FOOTBALL

One Last Twist Of The Knife

Kansas State upset TCU, 31-28, to win the Big 12 title game.

So if USC had beaten Utah, it would have gone to the Fiesta Bowl and played Michigan. A one-hour flight to play the Wolverines.

That’s a big difference from playing Georgia in Atlanta. Boy, this weekend gets better and better.

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94 thoughts on “One Last Twist Of The Knife”

      2. I don’t care I pay to see him throw the football not his clothes off. But if you’re trolling for a little action I understand Westwood has a few bars where guys of your ilk can get a date.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I get that vibe and possibility– it’s what is being pushed at all angles today including by USC. So if it comes to that I think a lot of that is by design… Some of the behavior is kinda in that direction, including the catty vibe (Fuck UCLA and Fuck Notre Dame fingernail polish) and the celeb promotion thing. Meh, whatever. Now this part will annoy people– he’s an incredible talent, on the right team, etc. but he’s not as good as Rattler right now, or some other QBs. He has a cannon arm, is a great runner, throws to the very best receiving corp in CFB but he can’t really play on schedule which is the key thing you need a CFB to do.

        Watching someone put themselves into a position to loop far back to put the DL and LBs in front of him, which is a mismatch for him granted, and then make a movie is VERY COOL! I LOVE IT! But it also leads to TFL/ negative at crucial times, and good defenses know how to deal with it. He’s a special talent but not the best QB and some of this harms the team– he can be in the future, he’s just not a complete QB yet.

        A QB that plays on schedule and makes all the right reads and throws consistently and has no negative plays, can move the launch point by design, sell the PAF, run when necessary– and it is terrific to be a dual threat(!) but not at the expense of being able to keep things on schedule. (Palmer, Leinart, etc. but also Young at Bama, Stafford, Watson, etc.) tends to win championships.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Georgia
    Michigan
    Ohio ST
    Alabama

    With No. 4 SC and No. 3 TCU losing it ends the argument between Ohio St and Alabama getting in. And so the SEC and Big-10 own the roost again with SC looking in through the Title-window like a poor orphan at Christmas

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      2. On a neutral field, Bama would be a betting favorite over TCU. If Bama gets in, they would be my pick to win it all. Saban is highly motivated and betting against him has not worked out for many.

        He was on the Michigan / Purdue halftime show crying like a little baby….Making one excuse from another for a spot in the CFP…..Don’t get me wrong, they have the talent to win it all

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    2. USC as Stella Dallas…. walking off into the snow…alone…a tear in her eye….but secure in the knowledge she did her best in spite of all….

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      2. Brando Thought Balloon: “Karl Malden is really making me sick in this movie. I think I’ll put him in ‘One Eyed Jacks’ and kill him.”

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Brando pissed so many people off —but the story is that right before he died he was on the phone with all his old enemies asking “are we okay? can we end things as friends?”

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      4. Gabby –I’m not sure expanded playoffs would work for USC this season —we’re that beat up. I’m wondering how we accept a major bowl with a QB and half the O-Line out….
        #ButIHopeWeDo…AndWin

        Liked by 1 person

      5. MG…..I was referring to expanded playoffs for the sack of Ohio St and Bama. IMO, both teams are better than TCU and USC. At 12 teams, you could throw Utah into the mix. We had our chance, and the better team won last night…

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Whittingham: “When we saw their guy injured we had to go after him even harder. You have to do that.”
        #IsRileyTooCivilizedToUnderstandThisKindOfKillerInstinct?

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  3. By the way, the SC-Utah Part 2 game was dramatic for nearly
    3 1/2 quarters as Celeb brought the team back to within 27-24 with a 4th quarter touchdown pass but then the roof caved in with multiple meaningless late Ute touchdowns masquerading what was in essence a close game.

    The SC defensive effort was there but apparently the talent is waning. It is difficult to make open field tackles with today’s speedy strong running backs and shifty split-ends, and the talent to properly tackle is limited

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    1. It’s not about whether there is the talent to tackle but whether USC wanted to tackle last night.

      It appears that the USC defenders were going for the strip instead of wrapping up and waiting for their teammates to arrive. That led to too much yards after contact which could have been minimized had USC played with more defensive fundamentals.

      #TheTalentIsThereUnlessYou’reLookingToStripInsteadOfBasicTackling

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      1. When someone at the post game presser suggested USC was going for the strip rather than the tackle Lincoln lost his mind….
        #….WhichMeansThat’sExactlyWhatUSCWasDoing…

        Liked by 3 people

      2. But but but SC was behind most of the second half with Utah suddenly looking like the favored team, so I can understand the SC defensive tactics of trying to strip the ball from Utah runners as the only way SC had a chance to win that game

        Liked by 1 person

      3. LawyerJohn,

        A defensive stop can be just as good as a TO off a strip. If their yards after contact was 10+ yards because you are going for a strip, then it’s just not worth it. You’re giving up 1st downs in anticipation of a strip and that’s just not good strategy.

        I think aligning your D to force a three and out or punt would have been the better play. The game was only three points in the 4th quarter so stripping the ball was premature.

        #NotAGoodLookForGrinchIfHeCan’tGetHisDToMakeADefensiveStop

        #Don’tStripIfTheGameIsStill27-24WithAQuarterToPlay

        #LetMeBeTheFirst,FireGrinch

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Before we fire Grinch, fire all his assistants and get him some players….
        #Let’sSeeHowHeDoesWithABetterLineAndBetterD-Backs…

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    2. The defense was not there anymore than it was in the 4th qtr against the Irish. It was opportunistic but by the end of the 1st half it began to look increasingly exhausted…they had no depth per 2nd and 3rd string.
      The game hinged on the defense and it was not there.

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  4. This just wasn’t their year. They don’t have the depth(YET) to win the NC. Football is a violent game. Starters get hurt and you need depth. Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State have that depth. SC doesn’t. The big Kahunas have 4 and 5 stars on their 3rd string. SC has some walk-ons on their 3rd string. Just look at Shane Lee. He was a 5 star out of high school and he was 3rd string at Alabama and hardly saw the field in his last year at Alabama. But it was a successful season for SC.

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      1. I don’t know. A lot of SC fans are really discouraged right now. I’m encouraged. This was a very successful year. Not only do they have a chance to finish 12-2 but they have a great chance of winning another Heisman trophy. That means that all the great QB’s will see LR as a QB coaching guru and will help in recruiting QB’s. I think that it was a successful year.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Parcelman007, USC needs to recruit more OL and DL, not more QB’s.

        #IfThatWasn’tEvidentLastNightInVegas

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  8. Scooter,

    This one hurt. It showed that SC has major flaws and they won with smoke and mirrors. Riley must do the following in order to get the championship.

    He must build the team from the ground up. the

    He must build the team by:
    having the team built from inside out. You start with the best olinemen. SC’s offense will not depend on the qb, they will depend on the online. the qb, rb, wr’s, te will compliment the oline. You must have a controling oline

    Dline must control the line. For a decade now, SC has been blown off the line. The front controls the game.

    Lbers need to compliment or even be better than the dline. They need to read th run or pass and get in the gaps and stop the run.

    Riley must be the head coach. Allowing a player to tell him he will play while injured is wrong. He needs to disallow painted finger nails and all players will wear only the same uniform, shoes, and socks.

    Riley must teach and coach that SC and the team will always come first through discpline . Riley needs to look at how Whittingham controls his team and follow his example.

    We can take a loss, but when you beat urself by letting guys not use their hands to tackle, injured qb, and getting run over and beat on pass routes, then it is embarrasing.

    If Caleb has a blown hamstring, then you better get the 3rd string qb ready. Caleb will not be back in time. I have blown my hamstring out and it took 6 weeks to just feeling okay. We will see

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Lincoln just promised to get an update out on Caleb’s condition “sometime before the medical records of Paul Pelosi’s injuries are released by the Feds…”

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      1. My Heritage Hall spy tells me Riley received Pasadena’s suggestions about an hour ago. I asked how Riley reacted and I was told “he looked kinda mad”……
        #….”HeImmediatelyLeftForTheParkingLot…
        #…ItLookedLikeHeWasCarryingAGun”……

        Liked by 2 people

    3. One hundred percent correct. Last night revealed what we all knew deep down that USC is a Mountain West quality team when it comes to offensive and defensive lines. The escapability of Caleb Williams masked a lot of the offensive line problems. What needs to happen is that both lines need to be rebuilt using the transfer portal and recruiting. I’ve always stated that there should be ten scholarships set aside every year for offensive and defensive lineman.

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    4. PT…..don’t quit your day job….You lost me after the second sentence…..

      Medical technology has improved from 40 years ago….go pet the old dog and relax, I’m sure your BP was spiking

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  9. Coaches cannot be open about what they need to do to make the team better. Of course they know the shortcomings, they know the players they wish they could replace but smartly they don’t say it publicly. Things will come out in the offseason with new guys coming in either portal or LOI. Thing is, their hands are tied and have to use the best they have at the moment to make it work somehow. There are not a lot players on the USC defense that would be starters at other schools. A few perhaps like Tuli, Shaw, or Gentry.

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  10. Pasadenatrojan – I agree with everything you said 100%!
    Lincoln has to learn and grow as a coach. Unfortunately, it’s going to take losses such as this to teach him a lesson. He’s tried glossing over our weaknesses on the Defensive side of the ball all season and it came back to bite us at the end.
    We’re headed in the right direction so there’s a lot to look forward to with these Trojans! ✌🏻

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. What do you expect him to say mid season? “These guys suck but what can ya do”? Every coach glosses over their teams shortcomings. It bit people in the end because they couldn’t see on their own to begin with.

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    2. “glossing over our weaknesses on the Defensive side”

      What are you talking about….Riley (and Grinch) were always upfront and open about defensive shortcomings….Did you actually listen to any of the pressers or interviews?

      Riley had to play with the hand he was dealt, 2-7 (offsuit)….

      Liked by 1 person

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  11. Things we all need to know: Was it really the hamstring? What are the chances we have Caleb for the Cotton Bowl? Will Vorhees deign to participate in the game? Will Neilon be back at center?
    #IfAll3AreOutForYearAreWeFucked?

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      1. We could easily win with Addison, Moss, Austin and Dye….If we also had Vorhees andNeilon [but I don’t think we will]….
        #RileyHas3WeeksToReassembleAnO-Line….

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  13. So it is 11-2 SC versus 11-2 Tulane in a game few will watch so I am sure Vorhees will opt out after opting out of the more important Utah game, Neilon looked as if he would be foolish to try to come back after only a month rehab, and shut down Caleb with a hamstring that takes a long time to rehab getting him ready for the 2023 Season that looks more promising than even 2022, and hence instilling in Moss some experience in a “major” Bowl game to prepare for him to take over in 2024

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    2. John –we don’t really know anything about the severity of Caleb’s injury …. it could be something other than a hamstring…. no way Riley is gonna elaborate…. talking about it brings all negatives and no positives ….

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    1. & the deplorable on Fox News do? It finally hit me that Fox literally is the the live action version of the Weekly World News intentionally pissing off the stupid so that they continually tune in. You can come at me too – my Poli Sci degree is from the University of Southern California…

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Can we agree that cable anchors put the ‘news’ through their corporate owners’ fact bending machines before letting us hear it? They don’t get paid millions to deliver The Truth. That’s not how it works.

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      2. any one who relies on any cable, network or print media source for balanced true facts is as clueless as a child. Corporate entities have junked real journalism and social media just gives people an opportunity to set what ever narrative they want. Society has let itself be manipulated and it is too stupid to realize it until it’s too late. I hate to say it… but you must question everything. It’s a shitty way to live but it is now a must.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. The same mentality your boi Tucker follows! (pathetic)

      Were you the fool standing outside and got nailed by the blue-wave…….don’t lie!

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      1. Are you talking about the same Tucker Carlson, whose own lawyers testified in court that on his show, does not state actual facts and relies on exaggeration and non literal commentary?
        Funny how nobody here wants to talk about that.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yes, Tucker!!!…. He’s the same habitual liar who claimed the Texas power blackout, the one a few years ago, was the fault of depending too much on renewable energy…..

        The fucking idiot left a major detail out on purpose to fit his pathetic agenda. He failed to inform his uneducated audience, Texas only gets 5% of its entire energy from renewable sources.

        Instead of blaming the cripple in the wheelchair, who was told by the Federal Government numerous times, the state power grid is dated and needs major upgrades to handle increased demands. Tucker conveniently sells his liars to the viewers that the Solar industry was at fault.

        In reality, Abbott knew this was a looming problem and failed to act. He should be indicted for negligent homicide. Many people died due to his failures

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  15. Sorry I am long-winded today, however I am still processing SC’s second loss to Utah thus depriving the Trojans of a “Final-4” bid.– But Georgia looks again like the likely favorite to win the Title with a resurgent Michigan not far behind, so it would have been impracticable to believe SC could go all the way trying to win 2 games against the Georgia-Michigan-Ohio St beasts of 2022

    But watch out for SC in 2023 and beyond because SC’s Coach Wiley is new at this game with less than 10-years experience and he undoubtedly will achieve SC National Championship status in short order if the NFL doesn’t first poach him from SC when he is just getting started at re-inventing SC football to its original 1970s and early Carroll 2000s status

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  16. No way you lose a conference title game and go to playoffs. Makes no sense. The teams that did not make it to the title game also have no real argument.

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    2. It’s the situation you mentioned as to why the playoffs need to be expanded. If Pete had the expanded playoffs to work with, what would his Natty count look like?

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  17. Don’t look now but if I am the CFP committee and Michigan, TCU and USC all lose, I do not change a thing in the CFP standings. There is no reason to punish teams that play in their conference championship game. Only problem is USC would get dismantled by GA in the ATL sans Caleb, Dye, Neilon or Vorhees. There is a slight chance of Dye being able to play based on my source. However, TV folks would prefer tOSU over USC so my scenario likely will not happen. Regarding Dye this is the same source who told me in January that Caleb was a USC lock. This source has indicated that recruiting is going very well with a bunch of silent commitments.

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  18. Thank you Scott Wolf for offering me a platform where I can aire-out my SC sports thoughts to “you” as my quiet invisible “Psychiatrist”–

    I cannot get over how the Utes dominated the 2 SC-Utah football games in 2022, depriving SC of a coveted “Final-4” football bid, but the Utes’ scalping was a nasty reminder to Trojans as to what it takes to win physical football battles (aka violent mayhem bordering on criminal batteries)

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  20. Way to go Trojan-Nation, Utah coach ‘Wit’ explained why he unleashed his Utah linemen to thrash SC’s because “I am sick and tired” of hearing the constant SC claims of referee Utah bias resulting in the first Utah victory over SC in October together with “Isn’t Celeb the greatest since sliced bread’

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      3. Hate to say it…but strip bar bouncers make great coaches [except maybe that Michael Madsen guy in Kill Bill Part 2]…..

        Liked by 1 person

  21. If you were USC Quarterback with bad CUT on your Throwing Hand and a BAD LEG Not Able to Run or Move…. So SHUT The Ffff Upppppp…. Making your Feel BAD Not getting 1st downs Getting SACKED 8 Times. Not being able to move or run. Plus Punting the football back to Utah over and over again…UTAH keep ed on Blitzing…. Letting UTAH Win Easy….

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