FOOTBALL

USC Notes: It’s Time To Worry About Notre Dame

USC just be UCLA in a highly emotional game but it’s now time to focus on Notre Dame.

“There’s a different feeling about this one and I can feel it amongst our program and our players,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “I knew it last year but this year being at the end of the year at USC, you can really feel it.”

Freeman also talked about the elusive nature of Caleb Williams.

“Guys have their hands on him and he continues to stay up and that can be devastating to a defense,” Freeman said. “That can make you try to do something outside of what your responsibility is on defense. I want to make a play, I’m going to try to rush around this guy, instead of staying in my lane.

“You have to stay in your rush lanes, but you can’t play cautious. That’s always the challenge. I remember having a conversation with our D-Line and coach Washington early in the North Carolina game after that first series when Drake Maye was just kind of scrambling around. I said, we’re not playing spy, I don’t want to just play patty cake and spy the guy. I want to rush but we have to be in our lanes. That will be the challenge with Caleb Williams. One is the coverage. We got to cover those wide outs and continue to mix up the coverage we play against him. Two is to continue to do your job. Stay in your rush lanes. If you have an opportunity to bring him down, bring him down and bring your feet and don’t dive. Don’t play spy. I like to use the term controlled aggression. We have to be aggressive, but it has to be under control.”

  • USC has started the Heisman campaign for Caleb Williams . . . in Week 12! The website is HE13MAN.com.

“Shouldn’t it be H13SMAN?” a USC graduate asked me.

  • Did you see Disney has rehired Bob Iger as CEO at annual salary of $27 million? That can’t be bad news for USC. Iger’s wife, Willow Bay, is the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

53 thoughts on “USC Notes: It’s Time To Worry About Notre Dame”

  1. Hey Coach Freeman (and Scott Wolf), isn’t stopping the run the first priority? North Carolina couldn’t run the ball . . . but an inept Stanford and Marshall ran the ball with no problems . . .AT NOTRE DAME NO LESS!!!

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    1. Why refer to political warfare?…… Florida needs all the tax revenue the Disney brand can generate….why bite the hand that feeds the Florida general fund?

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      4. You’re exactly right!….. And Disney continues to build a brand that millions of people are willing to pay a premium price to consume, which in turn builds the Florida general fund.

        The apple cart has been rolling for decades, why should a troll like Desantis fuck with the largest private employer in the state. The mother fucker is losing sleep over Disney’s perceived “woke-ism”

        I still don’t even know what woke means when the repukes try to smash it!…. You can’t un-do history.

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    2. As they say, “Disney is bringing Iger back to solve the problems he personally created the last time he was in charge”…..
      #BrilliantMoveByADyingCorporation

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      1. I guess they know exactly what they’re getting for 27 million. Their streaming service has been a drain on revenue. It’s become very expensive to produce streaming content.

        I will give him credit for purchasing the Star Wars brand(Lucus films), which seemed to have reached a dead-end under Lucus.

        I’m not a big Star Wars fan, but when they release a new movie it gets me out to the theater.

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      2. Gabby,
        Actually, I like “why a vacation?” better….
        #ExplainYourselfSteveg….
        #[Hint:ANYAnswerWillBeAcceptableToYourInsideUSCPals]

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Wow. I envy you, steveg!
        Prague –one of the most beautiful cities in the world….with lots of CIA agents everywhere. Berlin — great art galleries filled with everything from Medieval Icons to the brilliant German Expressionist art condemned by the Third Reich [& they have the Botticelli Venus with braided hair —the Uffizi has the boring one w/windblown hair]…
        #btw,WelcomeHome!

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  5. ‘The Princess’ has that impressive win over Clemson but they don’t have a good QB they have an average one and their effort against Boston College while certainly telling, BC’s record of 3 – 8 is telling.
    ‘The Princess’ has had only 5 road games …. this being their last. They don’t have to play a CCG yet somehow that is never held against them when they are deemed worthy of consideration to the playoffs.

    UCLA played with passion and commitment…..this isn’t the dumpster fire we Trojans have had to endure for the past 12 years just to see a Marcus Freeman who has never been a head coach anywhere suddenly take that dream away merely because it’s ‘notre dame’.

    This will be a rude shock for all those who thought we were done for. Name me any program that has had to endure the lies and rigged kangaroo court corrupt NCAA officials imposed – Mike Garrett was right ‘….they wish they were us…’

    This will be a true triumph for Troy because of Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley but most of all for all who are finally tired of watching the SEC dictate football diktats. <5 days to rid ourselves of the dungeon.

    No more Max Nikias', Pat Hadens, Lynn Swanns, Steve Sarkisians or Clay Heltons.

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      1. ….great stuff, yes…but…in the immortal words of the Harvey Keitel from Pulp Fiction, “let’s not start jerking each other off just yet, gentlemen”….

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  7. Never take any football game for granted–

    All ‘Top-5 teams’ almost lost last weekend sans over-rated Georgia who can be beat, which indicates college football is so much about mentality overcoming physicality
    SC-ND is THE game representing SC as the ‘Best in the West versus Notre Dame, one of the best out of the Midwest

    outside Ohio St the ‘Fighting-Irish’ of Notre Dame.

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    1. Let’s hope [and trust] Coach Riley is saying something like the words John just typed to the team every day this week up until game time …..

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      1. Thanks my man– Riles is an introvert who leads by a quiet self-assurance that he knows he is right about most everything concerning his football team.
        Carroll the extrovert put more ooomph into his inspirational ‘pep-talks’
        But why quibble when both are like gifts from God

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  8. We have no worries about ND, we can load up the box n force them to pass. Must put them in 3rd n long so we make them play from behind. Our offense will always put teams in a bind because of our LR play calling. We just need to not get complacent if we score to fast keeping our defense on the field too long. Prediction USC 56-17.

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    1. I would not be surprised by your final score but seeing it is stunning! I too don’t see ‘the princess’ matching up that well because they have little offense and yes their defense is good.

      I still remember sitting on the north side of the Coliseum a week after the loss to Ucla and having to endure that awful 0 – 51 beatdown by Parseghian – time for some hard payback.

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      1. 55-24 was the payback, Alvarado. That was 1974. All we need this time is a victory…and another one in the pac 12 championship ….and we’re in the playoffs.
        Remember: we can stop the run …but….those are still Donte’s d-backs out there. I hand it to Donte he’s got them playing very aggressively —going for the ball or, failing that, knocking the receiver down —- but they’re still outta position 1 play outta every 5 [and Notre Dame knows it].
        #ThisIsn’tGonnaBeAsEasyAsSomeGoodTrojansThink

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    2. I like your prediction Eric Turner. Curbstomp on Notre lame, which is way over due. The seniors know what’s at stake here, they got a score to settle with the domers.

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      1. Trojanboogs I appreciate that u like my prediction about the domers. U always make great points when u post. I enjoy reading everyone comments like my man MG, LJ steve49, Parcel, Gabby, Trojan1967 Bourbon GT, love reading CS linked stories that back up his views, Shout out to Carol Ms. Ruiz, let me not forget GT, Slo Cal n Rusoviet. I’m thankful for every one who accepted me to this great group of rabid USC fans blog titled by Wolfe. Also I’m thankful for u to Wolfe. 2 days away from gobble gobble day. Let’s get ready for a Cowboy beatdown.

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  9. Looked at Notre Dame’s stats in recent wins over Syracuse and Clemson and these were true of ND in both games:
    •strong running game
    •weak, weak passing game
    •middling pass defense
    •strong rushing defense
    •2 INT’s in both games

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    1. Is Leslie Stahl going to lose her job now for lying and part of the cover up. Like the reporter did for NBC, for telling the truth on the Paul pelosi story. About the facts of what happened when cops were called and arrived on the scene of the pelosi residence. Are is double standards as usual move along now. The truth has no merit or reasoning anymore.

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      1. *being? , *it sorry for my grammer it’s first thing in the morning and I did the wake and bake and I’m all medicated up. Cut me some slack Jack (Airplane) I haven’t had my Wheaties yet. Just the green kind lol 🌲🌴

        Fight on!

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      2. Biden has till January 20th to rob the American people of the energy needed to keep our factories and homes going…
        #It’sATallOrder…
        #…ButHe’sWorkingOnIt…

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      3. MG, luckily our energy crisis has nothing to do like what’s happening in third world countries that depend on Putin’s energy source, could be wrong. I’m not a politician but I do know how they make deals behind voters back, after promising they will do what they say. Rhetoric Bullshit. WE ARE IMMIGRANTS NOBODY ANCESTORS ARE FROM AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. This is the game that USC shocks the world. Even the world cup will pause to pay utterance to the resounding defeat rendered by the rolling Trojans. Do not be dismayed if it starts slowly, that is the intent of LR to lull ND into a passive “we got this one” attitude before he unleashes an assault previously unknown to mankind. I agree with Eric, and 56-17 will be the half time score. Good riddance to the “princess”. We Fight On!

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  12. I like Eric Turner and steveg49s attitude about this game. You guys get it, curbstomp on the domers coming this weekend and no Brian Kelly to save them. No clueless clay to help the domers, and ruin it for the Trojans this time. The sttench of the Helton era is gone and happy times are here again.
    Who knew see you guys on Saturday at the Coli. Non of this airlines crap. Fight on!

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    1. The key is that doppleganger of William Bendix is back where he belongs ‘Backend-GA’ as is ‘swannie’ working a hammock.

      A mere year ago this coming Monday (28th November 2021) is when Bohn closed the deal for Riley. As Joel Klatt stated bluntly in his podcast aired yesterday ‘Joel Klatt Show’ – what Lincoln Riley has done in one year is going to be the template for every other program next year and beyond – load the slots needing to be filled with transfers – make those who stayed and the new players compete for every game. Do it again next year and the next – be sure to have potential replacements for coaching staff vacancies ready as current staff ‘move on’.

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  13. Scooter,

    Your St. Paul English is showing, this is what your wrote, “USC just be UCLA in a highly emotional game but it’s now time to focus on Notre Dame”. Should it read that USC just beat ucla? But we knew what you meant. Ebonic and Woke professors would say it is okay.

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    1. PT: “Your St. Paul English is showing, this is what your wrote”

      It should read, “Your St. Paul English is showing, this is what you wrote”.But we knew what you meant. Redneck ebonic professors would say it is okay.

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  14. Eric,

    You are correct, SC must stop the run. Put 7-8 in the box, that will for nutre dome to bring in their recievers to block. However, if they stay out then you know it is pass. The two d tackles need to push back the guards into the running back. #49 is the lynch pin in stopping the run. He did it against Chardonay or Night Train, the running back for ugly. Do the same thing. Lee and #51 will have to blitz. Bring in a corner on second down like Carrol used to do and force them in 3rd and long. Safety and lber need to cover the te. Do the same as they did to Bozo the ugly te.

    As far as offense is concerned, run RPO, but Williams must know when to give up the ball. A couple of times he should have handed the ball instead of keeping it. It might be part EGO or part of indecision, (I think it is part of indecision myself). SC has better speed on offense. Utlize it. For the first quarter just pass the ball. Get nutre dame tired. Middle or late first quarter run for about 5 plays, then go back to the pass. Williams will throw about 38 times and complete 28. Throw to the tight end. have him 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage and behind an otackle. Have him go 5 yards and have him turn around. nd’s lbers are slower than him. Let him rumble for 7 yards. Then go RPO. Run counter to the left, Jones and Dye love that play and SC does that so well. Pick up 4-5 yards.

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