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USC Morning Buzz: Here’s Where There Needs To Be More Scrutiny

Let’s talk about USC cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed, who was hired in the offseason to a bit of fanfare from Central Florida.

“The standard is the standard. We are not lowering it for anyone, so you’re either going to rise or you’re going to be on the bench,” Reed said in August.

Well, which corners are currently meeting the standard? USC apologists like to point to injuries or depth issues. But the fact is even two seniors expected to be the lockdown corners (DeCarlos Nicholson, DJ Harvey) have not shined. Harvey in particular has struggled, giving up a deep TD at the end of the Michigan State game and committing a pass interference penalty on the game-winning drive at Illinois.

And it’s hard to say after five games that the younger corners have developed. Remember, USC’s pass defense is ranked No. 101 in the nation.

The one player who has done well — Bishop Fitzgerald — is a safety and coached by Doug Belk.

But Reed has barely been a blip in terms of getting mentioned or scrutinized so far. If this were Alabama, the reception would be far different. But at USC, it’s far easier to survive under the radar.

31 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Here’s Where There Needs To Be More Scrutiny”

  1. D backs have been a problem for so long. Speaking of which, Dante Williams hasn’t gotten any better at Georgia, despite the fact that they likely have the best of the best, including a pass rush that pressure the opposing QB. Georgia’s pass defense is ranked around 80th.

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    2. All that matters is beating Michigan —- and to do that we have to stop their run game. And Paige needs to be healthy enough to help ours.

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      1. We’re still tied for 2nd place in the Pac-12. But that will change this weekend.

        Oregon 5-0
        USC 4-1
        Arizona St 4-1
        Utah 4-1
        Arizona 4-1
        Washington 4-1
        Cal 4-2
        Washington St 3-2
        Stanford 2-3
        Colorado 2-4
        UCLA 1-4
        Oregon St 0-6

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      3. The new center (Reed) is huge. I worry that he was second string to a walk-on, but hopefully he will put it together.

        Paige has been at practice, fingers crossed.

        Ja’kobi has been practicing.

        Time for Lynn to deliver on that $2 million salary and come up with a plan for Michigan that contains their RB and QB.

        Plus, USC has one of the fastest guys in college football in true frosh WR Tanook Hynes, let’s get him the ball.

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      5. 67 —I heard Lynn is toying with the idea of going to cover 2 for this game …and loading the box. If this is true…do you think it’s a good idea?

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      6. Michael, if only I know more about football…that said, if one needs to try to resort to major risks to try to band aid over a deficiency, then sometimes it will work, and sometime it won’t. And I worry that when it doesn’t, it will lead to enormous plays.

        The way I see Michigan is that with a true frosh QB who may be great one day, but right now has been playing under wraps, is that you need to change stuff up, give him some different looks, get some pressure, on him take away some reads, get him confused and not sure what to do. Do that and I think you can hold them to 24.

        OK forced the Michigan QB into a bad game, something like 9 out of 26, 130 yards or so.

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      7. KAM: Wait, I thought all that mattered was beating Illinois?

        DON: Now that Riley Coyote was shamed at Champaign, we are reduced to just trying to make #25.

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  3. I think it is more of a problem with knowing the defensive scheme, what position the defender is in, who the defender needs to guard, and communication than poor coverage skills. USC recruits good players. They should be able to find at least a few lock down corners. Maybe these players just can’t handle a complex, pro style defense. Perhaps Lynn needs to simplify things.

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    1. Ramsey is the signal caller on defense —things should improve [a lot] this Saturday [Gentry just confessed he & several defensive coaches were sick against Illinois too –hmmmm—-what are the odds?]….

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      1. It’s their own fault for eating smelly chicken.

        SC should stick to pizza, spaghetti and steak, chicken and fish are way to sketchy

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    2. KAM: Trump has dealt a devastating blow to Israelophobia.

      The disarming of Israel is a feverish obsession of the activist class, for they understand that in order for Israel to be replaced ‘from the river to the sea’, in order for this sinning settler-colonial nation to be scrubbed from humanity’s records, first its Jews must be denuded of all means of self-defense.

      They’re iffy about Trump’s plan for some one simple reason: it leaves the Jewish State intact and it demands the surrender of Hamas.

      It thwarts their dystopic dream of dragging the Middle East back to 1948, before the modern state of Israel existed.

      KAM: Everyone but Cowardly Gabby and Tranny Bruin can now see that what falsely presented itself as a peace movement was in truth a ruthless campaign of delegitimation, demonization and even destruction waged against the world’s only Jewish nation by our post-reason elites.

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  7. Our pass defense is lacking. Sure. But the bigger issue is about stopping the run against Michigan. MG is absolutely spot on correct here. Remember, this is the Big10 now. All offense starts and ends with the running game in this conference. If the Illinois game did not demonstrate that in spades, I do not believe we were watching the same contest. Our front four are not going to be able to do it themselves, and if we do not scheme to get into their backfield with our rushing defense approach, we are in for a very long day. The gameplan here should be dirt simple. Get to the running back or the quarterback with the rush on every down. If Michigan beats us with the pass, so be it. But take away the run. Final warning.

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    1. 100% — I remember Coach Robinson [in his 2nd stint] reportedly telling his team during a timeout mid 4th quarter in a game we were losing , “okay, we’re gonna win or lose this game running the ball and stopping their run— that’s all we have to do …and that’s all we’re gonna do.”

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      1. P. S.

        We will see the best USC has to offer this Saturday —if we get beat [which I doubt] it’ll be cuz Michigan actually was the better team [which I also doubt]….we won’t beat ourselves.

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      2. Fingers crossed, brother!

        Biggest crowd in years, it is against a marquis program, so LR and D’Anton MUST deliver, like UCLA’s coach Skip delivered for the gutties last week.

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      3. KAM: In Coach Robinsons first term that worked because we were 3 deep at each position with future NFL caliber players.

        DON: And they stayed for 4-5 years to develop . Now , not so much. Marginal talent, here today, gone tomorrow.

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      4. Note: He won the game in the final drive…and it was with non NFL players in his second stint…..

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      5. The game was against Washington State and we won in the last two minutes by running the ball every down until we ran in from 17 yards out….

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