FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: The Pac-12 Title Game Inquest Continues

The post-mortem on the Pac-12 championship game continues.

I spoke to an SEC coach on Sunday who watched Friday night’s game and felt it was a familiar story.

“USC reminded me exactly of the Oklahoma teams that Lincoln Riley took to the College Football Playoff,” he said. “They seem built for regular-season success but can’t really compete with the Big Boys in the end.”

The coach said also pinpointed a favorite target: The defense.

“I don’t know how they can really do anything when they are always playing a zone defense,” he said. “And it’s a soft zone defense. You aren’t going to win a title playing zone defense. Some of these guys look undersized too.”

But the defense wasn’t the only sticking point.

“If you look at the great USC teams, historically, they were built at the line of scrimmage, especially on the offensive line,” he said. “Utah beat them up in the second half. They were way more physical. That’s can’t happen if you are a USC team with title aspirations.”

47 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: The Pac-12 Title Game Inquest Continues”

    1. I guess that SEC Coach hadn’t heard about the Helton-picked [4-8] team Coach Riley inherited. I’m positive Lincoln would put more emphasis on defense if he inherited Michigan’s defensive players.
      I’m also positive he’d have better coached corners if he hadn’t been pressured into keeping Donte Williams [who won’t be around soon].

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      1. A chagrined BUMMSTER IS BACK, sans stupid jokes & towel waving, rah-rah attitude.

        #TIMBERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
        #Utah 47 – mighty, mighty succ 24….OUCH!

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      2. I ACTUALLY LIKE YOU OWNS
        BUT
        FUCK OFF !!

        WE BEAT YOUR FUCKING BRUINS
        FUCKING CHOKING BRUIN PUSSIES

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      3. HEY OWNS

        REMEMBER AT THE CIRCUS LAST SPRING WHEN YOU STUCK YOUR ARM UP THE ELEPHANTS ASS ????
        Hahaha haha !!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩

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  2. I love how king critic has a site with tabs for highlights, interviews etc that do nothing. Shouldn’t there just be a tab for what i’m pissing on daily?

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    1. Let Scott be Scott. The only time he’d ease up would be if we went 15-0 —and even then he’d say the “W’s” were tainted by the towel wavers…..

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      1. The difference is the Cotton Bowl instead of losing to Cal to end the season….
        #But,Yeah,You’reRight…
        #WeDidn’tWinAnyTitles

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    1. Well, the part about how we’re built for “regular season success” [Utah] but “can’t compete with the Big Boys” [Utah] is “New” [yes, it’s self contradictory —but it’s new]….

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  6. We’ve been digging out of a deep hole ever since the bogus sanctions and prolonged “investigation.” To get a top team it takes a “top” everything – top coaches and recruiters, top players, top athletic directors and officials, etc. As well as a top conference too so that the weekly focus on games garners national attention. All that went away at the end of the PC era. Think about it – how many times did you have conversations about our AD, the coaches, the recruiting classes? Exactly.
    Now we’re back on track and we have had the most amazing turnaround in college football history. Not too shabby!
    But it is going to take more improvement, obviously.
    One thing that is important is that everyone should realize what a catastrophe the PAC-12 management has been. We’re playing our championship game on Friday because we can’t get a network slot on Saturday? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!!
    Look at the games that were on national television!!! Are you kidding me??
    But that’s what happens when you throw your golden goose under the bus and put up with the absolute abusive crap from the NCAA and then pile on top to boot.
    Hey, I know Pete Carroll made enemies – he embarrassed Auburn, he absolutely destroyed Arkansas twice, he obliterated Oklahoma and he embarrassed teams in the Rose Bowl. He got top recruits from Louisiana, Texas, Colorado and top players from Arkansas. But none of that was done unethically or by any illegal means. He also had a parade of great coaches who would go on to have great success.
    If we lament how far we’ve fallen since those days, we overlook how much farther the PAC-12 has fallen. We’ve always been the best in the conference, the class leaders. Now the PAC-12 can’t even get a Saturday slot for their championship. Wonder why the conference sucks? Look no further than that

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    1. Good post but I kind of liked having the Friday night gig instead of having to compete with all the others on Saturday evening. I’m guessing Allegiant Stadium mgmt. had a lot to do with that scheduling, i.e. LAC @ LVR on Sunday.

      We have a top tier AD and head coach as well as the best player in college football this year and undoubtedly the next. Get strong linemen thru the portal or scholarships quickly because next season at the Coliseum we have to play: NV, San Jose St., WA, Stanford, AZ, UT & Ucla and road @ ‘the princess’, OR, Cal, AZ St. & CO.

      This was a great year and thankfully the ‘missing’ was obvious to all after Williams went down.

      As to that SEC coach – who was it, Lane Kiffin?

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      1. Loved it all, P. T. —– but I might not put Bohn and Lincoln in the same category [Lincoln is the brains of the operation and Bohn is Carol’s “best boy”]…..

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  7. We already knew the defense was weak. USC fans making excuses all year about who cares we are winning. Well guess what, against tough opponents you need a strong defense. Grinch gets one more year then fire him. I do not expect much next year from him as well but USC fans are all about chances. That is what kept Clay Helton on for so long. Think about the extension he got cause he deserved a chance. Grinch was bad with star recruits at OU as well. it is not the recruits it is schemes and basic stuff like tackling. Poor coaching. LOL.

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    2. Scotty Wolf Man. In the pac 12 Championship game USC Started with a New Football Coach and 26 transfers. Utah had been there last season and WOn. When the football game Started USC took a Lead of 17 to 3. … Until Caleb Williams got INJURED…. If if if UTAH Quarter back CAM Rising Got INJURED and could not Run or Move. Then USC takes over and Kicks Ass Controlling the Football Game WINNING… Then everything is Wonderful….. USC having Caleb williams getting Injured is the Reason that USC GOT BEAT. . OUTPLAYED… MAKING UTAH look Wonderful ….. Just remember USC just got a New Football Coach and 26 transfers beat FUCLA beat notre dame….only to Have Caleb Williams Injured. Would have been a Different story if Cam Rising was Injured….

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  9. Time to look forward to the transfer portal. Lots of very productive players are entering that portal. Linebackers, offensive line, defensive line. Time to pick up some guys that can fill the holes next year. Seems to me like we need at least 2-3 guys on defensive line and 2 offensive line players and then maybe a running back and a cornerback and a linebacker.

    Job #1 should be building an offensive line that can protect Caleb and deliver a solid run game. They need at least 7 O-line players that can see playing time, in case we have injuries. Will we see Cortland Ford in the TP today? I assume Gary Bryant and Miller Moss will enter the portal. Will Raesjon Davis leave?

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    1. I just saw Donte Thornton, the Ducks best wide receiver in the portal. Seems like there are going to be major surprises in the portal. I’m thinking we might need to cut back our high school recruiting class further, to make more room for transfers.

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  10. Christmas comes early for “Inside USC”. It looked like Scottie was going to just get a lump of coal this year, but a combo present of a hamstring injury to Caleb and the failure of the D to tackle came wrapped up in a big, red ribbon.

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    1. Yes. This turned out to be a happy holiday season for our leader —things looked bleak for a bit. But then came the 60 yard run [that probably shoulda been truncated at the first down marker] and everything turned rosy…..
      [Lincoln really has his work cut out for him at the Cotton Bowl —I’ve been watching film on Tulane —-and they are a very good team …and we won’t be at anything near full strength]…..
      #HopeLincolnCanCoaxVorheesIntoHelpingUsOneLastTime

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      3. P. S.
        Missus Ed is still processing Whittingham’s comment about “we started targeting Caleb once we realized he was injured” —I’m sure she’ll have something to say about that at the right time….
        #…PerhapsDuringTheNCAAInvestigation?

        Liked by 1 person

  11. First year. SEC coach? That “coach” must want Riley’s job. We all want to see what the 2nd year looks like. I’m not mad that SC didn’t win the championship just like the US couldn’t win the World Cup this time. It’s the next chance we’re all watching. Who’s coming in, specifically on the lines of both sides of the ball?

    Anything else from Wolf reeks of rat poison.

    Deion Sanders made the president of Colorado eat his own words. Physical Ed and General Ed degrees being added to Colorado curriculum next year. Comedy.

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  12. The transfers out of USC so far are players that have failed to see the playing field in the past year, alford, katoa and simon. I’m sure there will be more, but it is a good thing if the team gets rid of players that are not seeing playing time and can open up spots for incoming transfers that are ready to play from day one.

    We probably want to see at least 10 guys enter the portal. I think Moss, Bryant, Height, Otey, Epps, Smith, Barlow, Allen, Thompson, Tabaracci, at least one TE, and a few O-line and D-line players hit the portal today. Maybe a receiver or two and a few more DBs.

    I would think that USC is a prime landing spot for many tranfers. Riley has a track record of bringing in transfers and giving them quality playing time. And the holes in the current roster are so glaring. O-line, D-line, rush edge, linebacker, running back, CB.

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    1. If Donte is going to leave, would he leave now, or after the bowl game?

      I think any coaching changes would happen soon, so that incoming players know their position coach.

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      2. Riley is telling incoming corners, “Don’t worry. The problem has been taken care of.”
        #That’sAllTheyNeedToKnowForNow…

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      3. [This isn’t a knock on Donte as a person —just as a recruiter, mentor, disciplinarian and coach]…..

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  14. That odorous coach from the SEC couldn’t tell that the Trojans played press man coverage on certain Utah players. And they used brackets. The fact of the matter is the defense played better than the offense, people. It was fatigue from being on the field so long that did them in. They still need to get bigger though, especially after losing Pili.

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  15. I hate to say this about Alex Grench but they probably should let him go after the Tulane game. I don’t know any big time program(Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia………….) who would keep a defensive co-ordinator after his defense went 102nd in the nation in defense.
    Like I said, last years Todd Orlando’s defense(which was horrendous) was only 87th in the nation in defense. Maybe the best thing that could happen is for us to lose to Tulane 55-40. The demand for another DC would be too great for LR to resist. Brian Kelly fired his whole staff one season.
    True, SC needs better players on defense but 102nd in the country on defense????? His players aren’t that bad. If we had a defense that finished 40th in the nation, we would have probably won the NC.

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