FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: When Does Line Catch Up?

First, some news.

I hear USC president Carol Folt recently received a one-year contract extension.

Why so short? My suspicion is after the recent debacle involving the cancellation of the main graduation ceremony and handling of student protests, the Board of Trustees took a conservative approach on granting an extension.

  • I get a little weary of USC’s offensive line recruiting. Maybe some of the young linemen this season will develop, though there are not a lot of examples of that the past two seasons.

USC needs multiple elite prospects. Not one. Although it doesn’t even have one right now. I’ll continue to mention the 1980 offensive line on this subject. When USC can approach 50 percent of this, then we can talk seriously about being a marquee program.

  • Robert Towne, who wrote what is considered one of the greatest screenplays ever movie “Chinatown,” died Tuesday. He was 89.

Towne, who grew up in San Pedro and Rolling Hills, won an Oscar for “Chinatown.”

But here’s a great story you might not have heard about Towne. In need of money, he sold the script for the 1984 film, “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.”

Towne hated the production of the movie so much that he credited his dog, P.H. Vazak, with writing the script. Vazak then became the only dog nominated for an Oscar (Best Adapted Screenplay).

17 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: When Does Line Catch Up?”

  1. In ‘Chinatown Jack Nicholson showed his mettle by wearing a bandage in his nose throughout that film. By the way, having had a place in Chinatown for the past 17 years it is nothing like the movie ‘Chinatown

    Yes, Wolfie, without an excellent offensive line a team will not go far, but SC doesn’t yet have the “right stuff” to appeal to those types

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  2. When it is said in the 4th quarter that “The defense is wearing down” it usually is because the offensive behemoths have been battering them for 3-quarters

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  3. That 1980 offensive line was the best in college football history. And I believe you can add Anthony Munoz to the list but Munoz suffered a knee injury and was out most of the season. 3 or 4 first round draft picks, all pro awards, and a couple of hall of fame awards in Munoz and Bruce Matthews. I think Don Mosebar would have been a hall or famer too, he was the fist round draft pick of the Raiders and an all pro, but he suffered an injury after the first 3 or 4 years. There will never be another line that comes close to this one. Unless it is the 1979 line with Brad Budde.

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    1. That O-line would get its a$$ handed to them against today’s top teams….the modern front 7 is bigger stronger and faster.

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      1. Bigger, yes. Better, I don’t think so. Name a better offensive line. Any line from 10 years ago who had 3 or 4 perennial all pros and 2 future hall of famers. Alabama, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Michigan, Miami, who? What year.

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      2. Plow, get up to speed….this isn’t the 80s…….this is a subjective matter and aguing with you about players from over 40 years ago is a moot point… The athleticism of todays players in off the charts in comparison to the time frame you referenced

        Let’s agree to disagree……try that for once

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    2. Munoz was drafted in the 1980 draft so he was not part of the 1980 team.

      FYI – that 1980 teqm was on probation and ineligible for Rose Bowl due to ticket scalping in prior years.

      Gordan Adams was QB with Marcus at TB.

      The 1980 team was 8-2-1 so even the supposed best OL did not go undefeated.

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      1. Plow never does his homework…he just throws $hit at the wall hoping it sticks…..the troll has been debunked more times than I care to remember…..good-eye….

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  4. Aaah, the greats from the past are now but invisible ghosts in our memories but always nice to dream-back to some certain SC hysterical Games-sorry, I meant ‘historical’

    Speaking of bad jokes ‘Why is SC’s offensive line so offensive’

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  5. Some teams are just lucky over a season like Washington was in ’23 when the Husdkies had many close games where a play or 2 can decide it.

    Of course, that can be said about most any college football team, some years you’re luckier than others, and with only 12 games to play an extra loss or 2 can ruin a season

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  6. ‘Without-a-Folt’ got “only” one year!- Most of us never had that kind of job security in our entire lives

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  7. Bitin: Your recent imitation of me stuttereing was pretty poor quality; I can show you the real thing

    Stump: You got me beat, partner

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  9. July 4, 1776 when the U.S. Congress representing the 13 colonies decreed its ‘Declaration of Independence’ from the restraints and restrictions on freedom that Britain’s tyrant monarch King George III imposed on his ‘subjects,’

    Stump is a fan of King George III and Bitin is not too far behind himself

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  10. So the screenwriter for Chinatown named his dog P.H. Vazak, not the standard ‘one name’ most dog owners give their pets. Since most treat their dogs like royalty anyway why not give them a suitable title such as ‘PHD Sammy or MD Rover’

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