FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: USC And UCLA Are In Full Hype Mode

Say one thing about being in the Pac-12. It allows teams to get hyped — and escape Big Boy Football — for most, if not all, of the season.

There is already talk USC and UCLA could both be undefeated for the first time since 1969, when the teams meet at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 19.

We’re halfway through the season. Where is the analysis?

Does anyone even mention UCLA has played one road game? And it was in Boulder! Did everyone forget those nonconference games?

USC is about to go to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday. Granted, the Utes are underperforming, which is typical when they have expectatons but this is what qualifies in the Pac-12 as a hostile atmosphere. So there’s that. But this game has lost luster, unfortunately for all of us.

My point is there is still a lot we don’t know about both teams and it’s still too soon to say how good they are.

I guess I will go out on a limb and say both teams will not be undefeated on Nov. 19.

But the pundits will talk about the College Football Playoff, etc., anyways.

  • A key stat this season is USC has fumbled six times and lost none of them. That’s a huge thing because the Trojans have not dealt with the momentum switch that comes from a turnover.

Then you throw in that Caleb Williams has just one interception and it’s easy to see why USC is 6-0.

56 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC And UCLA Are In Full Hype Mode”

  1. I DONT KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU BUT AS FOR ME WATCHING THAT UCLA VS UTAH GAME WAS LIKE GOING TO THE DENTIST AND HAVING ALL YOUR TEETH PULLED WITHOUT NOVOCAIN!!!

    I CANT STAND THOSE BABY BEARS
    NVER COULD
    NEVER WILL !!!!!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I’m with you George. I watched the Fox pregame and Reggie Bush’s interview with ucla players (dtr and charbonnet). Reggie seemed to be way too complimentary and flattering to them. Made me sick. Then when back to the studio Matt L gave Reggie a hard time about going to the dark side. Matt would not say anything positive about ucla.

      Liked by 4 people

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      1. YEAH GREG
        UCLA USED TO BE LOCATED WHERE LACC IS NOW
        YOOKLA WAS CALLED UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN BRANCH
        THEY MOVED TO WESTWOOD AROUND 1928 AND GOT MURDERED BY THE TROJANS IN TWO GAMES SO THEY CANCELLED THE SERIES UNTIL 1935
        IF I REMEMBER RIGHT THEY DIDNT WINA ROSE BOWL GAME UNTIL THE MID SIXTIES OUR TROJANS HAD WON DOUBLE DIGIT ROSE BOWLS BY THEN
        I JUST HOPE THEY LOSE EVERY GAME
        THATS WHAT THEY DESERVE !!

        Liked by 2 people

    2. I have disliked ucla since my first SC vs ucla events 1951-52 incl football,basketball,track,etc…
      Regardless of that dislike,which is identical to anything ND for me, I can appreciate good football when I see it…it was a game Utah wanted to win and could not.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    3. hi john,to menny poeples r beeing meen to eetch uthur heer wit thare naim cawlin and durty wirds use in thare commense and i aint likein it, and if I find out who it is I’m gonna fucc them up ore im gunna go sum wair els on the innur net to find porn so I can jerk off in peace.smdh

      Like

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      1. FUCK TRUMP…..The twice impeached, soon-to-be-indicted grifter.

        Slo cal, the blog dunce, was stupid enough to vote twice for him. I’m sure he would vote a third time for the orange cheeto who is running from the law.

        poor slo cal, left his morals in the outhouse shitter!

        Like

      2. https://www.newyorker.com › humor

        Trump Demands Special Master Be Fired and Replaced with Extra …

        Sep 20, 2022 — PALM BEACH (The Borowitz Report)—Infuriated by Judge Raymond Dearie’s requests for information in the Mar-a-Lago

        Next thing you know Trump will want Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un to oversee the case against him and republicans would probably go along with it…LOL!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I’d FUCK TRUMP in his Ass, because I think he’s cute. …..I’ll suck his cock twice if he’s impeached, and indicted .

        I’d allow Slo cal, the blog dunce,
        to cum in my eyes I can wink at him to let him know he’ll always be mine 😘😘

        Like

      4. I’m not even able to comprehend that post. The Right Stuff? Really? There are folks out here that point blank stupid?

        Like

      5. I hope my cover isn’t blown by protesting too much. I actually love Trump and all he accomplished for the country. But I cannot come out and say I voted for the all time loser Joe Biden. What a horrible, terrible mistake! How could I ever live it down. How would that make me look–like an idiot. I mean if you voted for Biden, by definition you are a utter fool and moron. So I have to continue playing my Trump game.

        Like

  2. Being 6-0 is still an accomplishment regardless of affiliation,and an objective individual knows and understands that. ucla beat 2 top 25 teams in Wash and Utah.
    SC beat 2 good teams in Ore St and Wash St
    Utah is the best opponent beaten by either,and SC will on Saturday find out about the utes.
    I watched the game and ucla was very prepared and dominated Utah from beginning to end,in particular they looked to fast for utah to keep up with bruins.
    Maybe utah does not travel well,their other loss was at Florida…

    Liked by 4 people

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      1. I agree…if SC shows up with the 2nd half defense and 1st half offense SC comes away with a win…utah is going to be a seething hot place to play.

        Liked by 4 people

      2. We’ll get off to the wrong start if we don’t score first. I don’t know why but this team loses a tiny bit of confidence on offense when it doesn’t take the opening drive in for the score [it could also be said, of course, that the teams that have thwarted our opening drive –Oregon State & Washington State — are just very solid defenses]…..
        btw, somebody complained Caleb throws too hard….that happens to be why he’s been nearly interception-free: Caleb doesn’t float the ball…ever.

        Liked by 3 people

  3. hi john,to menny poeples r beeing meen to eetch uthur heer wit thare naim cawlin and durty wirds use in thare commense and i aint likein it,u nead to stahp it ore im gunna go sum wair els on the innur net to not git enny infurmayshun on usc,smdh

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    1. Lay low, Ed, just take your shots now and then and maybe the Ed. G imitator will lose interest.
      As for scouring the internet for no SC information you won’t find a better place than here with Scott.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. HI JOHN
        WELCOME BACK AGAIN
        I SEE YOU CAME BACK YESTERDAY
        STAY HERE PAL
        YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND WIT MAKES THIS A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL

        HELLO JOHNNY
        WELL HELLO JOHNNY
        ITS SO NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK WHERE YOU BELONG

        YOURE LOOKIN SWELL JOHNNY
        I CAN-TELL JOHNNY
        YOURE STILL GLOWING
        YOURE STILL GROWING
        YOU STILL GOING STRONG !!!!

        Liked by 3 people

      2. hi John , ok l beleev u. missus say she going 2 use mi peenus to check steveg49 tonsils, and chk him for cavities, then u call me dr.Ed.G all da time

        Like

    1. IMSMR, until 1982 (or so), when the Bruins fled the Coli, it REALLY was a home game for both UCLA and USC. 90,000 fans, half in powder blue and half in Cardinal. One team may have been designated “home team,” but with both teams in home uni’s and half the stands for the rival, there was no home team advantage.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. And wouldn’t you just love to harken back to those days, Bourbon,
        it was an electric atmosphere with half the coliseum exploding one play and the other half on a different play, back and forth it went,
        and that set the tone for the backyard brawl

        Liked by 2 people

      2. I was a USC student from 72 to 79 (B.S., 76. J.D. 79). Their were limited distributions to USC when it was a Bruin home game. So I doubt if it was 50-50. We had lotteries, I think, so some USC students didn’t even get to go to the game.

        Like

  5. As much as I hate to admit it, both UCLA and Utah are better than SC when it comes to the defensive and offensive lines, where most games are won and lost. On the bright side, this situation will change within one or two years when CLR can recruit and shore up both positions due to the “Heltonization” of said positions. Can USC win this Saturday? Yes they can, but they have to play a clean game with no turnovers and limited penalties. FIGHT ON!

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. What I don’t understand is how ucla has a good line when they don’t recruit 4 and 5 star kids. Does Chippy coach them up?

      Like

      Reply

      1. UCLA players don’t leave early for the NFL like the other programs. Check the roster and you see how long they’ve been at UCLA or played at other schools before they came to Westwood. The Bruins are in sync but for how long?

        Like

  6. So, wait, you are actually saying that USC’s massive plus-minus turnovers ratio shows they are overrated? Come on Scott. Those turnovers don’t just happen. Maybe USC should, you know, get credit for the glut of turnovers forced and lack of turnovers lost.

    Liked by 3 people

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      2. What I really wanna know is: who’s the Rod Steiger character who took the short money and sold Scott [Marlon Brando] Wolf out?
        #MaxNikias?
        #PatHaden?

        Like

  8. OK, just checking the boxes….

    1. Per FPI, our offense’s rating dropped a tad vs the #21 rated defense in the country on Saturday. I think we are #7 or #9. Utah D is #19 in the Country–even after the UCLA shellacking. I think our O can put 27 or 28 on the board on the road in Utah. Their DB, C Phillips III is “lights out” and had a pick 6 vs DTR and will likely be on Addison all night. Ugh.

    2. Weather for SLC is predicted to be dry and unusually warm–high of 76 during the day. Yahoo. Hopefully this report doesn’t change. On a crisp night, our team will have no excuse.

    3. The altitude in SLC has not changed, so expect about 18% less oxygen to breathe on game day (and every day before and after).
    Keep the defense fresh.

    4. Injury report? Hope we are healthy. We get Bullock back at kickoff, as his targeting call was in Q1/2.

    5. Utah O vs USC D. I’ll work on it.

    Rising is a top QB. Bernard and Thomas are veteran, strong RB’s. Kyle likes to develop the strong run game early and then establish the TE’s in the passing game. Rising is a very good running QB. Will need to set up 2nd and long….
    This will be a great test for how we will do against UCLA–given the run game and D/T QB that both Kyle and Chip favor.

    Their WR’s could be slightly weak, but the TE’s are pretty good in the vertical passing game. I think our Defense’s rating (per FPI) was WORSE after the Wazzu game–despite holding Wazzu to 300 or so yards and 14 points. We are ranked #55 or so (out of 130).

    My game plan? Stuff the Run. It will drive Kyle bat-shit. Spy the QB so he does not hurt you on the scramble. Make the TE’S and WR’s win the game for Utah. Ergo, get some picks off Rising.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Agree with everything… except…Utah doesn’t prepare us for UCLA. Utah doesn’t present us with the degree of difficulty presented by the DTR & Charbonnet combo. But they DO have the best lines in Pac 12 football —and are in the nation’s top ten in that category. That said, I think our D-Line can handle things IF we keep them fresh —the problem is they can’t wait to catch fire until after halftime adjustments: the air will be taking a toll. They need to start fast —don’t save the blitzing for third quarter this time.
      Scott presents an important consideration [which hopefully won’t materialize]: we haven’t had to deal with the momentum shift that occurs after a turnover. I trust, however, that the ever calm Riley can keep the team from letting any bad situation interfere with their focus. A turnover —even one that leads to a TD –can be overcome with ONE good drive.

      Like

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  9. To George Tirebetter thanks for reminding me of the “Hello Dolly” lyrics which I sing most nights to the better-half upon arriving home from work, seriously, I had forgotten the “glowing” part of the song

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      2. That makes two of us, John. It’s the first BIG test for Riley’s Trojans —-and he’s only had half a season to get them ready for it…
        #It’sAHeavyLift…
        #ButWeCanDoIt….
        #..WeNeedALLHandsOnDeck,Though

        Like

  10. How ’bout them Bruins!

    Question SUCCsters: How many ranked ’22 fb teams has Clown U FB defeated?

    Tixas 49 – Oklahoma Zip; is it any wonder LR took the bozo FB job.

    Owns prediction: Utah takes SUCC FB to the woodshed for a whupping.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. My friend Owns cleverly stayed off the radar until THIS week…..
        #FirstWeekTrojansAren’tFavored

        Like

  11. That 49-0 plastering of Oklahoma by Texas was beyond surprising and in fact was the worst point loss in Sooners’ history, resulting in a further deterioration of the OK-LA relations, if any there be

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. And one last thing, if SC gets by Utah then except for playing Arizona away in which the Trojans will be heavily favored,
    the remaining 4-games are all at home with the Rose Bowl being a quasi-home game

    We all pointed to Utah as a huge obstacle in SC’s way and I don’t believe anything has changed, but if the Trojans can somehow escape the Utes-battle Troy will have home-field advantage the rest of the way and will be favored to be 10-0 entering the sucla game with ND up next
    But first, Utah, one of the games of the year

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. …Still plenty to play for…. like Pac 12 Championship & Major Bowl..
        #[ButLet’sFuckOverUtahAnyway]

        Like

      3. John,
        If it happens…we’ll bounce back….and 11-1 or 10-2 is still a great season after 4-8….
        #And…There’sAlways”BuildBackBetterIn2023″,ToCoinAPhrase..
        [But, I’m with you, I want us to kick Utah’s ass —it’s well within the realm of the possible —Utah is not a Super Team]…..

        Like

      5. Eric —
        Is it possible they read us just for our smile value?
        #MaybeChipReadsInsideUSC….
        #…[ToDetermineIfHeNeedsMoreSecurity]

        Liked by 1 person

  13. I predict that we’ll be undefeated on Saturday. Utah crowd noise will be a factor, hopefully they’ll have their blocking assignments down. Communication will be the most intangible key variable for this game and future games. Let’s see more naked bootlegs for Caleb and roll outside. Must diversify our offense to mask OL blocking .

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. If USC and UCLA meet in November undefeated, the game will guarantee that the Trojans and Bruins will meet in LasVegas for the Conference Championship Game a week later.

    The Pac-12 got rid of the North and South divisions this year. The two teams in the game will be the two teams with the best record regardless of whether they were a North or South team.

    So, if USC and UCLA are 11-0 when they meet, the loser would still qualify for the CCG with an 11-1 record.

    I don’t know which is better – playing the Bruins twice in a span of two weeks or having one of those games in the debauched locale known as Vegas.

    #USCv.UCLAInTheCrosstownShowdown

    #USCv.UCLAInTheDesertWhereGambling,Hookers&CokeRunWildandFree

    #MeetMeAtCaesar’sPalace!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Andy Ludwig. He has to beat Alex Grinch. Riley has to stop playing this close to the vest. USC has so many solutions to whatever Morgan Walley comes up with. The whole playbook should be in use this Saturday. I’m calling MVP performances from Brandon Pili, Caleb Williams, Max Williams and Brendon Rice. I want Malcom Epps to get some love on the stiff defenders that Utah has. Kyle should have said yes when the Trojan job was offered to him.

    Like

    Reply

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