FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: USC-Nevada Report Card

Here are the grades for the USC-Nevada game:

QUARTERBACK

We’re at the stage where fans should start telling themselves every Saturday to appreciate what they are watching because it won’t be duplicated any time soon.

Grade: A-

RUNNING BACK

We finally saw what MarShawn Lloyd can do coming out of the backfield and catching the ball. But I can’t say I’d be overly worried at this point if I was the defensive coordinator at a real school.

Grade: B-

WIDE RECEIVER

Nevada was never going to be able to contain the wide receivers. I will say there have been more plays than I expected the first two games where Caleb Williams was running around because no one got open.

Grade: B

OFFENSIVE LINE

Look at the highlight plays for Caleb Williams. The blocking isn’t there. Williams is scrambling all over the place. Justin Dedich had a snap infraction, holding penalty and bad snap that was fumbled.

Grade: C+

DEFENSIVE LINE

Lots of activity just like in the first game vs. San Jose State. Solomon Byrd has been an unsung hero the first two games. Anthony Lucas needs to make more plays. Jack Sullivan hasn’t made a tackle in two games.

Grade: B-

LINEBACKERS

It didn’t matter the top two linebackers were out because the opponent was Nevada. This would have been a great chance for Tackett Curtis to get four quarters of college experience but he made a very poor tackling choice and deserved to be ejected.

Grade: C+

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Domani Jackson gave up a 73-yard pass early and had another deep ball that got dropped. Frankly, I would start Christian Roland-Wallace at cornerback but it’s probably not considered politically correct within the program. There was also a 77-yard TD. Every week is an adventure with his crew.

Grade: D+

SPECIAL TEAMS

Nothing good or bad happened. That’s a plus in the Riley Era of sometimes dodgy special teams.

Grade: C

COACHING

This wasn’t a test of any sorts. It was a glorified exhibition. Still, Alex Grinch’s defense looked vulnerable early. I can’t believe Riley actually read a prepared statement after a 52-point victory about a player getting suspended in a game 10 months ago. He’s starting to become a bit of a whiner.

GRADE: C

92 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC-Nevada Report Card”

  1. Victory over NV is what mattered and I’d say a marked improvement over the first game against San Jose St. esp with ‘legoland’ next….

    Fight On For Old SC….Our Team Fights On To Victory!

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    2. Wake me up when USC plays a competitive team, these Mountain West Conference opponents present no competition. All they do is make the Trojans fanboys feel good about themselves 😂 The offensive line is still soft and sweet, and the defensive line is just as bad. I can’t wait for the Oregon, Washington, Notre Dame games 😀

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      1. I know this is true because even though I didn’t get accepted into Coloring Book Academy, I still went to the 376th best university.

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    3. My grades

      QB – B+. Caleb is taking too long to get the ball out and is scrambling as a result. Riley said that Caleb needs to get better and I think he does. Sure, he is an incredible scrambler and can make incredible plays, but he shouldnt have to.

      Receivers – A – The receivers are great, period.

      Offensive line – C- Agree that the offensive line is still a mess. Dedich and Monheim are pretty good. Pregnon will get there probably. The guys that seem to be lame are Tarquin and Kingston. Both of them seem to just not put in real effort. The pocket is collapsing from the right side most of the time. I have said this before but I would be looking to get Paige lots of reps at left tackle and then move Monheim back to the right side. Put pressure on Tarquin and Jarrett to either step up their game, or get pushed off the field.

      Running Backs – A- – Marshawn Lloyd is fabulous and Austin is doing well. Joyner is also getting good reps. Not sure how anyone can look at them and give B-. That makes zero sense. Any issues with the run game will be blocking.

      D-Line – B – The edge rushers are particularly good. But agree that having zero tackles in 2 games is not good for Sullivan.

      Linebackers C- – The problem here is that the wrong guys have been playing. Raesjon should be on the field, he adds a rush element that is not there without him and has the most speed. He has the highest football IQ combined with the speed and strength to make an impact. Tackett is still very raw and the question is whether he can even get up to speed to be on the field this year. Cobb is too slow and Gentry doesnt weigh enough to be able to add to the pass rush.

      Secondary – C- – The issue here is simply that Domani looks like he hasnt been coached properly and they dont have their best guys CRW and Covington on the field. This is the position group where favoritism is probably doing the most damage.

      Worst coaching is the linebackers and secondary.

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    1. …and… the reason Riley is pointing out Pac 12 negligence: He’s taking the fight to them BEFORE they take it to him….
      #StartingWithTheOfficiatingAtTheStanfordGame….
      #….AndIntensifyingEachWeekThroughNovember18th..
      #…InOtherWords,YouAin’tSeenNothingYet

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      1. agree 100%. that is also why he made such a big deal about that non-reversal of the call on the onside kick.

        Riley knows that the refs cost him the first Utah game last year and it was 100% intentional. There are some refs that are either on the take or just hate USC.

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      2. LIKED!….Riley knows that the refs cost him the first Utah game last year and it was 100% intentional.

        I don’t know what Riley was saying, but I was impressed with the optics!

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      3. It’s both. In this day and age of sports betting, there are refs that are on the take. And, of course, there are a lot of trojans haters out there.

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      4. Bottom Line: Riley is hoping he can shame the Pac 12 refs into playing it straight….
        #ButItWon’tWork…
        #WeHaveToWinBigToGetPastTheCrapThat’sAhead

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  3. I can’t find one word in this report I am in agreement with…maybe I am too easily pleased with what I observed…77 players in different rotations,trying their best to earn starting positions…Stanford game will be different,of course I can’t watch it being on past my usual bedtime…2230 hrs…thanks fox for nothing.

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      1. Moved to Virginia 20 yrs ago…daughters received D1 volleyball scholarships on east coast and Calif not the Golden State I was born in, in 1943

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    2. You’ll miss some of the worst officiating ever, Tim….
      #ThePac12’sWarOnUSCBeginsSaturday…
      #BetOnIt….
      #WeEndedTheirConference&TheyAin’tGonnaTakeItLyingDown

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    3. Scott: You may not agree with this report card [in fact, I’d MUCH prefer if you didn’t and made lots of comments about it] but I won’t be giving Mrs. Ed any more ammo about “NO report card!” —[unless USC plays a straight “A” game]…

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  4. What if the Trojans simply played down to the competition? They played without fear and weren’t challenged. They could also be looking forward to when things won’t be as they are.These are legitimate contributors, not to mention frequent substitutions that negate continuity but create competition amongst the players. Ease up Scotty – there’s a long way to go.

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  5. USC has played two shitty MWC teams, they have shown no improvement on defense ESPECIALLY pass defense, maybe a change should have been made there coach Riley.

    The OL looks like a sieve.

    I can see USC losing 4-5 games

    And……….. Lincoln Riley isn’t the savior you all think he is, once Caleb’s gone this will be Helton 2.0 and no, Kingsbury is NOT the answer either.

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    1. USC is not going to lose 4-5 games, but running through the gauntlet of Pac-12 teams is going to be a huge challenge and will probably mean that no Pac-12 team ends up in the CFP. The competition in the Pac-12 is just insane this year.

      Agree the OL is a mess and the two “experienced” transfers Tarquin and Kingston are the problem. Solution is to have Paige play alot more and move Monheim back to the right. Maybe Noa will even start repping on the right side. Pregnon needs to develop rapidly as well, but I think he is getting better. What will limit this team is if Tarquin and Kingston were promised they would play, even though they are not playing well.

      Of course they showed improvement on defense. Domani is still learning. In the most recent game he was in the right position, but is not making plays. This is poor coaching.

      Linebackers is the area that most needs to be figured out. Tackett is just not far enough along yet to be playing.

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      1. Yep, 4-5, Caleb can’t win every game by himself and if the OL doesn’t block any better than they have against shitty teams, he’ll get hurt and that will be that.

        Just wait until next season, it’s Helton 2.0 for sure

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    2. If a QB wants to go where he will best be developed, Lincoln Riley is THE GUY. He’s proven it over and over. So you can expect the coach to attract the very best AGAIN. Helton 2.0? Nah.

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    1. Let me get this right. You want Aranda to step down as a head coach and become the DC at USC, along with a substantial pay cut. After a pedestrian Texas St. team just hung 42 points on him…. FUCKING BRILLIANT!

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      3. Aranda is better than Grinch? Not the richest compliment in the world.
        Bringing back crazy O-Line coach Neil Calloway & making him Defensive coordinator would be a step up. Grinch is overthinking every series. I shudder to think what he’ll come up with in the war of nerves against Oregon….
        #[…Actually,WeGotATasteOfItInPac12ChampionshipGame]….

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      4. You got it right. I don’t think Baylor will hang with Aranda much longer. Perhaps he hit his peak as a DC and not as a HC. Talent my friend, Baylor has not talent. Yes, brilliance…again.

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      5. No doubt he would be a great catch. More pointed, there are a lot of moving parts that would have to line up to get him to USC. If he was available it would definitely be more realistic

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      6. I honestly think that alot of the problem with the defense is the position coaching for the secondary and the linebackers. Sure the defense can be overly complicated, but the position coaches are simply not coaching the players up to make the play. With linebackers, I really question why they have not brought Raesjon along and developed him and instead went out and got a linebacker (Cobb) who is slower than Davis and is probably not the best linebacker for a speed defense like what Grinch runs.

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      7. game: I really question why they have not brought Raesjon along and developed him and instead went out and got a linebacker (Cobb) who is slower than Davis and is probably not the best linebacker for a speed defense like what Grinch runs

        One of the best comments of the morning….exactly!…….There’s a reason why the average weight of an LB in the NFL is down 20 pounds. And why Gary Patterson recruited RBs and converted them into LBs…….With the evolution of the RPO, the defenses need better speed from the inside-out.

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  8. “Caleb Williams was running around because no one got open.”

    I would not blame Caleb’s failure to quickly deliver the ball on the receivers. He needs to make better reads and just take what the defense is giving him. I think he will improve although this was a problem last year as well. We are vulnerable in the secondary and will give up some points. But with all the talented quarterbacks and rule changes that protect the quarterbacks and receivers, I suspect that most defenses are vulnerable. I can’t think of a single defense that USC could not score 35 points or more on including Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia and if you can score that many points you have a good chance of winning.

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    1. Lincoln couldn’t have said it better, Plow Horse. That is exactly….and I mean EXACTLY… the way he’s got it figured…
      #HopeHe’sRight…
      #He’sPlacedALLHisEggsInThatBasket

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    2. Your politics suck but your assessment of what Caleb is doing is spot on. This dude trying to make highlight plays instead of just playing the game. And they really need to get more plays to the tight end as well as going big sometimes and just knocking the snot out of the defense. A little sophistication will go along way.

      Grinch coaches safeties. Let’s get that straight. Beavers gave up that play. I didn’t see receivers running wide open this game. It’s getting better on that side of the ball.

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  9. Wolfe, here you go with your morning negativity drill. Do you not like the pills, you are taking before you do a report card? Not fooling me, first of all you don’t know what you are seeing. LB C+ wtf are you WATCHING JESSIE!!!!! Lee n Davis balled their asses off, they shut down Nevada all by themselves, look at the stats. Thankful of Fox for taking the game away for Mickey Mouse n Shitrum fiasco. Are you going simo cast Monday night games.

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  11. Scott: I would start Christian Roland-Wallace at cornerback but it’s probably not considered politically correct within the program.

    One of Scott’s few good comments, along with my favorite- “The Daily News fired me”

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      1. Then why the fuc haven’t owns, TebowObama, Gabby and the rest of the diatribe morons been banned? They’re still on here!

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    2. Ken your correct. “Liked biotch”.You always bring it n your takes don’t suck!!! But we all know Wolfe is looking for click bait? I know he must get paid from this blog by how many post in a day he gets. Negativity drowns out POSiTIVITY++++++++-$$$$Right Scott Jessie Wolfe!!!!!!!#FightOnAlwaysStartYourDayWithAPrayerAndPositivity

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      1. You can’t go wrong with prayer and positivity, 7112.
        [I heard a CNN anchor say “The West is searching for an ethic.” We HAD an ethic for 2000 years —called the Judeo/Christian ethic….and it was working pretty damn well. Check out how things look now…now that we’ve abandoned it]….

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  13. If they don’t stop playing the childish Helton game of playing who you like, not on performance, Covington is gonna walk outta there, and soon. He’s more than reliable on coverage, doesn’t make mistakes and his run support solid. Grinch and Donte aren’t meant for the big time.

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    1. Let me make sure I read that correctly! Did you say Donte isn’t made for the big time?! What would make you say that?!
      #Donte[AfterCalGame]:”WeSucked”
      #Not”We”,Donte….
      #”You”

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  14. To provide some context for last week’s game, I went back to USC’s nat’l champ season of 2004. USC played Colorado St. that year (weakest team on schedule, they went 4-7 in MWC).

    Here is a comparison between that game and last week’s game, the games weren’t so different:

    USC total offense (vs Nevada 2023) 668 yards, 66 points
    USC total offense (vs Colorado St 2004) 553 yards, 49 points

    USC RBs (vs Nevada 2023), 18 carries, 222 yards, 12.3 yards per carry
    USC RBs (vs Colorado St 2004), 45 carries, 322 yards, 7.2 yards per carry

    Colorado St rushing vs 2004 USC: 27 rushes, 48 yards
    Nevada rushing vs 2023 USC: 29 rushes, 48 yards

    Colorado St total offense (vs USC 2004) 281 yards, 0 points
    Nevada total offense (vs USC 2023) , 361 yards, 14 points

    Keep in mind 148 yards of Nevada’s offense came on 2 plays, cornerback screwups.

    Secondary def needs to improve and pronto. But rest of team may be better than some think.

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      4. IMO, the NCAA is a completely corrupt, incompetent, petty, idiosyncratic organization. Reggie’s dad got free rent from a would-be agent, Penn State allowed a predator to roam the locker room for decades, destroying dozens of lives, and they get a wrist tap.

        #PowerToReggie

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    2. 67: Keep in mind 148 yards of Nevada’s offense came on 2 plays, cornerback screwups.

      That comment just brought back a vision from the Pac12 Championship game. Blown pass coverage, and missed tackles due to weak arm-tackle effort.

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      1. Gabby keep preaching to the jungle. I want to see our DB’s stick like glue to these receivers this week . Don’t turn Youivsec into Kincaid. Prediction Tuesday they probably will n they have a 6-5 200 pds receiver. Grinchy please make sure Callen is shading the big TE. Manning this is your job this week to provide PRESSURE N MORE PRESSURE!!!!!!!!!

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      2. I was there Gabby! It was fucin pathetic and still don’t know how Grinch kept his job after that debacle. Then he shyts the bed about a month later in the Cotton bowl. Does he have blackmail pictures on Lincoln Riley or is Riley setting his team up for failure in big games, like in Oklahoma?

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      3. Your comment reminds me of how Helton was stinking the place up and they gave him a contract extension….One would think what does Helton have over the school to get an extension when the product on the field was underperforming…

        A real head-scratcher, for sure.

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      2. Scott has evolved into a lazy hack…..Years back he was always posting comparative stats and player/coach interviews. I guess this is what grievance-driven and grumpy now looks like….

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      3. Everyone one is doing his job, when I tried to put something like that last year. World Press wouldn’t let me post nothing. Can we do everything to keep this blog interesting objectivity n respectful to others regardless of race, religion, occupation, MENTAL Disability or How we Comprehend what someone is saying. Everyone one have a blessed day. MG, got a question for you if a permanent injunction for property abatement. Court states in it’s court order it’s 7 years for it to be who enforces it? The LA City’s Attorney or me? On this case the owner didn’t comply with injunction orders can make them aware of it because my client suffered injuries from it? Thanks I’m about to finish an ex parte motion.

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      4. Let me tell you what little I know, 7112 — While I was there, the City Attorney’s Office requested and got lots of temporary injunctions against hotels which were prostitution fronts and apartment buildings which were drug centers and sex shops which were catering to lewd conduct —the police would patrol these locations to see whether they were in violation of the terms of the order and, if they were, would turn the matter over to the City Attorney’s Special Trials Unit to seek a permanent abatement [death sentence for the location]. On the other hand… if the businesses straightened out their act …its attorneys would go to Superior Court and ask for the order to be removed.
        In your case, contact LAPD and inform them of the problem, get declarations from injured parties —LAPD will take the package you provide to the City Attorney’s Office for action in Superior Court [depending on the nature of the problem you might want to contact Ad Vice and ask to speak to the Captain in charge to get things moving]…..

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  15. Scott, you always talk about the “USC fanboys”. Does that make you the anti-fanboy? At least try to be objective. You are supposed to be a reporter for crying out loud.

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    1. Objective????? has he ever been…….The title of the blog is extremely deceptive. I have asked Scott to change the title to “Outside USC” or “Scott’s Agenda” or “Glass Half Empty” or “Scott’s Fan Cub” All would be more appropriate

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      3. I’ll go with “Club” —“Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company —M-I-C—See ya real soon Mouseketeers…. K-E-Y —- why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E!”

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      1. I trust your knowledge n we understand the same legality of alot of subjects. I’m about to go 77th street LAPD n check n see if they have the documentation they are supposed to have per court orders. I have inside information on this is my ex boss damages for injuries n not complying with building code violation case. Trying to avoid closure once again awaiting GM hearing. #ILitigateToSettleWhenBecauseImStartibgSmellAlotOf$$$

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      2. I wouldn’t blame Scott for that one, 67. Unitas had no business staying on the field with a broken nose and two black eyes. What kind of player today acts like that?!

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  19. I don’t have an issue with Mr. Wolf’s “report card” I mean, he couldn’t give one to USC after they wiped out his favorite school Notre Dame last year and his “secret source” Coach Morgan Freeman. His opinion just happens to appear like the a-hole that everyone uses to crap out.

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    1. Cowardly Gabby aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young's avatar Cowardly Gabby aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young says:

      Here”s an idea- why don’t you plan on doing a full report card after every game Sunday morning and scoop Scott?

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