FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Good Second-Half Play Getting Spinned

I keep seeing people saying that USC coaches are performing a masterclass with halftime adjustments because of the way the defense played better in the second half against Michigan and Wisconsin.

But when linebacker Mason Cobb was asked about adjustments on Saturday, here’s what he said:

“At halftime we came in and it was very player driven. The coaches let us do our thing. They don’t really step in too much when it comes to motivating us.

“I think that’s our identity this year. No matter what happens, man, we’re not going to ever lay down.”

With the vanilla offenses USC faced the past two weeks, what massive adjustments do people think were necessary?

USC’s defense played better in the second half of both games but what critical adjustments were there? Michigan could not pass the ball in the first half or second half. USC knew that. And Lincoln Riley claimed the run defense was great on 44 of 47 plays.

So what would need to be changed? Wisconsin had a pretty inept passing game too with a backup QB. That didn’t change from the first half to the second half. Someone got beat for a deep ball on the first pass. That didn’t require some big change.

But fans/pundits have to always embellish/magnify, so all of a sudden it’s the second-half adjustments. Like Pete Carroll used to do. Sure.

There might be some games where USC actually needs to make some adjustments. Perhaps against Nebraska or Penn State. But not the past two weeks.

35 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Good Second-Half Play Getting Spinned”

  1. The question is………. Will Jen Cohen ask ( tell ) Riley to find a freaking OL coach who can recruit and coach and maybe make Riley hire a special teams coach like she did with his defensive staff last year ?

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    1. Henson is the O line coach version of Grinch- cant recruit, cant coach, and seemingly cant fire up his players- at least act like you give an F out there. I mean, they are letting Moss get repeatedly creamed out there

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      1. Someone needs to ask Henson why he just smiles on the sidelines as his unit is getting the crap beat outta it. I bet we’ll get an answer that tops anything Neil Callaway ever said.

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      2. I starting to think the Monheim switch to center was not a good idea. He was a solid left tackle but considered too small for the pros at that position. But he doesn’t appear to be a great center. He gets pushed back into the pocket and we could really use him at left guard. Gino could play center. Unfortunately, Monheim will likely not agree to switching back.

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      4. ..To be fair [usually not my thing], Henson doesn’t have all that much to work with…..but we still need the 0-line to do something other than miss blocks against Penn State [as someone said recently –“it’s one thing to get physically beat…it’s another to just miss the block entirely”]…..

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    1. “Do not eat the bread of a miser,
      Nor desire his delicacies;
      For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
      ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you,
      But his heart is not with you.
      The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up,
      And waste your pleasant words”
      (Proverbs 23:6–8, NKJV).

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  4. So now we know there were no halftime adjustments, so why the ‘Tale of 2 Cities’ between the first and second half?– Looked like they simply played better and made fewer mistakes, and besides, after a half of evaluating the ‘throwing’ quarterbacks SC had it figured out

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  5. I think the defense played well against a good LSU offense. One of the best offensive lines in college and their quarterback was accurate. I note that the defense did scheme for a running attack in all of their games and made some big stops on short yardage plays. Gentry came from the edge and made a play. Does the defensive coordinator get any credit for it?

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      1. What say thee Wolfe? Wilt thou cease said animus should fair Ilium defeat the Nittany Lions? I sayeth all doubt thou wouldst…..

        The ‘bard’ has many quotes to read and enjoy but for we or I shalt say self, tis’ from Julius Caesar

        ‘Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!’

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      2. I have another question for you MG. How is it that Israel can find and kill all the top leaders of Hezbolloah yet US ” Intelligence ” & US military can’t seem to find and kill one ?

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      4. I have the answer….. but someone will say I’m just engaging in “confirmation bias”….. or “deflecting” ….or “moving the goal posts”….

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Take your pick, you’re good at all three……just saying

        I think you’re true calling is the balls and strikes thing with no defined strike zone

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      6. Buddha: Forget about finding and killing a terrorist. Our secret service can’t figure out that they should secure the roof of a building 100 yards from where Trump is speaking. And his so called female guards that were trying to cover him were a foot shorter than him thereby leaving his head exposed and were unable to holster their weapon.

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      7. The “censor” has decided this thread has gone far enough. I had a few words to say about how these guys are being funded —but I’ve been told I’m being “moderated.”

        #It’sAllGood

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      9. Michael,l

        I respectfully disagree with your comment about Henson not having much to work with. He has had two years to recruit and find out why recruits don’t wan to come to SC and change this opinion on why they do want to come. big olinemen are going to oregon that are from here. This is on him and Riley.

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      11. 100%! Great fricking point, P. T. We shouldn’t forget the fact that no 5 star o-lineman wants to come to USC & be coached by Henson.

        #Lincoln’sHiringMistakesAreKeepingUsOuttaPlayoffs……

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  6. So the Trojans now travel about 2000-miles to Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, and take on the Gophers, of all things, in probably a sold-out stadium anxious to see this USC as the odds-makers are calling it a 31-21 SC win

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    1. So…. now we know how John makes so much money betting on games. He takes the Over/Under [52] and gives the favored team the spread points [10] —-and comes up with 31-21….

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  7. Once upon a time Minnesota football was a force with the Gophers 1960 and 1961 teams going back to back in Rose Bowl games but that was as high off the ground as the Gophers would mount for nearly 2/3 of a century. And you think your school has it bad!

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