FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Lincoln Riley’s Revamp Only Went So Far

The USC coaching staff shuffling appears over and it only concerned the defense.

Despite the offensive line’s struggles, offensive line coach Josh Henson appears to have been spared any serious evaluation. And there was no consideration of hiring a special teams coach.

Getting Lincoln Riley to revamp his defensive staff was apparently a monumental enough task. If you wanted him to touch his precious offense or change his philosophy on having a special teams coach, you are going too far.

  • ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has the Bears selecting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick. With the No. 2 pick, he has the Commanders taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and with the No. 2 pick, the Patriots take North Carolina QB Drake Maye.
  • Arizona has fired athletic director Dave Heeke, presumably because the athletic dept. overspent its budget as the university overall faces a $240 million budget deficit.

So they let Heeke hire a new football coach and then immediately fire him? What kind of logic is that? You think new coach Brent Brennan is happy that he will now work for someone who didn’t hire him?

74 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Lincoln Riley’s Revamp Only Went So Far”

    1. Yes. Someone dumb enough to visit Scott’s blog every day only to bitch about what he writes IS stupid. Good for you, for being able to recognize your shortcomings and admit it!

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      1. Yes. Someone dumb enough to visit Scott’s blog every day only to bitch about Biden IS stupid. Good for you, for being able to recognize your shortcomings and admit it!

        Try to find something productive to do that might help take your mind off the “Joe infatuation”. It can not be good for your overall mental health.

        You have the support of the blog with the hope you can overcome the demons between your ears.

        Hope you have a better day!

        FIGHT ON!

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      2. LOL! The fool who claims I stalk or obsess over her insists on replying to me again, showing what an idiot she is and how she doesn’t understand the meaning of those words. That’s why she’s known to the entire blog as the Village Idiot, BS Artist, Let’s Meet Up and a bunch of other names that I didn’t need to make up myself.

        More of her lame excuses for that and other lies in 3, 2, 1…

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      6. Why would Ken’s post trigger you? Oh, you admit to posting under So Cal many, many times in the past.

        Got it!

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      7. …….and so cal takes Ken’s bait but wants to blame Gabby for him(so cal) looking like an idiot.

        There is something not right in so cal’s head. He is obviously having issues processing reality but continues to blame others for his own stupidity…..not normal!

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      8. He wasn’t referring to me, you moron. I’m not a SUCLA fan.

        A long time USC season ticket holder? Someone who occasionally references USC alumni emails including those sent to TMB alumni?! Someone who has on more than one occasion mentioned old business establishments that were near campus when I was in school, but no longer?! One or two that are still there! You are so dense.

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      9. you senile troll, he was talking about someone mocking you…..you were the punchline.

        You’re having issues processing reality. Just like yesterday when Parcel was being sarcastic and it flew right over your head. He even made a second post to let you know you were confused. So stop acting like other people have mental issues.

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      10. Not other people. Just you…as so many others have. Quit lying about that and pretending it’s never happened.

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      11. STOP!……he was mocking you, dipshit…….it doesn’t matter who the bruin was….. you were the punchline……stop deflecting

        more reality issues!

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  3. Scooter,

    Hoping Henson and Riley change their ways by getting a power run game going. Air Raid will not work in the cold, snow, and wet ground. Too much slipping on the field. If Michigan can play power, then I guess it is good enough for SC.

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      2. Still acting like a teenage girl: “No one replies to you.”

        LMFAO! And she wonders why I refer to her as a female. No other man gives two shits who responds or not.

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      3. ……and the blog dunce takes the bait again and gets triggered. I guess you have to be a teenage girl to speak the truth, according to the blog dunce. I see why he has no friends or family. Just any angry old man with an axe to grind……pathetic!

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      4. LOL! Who responded to who above? (took the bait)

        And still having to make shit up to feel better about herself. So sad.

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      5. Says the clown in the circus act…….stop the whining and crying you sound like a little kid……man up

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      8. Yes it will. So stay away from them and don’t allow your perverted mind to go to “sick” just because someone mentions one. I know that’s hard for you to do. You’re the only one who did it.

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      9. I am not Tebow……focus old man….. like lactating at 74 went to “sick”……your works, buddy

        13 will get you 20 so leave it in the pants!

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      11. Never claimed I wouldn’t. A shame you can’t go even one day without making shit up. Guess that’s what people do, when they lead a lonely, miserable life. No worries.

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      12. so cal: A shame you can’t go even one day without making shit up

        If I am making shit up why respond to it? …….because you can’t resist arguing with someone. I am sure your old man was weird in the same way

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      14. If it’s not true then why get so upset over it……Is there some truth to it……..guilty conscience?

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    2. Why would any pro team want that failure ? It’s going to be a flag football team that takes that worthless sack of shit off of USC’s hands, because the “Air Raid” is nothing more than flag football.

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  5. Maybe if Henson is allowed to coach a line that isn’t made up of 90% transfers it might help his cause, not to mention RUNNING the damn ball 55% of the time instead of back peddling and playing pussy ball 70% of the time might help Henson AND the OL.

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    1. Keep in mind that last year the o-line was practicing against a d-line that was completely mis-coached and underweight, so during games, the o-line was facing something much tougher than practices. If the d-line gets much better and bigger, then the o-line will develop better too.

      I have to also imagine that the offense just gave up in some of those games because the defense just collapsed and it is hard to know you have to score every drive or lose the game.

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    2. I’d think twice about getting rid of Henson. He’s only 48 years old and he has been a head O-Line coach for 15 years at major programs and had good running games almost all of those years.
      One of the main problems last year was Caleb Williams. They are down in their stance for 40 seconds on every play because CW uses the whole play clock changing the play at the LOS.
      On the road, at loud stadiums, the crowd is so loud when SC has the ball that many times the O-Line doesn’t hear CW’s audible. And then they hike the ball and CW hangs on to it forever. You ware your O-Line out that way. They are playing harder and longer on every play and it hurts their running game. I think next year under Miller Moss(who gets rid of the ball fast), SC’s running game will be much better.

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  6. I looked at the top Big 10 teams to see if they had special teams coaches, here’s what I found

    MICHIGAN
    Special Teams Coordinator, Jay Harbaugh
    Harbaugh is Michigan’s longest-tenured assistant coach entering his 9th season with the staff. He enters his fourth year as the special teams coordinator and his 2nd coaching the safeties.

    Harbaugh has coached a top-20 NCAA-ranked kickoff coverage unit in five of eight seasons including the top-ranked unit in 2017 and the No. 5 unit in 2023. U-M has had a top-25 kick return unit four times (third, 2015; 11th, 2019; 24th, 2020; ninth, 2023). He has helped another nine Wolverine specialists attain 21 more All-Big Ten honors with one consensus All-American in kicker Jake Moody. In 2021, the Wolverines set school records for net punting and kickoff coverage. Harbaugh coordinated the nation’s No. 1-ranked special teams unit in 2021 according to Football Outsiders, and the No. 2 unit in 2019.

    Under Harbaugh, Jake Moody became the program’s first-ever winner and two-time finalist of the Lou Groza Award, and the Big Ten’s Bakken-Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year, an award he won twice (2021, ’22). Moody owns program records for career points, field goals, and 40-plus field goals, among others, in addition to a number of single-season records set in 2022. Kicker Quinn Nordin set several distance records at Michigan including most career field goals over 40 yards before being passed by Moody. Nordin also ranks sixth in all-time field goals made (42).

    Two U-M punters have been semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award: Brad Robbins (2021, ’22) and Will Hart (2018), who was named a second-team All-American and won the Big Ten’s Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year Award. Hart and Robbins rank one-two in U-M history in single-season and career net punt average. Hart was named a second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated in 2018, ranked as a Ray Guy Award semifinalist and also won the Big Ten’s Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year Award.

    In the return game, Donovan Peoples-Jones was a freshman All-American punt returner in 2017, and Jabrill Peppers was the No. 5-ranked individual return man in the nation in 2016. Giles Jackson matched the program record for kickoff return touchdowns with two through his sophomore season (2020), and Khaleke Hudson blocked five punts during his career – a Michigan record. A.J. Henning was twice named an All-Big Ten return man (second team, third team)

    OHIO STATE
    Special Teams Coordinator, Parker Fleming
    Fleming is in his third season as Ohio State University’s special team’s coordinator. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day named Fleming to the position in February of 2021. He had previously worked on Ohio State’s staff for three seasons as a quality control coach with the special teams units (2018-20).

    Ohio State ranked 16th in punting in 2022 (45.3). The Buckeyes ranked among the Top 25 teams in two special teams categories in 2021: 20th in kickoff return defense with an average of 17.8 yards allowed; and 22nd in kickoff returns (24.5).

    PENN STATE
    Special Teams Coordinator, Justin Lustig

    Lustig, a 2022 Broyles Award nominee as the nation’s top assistant coach, served the previous two seasons as associate head coach and special teams coordinator at Vanderbilt, while also coaching the tight ends. Lustig was promoted from assistant head coach following the 2021 season.

    Lustig was instrumental in the development of special teams during his Vanderbilt tenure. The 2023 and 2022 seasons saw Vanderbilt rank 41st and 44th, respectively, in ESPN’s Special Teams Efficiency. He inherited a special teams unit ranked outside the top 100 in FBS in 2020, the season before his arrival. As a team in 2023, Vanderbilt was one of 20 programs in the country to block multiple punts and finished 11th nationally in net punting.

    OREGON
    Special Teams Coordinator, Joe Lorig

    Lorig returned to the Pacific Northwest to join Dan Lanning’s inaugural staff at Oregon as the special teams coordinator and nickels coach on January 3, 2022.

    Prior to joining the Penn State staff, Lorig coached special teams and outside linebackers for three seasons at Memphis. He started his career at his alma mater, Western Oregon, before spending seven years at Idaho State, a season at UTEP and three years as the defensive coordinator at Central Washington.

    “Joe has a proven track record of coaching special teams,” Lanning said at the time of the hiring. “His units have twice ranked No. 1 nationally in special teams efficiency, and Joe is also connected with many of the high school coaches throughout the state of Oregon. He has an affinity for this part of the country, and it’s just very exciting to be able to attract a coach of this caliber to our staff.”

    Lorig’s time on the Penn State staff featured a pair of dynamic returners and several All-Big Ten honorees on special teams and in his position groups. The All-Big Ten teams featured a Penn State kick or punt returner in all three years Lorig was in Happy Valley.

    In 2021, Lorig coached Jordan Stout to Big Ten Punter of the Year and second-team All-America honors. Stout was a Ray Guy award finalist who earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week recognition four times during the season. Jahan Dotson also earned third-team All-Big Ten recognition as a punt returner after averaging 24.6 yards per punt return, a school record.

    Special teams were a strength for Penn State in 2020. The Nittany Lions were one of four Power Five schools to have a kick and punt return touchdown. Dotson was named honorable mention All-Big Ten after being one of three players in the nation with two punt returns longer than 50 yards, including an 81-yard runback for a touchdown.

    In 2019, three of Lorig’s specialists earned earned All-Big Ten honorable mention laurels: punter Blake Gillikin, kick returner KJ Hamler and kicker Jake Pinegar. The Nittany Lions’ special teams unit was ranked first among Power Five schools in special teams efficiency and tied for second nationally overall according to ESPN.com

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  7. The offense was in the top 3 in terms of productivity, despite the problems that CW caused.

    Yes, the offensive line wasnt good. But an oline is built by recruiting for a few years in a row and then building them up. Henson recruited a good incoming class last year and another decent class this year in terms of the o-line. Bigger guys, guys who are tougher. Will he put together a good o-line? We will have to see, but he is doing it the right way now, building from the recruits, not transfers. There would be no good reason for not giving him this year to prove he can develop a line.

    Receivers coach Simmons has a top receiver room. There is no reason to change that. I do think they could get rid of Huard.

    Tight ends coach is married to the head of recruiting, so if you fire him, you fire her as well. They have 3 incoming tight ends that are quality this year, so if this room doesnt get better, then it is coaching.

    One of the defense coaches can take on the special teams, maybe Entz.

    Running backs coach is great, no reason to fire him.

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    1. Got to do something about NIL. I don’t care if these kids grew up worshipping SC football. Most of them are going to take the money and run when recruiting time comes around. I’m tired of seeing really good players committed to SC and then at the last minute Oregon drives the Brinks truck up to the Eugene campus and they decide to de-commit and go to Oregon.
      I don’t think LR likes the NIL system. I don’t like it either. He thinks of those players as mercenaries just playing for the money. But, hey, it is what it is. Until somebody puts some restraints on how much each school can spend, you have to play the game or be left behind.

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      1. sucla’s basketball coach ‘Crowin’ said NIL considerations were interfering with his ability to attract quality players, so some good is coming from the NIL creation

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      4. MG, are things still this bad at Lahaina?

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      5. Pete left for the NFL when this year’s recruits were 3 years old. They grew up watching Kiffin get tarmacked, drunken Sark’s antics and Hugs. Not much draw there. They grew up with Oregon dominating the Pac 12 and Bama dominating the nation. Bohn’s Folly blew whatever credibility he had going 8-5 this year with a returning Heisman Trophy QB. The recruits at Mater Dei are going elsewhere now. SC should be spending like Texas A&M to bring them back.

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      6. Where do you get off? You act as if memories of Drunken Sark & Warrior Hugs [and don’t forget the brief but splendido interim season w/Donte Williams] won’t even matter to Mater Dei 5 star players when they’re choosing a program….

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      7. Yes, as Gabby has pointed out, Hawaiians are politically naive…. but they don’t deserve THIS. The people here are being shafted in every conceivable way by the dems they elected [and, no doubt, will re-elect]…..
        #SayAPrayer…
        #SoManyHomelessFamilies

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      8. You mean insurance or lack of insurance is shafting them. I have never heard of the government rebuilding private properties. Many lawsuits have been filed against private companies for negligence. Last time I checked “Hawaiian Electric” has been a publicly traded company since 1964. Blaming a political party is confirmation bias!

        Is overgrown vegetation on private property the responsibility of “dems”? If the Island lacks the resources to rebuild that’s an issue for the private sector.

        No disrespect to the displaced people of Maui, but relocating to a new location might be the most logical situation.

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      9. MG
        It’s true that SC has had much trouble in the last 13 years since the NCAA tried to destroy the Trojan football program but they were still having no problems bringing in the MD and SJB players. Those players didn’t start deciding to go else where until NIL. The real problem is not that they think SC is a joke. They’re chasing the money.

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      11. Nick Saban would agree but for different reasons. Alabama(as well as all of the SEC) has been cheating for years while the NCAA looked the other way. Every 4 or 5 star recruit got an expensive brand new car from Sabans dealership just outside the U of A. NIL took Bama’s(and the SEC’s) cheating advantage away. It evened up the field a little and old St. Nick doesn’t like it.

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      12. It created parity and Nick can’t compete with the parity you mentioned……You can only drive one car at a time. It doesn’t matter how much money was involved you still have to go out and make the plays on the field. Money might have stacked some talent but the execution is what won the Titles.

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      14. You raise some legitimate issues, Gabby —but please read the following with an open mind [I’d say without “confirmation bias”……but….]:
        2 weeks before the fire, the dem Governor of Hawaii Proclaimed “lands destroyed by act of God will become Public Lands.” He’s now in charge of negotiating with those “private companies” you were referring to. I’m sure politics [bribes] won’t play any part in those negotiations. One week after the fire, dem senator, Mazie Hirono, delegated the responsibility for requesting government assistance to dem senator Chuck Schumer…who said Hawaii isn’t interested in aid UNLESS it’s tied to billions in aid for Biden’s war/money laundering operation in Ukraine. In other words, aid COULD be available to Maui but only if congress votes to keep the slaughter in Ukraine from ending. The dem Mayor of Hawaii doesn’t take phone calls from constituents —his office just re-routes them to the Land Use Committee [which has expressly relinquished it’s authority to the dem Governor’s office].
        Bottom line —there’s a land grab going on in Maui …and it looks like it’s being orchestrated by the dems. Fortunately for them, the voters here don’t pay attention.

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  8. You waste a lot of words with this meaningless jargon. Michigan missed an extra point vs. Alabama. Branch did fine as a returner, punt blocked vs. UW. Too many
    asst. coaches on defense.

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      1. The latter was provided by just one of thousands of donors. An actual father figure was never around. That is readily apparent from her posts.

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      2. You senile dipshit he was replying to this post……you really have some comprehension issues. Get in touch with reality……

        “S
        JANUARY 23, 2024 AT 5:02 PM
        You waste a lot of words with this meaningless jargon. Michigan missed an extra point vs. Alabama. Branch did fine as a returner, punt blocked vs. UW. Too many
        asst. coaches on defense.”

        Interesting, my mom kept having to ask your old man “Is it in yet” ……the same thing the shar pei told you that one day in the grocery store parking lot……

        PS……13 will get you 20…..leave that pimple in your pants!

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      3. And she had the nerve to claim Grabbbyy posted the same stale shit over & over again! LMAO

        She’s used the same adolescent attempts at humor for more than a year. Gotta be pretty messed up in the head to think those are in any way amusing.

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  9. How is Arizona ever going to get out from under that size deficit?

    It seems that SC will be a “Big-10” middle of the pack team this year

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      1. It was a “cold”!
        #Lincoln:”ISwearToGodItWasn’tANervousBreakdown!”
        #”HowCouldIGetMyTeamSoReadyForUCLAIfIWasFlippedOut?!”

        Liked by 1 person

      2. The PGA Commissioner Jaybird Monahan did the same thing when it was revealed the PGA had betrayed Rory and Tiger and made a deal with the LIV Tour… and he still has his job too.

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  11. Gabby
    Very True. You still have to “make the plays and execute”. But the money and cars tend to bring in the better players who tend to be more apt to make the plays and execute. I’m not crazy about NIL but I still say it has taken away some of the advantage the SEC has had for the last 15 years(the ability to buy players while the NCAA looks the other way). Now anyone who has the money can buy players. It’s legal. So the SEC has lost it’s advantage. As I’ve said before, there’s a reason why the SEC has won 13 of the last 17 NC’s while having won only 4 of the previous 25 NC’s.

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