FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: The Crosstown Rivalry Coaching Soap Opera

The USC source I spoke to Sunday night told me Monday they found out Clancy Pendergast did call the plays for UCLA’s defense vs. Arizona.

This raises an interesting issue. Chip Kelly declined to hire Pendergast after last season as defensive coordinator even though Pendergast was already on the UCLA staff. He went outside and hired Bill McGovern instead.

Now that McGovern is unable to coach because of health issues, Kelly is letting Pendergast run the defense even though he is not one of the 10 full-time assistant coaches.

“The real loser is (UCLA linebackers coach) Kenny Norton,” the USC coach said. “I’m sure he’s not too happy he got passed over for Pendergast.”

For that matter, so did assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Brian Norwood, who was co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Navy before coming to Westwood in 2020. You can bet all this is being discussed over at UCLA (privately).

  • Juju Watkins, the No. 1-ranked women’s basketball player in the country from Sierra Canyon High School, will make her college choice today. USC, South Carolina and Stanford are her final three choices.

There has been a lot of buzz the past few weeks that USC is the favorite.

48 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: The Crosstown Rivalry Coaching Soap Opera”

    1. tebow’s day:
      “Is that your kid? He looks like a loser.”
      “Get off my lawn.”
      “This store sucks.”
      “I’m not paying for this meal.”
      “What kind of art gallery is this?”
      “Is this your car? What a joke.”
      “Time for bed.”
      #HowComeEverybodyHatesMe?”

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      1. SO
        THE DEVIL APPEARED TO ME THIS MORNING
        HE SAID
        I WILL GIVE YOU VICTORIES OVER UCLA AND NOTRE DAME AND A WIN IN THE PAC TWELVE TITLE GAME AND THEN TWO MORE WINS IN THE PLAYOFF IF YOU WILL GIVE ME YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL.

        I THOUGHT FOR A WHILE AND THEN SAID
        WELL INSTEAD OF MY SOUL WHAT IF I GIVE YOU TEBOWOBAMAS SOUL INSTEAD

        THE DEVIL LAUGHED AND SAID ARE YOU KIDDING ME
        SHIT MAN IVE HAD HIS SOUL FOR YEARS !!!!!!!!

        Liked by 3 people

      6. MG,
        Most of those are right on but “Get off my lawn” definitely belongs to you, me, PT and the rest of the conservative old farts here.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. UCLA WEEK.. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE PLAY AT USC FROM 1966-1969. NEVER LOST A GAME IN THE COLISEUM, NEVER LOST TO UCLA. I PLAYED IN THE 1967 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WINNING 21-21 OVER QB BEBAN, I KNOCKED DOWN A SURE GAME WINNING TD PASS FROM DUMMIT LATE IN THE 1968 GAME. AND IN 1969 OUR “WILD BUNCH” DEFENSE KEPT UP IN THE GAME FOR A GAME WINNING TD PASS IN THE EXTREME ENDZONE FROM JONES TO DICKERSON. ALSO, MY 1966 FRESHMAN TEAM WITH MIKE HOLMGREN BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF UCLA ON THEIR CAMPUS FIELD..
    SO… I TOTALLY HATE UCLA .. TOP TO BOTTOM.

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. I see TB going off this morning with insincere pleadings but he was
    dead serious the other day and showed his deep-down True intellect when he tried to insult me by calling me “Juan” over a silly joke he didn’t get–

    TB: “..the Ladies of Troy couldn’t carry the Alabama Gumps jockstraps”
    LJ: “Who in tarn-nation would want to carry someone’s jock strap anyway”
    TB: It’s an idiom you idiot! What kind of lawyer are you Juan? No wonder you got fired by Larry H. Parker”
    LJ: –Have to thank TB for his comment which
    extended-and-expanded my little jockstrap joke”

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. btw –he’s lucky he’s alive…
        #…ForTheTimeBeing
        #TheBodyCamFootageWillNEVERBeReleased…
        #TheDefendant’sSideOfTheStoryWillNEVERBeHeard…..
        #…UnlessHeAcceptsLeniencyInExchangeForTelling”PelosiVersion”

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  6. Got to respond to trojanwb (Wilson Bowie?)–
    As an SC sophomore I went out for the team in 1966
    but lost heart when McKay had us ends blocking more than catching passes, I was only in this for the hero-possibilities and blockers don’t make headlines

    So I know first-hand what you’re talking about, Battle& Rossovich the weirdest combo I ever saw, Scarpace who I went to high school with and may peace be upon him, Ronnie Drake (and many others) beating me out for that coveted Split-End position and then blocking my helmet off to boot

    Fortunately for you you were not on the SC varsity in 1966 with the humiliating ND 51-0 loss but it paved the way for a mesmerizing
    3-year run from 1967-1969, and that ’69 game only recalls the last minute SC catch for the win discounting a marvelous performance by sucla’s quarterback Dennis Dummit and who trojanwb very well might have saved the game because Dummit kept pressing and pressing on the SC defense despite the Wild-Bunch having him for lunch
    (P.S.– With the departure of the Wild Bunch in 1970 Dummit got some revenge by destroying the Trojans)

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      2. Thanks Michael!
        I was extremely fortunate to have a great head coach in John McKay and great, competent and competitive teammates!
        We just knew that we were prepared for every
        game.
        Cheers Bob

        Like

  8. So Pendergassed is coaching for Ucla? The guy admits he has never played a down of organized football and his one stint as a frat house flag football coach is his only credential. I really didn’t get it until I saw him in a Westwood crosswalk carrying a big pink box of doughnuts. “These jelly donuts are the best,” Kelly said.
    Kelly was quoted as saying, “We might not even show up, ” when asked about the USC game. Does that mean he finally found out where the Bruin students go on the weekend ? They don’t show up either.
    “We really hate those guys,” DTR said. ” We even have our best homophobic, anti Samoan, misogynistic, troll on the Scott Wolf page. “

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  10. Reflecting on the past great SC football teams is comforting
    but the past must take a back-seat to the present 2022 team
    which has names we may remember in the future such as
    ‘Celeb,’ Addison, Dye and Wiley

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  11. So McGovern has checked out and Pendegrast is calling plays against Lincoln Riley? Bet the mortgage against UCLA. Pendegrast couldn’t beat Paul Hackett. He hasn’t been in the locker room with the the team. They don’t know that guy from a bum on the street. That explains why they’ve turned into shit since the Oregon game.

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    1. All true, my friend….[But] Never underestimate bruin hate…
      #Yes,ThingsLookBright…
      #WeGotThisIfWeDon’tTakeItForGranted
      #FightOn!

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  12. I was just kicked out of my mental-state of a sure SC victory over sucla
    When all 4 L.A. Times writers gave the nod not to sucla but to their Neanderthal running back.
    The only question now for sucla’s Charbonnet is whether he will be like fine Charlemagne or more like ‘Chared-No-Net’ if that SC defense can load the box with 8 and dare sucla to beat them with the pass

    No offense Wiley but in some of the blow-outs you might have experimented with different combinations with the Stanford guy and Raleek instead of literally running Dye into the ground. This is now an inexperienced running attack coupled with less pass protection for ‘Celeb,’ who the Trojan chances are depending too much on.
    Addison and Williams in their return last week each caught 1-pass, are they alright, and I fear Gentry is out for the year but SC kept it under wraps.

    All in all, I suddenly went from pretty confident to petrified scared

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. LJ,

      I disagree about you saying the rb’s are inexperinced in pass blocking. Jones who payed for Stanford knows how to since he played in a physical offense. He wil be fine. It is the other two that might have an issue.

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  13. As I stated last week, the longer the Dims had to “count” those votes, the more likely Bass would win. It went beyond last weekend and all indications are, she will be declared the winner. (Not WIN, but be declared the winner. Can you say “deja vu”?)

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    1. Let me clarify one thing though. The House races that are still being counted and called for GOP candidates and will give control to us, there is nothing suspicious about them.

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  14. DTR will embarrass you. USC is gonna get their teeth kicked in. Caleb missed practice to go get his nails painted 😂😂😂

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  15. No wonder SUCLA defense sucks, if Coach P is running shit. We will torch them on offense. Caleb will have 5 yes easy Rb will run for big yardage. This game will be easier than people think. DTR just gave us bulletin board material Let’s use this as motivation to beat them down and make sure we dominate them like no other. We need to be physical at the point of attack on both sides.

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