FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: USC-Utah Report Card

QUARTERBACK

There is no question Caleb Williams is struggling but look at the pressure he is facing the past two games. It’s almost comical watching him have to elude the pass rush. I do feel like Williams has looked jaded during parts of this season. He’s got to be thinking of the NFL more now.

Grade: C+

RUNNING BACKS

MarShawn Lloyd rushed for 74 yards in the first quarter but got only 2 carries the rest of the game. Was he in the doghouse over a fumble? USC abandoned the run before the fumble. Thanks, Lincoln!

Grade: B-

WIDE RECEIVERS

It’s sort of amazing how many pundits rated this group as the best — or one of the best — in the nation. It sure hasn’t proved it. Mario Williams has been a big disappointment. Dorian Singer’s been completely misused. It’s another coaching issue.

Grade: C-

OFFENSIVE LINE

This was an unmitigated disaster. It seemed like Caleb Williams was running for his life when Utah was bringing four players. For all the talk about giving other players a chance, there wasn’t much rotation other than Jarrett Kingston flipping to right tackle and Mason Murphy to right guard. I rate the line as worse than last season which goes against what everyone else seems to think.

Grade: F

DEFENSIVE LINE

I’m all for giving new players a chance. But this is one of the deepest positions on the team, so do you need a true freshman (Braylan Shelby) covering a running back? Twice? Bear Alexander offered his season in one game: Some great, disruptive plays followed by displays of immaturity. You can argue the d-line is better overall but Utah rushed for 275 yards and — this is crucial — passed for only 8 yards on the game-winning drive. The line didn’t step up at the end.

Grade: C-

LINEBACKERS

I’m completely ambivalent with this group. Do they ever make enough of an impact to change a game? A lot of activity but not a lot of production.

Grade: D+

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The second-team QB for Utah passed for 235 yards and three TDs. Ponder that. Who can this group cover? What happens when they face Michael Penix and Bo Nix? Zion Branch (six tackles) should start at safety this week if he is healthy.

Grade: D

SPECIAL TEAMS

The positive, as usual, is Zacariah Branch. The negative, for the second straight week, is the kickoff team. Punter Eddie Czaplicki has quietly been one of the best transfers of the season.

Grade: C+

COACHING

So we were all mistaken when we believed USC would be better this season, right Lincoln? What does he bring to the table at this point? The offense has regressed. The clock management is atrocious. The team has no physicality. The sideline is a circus as Riley berates officials. I could keep going . . .

Grade: F

88 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC-Utah Report Card”

  1. Maybe one of your most accurate assessments. Coaching and Caleb needed to know that Utah was going to let them score on the go ahead TD. Should have taken a knee at the one. At a minimum Utah would have used some timeouts and less time for the winning FG. Also nice to post first and not have to weed through all of the nonsense that is destroying this blog.

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    1. How true, it has become too much of a hardship to wade through the nonsense to find an occasional football-information nugget. It has got to be pretty bad when a devoted Poster like Michael Guarino is driven off the blog.

      By the way, Branch “switching” his way with that late punt return deserves an “A”

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      2. KNOCK KNOCK…….MG was a fraud!….. You are struggling to get your head around reality. I knew the guy as a fraud a few years back. I continued to go along with the charade until the imposter started attacking people over their political idealogy and the lies about the Maui fire. Then it was game over.

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      3. She’s too dumb to get it, John. We don’t care who it was and what name they posted under. His contributions to the blog were appreciated and he continues to be missed.

        We’d gladly trade MG for the Village Idiot.

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      4. Dumb?…… says the guy who was tricked into believing this imposter was the real
        MG. Impersonating someone to the extent that was taking place is a fucking crime. The person doing it knew that and got caught. Why do you think the name Michael Guarino just vanished? He never left any farewell post, just gone!…

        MG(imposter) was the only person who ever responded to you and the separation anxiety has been hard on you. …. How fucked up in the head are you to think it was OK to call someone out for exposing it. The real MG would not appreciate what had been taking place on Scott’s blog for over 10 years. Everyone gets it, except for you. Fucking freak!

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      5. SC went out and brought in all those good defensive players out of the transfer portal for 2023. So they should be much better in 2023 than in 2022. Are they? Well yes…..a little bit. In 2022 they were rated 106th in yards allowed. So far this year they are rated 104th. Here’s the problem….they still have Oregon, Washington, UCLA and a bowl game coming up. Oregon is #1 in the nation in offense. Washington is #4 and UCLA is number 16. Who knows where SC’s defense will finish at the end of the season. I don’t think that Grench will be back next year. It doesn’t matter whether LR wants to bring him back. I don’t think he’ll have a choice.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. “Everyone gets it.”

        Yeah, that’s why John wrote what he did. Dang, she really cannot get any stupider. That’s why Pasadena & several others wish SHE would leave the blog.

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      7. John gets it He is just struggling to accept it, you dimwit. It’s really embarrassing on your part that things need to be explained to you multiple times in order for the light to come on between your ears.

        I keep laughing my ass off as you throw shade on all the gaffes you make. Go do something productive and quit arguing with people more intelligent than you. Start with the outhouse

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      8. “More intelligent!!” LMAO

        Yeah, that’s why you argued with what I wrote about playing teams coming off a loss and wrote the exact same thing I had just written. What a dumbass! That’s why so many people have called out not only your stupidity, but how incredibly rude & vile you are.

        Liked by 1 person

      9. Mr. Slo pa-troll: STFU…….no one on that clown show scott wolf blog gives a shit about what you say…..How many times have you been depressed because no one responded to your political bs….I know you don’t go there to talk football, you have no football knowledge.

        Quit arguing with people and go get me an extra large bottle of lube…..tiny is a calling

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      10. She obviously cares about what I post, or she wouldn’t cry about each one. LMAO

        Now she’ll make up lies & excuses for doing so. Why? Because she’s the Village Idiot, of course.

        As GameTV said, I should ignore the idiot. But as Steve said, I enjoy smacking her around and making her cry.

        Liked by 1 person

      11. so is being a keyboard tough guy really smacking Gabby around. Meet up and do the smacking in person…or STFU…..PUSSY BOY!

        There you have it folks, the blog dunce….

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      12. Whine, whine, whine, you rotten, worthless, bozo”Banana Head.”

        SUCC: 6 – 2 and playing worse…”Banana Head FB”…as it were.

        Clown U, the $10million a year Coaching boondoggle FB College.

        LR = losing regularly

        Hooray for the BEAR!!! Da’ Bear nails it…TOOOOO LATE…LOL

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      13. Guarino’s viewpoint went from somewhat reasonable to conspiracy promoting partisan hack in just a short time recently.
        It’s not surprising he hit the eject button here and likely has gone far down the right wing nut job rabbit hole now.
        He’ll likely bump into gotroy there.

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      14. You nailed it. MG started drinking the political Kool-Aid and became belligerent. He also had the fucking nerve to give the people of Maui a crotch kick by claiming he was a victim and had to evacuate his house. ALL A BIG LIE!

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    2. I think it’s great that Lincoln Riley is finally getting exposed, he’s been a $10m fraud since the day he arrived. He’s a glorified offensive coordinator, but definitely not head coaching material.

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    3. Greg: Coaching and Caleb needed to know that Utah was going to let them score on the go ahead TD.

      People as say stupid shit on this blog….your comment is right up there with some of most stupidest….feel proud!

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      2. Mr. Slo pa-troll; STFU…….no one on that clown show scott wolf blog gives a shit about what you say…..How many times have you been depressed because no one responded to your political bs….I know you don’t go there to talk football, you have no football knowledge.

        Quit arguing with people and go get me an extra large bottle of lube…..tiny is a calling

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    5. As was pointed out in the other Wolf blog by a poster, ‘Ol Mule Shoe is 6-4 in his last 10 games…not nearly good enough.

      USC fans need to run that clown out of town

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    6. I am loving it. Even though I absolutely hate Notre Damn and couldn’t care more or less about Utah.

      Just as with ND, USC has always felt the college football revolves around them. Just waiting for the same results with Ohio State and Michican, before their heads get any bigger.

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    3. There’s hardly any run game because that clown ‘Ol Mule Shoe is running 4 WR sets on every play leaving no run blocking schemes whatsoever.

      On obvious run play situations bring in a TE or two, Lloyd and Jones are strong enough to make plays, but that clown wants to always leave and use the bubble screen as an option…that shit play is played out

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      1. USC is famous for never teaching and or using it’s TE’s for blocking in it’s run game.

        Not since the days of Pete Carroll anyway.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. The infamous Dick Wolf, I mean Scott Wolf experienced another round of wet-dream paradise as he typed out his report card. The idiot is now fabricating drama by posting some crap about Riley sniffing around the NFL. There is not one single source on the Internet that can corroborate his BS. Just another one of the many embellishments he’s pushed on his blog.

    His true calling was always the National Enquirer. It’s not too late!

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      3. Just agreeing with what Pasadena stated. And he was merely repeating what Plow Horse stated about how you really don’t fit in here.

        You cry if I don’t post about football and then cry when I do. You can’t just disagree with what Steve, Pasadena or Plow Horse write about football. You have to insult them and act as if you are so smart and know everything. You’re every bit as much of a narcissist as Plow Horse said. Everything is about YOU.

        Those rare occasions when no one sees you on here for 24-48 hours are so pleasant for everyone.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. This is an issue between you and Gabby. Stop bringing other names into it. If you are truly a “man” then you need to make the same perverted comments to his face. You talk the talk now walk the walk and meet him, or you need to call yourself a pussy who hides behind his keyboard. This has gone on far too long. Test Gabby and see if he’s actually a “wuss”.

        Go ahead, make up some more lame reasons to get out of it. You’re nothing but a little instigator, with the Napoleon complex…..embarrassing

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      5. I agree 💯 with this post. The village idiot comes on here just seeking attention. Talks all kinds of crap to everyone on here, for the same thing he is doing. Just like a typical Democrat, lefty lunatic. The biggest hypocrite on here. Best thing is to ignore him. He ruins this blog more than the UCLA suck trolls!

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      7. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET SLO PA-TROLL TO IGNORE ME BUT HE TAKES THE BAIT EVERY TIME WHEN MANY HAVE TOLD HIM TO RESIST….JUST IGNORE ME AND YOU SHOULD BE JUST FINE. I WILL NOT THINK ANY LESS OF YOU.

        #FIGHT-ON!

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    1. Don’t think so, a total collapse this year and a similar showing, or worse, next year and he won’t be there for years, still not sure Coach 162 doesn’t claim he’s ” burned out ” and bails.

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      1. With Wiley’s football genius label now being down-graded to
        so-so which NFL team would take a chance on him–
        and then there is that matter of SC still owing him $80-million
        Ton-o-Hel got 7 years; Wiles might get the same

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  7. Over at collegefootballnews.com the proprietor of the site had SC predicted to be in the CFP at season’s start. After ASU they slipped to a New Years Six bowl. Then the Alamo Bowl. Before the Utah game, they slid to the Holiday Bowl. As of this morning, SC is projected to be in the Las Vegas Bowl.

    I don’t know if the current prediction has already taken into account probable losses to Oregon and UW, but at this point I’m not sure these guys can’t find a way to screw up the Cal game.

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    2. Bowl-schmowel, who cares;
      The “bowl” games are coming up with
      the cream of the Pac-12 (sans Cal although that is no SC gimme)

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  8. If you watch the replay you will see that Zach Branch should have had a second touchdown off a kickoff. He is breaking right through a hole when Lake Mcree runs full tilt into him and knocks him down. Lake was running in the wrong direction, having missed all blocks. Just stupid. You dont go running back into a hole, the wrong way and plug it up. If you are lost, just do nothing Lake.

    This team is really missing a decent tight ends room. Another coaching problem here, caused by loyalty to his coaching staff instead of getting the absolute best coaching staff.

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      1. My feeling is that the uniqueness of his air raid offense is now gone and without that edge, he has nothing to fall back on.

        I think that a really big part of the problem for the receivers is that they are not practicing against a defensive secondary/linebackers that are even decent. And the defensive secondary might also not be getting better because they face a very uninspired set of receiver routes and route runners.

        Something is really going wrong in the passing/pass defense game.

        Feels like whack-a-mole, one problem crops up and they try to fix it to find that they have another problem and another….

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I would go with a straight F for both the secondary and linebackers. The only good thing happening on this defense is the d-line, which is up and down, but at least has some ups.

    Totally disagree with the o-line grade. That was a C effort. They had their moments. Much of the problem is that Caleb is holding the ball way too long. He is actually playing scared. I would give Caleb a C-.

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      1. You’re missing the most obvious one, his unwillingness to throw the ball away and impact his stats. Better to move on to the next play than take a sack and get farther behind the chin

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  10. Last season SC was lucky to win at Oregon St. With that loss the entire
    2022 year would have played out very differently with the Trojans probably not in the Pac-12 championship game
    (which some say they were not present anyway)

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  11. Scooter,

    I would give Caleb a C–. At least twice he could have caught utah with 12 men on the field if he had the center hike the ball instead of going through the motion of audiblizing.

    Except for Branch, who is one of the most talented players on the team, the entire team gets an F. All I see is Helton all over again. Undiscplined, lack of fundementals, throwing plays in to see if they work. Oline sucks big time. Riley gave up on the run.

    Sc will beat cal because of better talent, not because of coaching. SC will get smoked by wash., oregon, and ugly even has a defense. Don’t be suprised to lose to ugly. This season is dead and over. Riley can’t figure it out that his offense is not working and he has too much pride to ask for help. Kingsbury needs to overall the offense. It won’t happen.

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      1. Sparrow,

        You played for SC. I did not. You saw Mckay up close, I saw him only as a fan. I have seen SC play where you could bet your home, retirement, your wife, you dog, and you car for SC, and you would come out as a winner. Yes, Mckay did lose, but it was not to incompetency, lack of fundementals, or discpline. They might have gotten physically beat once in a great while or the other coach had a better game plan, but not the way Riley and Helton have lost. We were promised things would be better by Riley. They have only gotten worse. The last 8 years have been tough on all of us. I thought Riley would change that. He has not. Nor do I see any change for the better. When Riley shows improvement in play calling, physicality, discpline, fundementals, leadership, and other factors, then I will believe again. Folt and Chen are useless. Maybe I am too tough, but seeing what SC can be and seeing them now, it is very heart breaking and I do take SC to heart. It hurts to see such a great program look like a three ring circus on the sideline.

        I remember the 72-73 SC vs ugly game, and ugly came out with roses ion their mouth thinking that they were going to win. An olinemen told Mckay, they actually think they are going to win. ugly was jumping around while the SC player was just standing there waiting to get on the field to whip some ugly ass. I had wanted to play for SC. I did not. No grudges there, but SC runs in my blood. It is boiling now.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. YOU SENILE TROLL…..YOU KEEP SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER…..TAKE SOME NOTES SO YOU DON’T KEEP REPEATING YOURSELF….WIPE THE DROOL …..FOCUS!

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      1. grabbbyy,

        I might be old, but I will repeat myself as well like you say that I do, and that is, get off this board asswipe and go f^ck urself. Do that about a 1,000 times you worthless piece of whale fe#es.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. LAME…..wipe the drool and get the diaper changed…it’s outright elder abuse for your handler to go 24 hours without a diaper change…..and clean your glasses, your perception isn’t reality, old man

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      1. PT is about as clueless as they come, besides slo pa-troll. the guy has a 1970s football mentality…3 yards and a cloud of dust….yet he thinks people actually listen to him.

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  12. Utah’s Coach Whitt said almost jokingly of his Utes’ victory,
    “Well, we are now bowl eligible”

    SC needs this Cal victory to assure it will be at least 7-5 and bowl eligible, not that any Trojan bowl game will hold much interest

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    1. Throw away your computer “Banana Head’ and we (The Blog) would be free of your incessant, adolescent, SUCC blog nonsense.

      Just saying BA, ’cause you deserve it.

      Truth is mo’ better than insults. But in you case BA, they’re hard to separate.

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  15. Why did Wiley have success at Oklahoma with basically the same formula that has failed at SC?
    Perhaps one factor is his dependency on Portal guys who are in the Portal probably because they couldn’t make it at their original school

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  16. Oh well, SC did have that ‘run’ from 1962 to 1979
    and then ‘Death Valley for a generation with little hope
    until Wolf’s “Carrot” came along from 2002 to 2008.
    So the Trojans are going through another ‘Death Valley since then

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    1. These things go in cycles. I framed the front page of both the L.A. Times and O.C. Register’s sports section following the 2004 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan. A friend of mine asked why, and I said “well, it’s been 25 since the last national championship, and it could be 25 years till the next one” which would make it…2029.

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      1. I too was sweating it out with that 2003 SC team that had a tough game with sucla preceding its Michigan Rose Bowl victory for a piece of the National Championship

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  17. It seems the SC football faithful are getting worn out with the negativity
    But, but there still are interesting games coming up and a couple of wins would be a temporary ‘cure’

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    1. I thought Utah would be the most likely win, other than Cal. I just dont see this team improving from here. I think that the coaching staff has been exposed, but instead of looking at what THEY are doing wrong, will try to pin it on players and the players will get frustrated. Until Riley and Co look at the coach deficiencies, there really cant be any improvements.

      I guess if Caleb gets his head screwed back on straight, maybe the offense could get back on track. And target Branch about 100% more in the passing game.

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  18. Meanwhile, can you imaging Wiley’s psyche?
    He gives up his ‘King of the Mountain’ status in Oklahoma
    for an ‘ant hill’ at SC

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  19. Aside– Trojan Daily football contest

    Sticking with SC through thick and thin (a lot of “thin” lately)
    8000 on SC -10 or whatever versus Cal

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  20. This is the proverbial ‘chasing your bet’ strategy which doesn’t change the odds from being 50-50 with each bet, but with only 12 bets (games) the odds of losing 4 in a row are remote.
    Still, lost 2 in a row betting SC to cover and with a Cal “loss” that would be 3 in a row with one final chance at 16,000 units looming

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  22. Sometimes it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

    Grinch is a human being like everybody else and being a football lifer with little good to show for it in recent years has to have him wondering why he got into football in the first place

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  23. Wiles said the Utah loss was perhaps the most “gut-wrenching” he had ever experienced.
    But I wonder what is worse for the guy– losing the game or reading the personal commentary afterwards

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  25. From my seat, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of our receivers inability to get any separation from Utahs DBs. I’m mean they were blanketed. Everything now is go long !! Didn’t help that LR stopped running the ball consistently, doesn’t dink and dunk, and expects CW to bail him outta his crappy lazy predictable play calling. Go long ! Please.

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