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Sunday Buzz: USC Scrimmage Thoughts

OK, some USC scrimmage thoughts:

First of all, I don’t get too caught up in stats. Spring game stats are often terrible and that doesn’t mean much for the fall.

  • I liked freshman defensive end Sam Greene. He was active and made things happen, which I means he should be better than some veterans on the defensive line.
  • I also liked USC’s decision to move Raleek Brown to the slot and tailback MarShawn Lloyd as a pass catcher.
  • The freshman tailbacks — Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson — both flashed but remember they were often facing a lot of reserves on defense.
  • The coaches swore all spring the defense is bigger and better. I was not overly impressed from a physical standpoint or with the ability to stop the run. Don’t go by stats because the subs (let’s call them F Troop) gave up a lot of running yards. But I didn’t see a dramatic defensive improvement that had been suggested by the coaches.
  • Lincoln Riley insisted Ceyair Wright was the top cornerback at spring practice and I’ve been skeptical. He had two pass-interference penalties. We’ll see if Wright defends the opponents’ No. 1 wide receivers like Mekhi Blackmon last season.
  • Riley on Korey Foreman last month: “He’s such a better player than he was 12 months ago. It’s not even close.” I didn’t see it Saturday.
  • Freshman QB Malachi Nelson struggled to put it mildly. He had two bad interceptions and a fumble. Now he should still be enjoying his senior year at Los Alamitos, but he is also a five-star QB and I’ve got serious doubts about USC in 2024 without Caleb Williams.
  • Riley said freshman Tackett Curtis was the best linebacker in the country from the Class of 2023. Like Nelson, he should still be in high school. I think it was unfair for Riley and the staff to hype him like that because the spring game raised expectations too high. The fanboy media also contributed here.

Since I know readers care, here are the spring stats:

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64 thoughts on “Sunday Buzz: USC Scrimmage Thoughts”

  1. I guess I’m more into stats than the Wolfman. If you look at the stats, either this years offense is going to be super human or we still have problems on defense. The offense rushed 16 times for 195 yards. That’s 12.2 per carry. As far as passing is concerned, we were 28-45 for 328 yards. We ran 61 plays for 523 yards. That’s 8.6 yards per play. All that is with Caleb Williams only throwing 2 passes.
    I still say that they should have moved on from the Grinch. If he doesn’t work out this year then they will have to enter the Big-10 in 2024 with a new DC and and brand new defense. It usually takes one year for defensive players to go from thinking on every play to re-acting naturally. When players have to think on every play the defense plays at a slower pace.

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      4. Trump drinks piss and eats shit and so do his followers. Bunch of old white men dreaming of bygone days is who you are It’s a new world out there now and a new world order too. Face it.

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      6. It’s a new world played by the same old rules where supply and demand determines the price for goods and services. Capital trumps labor. Experience is knowledge. Intelligence and achievement always overcome victims and laggards. Every human is motivated by 2 simple factors – fear and greed. Occam’s Razor, Hanlon’s Razor, Price’s Law, Kidlins Law, Sturgeon’s Law, etc. remain as applicable today as they were in the past, and will be into the future. The next generation has all of the answers despite a lack of smarts and experience. Every generation has been told of their impending demise yet it never happens because those preaching it are wholly unaware of their own limitations. You should understand that no one gives a shit what you have say.

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  2. to be honest, after watching it ,I think there is a possibility to see a better defense this fall…not overly impressed with tackling or pass defense. I thoughtr the ‘O’ liner looked pretty good and running game also. Williams 1 appearance…he went through the defense like a hot knife through butter.

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  9. I am relieved Scott does not grade us Posters’ writing abilities–
    — ‘Overly factual which is irrelevant and immaterial and also very boring
    You need more snap, get a few zingers in like I do calling the subs “F-Troop’
    and placing it in red coloring so it really stands out
    Next, mock some of the players, concentrating on the plays they messed up
    Do this and you will be well on your way to writing like the master, me’

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  10. Deja vu, it is Easter all over again, this time for the Orthodox Christians,
    who by the way title “Good” Friday by the more accurate term of “Terrible” Friday
    And for those who argue that Jesus HAD to have appeared in the flesh after “dying”
    to ensure that his disciples carried on Jesus’ messages, the counter-argument is were his messages so impotent that he had to reinforce them by physically appearing?
    “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”

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    1. Answer: It’s tempting ….but… it really doesn’t come down to a theological issue, John. Or an epistemological one. Your namesake claims to be an eyewitness. I, for one, have found reason to believe him.
      #CheckOut”TheChristologyOfTheFourth[John’s]Gospel”

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    1. [Sorry for this late reply –I put in an all nighter doing drawings for my graphic novel].
      I think you might want to give Saint John another look, Lawyer John. He’s probably the only gospel writer who was an eyewitness to the events orthodox Christians celebrated this week. He lived till about the year 95 and his gospel was written somewhere between the year 80 and 85. [Note: The writers of Mark and Luke weren’t apostles. And Matthew wasn’t anywhere near the trial or the crucifixion. Only John witnessed those. Only Peter and John witnessed the empty tomb —and John reports only Mary Magdalene actually saw Jesus at the tomb — a detail which is strangely impressive by virtue of the fact women couldn’t be witnesses in Roman or Jewish law].

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      1. what really matters is Jesus said He would send the Holy spirit the comforter,and He would cause ALL the Holy scriptures (N.T.) to be written down as was the O.T. The gospel was also preached to Abraham .It is ALL the same, faith to faith.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Exactly. I think more and more biblical scholars are reaching that conclusion.
        #ThanksForGettingToTheBottomLine,Tim

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      5. …the ones I respect say the opposite, Lawyer John….
        #…AndTheyAreOnSolidHistoricalGround…

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  13. Sorry for all the talk, but every Sunday morning, best ‘morn of the week,
    I feel ‘Gabby’ with a pinch of ‘So Cal’ thrown in

    So I only watch the NBA at playoff time because then these guys turn it on
    Saturday night with my modest-sports wife and she had never heard of Steph Curry,
    so we watched the 4th quarter of the “Frisco”-‘Sac’ game and I pointed out to her
    how Curry was the best outside shooter of alltime.
    And Curry did not disappoint as he converted most everything except his final shot
    He had the modest-sports wife exclaiming, “He is so quick with that ball”

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  15. RB position was so thin last year – the 2 frosh RBs from TX hopefully will make a big difference. They are both the type of runner that Oregon was so successful in recruiting in past years. They are both extremely quick through the line, both 5’10”- 6′, over 200 lbs, sub 4.5 40 times, both are really strong, benching over 300 and squat around 500. Some of those missed tackles Scottie was referencing were more about the difficulty in bringing these guys down once they are on the secondary.

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    1. Yep — I don’t care who was playing defense, we got to watch some very special backs yesterday.
      #ExpectASteady200YardsOrMoreFromTheRunningGame

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      1. Good call – Riley’s average rushing game at OK was 200 yards per game, with offensive plays split between rushing and passing.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. We’re talking insane combined yardage this year. This looks like 2005 all over again [if Caleb stays healthy]…..

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  16. the big question i have is how good are the offensive and defensive lines? it is impossible to tell whether the o-line is really great at opening holes for the run game, or whether the defense is terrible and defending against the run between the tackles. the d-line seemed to be getting some pass rush going, but was this just a matter of a poor offensive line? impossible to know until they go up against other teams

    the run defense was about the worst I have ever seen. is it the linebackers who are not filling their gaps? or is it the d-line that is just failing?

    riley definitely has some incredible skill players on the offensive side.

    the cornerbacks are going to be a position battle. covington is going to be a starter.

    i felt cheated that Caleb only run one single series. there is no way the defense can currently hang with the offense. when we hear it is back and forth, that just isnt true.

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    1. You nailed it: we’ve got an all time offense and another average defense. Riley was smart not to embarrass the defense with 72 points to their spotted 24. The Spring game was all about giving them some confidence — until Utah knocks it out of them….
      #NoWorries—OurOffenseWillOutscoreAnybodyInThePac12

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  17. Is Caleb Williams agent asleep at the wheel or something? Caleb needs to find himself a new agent, He should never of suited up for the bowl game and now he’s going to suit up and play next season?, Caleb needs to sit this season out and focus on the draft.

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    1. I hear some talk about ‘Celeb’ coming back in 2024 and now this proposal of him skipping even the 2023 Season. It does not figure either will occur.
      Certainly he will play in 2023 to bolster his chances of being the No. 1 pick,
      and as such he would command a contract of between $40-$50 million.
      That has been the goal all along and he has a good chance of achieving it.

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    2. I said the same thing prior to the Vegas debacle. CW can’t afford to get hurt in a meaningless bozo, college FB game.

      CW’s choice is clear cut, risk a useless year at Clown U or prepare for the next 50 years of his life. Look what happened to Matt Leinart…H/T winner to also ran draft choice/NFL bust.

      Hell, Josh Rosen has had a longer NFL career than Leinart.

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      1. “Hell, Josh Rosen has had a longer NFL career than Leinart.”

        It’s taking him longer than he thought to make those 9 teams pay for not taking him earlier in the draft.

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  19. Wolf states that he ignores stats for spring games…then he complained about certain players not impressing or putting up any stats? This isn’t the final squad. If anything, they need more two gap defenders on the line and linebackers need to fill gaps more decisively. TCU did this against Michigan expertly. But Georgia kept TCU off balance by running more play action pass.
    The defense needs another two gap monster to keep the combo blocks to a minimum. Coach Nua says it best: big people beat up little people.

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      1. Not always. Big guy was getting his ass whooped so badly he resorted to swinging his keys like a bitch. (First saw this on Neighborhood Wars on A&E and thought of it when I saw your post.)

        Liked by 1 person

      3. 6’5″ vs 5’2″ over stolen Pop Tarts! (little Asian vs black dude in the projects)

        Don’t steal a dog’s food. Just ask GT! 😛

        Like

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