FOOTBALL

USC Not Ready For Prime Time

Yes, Caleb Williams was hurt.

But . . . Lincoln Riley’s decision-making was questionable.

The defense was laughable.

The offensive line was atrocious.

“They were not ready,” a Pac-12 defensive coordinator texted me tonight.

Utah went on a 44-7 run after USC took a 17-3 lead.

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90 thoughts on “USC Not Ready For Prime Time”

  1. Looking back USC was in trouble when Vorhees decided to “save” himself for the NFL. Throw in Caleb pulling up lame on that long run [which erased his ability to scramble] and USC was royally fucked.
    My one complaint is that Riley didn’t give USC a fighting chance by sticking Moss into the game. He was too worried about what it would do to Caleb’s Heisman chances. It wasn’t the right thing to do for the team, though.

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    1. P.S.
      You can’t tell me that Caleb’s [understandable] dejection wasn’t rubbing off on the whole offense [I’d say defense too —but they always suck]…..

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    2. It probably would have helped Calebs Heisman chances because he had done well up until that point and it would be obvious to all that he was injured, so nobody could expect too much of him, not eben the Heisman voters.

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      1. I really think that SC would have beaten Utah had Caleb not gotten hurt. They were ahead 17-3 and were on Utahs 30 yard line threatening to score again when he got hurt. Calebs injury got worse as the game went on. Once they saw that he couldn’t move well, they started to blitz and send the heat on every play. The O-Line didn’t help much and Caleb was sacked 7 times. The defense didn’t help much either.

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    3. Back to start of season comment MG – OUSC
      Think just like Larry Smith, LR has undone much of the damage caused by predecessor, but probably that is the limit (yes, only one year…but you have already seen what you need to see and in this day of fluid rosters and recruitment, the one year argument just doesn’t seem to hold as much water as it once did).
      Still, a damn sight better than what those poor bastards in Statesboro, GA signed up for!

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    4. When I saw Vorhees was not starting I knew the running game was in trouble…pretty selfish guy his core apparently…then hamstring injury to q/b that runs well even more problems…I fell asleep at the half time so I guess I did not miss anything. Not sure Moss would make a huge difference but we will never know. I am still extremely pleased SC finished 11-2 and wins over 2 biggest rivals, a possible Bowl win in a good Bowl game just around the corner…things are looking up.
      AS USUAL wolfie fails in game analysis,but his friday history is always good.

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      2. OH…and I just read we lost an additional ‘o’ line starter during 2nd half of game…well a month to heal,practice always works plus the Bowl game plus good possibility of a win and 12-2 season , ADD good recruiting class and transfer portal, all that brightens things up …

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    5. Bottom line, USC would’ve got their Ass Kicked regardless of injuries, or players sitting out for whatever reasons. Utah was bigger, stronger, and 10 times more physical. What everyone witnessed Friday night was a preview of what would’ve happened if they reached the playoffs. The mighty Trojans got a sample size of the physical play that’s coming their way in the Big Ten.

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      1. I’ll just state I disagree with your comment ’cause if utah had their q/b hobbled with a hand injury,a hamstring injury,were minus 2 ‘o’ line starters and staring tail back they might not have fared so well either, but you are correct in one area…SC defense played hard but not well enough

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    7. riley needs to have a game plan in the future that would overcome Caleb being less mobile. he didnt adjust fast enough when that happened.

      the coaching deficits at USC were revealed in this game. whittingham is a better overall head coach and team builder. hopefully, riley will see the need to grow his head coaching skill set.

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  2. Tackle tackle tackle. We cannot tackle. Nobody wraps up the ball carrier. I’ve seen it all season long. We better hit the portal hard for defense and big O linemen.

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      2. Well, I guess I’m a moron because I do think SC would have won. You had 2 games here:
        Game one….Before Caleb got hurt. SC was up 17-3 and down deep in Utah territory threatening to score again.
        Game two….After Caleb gets hurt. Utah outscores SC 44-7.
        Game one SC….139 yards Utah….69 yards
        Game two….SC….280 Yards Utah……464 Yards
        What was the turning point between game one and game 2……Caleb got hurt.
        Yep….I do think SC would have won

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      3. And, Barca, USC’s defense has been shit for years. Check the NCAA stats.

        Don’t depend upon ONE player to win a game.

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      4. You’re saying that the defense hasn’t been good in a long time……agreed
        You’re saying that we depend too much on one player…….agreed

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    2. if it was one or two defensive players that cant tackle that is a player issue, if it is the whole team, that is a coaching issue, particularly this late in the season.

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    2. i have no problem with him being an emotional guy. if you think Caleb was the problem in this game, you really need to think a little deeper about it.

      the problem is that this team culture is built around a cult of Caleb and other players are not being responsible for their own performance. all season long i have seen Max Williams miss tackles and simply miss even hitting a guy. i think his brain is afraid of contact due to his injuries, but you cant put that guy on the field. that is just one example.

      i am starting to believe that the “star syndrome” of USC is a problem. a few players hog all the glory, but also all the responsibility and when they have a down game, we see that the other players have a core lack of responsibility for their individual performance. this game was lost by the offensive line and defense and some poor game strategy decisions too.

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  4. Reasons why USC lost?
    Offense:
    Caleb got hurt
    Offensive line was Horrible with a capital H and then some.
    Mason Murphy couldn’t block Mother Theresa
    He’s not a tackle….a guard maybe, but not a tackle…..he doesn’t have the quick feet to be a tackle.
    Defense:
    USC didn’t tackle……Utah did

    This just wasn’t their year
    It’s surprising that they got this far in just one year.

    You have to get better players on defense and then if Grench doesn’t get his act together, then it’s time to move on

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    1. Yes to every bullet point. As to the above remark about Caleb being a bitch –I’ve seen him take hard hits and bounce back all year. I DO wish he wouldn’t sob when we lose, though. It looks lousy …and he might wanna think about how that impresses NFL scouts…..

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      2. Caleb a bitch. Usc got their asses kicked all the way back to their weho bath houses…like a bunch of pillow biters.

        Lincoln Riley peaked this year.

        Fit Un!

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      3. that is what humans do when they put their all into something…then they get over it and learn…been there done that

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    2. I don’t mean to make excuses for the O-Line but they were pretty banged up and also playing out of position in many cases. I have been saying all year long that this was not the year. It would take more than one year to go from 4-8 to the CFP. In the last few games I started to think that maybe I was wrong and maybe they could make the playoffs. But now I think that I was right.

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      1. You can’t make any excuses for the defense. Tonight, they couldn’t tackle the ‘Card Soldier’ from Alice in Wonderland

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  6. Hey, on the bright side my Caesars stock should go up Monday as that $900k money line bet on USC went down in flames. Pure profit for the sports book.

    Who would make a stupid bet like that? Answer – who cares the house always wins.

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  7. Horrible turn of events once Caleb got hurt. We were rolling! I blame that field turf! They rolled out the natural turf for the Raider game on Sunday. Guess the NFL guys were right to complain about this bullshit artificial turf! Oh well… A healthy Caleb and friends can hang with anyone in the bowl game.
    Get better defenders in the transfer portal and fire the secondary coach!! Hire someone to teach these guys how to tackle too!!
    FIGHT ON ✌🏻

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    1. If Caleb couldn’t walk without extra support …and the trainers didn’t know how to put tape on his leg…or give him a shot….then maybe Moss should have played. Having Caleb crying and covering his face on the bench somehow or other almost seemed to have a bad effect on the players watching him…. what a shocker….
      [If it turns out Caleb was playing with a serious injury & needs surgery, I apologize in advance]…

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  8. Go back and recall the Caleb signing or not signing saga… It was about individuals being saviors not talented kids learning how to play and working and learning to do what they need to under an offense or defense.

    Then think of the Fuck Notre Dame and Fuck UCLA on his nail polish. Not his fault, either. But it showed he was trying to hard and not in the right direction God bless him.

    Riley should have taken him aside and explained that there is a standard. Same reason why we used to make our QBs be clean shaven and/or something akin, and our players wear classic uniforms, no names. And that standard is to keep your head up, keep your emotions in check, just do your job and work the system and process as a team. That doesn’t seem to be important until you run into a situation where it is.

    And that bit is not about the fashion it’s about the look of program and deportment that is discipline, emotionally under control, team. Have fun with your eyeblack or something within the uniform thing, talk shit behind closed doors about our rivals, and say something slick now and then but our QB has to be seen as mature, calm, under control, mature. That’s why an old ND QB and Reggie and Matt can be close friends today by the way.

    But I also figure that’s why a lot of fans and Bohn thought Whittingham who was jockeying for the position having grown up in central LA as a USC fan, with all his success at a much lesser program was seen as too old school and conservative and not kewl enough– he was well over 40 and doesn’t even wear visors! That’s how we swing now.

    Here’s hoping our man LR spends some time in revamping his approach, a less predictable running game, more work with the QB in the pocket, some more team discipline and trust in each other, a lot more teaching basic skills… And our prez and AD reconsidering the Big 10. Hope springs eternal!

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    1. I think you aren’t giving Lincoln enough credit. Just yesterday he said
      “These rematches seldom play out the way the first game went. It’s a whole different game.”
      #And,Boy,WasHeRight!

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    2. there is some truth there,don’t know if it can be applied today after the last 4 decades of schools cranking out what they have to society…I do think the Lincoln is on cruise control as best can be expected with a woke princess in charge of everything …’til SC dumps her.

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  9. The bottom line is Coach Riley is over rated. Caleb saved him time after time. Who did they really beat with that mediocre schedule? Helton had the same success for two years with Sam Darnold at QB. Riley did
    get some good players in the transfer portal, but he makes bad decisions during the game. The tackling is just atrocious and he has
    to share the blame with DC Grinch. The game was tied at half-time,
    and what great adjustments were made?

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  10. I think someone might agree with me-FINALLY!
    USC never had a chance with the defense they had this year. I cannot believe there wasn’t a next man up on the offensive line, but the defense killed us. The professor in charge of teaching defense should resign. This is history so it can’t be disputed, Grinch grew a heart and let the Utes run free. The entire defense looked like a tenacious toddler trying to catch a sadistic uncle at the Thanksgiving lawn football game. Riley is offense and doesn’t give a shit about defense. Somebody needs to go.

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    2. Playing 2 rivals and a stupid CCG game in 16 days us just foolish… winning 2/3 is great CW got hurt and it was reason this one want a nail biter

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  11. Yes, Wolfie as you exclaim that SC “is not ready for prime time” well that’s not accurate and of course you know it (because you want your flock to become angry with your opinions)

    Most SC fans it seems blamed the loss in the first match between 2022 SC-Utah Part 1 because of questionable referee calls which cemented our bad-sports’ reputation to even disinterested people.

    SC-Utah Part 2 later in the year agitated Utah where they had to prove their supremacy once again

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    1. I think maybe my comments about how the first game was stolen from us made their way back to Whittingham.
      Seriously, Utah was told by Kyle that —if you keep hitting USC — we’re gonna fold. That nothing had changed from last year. I don’t think that’s true. I think a lot has changed for the better. But not tonight. Tonight they manhandled us. Every Trojan hater is overjoyed …and we deserve it.

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      1. I posted after the Utah game that you need to play well enough that the refs aren’t pointed to as the difference in the game. Wittingham may have read that one, as well. 😉

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  12. You saw the stats on missed tackles through the regular season. As bad as we have been all season on defense we missed twice as many tackles in this game. How do you explain it? Maybe Utah played harder/better than first time we played them? I do think if Caleb was healthy maybe the score is reversed. After all it was 17-3 when he got hurt.

    Better things ahead for Trojan Football.

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    1. Maybe. But why did we stick with a “hurt” quarterback? I’ve seen multiple games this season alone where limping quarterbacks got taken out —to prevent the whole team from limping to the finish.

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      1. He must’ve felt a hurt CW is better than a healthy MM.

        I do remember one idiot saying that no one cares how much playing time Moss gets. Last night, it might’ve helped for him to have some quality time under his belt. LR might’ve felt more confident about a switch.

        I will wear my ‘SC gear today and take my lumps, unlike Ruins fans who cower in anonymity after a loss.

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  13. Caleb got hurt with 5:28 left in the first quarter. It’s pretty hard to win when you have to play 3 1/3 quarters without your Heisman trophy candidate QB. Hopefully, this will be incentive to go out and get some really great players in the front 7 on defense. The season is not over. If they can win the bowl game, they will end up 12-2. I don’t think anyone thought that was going to happen before the season started. But, all in all, I thought it was a very successful first season.

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    1. Quit making excuses for Williams’ injury. Sh*t happens in a FB game. That’s why teams play the game. SUCC got bitch slapped, deal with it.

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      1. It’s not making excuses. It’s just common sense. SC is ahead 17-3 and threatening to score again with a healthy Caleb. Then Caleb gets hurt and Utah wins the rest of the game 44-7. Not excuses just common sense.

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    1. If that was the case he should have left the game. Playing on a popped hamstring could effect the rest of his career. The injury did not loose this game. The fact that they have been relying on him solely all year is the reason. Run game issues w/o Dye in this game and no creativity to get the ball out of his hands coupled with the inability to cover tight, or tackle or set an edge created this blowout. They kept going back to that well all year long and refused to improve the rest of their components. Dumb football. Btw I knew this game turned when they decided to throw the ball on 2nd and 1 from the utah 40 in the second quarter and got sacked instead of controlling the game and getting a first down on the ground. I knew it at the time and you could see it tumble from there with 44 pts given up and countered with 7. You could see that happening.

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      1. I agree. If Caleb got hurt in the first half and the USC doctors and trainers sent him out there for the second half we’re talking lawsuit. I hope Riley only said that for Heisman effect [which shouldn’t be his main consideration at this point].

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      2. He didn’t say that just for Heisman effect. On that 59 yard run, when he got that final block from Brendan Rice, he was out in front and I thought he was gone. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere 5 Utah guys caught up with him from behind. I said to myself “I thought this guy had 4.4 speed in the 40….he didn’t look it on that play”. Then I found out that that was the play where he popped his hamstring.

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      3. If you’re right about when Caleb’s injury took place —and I think you are — they probably lost him for the Cotton Bowl too by playing him for 50 more minutes.

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      4. That’s definitely when it happened. As far as the cotton bowl……I don’t know…..how long does it take for a hamstring to heal?

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      5. I do agree that getting 1st downs is the beginning to winning…don’t know why they can’t figure that out…SC looked to go up 21-3 and maybe 28-3 after the fumble recovery, oh well…woulda’, coulda’, shoulda’

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  16. Remember how happy we all were when Oregon State beat Oregon? And prevented us from playing Oregon in the Pac 12 Championship?
    #InRetrospect……etc, etc….

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    1. I would prefer the utah game ,except I did not figure on q/b injury or vorhees being soooo selfish to not care about the team at the final moment of the quest the pac12 title game.

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    1. Tebow its sad you like child porn like kitna!! Ni…. Lover dog eater obama lol🤣🤣🤣 you actually posted aren’t you ashamed. Cunt ass bitch

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  23. Reading the comments made me realize that USC is back. The haters are celebrating and the phonies are showing themselves. Moss couldn’t make a difference with that offensive line. Wolf loves tearing people down who are more successful than him. It’s the first year, there are no shortcuts to championships. It took Dusty Baker more than 30 years to become a champion. Next year, the other Pac 12 teams will try to beat USC and win the conference.

    USC is trying to win the CFP. Think about that before you embarrass yourself.

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  24. Are we going to say “Caleb was hurt” and #1 ignore that so was Rising and several key starters for Utah, a team whose 1st string would never be recruited to be our 3rd string? And #2 Caleb was hurt because Utah put a hurting on him. That’s how football works right?

    But is Riley that effed up that he was thinking of a Heisman campaign than the team and winning? Riley may not be able to teach things like a designed roll out or pocket passing or TE and RB blocking, or a run play not named counter trey, or using arms to tackle, or how to have a blocking scheme, or how to respect an opponent…but surely he can tell players when they are coming in and out!

    Our whining about the first game ignored that some bs calls by the zebras went both ways. But now we can’t even do that anymore because Utah made it clear who the better TEAM and coaches are.

    Riley played with an extreme talent advantage at Choklahoma and every time he was faced by a talented team his squad folded like a cheap lawn chair in a hurricane. In the playoffs he got gorilla stomped as Stoops OC and new HC designate, and his offense did zip and that was followed up by 3 more appearances in the playoffs leading to losses.

    Unfortunately USC can’t line up OOC games like the Presbyterian Blue Hose, the Akron Bees, and the sort of teams Oklahoma did for Lincoln Riley and actually have fans show up. We struggled with the Rice Hoot Owls and Fresno St for a half each just so Riley could pad his record. SC fans aren’t going to accept that as an OOC schedule. But we also got rid of some teams next year so we could host Nevada-Reno and San Jose St. to start off the year- but we’ve got UW and Oregon at Oregon, and another helping of the Utah Riley Asskickers, I mean Utes…

    I’ll go crazy if in a few years we hear Southern Chokafornia… Sounds so much worse than Choklahoma… I’m actually having fun. Things will sort out. I didnt want us to get a UGA beatdown and hear the SEC honks anyway.

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    1. I GUESS WE SIMPLY DISAGREE ON ALL YOUR POINTS’ mostly ’cause they are not very accurate evaluations…but that’s ok

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      1. Oh Timmy, I’m speaking about the DUMB PEOPLE! You’ve chosen to include yourself. But that didn’t just happen now.

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  25. i was duped by that notre dame game into thinking USC was improving. actually all the problems from previous games are still there.

    the team is completely dependent upon Superman and when his kyptonite hit, the team fell apart. this is both a skill issue and a culture issue.

    utah proved once again that toughness and individual responsibility are the core values that make great teams. USC’s culture is centered on a few leaders, but players are not held accountable for individual performance, hence the inability to solo tackle and poor blocking.

    the USC football program has some core challenges
    – coaching of the defense is a real problem and this is not new for Alex Grinch
    – offensive line next year might be quite bad
    – lack of NIL collective at USC is killing the recruiting for lower profile positions
    – heavy reliance on star QB
    – can USC thrive if the QB is not mobile (Malachi)?
    – lots of questionable in-game calls
    – lack of attention to details (like Special Teams, get a freaking coach already)

    it was still a really fun year to be a fan. but i’m not counting on next year’s team to be better than this year’s team and if Bohn-head doesnt allow outside collective money, USC might not get the players to really be dominant.

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    1. and can we PLEASE get rid of the towel-wavers? Utah was making fun of them at the end of the game. if Riley thinks that build culture, he needs to wake up.

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  26. This whole skipping games to prep for the NFL is hogwash and a bunch of BS, If your so concerned about getting hurt why bother playing the season at all? It’s selfish and lets down your teammates.

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