FOOTBALL

USC Notes: This Is What Lincoln Riley Must Do To Win A Championship

When USC fans were going gaga over the offense in the Holiday Bowl, I pointed out the Trojans’ anemic running game. Of course, the fanboys did not appreciate it.

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So let’s review the Michigan-Washington game. The Wolverines rushed for 303 yards. They held Washington to 301 yards of offense.

Can you imagine a Lincoln Riley team doing that?

  • The often-discussed Korey Foreman is transferring to Fresno State.
  • Quarterback Jayden Maiava’s NIL reps have officially announced he committed to USC. This guy is already getting on my nerves.

67 thoughts on “USC Notes: This Is What Lincoln Riley Must Do To Win A Championship”

  1. From the picture I gather that Wolf believes having a stellar marching band is also a big factor in winning a national championship! Couldn’t agree more!! 😛

    Jake, get on it!!!

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  3. It was a joke as is Wolf’s admonishment of the “fanboys” supposedly not appreciating Wolf’s explanation of an anemic Trojan running attack

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  4. A third-rate blogger wants Riley to know he has the formula to win a Natty.

    But the formula is a cliche that is as old as the game.

    Thanks, Scott, for letting us all know what the recipe was missing.

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      2. In the Penn St game, they didn’t throw a pass the entire second half…..hard to believe in this day of pass-first offenses. I am sure Leach was shaking his head from the grave

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  6. Just because it is a truism, does not mean it isn’t true. Running the ball, especially north-south between the tackles, is still at the core of the game. It wears on a defense, especially the defensive line, and particularly when it is consistently applied for all 4 quarters. By the end of the game, the opposing defense is quite literally “tired” of getting punched in the mouth. And it keeps the opposing defense on the field, and also controls the clock, depriving the other team the use of their offense.

    This type of running game inexorably draws linebackers and even the secondary into the box, to plug holes and prevent long gains. And also, it is far easier for an offensive line to run block than to pass block (it’s the difference between driving forward to block [simple] and retreating while staying in front of a rusher [hard]). Run blocking reduces to just beating the man in front of you at the point of attack. Ask any offensive lineman which he would rather do: get punched in the face or do the punching?

    And that leads to another truism: take what the defense gives you. When the D shifts to the run, which it must if the run is working, then one-on-one matchups with receivers become ubiquitous, which makes the job of the QB throwing to targets infinitely easier. But until an opponent can stop the run, there is almost no reason to abandon it.

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    2. as i said on a previous thread, I have not seen alot of Michigan football. has it done the pre-snap motion in all its games? are there many other teams using that as extensively as Michigan?

      i hope Riley gets more serious about having tight ends that can really run block, it would pair nicely with an effective pass game.

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    1. Moss gets dumped on again……enough is enough …….the kid needs to pack his bags and go to a school that wants him to be their starter from day one.

      Moss will always have his one-night claim to fame, Holiday Bowl, as a Trojan

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      1. What are you talking about? SC needs more than two QBs going into the season. They should have picked one up that’s let competent so as not to hurt Moss’s feelings or something?

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    2. Will Howard was a top 20 rated QB for 2023. Jayden is Top 75. Moss should beat him out in Spring [but Riley probably won’t declare anybody winner of the competition until the week before LSU game so we don’t lose Jayden]…

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      1. MG: but Riley probably won’t declare anybody winner of the competition until the week before LSU game so we don’t lose Jayden]

        ……..or Moss!……… I watched Jayden play at Liberty HS, here in Vegas, and watched all his games at UNLV, two were in person…..IMO, he’s better than Moss!

        From an experience standpoint, Jayden is way ahead.

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      2. Do you think Jayden telegraphs his passes? I watched all the film I could this morning and I saw a lot of quick throws to the first guy he eyed….. most of which were, like, 5-10 yard throws…..
        On the plus side his quick release kept him from getting dragged down behind the line or running around in circles in the backfield …and that’s quite an accomplishment considering UNLV’s O-Line wasn’t exactly stellar in 2023….

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      3. UNLV had some small receivers with great twitch that often forced the DBs to play a little soft at the LOS, instead of a tight press coverage. This quick-release stuff allows the QB to get the ball out to the receiver fast and forces the DB to tackle in space.

        The receivers picked up a lot of YAC because of their ability in space to make a defender miss. Think of Domoni Jackson getting his ankles broken. Branch and Lemon need to be making their money with the YAC. but you need the trigger man to get it there. I don’t see that in Moss. His release is average and Riley can’t change that, he’s tried

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    3. Moss will take it in stride and win the starting job (which I base on his Holiday Bowl performance and on how he’s stuck it out at USC thus far). Maiava probably got a nice NIL deal and will step in and excel if Moss goes down.

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      1. Here’s the question that will be agured, is Saban the GOAT?
        Winning a Natty this season would have been the epic way to end a career

        Scott needs to start a thread with this discussion

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  10. First Carrot and now Satan although I softened about the guy when watching some of his interviews where he is quite comfortable and ‘thinks on his feet,’ characteristics SC;s Wiley should study

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      3. At this point, pure speculation……But the names for potential replacements will start to bounce around and Kiffin’s name will be on the shortlist…..

        Who do you think is worthy of replacing him?

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      5. Check out all the delicious irony in this answer, Gabby: If Lane can curb his clever tongue, all other systems are ‘go.’ The only thing holding him back is the fact he can’t resist the temptation to say what’s on his mind…
        #…ALittleSelfCensorship&He’s”TheGuy”

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      6. LIKED!…..”Check out all the delicious irony in this answer”

        irony aside, this is the job he’s been waiting for his entire career……the maturity level has evolved …..he’s ready!

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  11. Louisville ,to the trained eye that is, stacked the defense for the run game and dared SC to win with Moss at q/b with the passing game. They also were one of the top rushing defenses all year. They finished in the top 20,and SC beat them in a real game minus many SC players. We never hear that part, do we.
    It is true the best teams have a good ground game,in addition to a passing game.
    I would also state through the years teams that win have better than avg defenses,if not great ones. The B10 is filled with teams with great linemen as Washington found out. SC used to beat them regularly before the hellton decade.

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    1. We will have a much better offense with the addition of Mississippi State’s talented runner/receiver Jo’Quavious Marks [besides great run stats, he had 50 receptions].

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  13. Lane Kiffen makes the most sense in Alabama. Danmed Lanning doesn’t have the balls to take over after Saban. While Kirby is still in Georgia. Why go into the oven when there’s more space on top of the stove? Lane wants Saban to give his blessing because the next coach needs the Pope’s ring insignia on his forehead. Bill O’Brien would be the next choice because Saban doesn’t want anyone who could surpass what he did in that spot. Notice how Riley gets no mentioning with and seriousness about any openings? How sad. Belicheck, Saban and Carroll being forced out of coaching. End of an era indeed.

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    1. Lane already has the “Pope’s ring insignia on his forehead” from that little disagreement he & Saban had on the sidelines during the Auburn game…

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    2. Carroll and Saban are both 72 years of age and Belichick is 71 – they’re not being forced. The first two are tired.

      As to the last one – Belichick should have had some humility and noted his success was with Brady and Brady with him – now he has the last 3 years to look at.

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  14. LR will need to first change his philosophy on how wants to stabilize the roster building through HS n player development and coaching. We need to go in that direction first then everything will take care of itself.

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    1. There’s really no coaches that are great at every aspect of the game. Some are great at offense, some are great at defense and some are not great at anything(like Clay Helton). But LR really is one the greater minds when it comes to offense. That’s a good place to start.
      All you have to do now is bring others onto the team who can coach the other aspects of the game. I still support LR. He made a terrible decision when it comes to keeping Grench but that can be overcome.
      Look at Kiffen. He was fired from the Raiders…..fired by SC and I really think that he will win a national championship(probably at Bama). Sark is another one. Would have been fired at Washington had not SC come to the rescue and was fired at SC.

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  15. Down in Tuscaloosa, home of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the little city goes by the name of “Title-Town,” so if you are a prospective coach you had better be prepared to deliver. My guess is they will go after that Oregon Webfoots’ creep

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  16. And I am glad Pete ‘Carrot’ made it clear he was flat-out fired, none of this MUTUALLY agreeable stuff for him. And the guy is not finished, he has the energy of a 20 year-old, I would love to find out what brand of coffee he drinks

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  18. I would not wish to be Wiley (although I’d take his salary) with the future of his coaching tenure on the line and dependent on how good his lines will be in 2024. He didn’t inherit a full deck from Ton-o-Hel and now is reeling-and-dealing off his heels

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    1. Why is Nick Saban retiring? Because he can’t cheat anymore. Him(and all of the rest of the SEC) have been cheating for years. Every big time recruit he ever brought in received an expensive brand new car(among other things) from his dealership right outside of the Alabama campus. The NCAA(which favors the SEC) looked the other way. The SEC had an advantage because any non-SEC team who did that would get crucified by the NCAA. Now all that stuff is legal with NIL and the SEC has lost their advantage. Saban tried to get Tommy Tuberville(former Auburn coach and present Alabama congressman) to put some kind of bill in congress to give the SEC their advantage back. It didn’t go over well. So he decided to call it quits.

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  20. From the interwebs this am…about the replacement for Saban:

    Monday Jan 8, 2024 Nick Saban informed the Staff that he was retiring.
    Wednesday Jan 10, 2024 Dan Lanning was in T-Town.
    Wednesday Jan 10, 2024 Nick Saban informed the Team that he was retiring.

    Nick Saban has approved the hiring of Dan Lanning.AD
    Greg Byrne will be making an official announcement in the next 24 to 72 hours.

    The Reason for Saban’s Retirement? Terri Saban has been diagnosed with Dementia.

    #IfTruePrayersForTerri.

    My Mom Died From Dementia And I Wouldn’t Wish It On My Worst Enemy

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