Morning Buzz: USC-Stanford Report Card

QUARTERBACK

What else could Caleb Williams have done? Nothing. He is the Heisman frontrunner after three games, which he should be considering the opposition. Some fans didn’t like I pointed out the dropoff with Miller Moss, saying the offense was simplified. Do you think the results of those “simple” plays would be the same if Williams was the QB?

Grade: A

RUNNING BACKS

Marshawn Lloyd is seizing the position, which was fully expected when he transferred. The question is how he will perform against a quality team. Is that Colorado? Lloyd didn’t even catch a pass, which is his forte.

Grade: B

WIDE RECEIVERS

Five receivers caught four passes. There isn’t a go-to receiver there doesn’t need to be one. I like this season that Caleb Williams doesn’t seem to be forcing passes to Mario Williams like last season.

Grade: B+

OFFENSIVE LINE

For all the talk of rotation, the first team is clearly established now with the three transfers all starting. The good news is there weren’t any penalties. Let’s see how that holds up in a road atmosphere.

Grade: C+

DEFENSIVE LINE

They were active and full of energy. It used to be a Stanford team at least had quality offensive linemen. This team lacked even that. Now the play agains the run wasn’t exactly inspiring (Stanford rushed for 209 yards) so that’s a red flag.

Grade: B-

LINEBACKERS

No Mason Cobb again, so he gets a three-week break if he plays at Arizona State. The rest of the group was solid-if-not-spectacular.

Grade: C+

DEFENSIVE BACKS

It was almost a vacation back there with Stanford’s futile passing game. Still, there were a few dodgy moments, with the Cardinal unable to take advantage. Christian Roland-Wallace had his biggest role of the season. Jacobe Covington did not suit up.

Grade: C+

SPECIAL TEAMS

Zacariah Branch will always make someone look like a good coach. But Lincoln Riley was furious he needed to burn a timeout because there weren’t enough players on the field for one punt return. That’s a coaching issue.

Grade: C

COACHING

Lincoln Riley’s demeanor seems different this season. He loses a gasket every game, usually at the officials and comes across like Bobby Knight. This plays well to the crowd. But yelling “Review it! Review it! Review it!” on a Stanford TD with a 49-3 lead is a bit over the top. What will he do in South Bend?

Alex Grinch had fun blitzing, which he could against a team that can’t pass.

Grade: C+

USC GAME MANAGEMENT

The situation is awful inside the Coliseum for some fans. The amount of piped-in noise, the DJ, the decreased role of the band. It’s becoming less-and-less of a college football atmosphere in favor of slick-based entertainment. Is this what people really want at games?

Grade: F

89 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC-Stanford Report Card

  1. I love the old joke told by Digger Phelps – “Me and Bobby (Knight) are goin’ into the furniture business – you buy a sofa from me and Bobby throws in the chair for free.” Maybe Linc coulda thrown a chair onto the field.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Wearing the sunglasses at night is a bit on the pretentious side as well.It looks cool on the marching band, but it’s a lame attempt to look ‘gangsta’ by the sideline assistants. #GiveItUp

        Like

      2. 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:

        What’s even more lame is for me to post a Bruin article from 15 years ago on a USC blog. I just stuck it in your mouth again…

        Like

      3. 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:

        What is lame is 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, who knows zero about sports or any other subject besides street panhandling, showing she is as stupid as her Dictator Senile Joe:

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  2. Not bad, Wolfman, you are improving with your grading as it becomes more real
    And I like how you got on Wiley and the coliseum “professional” atmosphere
    But maybe you should have a separate grade-branch for Branch like ‘Super Teams’

    Liked by 1 person

  3. On a more somber note, it is 9-11 so time for a bit of reflection
    I imagine the sorrow has not subsided much for the friends and kin of the departed
    What is concerning however is that in all probability “We ain’t seen nothing yet”
    Some years back most congressmen said that an A-bomb explosion was Inevitable
    It probably could be sneaked into the country by boat
    Probably New York or Los Angeles would be the likely target
    The creators of The Bomb knew this was a possibility but World War 2 had to end

    Liked by 3 people

    1. If & when that happens, please let me be 300 miles from it.

      As for 9/11, let us never forget. I know some of you have probably seen this, but for those who haven’t…

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I guess WordPress doesn’t like greater than or less than signs.

      What I actually wrote was, please let me be less than 30 miles from it or greater than 300 miles from it, no in between.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. In late 2001, Bin Laden said “the second attack will make America forget the first…and the third will make the world forget America.”
      So…open the borders —no vetting — be happy —what could go wrong?
      btw, Hawaii’s Senators have held up all aid beyond a measly 95 million [for 6 billion worth of damages] until more arms are shipped to Ukraine. Our Governor has not condemned them for this lunacy. In fact, he hasn’t said one word about it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. He campaigned on opening the borders, so they obviously don’t care about how that affects our national security.

        Of course when it happens they’ll wail & moan and act as if they had nothing to do with it. You know, the same claims they make about Ukraine & the tens of thousands of lives lost there. It has nothing to do with installing weakness. LOL

        Liked by 1 person

      2. CBP estimates that 75,000 Special Interests Aliens (SIA) have entered the country illegally over the past few years. An SIA is an alien with suspicious travel patterns such as a place of origin known for terrorist activity. Additionally, the number of aliens apprehended at the border who are on the terrorist watch list continues to rise. 149 in 2023 up from 98 in 2022. Obviously, this does not include those who escape apprehension. Why Biden’s open border policy doesn’t outrage the entire country escapes me. He is putting all of us at risk so that he can turn Texas from red to blue. Something to think about on the anniversary of 9/11.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. A few months back, Trump claimed he was waaaaay ahead of Biden by 20 points. Thanks for letting us know Biden has closed the gap.

        Like

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

        A few months back you were promising to fight in Miami, Cowardly Gabby aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal’s Wife & steveg49 & Plow Horse & Michael Guarino & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young. But you lied and chickened out once again. Why are you such a liar? Were you dropped on your head as a child?

        131 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Even Well-Researched Predictions Can Be Off”

        GEORGE TIREBITER
        JULY 6, 2023 AT 1:08 PM
        THE BIG FIGHT SCHEDULED FOR YESTERDAY NEVER CAME OFF
        BUT THATS OK

        THE DOG KNOWS WHO WOULD HAVE WON

        IT WOULD HAVR BEEN A BLOODY MASSACRE ENDING IN THE FIRST ROUND!

        Like

      5. 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:

        Frank Young
        SEPTEMBER 6, 2023 AT 2:59 PM
        Troy,
        Take a breath, and look at your username, your postings and your obsession. That is what psychotic looks like.

        Like

      6. 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:

        Aren’t you proud of your Dictator Senile Joe, 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?

        ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1701259450479173887%7Ctwgr%5E54ecede702cf2a19cb32f6b36b8889f941e8d20b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhotair.com%2Fheadlines%2F2023%2F09%2F11%2Fwhite-house-on-biden-skipping-9-11-wasnt-it-over-22-years-after-the-germans-bombed-pearl-harbor-or-something-n577213

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  4. Still complaining about the DJ😂😂😂. Old people complaining about old people shit. Trust me when I tell you that recruit’s look at that and say damn the Coli is turned all the way up, I would like to play in that environment. To make it simple for you idiots, Lincoln Riley knows what he’s doing. If you don’t like stay home or watch Clay Helton boring ass down at Georgia Southern.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. ” Old people complaining about old people shit. ”

      Noise is noise, young or old

      ” Trust me when I tell you that recruit’s look at that and say damn the Coli is turned all the way up, I would like to play in that environment. ”

      Are these the same recruits that are spurning USC for Oregon, Auburn, etc ?

      ” To make it simple for you idiots, Lincoln Riley knows what he’s doing. ”

      Except on defense, special teams and putting a fence around So Cal for recruiting.

      ” If you don’t like stay home or watch Clay Helton boring ass down at Georgia Southern. ”

      Why would you wan to pay for ESPN + to see that fat fuck ?

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Music is personal. I probably don’ t like yours and you don’t like mine
      Point is Mr. Fuke, paying patrons should not be subjected to someone else’s music taste, especially at the expense of their school’s songs

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The Trojan Marching Band is called “The Spirit Of Troy” for a good reason. It fires up the players and reminds them who they play for. NOT to simulate a nightclub with a DJ.

        Liked by 1 person

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

        You love it because you can hear that DJ from your dumpster on 6th and Grand Avenue, Cowardly Gabby aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal’s Wife & Lawyer John & Pudly & Plow House & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young.

        Like

      2. 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:

        Since you never went to USC and only started stalking Scott Wolf’s block about a decade ago you always side with the hired help over USC tradition, 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

        Like

    3. USC fans are staying home and that is the point.

      No, recruits would rather see a packed stadium that is roaring the whole game. Whoever is in charge of this whole Coliseum experience is an idiot. That isnt the way to inject energy. USC has the song girls, band and Traveller to get excitement in the stadium. Use them well.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. The USC offense is rated the best in the country by the analytics firm who sells their evaluations to every NFL team. And Scottie’s average grade for the USC offense over the first 3 games (averaged over QB, RB, WR, and OL) is less than a B.

    #Scottie,What’sYourDeal?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Well ’67 I am usually ‘on the fence’ with most of Wolf’s ideas
      But with this one maybe he factored in the competition as being below-average teams

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Scottie is just being Scottie.

        Realistically, a team couldn’t have performed better than USC did in the first half versus Stanford, 42 points and 443 yards of offense.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. It doesn’t matter who you play. You still have to go out and execute with consistency. What we saw in the first half was a well-oiled machine. Wolf’s perspective is often viewed through dirty glasses.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. 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:

        Cowardly Gabby aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal’s Wife & Lawyer John & Pudly & Plow House & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young spews more cliches than Cris Collingsworth.

        Like

    2. We have to give Scott credit for swallowing his pride & giving Caleb an “A” ……It wasn’t easy…. He stayed up all night going back & forth before saying, “Oh, well —here goes nothing”…..

      Liked by 2 people

      1. You don’t get an “A” for saying “present”?
        #ThatDoesn’tSeemRight…
        [btw, a partner at a mid-level law firm told me he doesn’t even take grades into consideration any more –“they’re meaningless now —a joke”]……

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Scott Wolf, 10x Razzie award winner, knocks it out of the ballpark again. We are not worthy of such excellence. The fanboys are sporting wood!

      Wolf continues to throw Riley under the bus, while Riley continues to give Wolf the middle finger. Hail Ceasar 2.0!

      PS… They need more towel-wavers, love the optics. They should have a promotion where all in attendance receive a free towel…..sweet!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. On the grades, C being average (I know… old people grades, because nowadays C is “passing” and that’s all that matters) means that we can get better.
    On the D. J. I am old, but D. J.s are for school dances and night clubs. The reason that clown has a coliseum gig is because the Rams and some other team played there for a couple of seasons. The Rams don’t have a world class school of music or a band of their own. Yes I’m old and the bass turned up like a low-rider at a car show is borderline nauseating. It overwhelms my hearing processor and makes announcements sound like muffled noise. It’s not needed, the band has it covered and should have never given the goof the go ahead.
    As my my brother has said about RAP music, “If you can’t whistle the melody, it ain’t music.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Mostly agree —but you can’t whistle most Bernard Hermann film scores [and they’re still music]………
      # Psycho
      #[AndHe’sAFuckingGenius —Vertigo]….

      Like

  7. Clearly Wolf is too ignorant about how football works so he focuses on results that he could never achieve. Dick Young provided better insights on sports and Alan Malamud was more objective when it came to USC.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Christopher Plummer once said “Errol Flynn could never have played Rhett Butler.” Well, Clark Gable could never have played Robin Hood.
      #ScottCouldn’tCoachTrojanFootball…
      #LincolnCouldn’tTease100hitsPerArticle24/7

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Bingo. Scottie’s livelihood is from this blog and his social media. His “anti-fanboy” schtick is what sells, so it is understandable he is milking that. But on the other hand, milking it to the extent he does undoes his credibility.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. 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:

        Being a Fan Boy undermines credibility. Journalist are supposed to be skeptics. If I wanted mindless rah rah I’d go uscfootball.com

        Liked by 1 person

      3. 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:

        I’m not saying that 67 is a Fan Boy. I’m saying Scott is a journalist, not a Fan Boy or a leftist hack like Keith Olbermann.

        Like

      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:

        It your alternative universe you are objective and moral, 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

        Like

      1. It’ll be hard for the haters to say the win against Notre Dame at South Bend with crooked officiating doesn’t prove anything —but they’ll do it anyway….

        Liked by 2 people

  8. I don’t think that he simplified the offense in the 2nd half at all. The reason why they were held to 7 points was because the 2nd team O-Line was terrible.
    As far as Bobby Knight is concerned, I never liked Bobby Knight but you can’t argue with his results so maybe LR should yell a little more. If the refs can make a bad call against Team A and Team A’s coach just pats the ref on the back and says “I think you missed that one”, they’ll keep making bad calls. But if your ear is about to fall off because Team A’s coach is screaming into it, the ref will probably make sure that he doesn’t miss the call again.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Scott…always love your comments.

    I attended the SC / RNO game. I live in northern Nevada and have not been to the Coliseum for many years…regarding the DJ and other crap they have installed during the game, I was disgusted. That kind of interference during a college football game is horrendous. I am curious who is responsible at USC…they should be fired… My best, Bill

    William Weygandt Mobile: 916-743-4992 Email: bill.weygandt@outlook.com

    Sent from Mail for Windows

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Scott: “I think you’d want to contact President Carol Folt, Bill”
      #”ButIDon’tHoldOutMuchHopeOfHerFiringHerself..”
      #[…”UnlessYouCatchHerWhenShe’sReallyHigh”]

      Like

  10. Scooter,

    I have two different grades for the two halves. Never done before, but here it is:

    First half: QB A+, Recievers A+, Rb’s A, Ol A+, Dl A+, Lb A+ Dbs’ A+. Stanford barely had 100 total offense

    Second Half: The play book was closed in the second half due to not running up the score. Qb B, He was held back by Riley. Riley did not want to run up the score so he had him throw to the backs and five yard passes. he could have thrown deep and burn stanford. Riley did not want to run up the score.

    Defense: they got burned when Stanford went to SC’s right side. They could not stop the jet sweep. That is where most of the rushing yardage came from.

    Zacariah Branch should become an All American this year. Just awesome.

    The DJ who plays rap crap must go. Annoying is being nice.

    Like

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