FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Cotton Bowl Questions

USC is still on Christmas break today before heading to the Cotton Bowl.

Some questions:

  • How thin is USC going to be at linebacker? Ralen Goforth and Tuasivi Nomura entered the transfer portal. Eric Gentry and Shane Lee might play the whole game. Or we might even see a rare appearance from Raesjon Davis.
  • Will Jordan Addison attend the game or does he need to rest his injured ankle?
  • There’s been little said about how much Caleb Williams has practiced? If Williams plays and is not limited, the injury would have been a lot less severe than feared the night of the Pac-12 title game. It’s kind of important to know if Miller Moss will play.
  • Is there any chance Mekhi Blackmon doesn’t play? There were rumors he might want to get ready for the NFL Draft but nothing has been said to indicate he would not play.
  • How many tickets has USC sold? I don’t know anyone that wants to go. That wasn’t the case the last time the Trojans played in the Cotton Bowl (against Ohio State). Mike Bohn talks about the fans’ “intensity of interest” but not enough to mention how many tickets have been sold.
  • Did you catch Coach Bohn’s loud (as usual) interview via Zoom on Channel 4’s “The Challenge” Sunday night? He didn’ say much.
  • Lincoln Riley spent Christmas at the Rams game.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Advertisement

73 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Cotton Bowl Questions”

    3. The dude came here as a mercenary in search of NIL riches. There’s zero reason to think he actually cares about the team and the school. He’s all about his future. Nothing more.

      Like

      Reply

      1. He’s a smart man….he has nothing to gain and everything to lose by playing in the Cotton bowl.

        We had the good fortune of him picking USC. He was a joy to watch, and I respect any decision he makes.

        Like

      2. Does leaving the word “guy” out of the Foreman critique qualify as a Freudian Slip, Gabby?
        #CoachRiley:”GetOutThereForeman&ProveYou’reAGuy!”

        Liked by 1 person

      3. The kid was a #1 ranked player coming out of HS, only on paper. The powers that be sure whiffed on this guy.

        He’s only a true Sophomore. Perhaps with hard work and some luck, this time next year, he might be viewed as a first-day draft pick. He needs to step up and become a dominant disrupter in the backfield.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. It ain’t a playoff game. Treat it like a preseason game. Put Grinch at qb. Even Riley at safety so they can see what the hell the problem is.

    Like

    Reply

    1. ..or. in the alternative, Riley plays Reggie and Matt….and takes his chances with the NCAA…..
      #….”EverybodySaidItWas”Meaningless”SoIThoughtItWasOkay”

      Like

      Reply

    2. Charles –do you agree with Scott’s implicit premise that Caleb didn’t really have a hamstring injury if he’s moving without restriction or limitation in the Cotton Bowl? [Not saying he didn’t have some sort of a muscle pull or a a sprain, obviously — but not a pulled hamstring]…

      Like

      Reply

      1. Wait, we might have a developing story “hamstring-gate”……more details to follow!

        I’m hoping down the road, Caleb gives a detailed account of his injury to quiet the critics

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I get it. I’m just wondering what everybody is wondering —what exactly was the injury all about? We had the pre Heisman assessment —now it’d be nice to have the post Heisman assessment.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Can you appreciate how hunted Scott is beginning to feel, Ed? Have you ever seen Peter Lorre in “M’?
      #GrowAHeart….He’sSuffering

      Like

      Reply

  9. Isn’t it a SUCC axiom, that no practice, no game play? Has coach/player C. Williams deemed the no practice principle outdated for a H/T whiner, I mean winner.

    Cue: The video of Caleb crying after the 47 – 24, Utah loss/debacle.

    Last 51 points scored in the ’22, Pac – 12 Championship game: Utah 44 – Coach C. Williams 7.

    Cotton Picker/Picking Bowl or bust. Should the bozo lose, Gov. Abbott has promised to bus the bozo flops to VP Harris’ home in DC.

    Is it true Clownsters, buy one bozo ticket to the Cotton Picker/Picking Bowl and you get 10 extra free tickets?

    Cue: “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits

    Like

    Reply

    1. speaking of Abbott……I hope you sent him a Christmas card, thanking him for all the illegals he sent to fill seats at the empty flower bowl.

      Just heard, Tito’s on 7th and Main St, in El Paso, will offer all customers showing up in UCLA garb, a BOGO on street tacos…..

      Ps….don’t forget your thermal panties, game time temp you be in the low 20s

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Gabby —
        Sincere question:
        If YOUR team was going to the Sun Bowl [oh, ha ha, fuck me!] would YOU be making fun of the Cotton Bowl?
        #IsThisAnotherMisdirectionPlayFromTheMasterOfMisdirection?

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Purely from third-party opinions, a few sites ranking the bowls, the consensus seems to have the Cottom bowl at #7 and Tito’s Taco bowl of El Paso at #20.

        #OUCH!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Good question. Baker Mayfield put up some prolific numbers as a freshman at Texas Tech. His first year of eligibility at OU was 2015 which was Lincoln Riley’s first year as OC. Scoring offense improved from #21 in 2014 to #4. Maybe Mayfield wins a Heisman without Riley, but not as likely.

        Like

  11. Looks like USC lost another one with the D-Lineman from Western Michigan. He went to Florida State. It was down to USC and FSU. Like I said before….being in the final two is no better than being in the final 130 if you don’t get the guy. But there will be other chances. People are still entering the portal. Let’s see if they can haul in the O-Lineman from Washington State.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’m still asking the question….Travis Hunter just recently tweeted that FSU contacted him before he ever put his name in the portal….is that not tampering on the part of FSU…..where is the NCAA in all of this?

      Like

      Reply

      3. Given your scenario, replace Florida St. with USC and I’m sure the NCAA would come sniffing around.

        The bags of money getting thrown around at the players is like the old lawless wild west

        Like

  12. We missed out on Mateo. That’s got to stop. We have to lock down the 5 stars that are in our own back yard. I don’t know for sure if we will get Duce Robinson. They say that it is now down to SC and Georgia. I do think SC has a good chance. SC is closer to Arizona (within driving distance) than Georgia. Also, if he decides to go to Georgia, I doubt that he will start the first year. Georgia has 3   5 stars and 2   4 star tight ends who have been in the system for at least a year. If he goes to SC, I’m sure that LR will tweak his system some in order to utilize a great Tight End/Wide Receiver like Robinson.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Gabby
        That’s probably the only way the NCAA will come sniffing around. Why waste the effort when you can get paid good money for doing nothing(which is what the NCAA is worth….NOTHING) unless your effort could possibly punish USC.

        Like

      1. Speaking of “whiff”…..playing stink finger with the cucumber is vulgar and disgusting….

        Que: Love The Aroma

        Like

  13. I don’t know whether SC will beat Tulane but I have to think that this game will be a priority for the coaches. LR grew up in Texas and I’m sure that the Cotton bowl in Dallas was his favorite bowl growing up. So I would think that he wants to win this game in front of his fellow Texans. Grench cannot afford to have another catastrophe like both Utah games. If he does and SC loses to Tulane, the fans are going to be calling for his head.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. parcelman — I doubt Lincoln gives much of a flying fuck about impressing “his fellow Texans” — but I’m positive he doesn’t see this game as an “exhibition” either —he wants to win cuz that’s what he’s all about —WINNING.
      #It’sInHisDNA

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Damn MG, didn’t rah-rah’s have bozo FB in the CFP vs Michigan and then, and then, Clown U choka, choka, choka, choka choka chokes away the Pac – 12 Championship game 47 – 24 after leading 17 – 3 in the 1st quarter. SUCC swallows their silly sword as it were.

    After that typical loser FB fiasco MG, ‘da bozos actually deserve a spot in the Dookie Bowl, played annually on a frozen, split-level, cattle pasture in Bemidji, MN.

    I riff on the Cotton Picker/Picking Bowl but Mighty, Mighty SUCC deserve a worse Bowl game.

    Clown U FB, the “Charlie Brown” of Pac 12 FB.

    Lucy: “I promise, this time, Charlie Brown, I won’t yank the ball away.”

    Like

    Reply

      1. Spun the correct way MG, UCLA had no expectation of a berth in the CFP. The Sun Bowl works for UCLA. We’ll show up on time for scheduled Sun Bowl events w/o the need to wear a 40 gallon sombrero and knock off Ray Charles shades.

        On the other hand, after the rah-rah’s arrogantly prognosticated the bozos in the CFP, they choka, choka, choka, choka choke and wind up in the Cotton Picker/Picking Bowl.

        SUCC, the epitome of a pompous, overrated, under-achieving Div. 1 FB team.

        Clown U has a glass jaw and plodding footwork….a Pac -12 tomato can as it were.

        Cue: Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly

        Like

    2. ok rents…..time for your afternoon reality check….48-45 DING DING DING!

      In the spirit of a capacity crowd at the Taco Bowl of El Paso. Your favorite Governor, Abbott, has said the State of Texas will buy all unsold tickets and reissue them to visitors from south of the border, and as an added bonus, will include a voucher for a free taco from Tito’s….(I know you want in on that deal)

      I have to check the records, but the ruins playing to a sell-out may have eluded them for decades.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Just recently Crabs, you half-wit twat, on Nov. 19, 2022, a sold out RB crowd of 71K and change watched the rivalry game.

        Is it true that Crabs, in a titty bar completely sh*tfaced, walked up to a gorgeous female at a booth and whipped out his junk and demanded she autograph it? She is reputed to have quipped she couldn’t autograph the head of a pin.

        Cue: Turkey in the Straw.

        Oh yeah Crabs, Cotton Picker/Picking Bowl or bust.

        Like

      3. justowns: “on Nov. 19, 2022, a sold out RB crowd of 71K and change watched the rivalry game.”

        Here’s a cut and paste from the UCLA site:
        Capacity for UCLA Football Games
        80,616 – General Admission games
        88,565 – Reserved Seating games (entire stadium)

        Nice try!…..you couldn’t even match General Admission capacity…..

        Like

  15. Bring up Raesjon Davis and Tabaricci and Maddson and lets see what they have. If you don’t get the younger players in some action they are going to be gone and then USC has to after whatever they can get.

    Like

    Reply

  16. 11-2. Unless the first year d-linemen step up, it looks like they won’t be able to win the conference. Lacking playmakers on both lines of scrimmage.

    Right now USC is at 89 scholarships.

    Like

    Reply

      1. That would be Vorhees, Addison, Blackmon and Tuli unless he decides to stay which means Barquet could transfer out.

        Like

      1. Yawn. Same damn excuse. He doesn’t have the players. He had them at OU but failed. Not going to differ at sc.

        The answer to the defense is get a real coach like minter.

        Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.