell the Libs running the polls its time to stop disrespecting USC football and vote USC No 1. There’s no stopping the Trojan train!

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    1. Good ol’ Nancy who said the illegals need to be left in Florida, so they can pick the crops!

      And let’s not forget Kamala saying that minorities need to get their FEMA money first! Proving how full of it Dementia Joe was, when he claimed he was going to be a President for all and heal the nation from the division that was created by the mean orange guy.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. I liked what Rachel Levine said yesterday: “You ask what I see as success? It’s simple. I won’t be happy until every little boy in the United States looks just like a mini-me….and wears a size 3 ‘Commodore of the Yacht Club’ uniform.”

        Like

  15. Scooter,

    I predict SC wiill go to a bowl game this year. They have 5 wins and they need one more win to be bowl eligable. They should beat Colorado. That makes it 6 wins. Right now, Oline needs to improve their game. The OC could help by just running power football with the Power I and then mix up the RPO. If you run 60% of the time, that save Caleb’s legs. Just an idea.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. Scooter,

    The positives of SC:
    Qb, rb’s, wide receivers.

    What SC needs:
    OL, DL, lbers, db’s.

    SC needs three JC players for the Oline and dline each. That way the new recruits come in, they will have a year to get stronger and learn the system. SC needs to recruit dilinemen. They need five of them, same for the oline. lbers are in need of a run stopper. DE’s need three guys who play like Deacon Jones.

    You get this, then SC might win the tough games.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Yes….that should do it, PT.
      #TheProblemSeemsToBeGettingThePlayers…
      #…AndThePositionCoaches…
      #…AtPresentThey’reNotBreakingDownTheDoorsToGetIn

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  17. Qb A Even though Caleb was elusive, he was sharp and accurate. Need to see more naked bootlegs to take pressure off the OL. RB B- Dye ran hard n is the ultimate warrior . Pass blocking needs to be better. Releek needs to make one cut then turn upfield too much dancing allow your OL to set up the blocks. WR B+ Addison Williams Rice are going to be the main targets. Hudson is rising up the rotation. Redshirt CJ MJ3 transfer portal for Ford Washington & JJ doesn’t even play. WR must do a better job getting open within zone coverage. OL D- We need to get OL to know all line protections so we don’t get QB hurt due to OL not being athletic enough to slide their feet use their hands without holding or tackling DL. Use your lower body to keep DL from collapsing the pocket. DL C- Need to stay in lanes on runs up the middle m get penetration into backfield to disrupt timing of Qb. Pay attention to your job so we won’t keep getting gashed in run game. Can’t wait until 2nd half to start getting pressure 5 sacks were good but need to be more physical
    LB C- Need to fill the gaps to stop the run communicate before the play make sure everyone knows who they are guarding or what zone u r responsible for. Make open field tackles without getting out of tackling position. DB n S C – Gave up too many easy completions when in zone coverage. Domani is getting better. Bullock made game saving int. Blackmon is solid. Making strides Beavers n Gordon Is Zion B ready? Coaching D LR you need to tailor offense around quick passes or bubble screens because your lineman r not giving Caleb anytime to throw intermediate passes or deep passes.
    ST INCOMPLETE.
    Analysis We need to do a better job of being mentally prepared for the whole game. Hopefully we get that cleaned up this week.

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