FOOTBALL

USC Notes: The Lincoln Defenders Are Struggling

One argument from Lincoln Riley defenders is that he had such a major rebuild to do, it’s not totally unreasonable for USC to go 7-5.

Did they look at Arizona’s roster? Oregon State’s roster? Utah after its injuries? Those teams all finished ahead of USC.

Cal finished one game behind USC. Cal!?!?!

If the Bears converted a 2-point play, they are ahead of USC in the Pac-12 standings.

The idea that this season was anything less than a self-inflicted disaster by Riley is ludicrous. But the homers just can’t accept the truth even when it is obvious.

  • It turns out USC is Jonathan Smith’s dream job. Maybe if he wins at Michigan State, it will still happen.

71 thoughts on “USC Notes: The Lincoln Defenders Are Struggling”

  3. Wasn’t that Jeff Goldblum, Michael, and when he was criticized for wearing the same clothes every day he showed off his wardrobe of having 10 of the same outfit so he wouldn’t have to think what to wear

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    1. I’m thinking of the 1958 David Hedison version, John….. but I like the Goldblum story [sometime check out Goldblum in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic —he’s incredible]….

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      2. I can relate, never having been a clothes hound myself and in fact I always say how my wife is usually dressed to the “9s” and me to the ‘Ninths,’

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    3. Goldblum portrayed Ian Malcolm in the Jurassic Park movies, but that idea of wearing the same clothes every day (because he didn’t want to waste any time on anything so unimportant as fashion) was I believe limited to Michael Crichton’s novel (don’t believe Goldblum had any lines to that effect, but he did wear black, as per the novel).

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  4. A new toy, Scott?– I liked the other one better, but regarding Wiley’s followers here is hoping the guy works out because there wont be any takers of the $80+ million left on his SC contract

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  5. what Scott didn’t mention and fanboys forgot ( on purpose) is LR said this will be the turning point season with better players and a returning Heisman winner.

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  6. Regrettably, Scott is on the money. Lincoln’s lazily muddled battle plan this year was ‘let Caleb run around till somebody gets open.’ By the end of the season everybody we played knew it…. and everybody playing for us was sick of it…..

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      2. They have a lot in common – at least we’ve been spared having to listen to LR expound on the joys of having the Pac-12 South title still in front of him.

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      1. At some point, John, I believe our thesis is gonna get confirmed by one of the [many] players transferring out of the program…….

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  7. (Aside– College Football Contest)

    37,000 vs Illinoisusc 30,000. Assuming Illinois bets the entire 30,000 this last weekend, I bet 24,000 on Georgia -4.5 over Alabama

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      1. Alabama is just not the same Alabama of the past however that team still has some swagger, but a Crimson tide victory throws the Final-4 in disarray– what do you then do with Georgia, take them over a Texas or Oregon team?

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  8. Kaylen DeBoer at Washington also inherited a team that went 4-8 in 2021 and had even a bigger rebuild. 2021 UW lost to FCS Montana, and 3 of the wins came against teams that won a total of 6 games in 2021. Riley is a towel waver, not a CEO of a Major Collegiate Football Program.

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    1. Mostly agree, Yesterday……. except Riley isn’t a towel waiver —he’s whatever the opposite of a towel waiver is…..

      #HisPepTalksDrainTheLifeOuttaPlayers

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    3. The reason for the simply common sense smart crowd to have went crazy when Urban Meyer was available and wanted the job – he took over a 6-7 Buckeyes squad and went 12-0 year one. End of discussion. But to continue! haha LR’s mentor Bob Stoops went 12-0 and won a national championship at Oklahoma (after they had went through a prolonged downturn). It’s all excuses. He did what he knew how to do – it didn’t work in spite of a supremely gifted QB, because he failed to do what the great coaches – the kind of coach USC should have – do: he didn’t change the culture left over from Helton. Stoops, for all of his Big Game Bob losses (often ugly), immediately changed the culture at OU.

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      1. Lincoln [before the first spring practice in his first year]: “The way I see it, my number one job is to preserve the culture Clay Helton built over the last 5 years……and I think I’ll start by closing practices so you reporters can’t see we’re not tackling.”

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  9. That last out of order comment was for the Washingtn coach, but directing it to MG’s Wiley’s comment, I would say the guy has had pretty good success if indeed his players are drained by his pep talks

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    1. Caleb definitely hangs on to the ball too long. I was watching Penix and Nix. They get rid of the ball fast and nickle and dime you with all that short stuff. But ultimately, let’s face it, it was this horrendous defense that couldn’t stop anyone that was at fault for this wasted season.

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      1. Agreed. Superman plays are fine —but let’s try to nickel and dime teams next year…..

        #AndSaveSupermanStuffForWhenWeNeedItIn4thQuarter

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      2. This isn’t one of those “let’s go back to the scene of the crime and correct it” comments…

        But…

        Norm Chow agrees with you also!

        Feast on easy pickings … pick your spots to go for the big play … keep the opposing defense off balance and guessing … win when the other team overplays and shuts down any part of your offense (2004 and 2007 Rose Bowls come to mind), win when your starting QB is out (say Leinart at Arizona State, or Sanchez stepping in at the Dome in 2007), win in whatever type of weather (eg Auburn 2003, Corvalis 2004, Arkansas 2006, Cal 2007), and win against top flight opponents (Auburn 2002-Ohio State 2009). In short…build systems and don’t rely on single points of failure …. if you get a difference-making talent at QB (as you did and as is admittedly critical given the way football is now played) then it should be multiplier, not a necessary ingredient.

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      3. Pete Carroll was totally in charge of Chow. Chow did what PC told him to do, knowing that if he didn’t PC would get rid of him(which he eventually did….the worst decision of his career). LR has never been in total control of Caleb. Caleb changed a lot of LR’s plays right at the LOS. Those changes benefitted him and not the teams.

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      4. Mostly agree – but Pete/Chow wasn’t about control…Chow had nearly total independence in play-calling given defense was Pete’s specialty (Pete to my recollection would only lean on him to run more at times). Totally agree as to LR-QB1…illustrating again that the coach has to be in control and never rely that much on any particular player.

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      5. Nice, James. I know the following quote is kinda off point …but the essence of the comment is similar to the sentiments you just posted— Coming back after a long retirement, George Foreman said “No more going for the knockout punch….this time around I’m gonna keep my jab on the guy till he gets tired.”

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    1. I’m not ready to give up on LR. Get a great DC. That will fix the defense. The O-Line needs a fix. If this guy can’t do it, you need another O-Line coach. Then there is the NIL. That has to be fixed. Everytime they go after a great big man(O-line or front 7 on defense), Oregon is going to go after that person. Oregon will offer bags of cash and SC will offer stories about the SoCal beaches. Where do you think he will go everytime?

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      2. Riley brings them to his $17 million mansion and they ask why is the coach showing off his money and giving none to me? Not a good look.

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    2. I am too, Charles. Without the down years we would not have appreciated as much the National Championship years of 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003 and 2004

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  11. T Bruins —- Don’t give up hope! Serious conversations are probably ongoing as to whether to make Chip’s “Has Been” status permanent….

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  12. MG

    Did you say Santa Monica? You haven’t been down there lately have you? What used to be a nice clean little liberal town is now crime ridden. The post office has actually said that they won’t send their postmen into certain parts of the city. Too much crime. If you live in those parts of the city, you have to go pick your mail up.

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    1. Now wait just a minute, I was in Santa Monica on Sunday at St. Monica’s Church and statue, and at the lookout point in Palisades Park and I did not see one bad guy. Of course, it was 7:30 in the morning so maybe they were all asleep after a hard Saturday night

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      1. Santa Monica and Pasadena are the last two Southern California cities I visited before we left for Hawaii—- and I wish I hadn’t seen what they turned into…..

        #…ButOurBayAreaCities,S.F.&Oakland,TakeTheCake….

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  15. All gets solved if AD Jen Cohen takes over hiring a new D-coordinator, new O-line coach, a new strength & conditioning coach, and a new special teams coordinator. If LR doesn’t like his new role being a puppet to the AD, then he can leave – and we can get a real HC then too, instead of this fraud…

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    1. i’m pretty sure that isnt happening.

      whatever you think about Riley, he is the guy who will be at the center of changes, or they wont work.

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      1. Please give the guy some time. Mario Cristobal is 12-12 in 2 years at Miami and hardly anyone is saying anything. LR had one bad year(7-5 is a bad year for him) and the football pundants are calling him a fraud.

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      3. …so you’re saying you don’t think we can beat LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Washington and Notre Dame without Caleb?

        #Yeah…ThatSoundsRight

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  16. Get real. You can get a new DC, Oline coach, hell swap out all the assistants including the S&C coach and it won’t change a f’ing thing if your HC is soft lightweight who’s practices more like a flag football team than a blue blood powerhouse. His recruiting abilities have been compromised because of his much deserved “approach” to college football. Football played like he prefers has and never will win anything. Watching OSU V Michigan should be your first clue. Yes he walked into a shitshow, but the tone you set for the team must be championship caliber.

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      1. P. S.

        I hope everyone takes a long look at the article Charles posted —pay particular attention to that photo of Chip rolling off the field after the Cal loss ….such an inspiring sight for young athletes to see in the locker at halftime……

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      3. I know, that’s why I mentioned it. Helton and Chip have the same agent Jimmy Sexton and each had four years of their exorbitant contracts left when the airplane banners flew.

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