FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: There’s A Key For USC-UCLA Game

It’s hard to focus on Colorado, who is 1-8 overall.

So let’s talk about how USC and UCLA match up a week before the showdown.

UCLA can run the football. USC has better receivers. USC has an edge at QB.

The key could be how well Chip Kelly is able to manage the game. If he can run the ball, he can keep Caleb Williams off the field. If the USC defense can mount some type of run defense, it would make things difficult for UCLA.

Maybe the key is UCLA’s offensive line vs. USC’s defensive line (and linebackers). And maybe this a reason to rest linebacker Eric Gentry one more week so he is available for the Crosstown Rivalry.

A college coach told me Wednesday night he thinks Notre Dame might actually pose a bigger threat than UCLA, which would be a contrarian opinion at this point.

76 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: There’s A Key For USC-UCLA Game”

    1. HERE IS THE KEY TO THE SC-UCLA GAME

      THE KEY IS
      WILL CHIP KELLY KEEP HIS PLAYERS SAFE AND UNHURT BEFORE THE GAME BY WARNING THEM THAT THE ONES WITH THE RIBBONS IN THEIR TAILS ARE THE ONES THAT KICK !!!! 😸😸😺😺😺😺

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. AND
        ANOTHER VITAL KEY
        RILEY NEEDS TO GET HIS PLAYERS SUPER HIGHLY MOTIVATED FOR THE GAME BY TELLING THEM THAT SHOULD THEY LOSE THEY WILL ALL HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY SERVICE CAROL AFTER THE GAME !!!!😈😈👿👿😈👿😈👿👿😈👿😈👿😈👿😈

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      2. THE BEARS GAVE US TROUBLE LAST WEEK
        AND
        COLORADO BEAT THE BEARS
        ALL I AM SAYING IS
        YOU CANT BE OVER CONFIDENT AGAINST ANYBODY THESE DAYS
        WE CANT BE CAUGHT LOOKING AHEAD TO THE RUINS EVEN IF THE BUFFALOES APPEAR AWFUL.

        Liked by 3 people

      3. GT…..I told slo cal the same thing about some of the pigs that have gotten loose from the nearby pig farm and roamed around in his trailer park…..I don’t think that old relic could survive a massive crotch kick….ouch!

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    2. ” “Morning Buzz: There’s A Key For USC-UCLA Game”

      Toenail polish for the Ladies of Troy to match their fingernails?

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      1. ‘Ol Mule Shoe and USC have gone Full Woke, no longer are they The Men of Troy they are now The Men In Tights

        LMFAO!

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    3. I suspect the idiot Donte Williams could be a mole put in place by Oregon.

      No one could coach and have players regress every year

      Each year USC’s defensive backs have gotten worse and worse under Donte Williams

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  2. I would not think that ND would be a bigger threat than UCLA. I wonder who this college coach is that Scott keeps talking to. I’m still not sold on ND. They beat Clemson but how good was Clemson. Clemson is 63rd in the nation offensively and 28th defensively. They were overrated all year.
    ND’s achilles heal is that they have no QB. They can’t throw the ball. ND is ratd 115th in the nation in passing yards per game. That’s good for SC since their achilles heal seems to be their pass defense. ND’s offense is rated 81st in the nation, SC is #9. Defensively, ND is 25th and USC is 94th.
    But the game is a home game for SC and SC has lost 4 times in a row to ND. I don’t think LR wants to lose a 5th time in a row. Even the UCLA game should have a revenge factor since the Bruins walked on SC last year. I don’t know if LR will be able to use that since many of these SC players weren’t here last year. But somebody needs to answer for why SC’s defense is rated 94th in the nation.

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    1. SC is also 109th in the nation in pass defense. Somebody must answer for that. If nobody takes responsibility for that then we are back to the Clay Helton days.

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      1. 109th in pass defense might be acceptable if we were talking about Weber State or some school that just doesn’t have the talent but SC is loaded with talent in the defensive backfield. I looked at their roster and counted 12 guys in the SC secondary that were rated 4 or 5 stars coming out of high school. That’s not including some 3 stars that developed like Mekhi Blackmon and Bryson Shaw who are now playing a lot. With that kind of talent, they shouldn’t be 109th in the nation in pass defense. Somebody must answer for that.

        Liked by 3 people

      1. Remember: We weren’t 94th until the stats were in for the games without Gentry. He runs the defense.
        btw, Soft coverage is fine…IF… you wrap receivers up [REAL IMPACTFULLY] when they catch the ball.
        Also remember: USC doesn’t have to be a “better” team than UCLA — we just need to be better on November 19th —which we will be.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Like I said, that secondary is filled with 4 and 5 stars and 2 developed 3 stars who are now 6 stars. The secondary is loaded with talent. If these coaches were just janitors and auto mechanics and supervisors who just voluntarily came out after work to coach the team, then I wouldn’t say anything. But these guys are getting paid close to $2 million a year. If you are going to pay them that kind of money, there must be some kind of accountability. There is no excuse for them being 109th in the nation in pass defense with that kind of talent back there.
        The whole offense has been great this year. I even think that the defensive front 7 has been good when everyone is healthy and playing. The defensive secondary has completely let this team down this year. There needs to be some accountability.

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      1. I hope so. They say that when Clay Helton was coach, the players didn’t see the ND game as a rival game. They just thought it was just another game(at least that’s what I have heard). That’s why they lost.

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    4. We will beat SUCLA and ND. I have faith that at full strength we should play a little better on defense with Gentry n Ralen and Shaw. With Shaw playing in between Gentry n Bullock in a zone he should be able to disrupt short to intermediate routes, that would give USC 3 playmakers at each level in the passing game. We need our best player’s to step up and play big time for us to pull out victories against these next 3 games. Hopefully Grinch has a scheme that our defense can execute without player’s get caught thinking instead of reacting based on offensive and defensive formations

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      1. We definitely don’t want Grinch worrying his pretty little head about UCLA’s defensive formations. Leave that to Riley.
        #GrinchHasEnoughOnHisPlateWorryingAboutOffensiveFormations

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m not as confident as you are. I’m more confident about the ND game than about the UCLA game. But I must admit……UCLA should be a revenge game for what they did to us last year and ND has won 4 in a row…….I don’t think LR wants to lose a 5th time to them.
        Also, both games are basically home games.

        Liked by 2 people

      1. After the Utah game, everyone is going to throw to the tight end. They all saw that SC has problems covering the tight end. SC has to fix that problem. That’s what they pay these guys $2 million a year for. I’m much more confident about the ND game than I am about the UCLA game.

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    1. …will Riley “rest” some players vs the Buffs.
      I don’t think Riley cares about the point spread.
      This year, “style points” don’t matter.

      Be careful, friend. Trojans might only beat CU by 21-28.

      Liked by 3 people

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  7. I have seen almost every game ND and UCLA have played this year, as well as in most years. Last week with Clemson ND was unstoppable at running the ball and played nearly perfect defense for a little over 3 quarters. At UCLA, DTR is having a terrific season and has the speed to easily outrun any of our defensive front 7. Charbonnet is a fantastic running back and NFL ready. UCLA also has some great tight ends; Bobo is a lot like Gronk. A lot. Maybe better hands too. Defensively, the Bruins cover well and are very athletic, but aren’t consistent enough in tackling and wrapping up.
    Both these teams are huge problems for our defense. ND probably has the best O lineman in the country, #76, I forgot his name but he’s young and impressive. The Bruins have speed and athleticism and DTR is exactly what we can’t deal with. As a pure college football fan, DTR is a rare talent and he can run away from any defense and he can also throw it on a dime.
    These are two games that we will have to score a lot and play our best defense against.

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    2. 100% agreement.
      Both games will be tough to watch.

      Question is, If Gentry and GoForth are 100% vs ND and UCLA, can they impact the game enough to keep UCLA to 35 points and ND to 27 points? Can Grinch come up with a scheme to keep DTR in the pocket (and keep Zach to 100 tough yards) and force DTR to beat USC with his arm? DTR WILL TOSS INT’s when given the chance.

      If the answer is YES, then USC wins both.

      Liked by 1 person

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    3. Bryan

      To beat ugly, the minion’s of satan, you must shut down Chardoney. Make the ugly qb throw. Sometimes he contects but sometimes the throws are off. Bozo, the te is good. SC will have problems with him. SC’s front has to disrupt uglies oline to get control of the game. Gotta make the ugly qb rush his throws

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    2. After 53 years of watching these rivalry games–other than last year when I went shopping with my wife instead of watching a hapless team that was not from USC–I still cannot bet against a Trojan vs UCLA nor ND.

      USC wins both–ugly.

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      2. No betting for me, Bourbon, who needs a bet to enhance the experience when it comes to SC vs sucla/ND, I’m already floating on air

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Now, you’re sounding like my brother-in-law –that’s his “go to” every time I try to coax him into placing money on a team…..
        #That’sProbablyOneOfTheReasonsHeHasMore$$ThanMe…

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      5. Remind me, John–how were Mortimer [Mor-Tay as Eddie called him] and Randolph doing at the end of that film? Were they on top of the world?

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  9. Clemson couldn’t complete a pass for more than 10 yards. It was sideline to sideline. The Trojans have to run on both UCLA and the Irish. Cal only ran for 69 yards. Grinch and Blackmon hinted that some defenders weren’t trusting their eyes. I’m glad these inexperienced players are being forced to swim. Hopefully, the small experience guys play with more confidence and make plays. I don’t think people who have never played understand the amount of terror that goes into players thinking about letting your team down and the constant fear of “poser” exposure that eats a players confidence. That’s what I see, that’s what Mr. Wolf’s “coach” is referring to. The reliance on Caleb to save the day has permeated certain players psyche and the lack of concentration is unacceptable. The defenders needs to play like they know what they’re doing and having fun. Embrace the fear and go have fun is what I would coach them on then discuss scenarios and three schemes with 6 variations only.

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    1. Once when I was playing football with my son and some of his friends on the lawn at UCLA a young, handsome guy came up —totally outta the blue –and started talking to the kids about how to play defense. All I remember is he said some words like, “here are the half dozen things an offense can do to you …and here are the 4 or 5 ways to respond to each of them. It took him 5 minutes.”
      #ILikeToThinkHeWasTheGodOfFootballSentFromHeaven

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      1. P. S.
        When you’re competing in any sport —especially boxing or football —you have to make friends with fear. When he comes around you have to say, “I like you. Stick around for the ride.”
        #YouDon’tWantHimAsAnEnemy

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      2. Michael,

        There is a problem with your comment, you said that the ucla young, handsome guy came up and talked about football. The problem is, NO player from ugly knows how to play football. LOLOLO

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  10. All the players know they must play better or this narrative will continue to be said on many blogs such as this one. One answer is just keep it simple know your assignments or you don’t get in the field. USC defense needs to play aggressive and smart.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. Wiley is not talking about Gentry’s injury so who knows, the kid may be finished for the year but why wise-up sucla to that possible fact, and I am sure Wiles is tired of being called a one-trick offensive coach and will bolster his defense next year but too late for the 2022 clash

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      1. Hope so

        It’s hard to take any team seriously that is nearly a 5-touchdown underdog (Colorado), although I bet the score will be closer than that,

        Meanwhile, the first odds are out with sucla a measly 1-point favorite over SC and Oregon only a 6-point favorite over Utah

        Liked by 1 person

      4. no worries……we’re all getting good at supplying the missing words in everybody’s replies ….

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      1. It’s SO important they don’t count the vote too fast….the way other jurisdictions do, or other states…. or other countries…

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  14. SCOOTER,

    STOP THE PRESSES, SORRY GT, I GOTTA WRITE LIKE THIS, FOR THIS COMMENT, OUR FAVORITE COACH, COACH HELTON AND HIS AWESOME GEORIA SOUTHERN ARE PLAYING TONIGHT ON ESPN2 AT 4:30 PM OUR TIME. THAT WILL BE A GAME TO WATCH. LOLOLO

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. Scooter,

    SC has to stop Chardoney and satan’s minions run offense. If not, then Chardoney will run over SC like a hot knife through butter and score 3 tds. He is a big boy. Got tackle him around the lower legs or gang tackle him every time.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. USC has a lot of players to choose from for the UCLA game to matchup against UCLA. It depends on how the defense gets off the field and to do that they have to put UCLA in 3rd or 7+ and limit conversions to less that 50%. Tall task but doable. Some turnovers would help as well. What’s intriguing is what priorities Grinch has that can stop Chip Kelly the way Oregon did. That is the only defense that shut the Bruins down and USC has as much talent as Oregon’s team.

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  17. BS UCLA and their great qb will run and pass at will vs SC can only hope win a shoot out with a fre breaks to beat them
    ND can actually be forced to punt once it twice with their crappy qb

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