How’s that loss to UCLA holding up?
Here’s a stat courtesy of Cal writer Avinash Kunnath.
“In the month of November, UCLA has played 15 quarters of football. In 11 quarters, they’ve managed 24 points. USC gave up 38 in the other four.”
Think about that. Arizona State stopped UCLA. Cal stopped UCLA. USC could not come close to stopping UCLA.
Remember that as Lincoln Riley tries to spin away the season.
The fish rots from the head, changing the DC and most of the defensive coaches will be a start ( unless the hire is a POS, which is entirely possible with Riley ), but unless Riley changes his tone about being a physical football team on BOTH sides of the ball, SC is going to remain a mess.
Think SC’s lines could compete with either of Ohio States or Michigan’s yesterday ?
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Road graders vs wet toilet paper
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Jen Cohen should have fired all three of the Three Stooges (Grinch, Nua and Donte Williams) at the same time, the players would have been better off not having to listen to any of those idiots
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She should have canned them all
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What happened at the RB last night TO?
Your team lost by 26 freaking points to lowly step brother Cal.
Yes, the same team you are paying the UC extortion payment to courtesy of Governor etc.
Chip is a disaster and blaming the scheduling after rivalry game is pathetic.
Glad to see the ol gang back, MG, Tire, etc.
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I’m back…but Chip might be gone, YoungDole.
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Yet Chip routed SC. Maybe our new AD should bring her own head coach and dump Bohn’s Folly. Indiana just bought out their football coach for $20.8 million.
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It still hurts to read the words “Yet Chip routed USC.”
I had a feeling we might get outcoached….but in my wildest dreams I didn’t foresee a rout.
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tebowbama, she needs to fire herself.
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Why don’t you go write for UCLA or Notre Dame. Have you noticed how few real fans post here anymore? It’s bad enough we have to weed through all of the nonsense but your lack of inside info and posts that seem more like what you would find on a UCLA or ND blog is tiresome.
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What did Wolf post that was wrong ?
USC could not stop a PATCHETIC ucla offense, period. If that hurts your wittle feelings, go post at wearesc or some other rah rah site.
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(Aside– Football Betting Contest)
Bet 1000 on Arizona over Arizona St (won)
New balance– 37,000
Illinoisusc– 30,000
22,000
21,000
In these contests it always comes down to the last bet which is this week, but being in the lead means I only have to win my bet and don’t need any help, so it makes it a 50-50 deal
Probably will take Oregon and give Washington the points
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You are a lot smarter bettor than my brother-in-law, Lawyer John…
#…ThisHasBeen”ABadYear”ForHim….
#…AndHe’sPayingALotOf$$For”Expert”OnlineBettingTips
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I have mentioned this before, Michael, but in my younger days at a sports betting venue in Las Vegas a betting old-timer took me out to the parking lot and said, “You see any new cars out here?”
The key to these contests is to make only one bet per week or 12 bets, but instead all the bettors bet on 30 or more. The 50-50 odds with each bet don’t change of course, but the more bets one makes the closer it gets to the 50-50 range
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Like I said: “You’re a lot smarter than my brother-in-law.”
#He’sBettingDOZENSOfGamesEveryWeek
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Here are listed height/weight for Michigan’s starting O-line
6’5″ 316 LT
6’6″ 320 LG
6’2″ 301 C
6’6″ 322 RG
6’6″ 340 RT
average 6″5″ 320 lbs (315 lbs without the big fellow)
Here is the same for Trojans
6’2″ 295 (Dedich)
6’5″ 300 (Monheim)
6’4″ 305 (Kingston)
6’4″ 305 (Tarquin)
6’5:” 305 (Murphy)
average 6’4″ 302 lbs
For comparison, here is the oregon state starting o line
6’4″ 305
6’4″ 310
6’4″ 295
6’1″ 290
6’1″ 334
average 6’3″ 306 lbs
USC’s line is closer to Oregon State than Michigan.
Big problem, and it won’t get fixed by next year. What can help is strength/conditioning. USC’s o-line was get pushed around enormously the last few games.
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Problem is unlike regular sized people such as quarterbacks and split ends there are few 18-21 year olds who weigh 300 pounds and are athletic
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Somehow USC used to recruit them in the McKay/Robinson and Carroll eras.
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Have you been to So Cal lately ? The schools that used to produce OL & DL now produce nothing, the demographics are not the same today
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Munoz and Van Horne were right around 280 lbs.
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weight is a metric that is far too simple to use as a measuring stick. there are plenty of 330 lbs o-linemen that are fat tubs of lard.
but the point that USC will not fair well on the line of scrimmage against michigan is very true. the line next year will only have one starter from this year (Pregnon).
i really question whether Henson knows how to coach o-line. he moved experienced players from left to right and between positions and look at the mess it created. moving Tarquin from left tackle meant that Monheim had to leave his guard position, which messed with both positions.
he has recruited some young players that will need to be able to step up – Paige, Noa, Pregnon (needs to improve), Banuelos, Tobias. If he needs to go into the portal to recruit a bunch of experienced linemen, the program is in for a rough patch, because it will cause dissent with the younger players.
not only did USC crumble as a team this year, they have not built up the roster on a positive trajectory for next year. there is alot of talented but inexperienced players who will need to step up next year and that only happens with great coaching.
henson came from Texas A&M, which struggled on offense while he was there. maybe the guy just doesnt deliver?
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Cogent and to the point. Henson is not the guy. Made big O-line changes this season and couldn’t coach them up – performance got worse as the season went on. Teams (like ucla) were rushing 3 (ends and center) and getting to Caleb on every passing down. This is an unacceptable coaching performance, and his resume at TAMU doesn’t support him either. He should be the next coach fired.
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67 — Looking back, USC was unfortunate to have gotten stuck with two first rate teams on this year’s schedule [Washington and Oregon]. We could have snuck by Washington State and even Oregon State.
Our big problem was Riley couldn’t get the team up for the rivalry games against Notre Dame and UCLA —both of which were very winnable.
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MG, if you can’t get your team up for ND & ucla, what does that say about the head coach ?
Does Riley even know how big those games are ?
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With all due respect MG the sucla and Neuter Dame games were the two SC was never in it and were both lost by by the 3rd quarter
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John — You’re 100% right. As it turned out, USC wasn’t really “in” either of their rivalry games. But I like to believe it was a matter of not going into those games “jacked up” [as Pete used to call it].
And karma’s got a point —what kind of coach can’t get his team jacked up to play in a rivalry game?
#Answer:ACoachWhoWearsTightSkiPantsOnTheSidelines
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The issue with USC is evaluation of talent and coaching it. The defense had dissention in the locker room because guys were playing that didn’t deserve it. Players that started last year or played a lot were benched this year for other players. Those new starters….well they weren’t very good. If you want to learn how to lose your players and your locker room continue to keep playing guys that aren’t very good. The guys that aren’t playing and should be are going to hate you. Grinch lost his players, they didn’t believe in his decision making. So the compounding return is the offensive players are mad that better players aren’t playing, they see the defense sucks. They’re mad that they have to play perfect and score 50 points to win, and if they make one mistake it could cost them the game. So, … what are you left with? Apathy! Full blown whole team apathy!
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Trojan95— 100%!
#IGiveYouTheUSC/UCLAGameAsPeople’sExhibit#1
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You can be big but not physical. If all you do is back up and pass block, you’re not going to be physical. If you HAVE to drive someone off the ball, you’ll be physical.
If your head coach is a pass happy non physical football coach you’ll mimic him, period.
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Mater Dei has a bigger O-Line than USC
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Mater Dei has a bigger O-Line and D-Line than USC
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trojan1967,
Good information, however, maybe you could show the michigan’s dline height and weight and compare it to SC’s oline. But SC’s line is very weak and disfunctional so it would not matter.
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If the O-Line is so bad then why don’t they seriously consider a new O-Line coach? SC is always a day late and a dollor short
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Thing is Wiley’s teams run as much as they pass so why wouldn’t they be physical?
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They DO NOT run as much as they pass. 44% runs, 56% pass is not equal.
Rushing attempts 343 and only AVERGING 139 yards a game, that’s pathetic
Passing attempts 428
USC’s opponents had 481 rushing attempts averaging 189 yards a game
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OK, score one for the kid, but some of those games SC had to resort to the pass in the second half because they were trying to catch up
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On the other hand, they passed all the ball all over the place in games that they led in the second half when running would have made much more sense to run clock, see the Colorado game as an example.
And I doubt I’m much younger than you are bird man
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THREE yards rushing against lowly UCLA. That’ isn’t physical.
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Cal’s RB had more yards in the one play I saw of that game than SC did in 60 minutes, pathetic.
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Not a fan of the upcoming 12-team format, 8 would have made more sense, but this year’s “Final-4 could be a nightmare for some teams–
It seems Michigan, Florida St and Georgia (even with an Alabama loss) will be in for sure and Wash if it upsets Oregon
but what do we do with 1-loss Alabama (if they beat Georgia), Texas
(who beat Alabama) and Oregon (if they beat Wash)?
Prediction–
Georgia
Michigan
Florida St
Oregon
But an Alabama victory over Georgia would scramble the ratings–
Michigan
Florida St
Alabama
Georgia or Washington if they beat Oregon
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Bama will not beat Georgia and FSU has NO business in the final four, OSU is a much better team than FSU
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Florida St and Wash are both not deserving but the argument falls flat when they are undefeated
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UDUB isn’t going to make it either
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It was a kick at the end of the Wash-Wash St game when the commentators remarked how Wash quarterback Penix was so cool and laid back, and then the guy started jumping up and down after one play, could not watch the winning field goal try, and had his face covered from crying as he left the field
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Yeah…you think he could have come out from under the towel AFTER the kick sailed thru the uprights….
#HeNotOnlyCouldn’tBearToWatchTheKick….
#…HeCouldn’tEvenBear3MorePointsShowingUpOnScoreboard
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Never seen any player do that before…
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Penix’s agent: “I really dig Caleb’s crying -at- the- end- of- the- game thing — If you get a chance I want you to top it before the Heisman vote, ok?”
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Well, Grabbbyy, I don’t think any of us have ever seen a player run into the stands after a game, to cry in mommy’s arms either. It’s been an interesting season.
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Washington is not that good. They were much better at the start of the year. Oregon will beat them.
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Welp USC fired its DC and is looking for a new one!? I agree Grinch should’ve been fired after 2022.
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…On Christmas Eve….
#[SoHe’dSufferTheWayHeMadeUsSufferInPac12Championship]…..
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Scooter,
I am thinking, I am thining on how ugly could only play 15 quarters in the month of November? Did one game start at the very end of October and go into November? Uusally you play 4 qrters per game. Maybe they play like they do with their 80 yard field, at 75% for the game close to their 80% for their practice field.
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Was going to post the same thing … leave it to Scott to re-post things of others who don’t proof-read/think before they wrote. Mathematically impossible for any college team to play 15 quarters in a month they play 4 games. Even if they did the month crossover (they did not), 3 of the quarters would had to have occurred after midnight.
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Don’t forget Arizona. They stopped UCLA also.
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I still remember Matt Leinart calling his shot on 10/21/2023: Matt Leinart on X: “The way they are playing USC could be 7-5 when it’s all said and done. Let that sink in.” / X (twitter.com)
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