FOOTBALL

Morning Buzz: USC-Michigan Report Card

QUARTERBACK

Jayden Maiava had an interception but otherwise this was another stellar performance. The question is whether he can do this in a hostile atmosphere. Things got a little dicey at Illinois and the crowd at Notre Dame will be worse.

Grade: B+

RUNNING BACKS

Plug in a tailback and get results. King Miller grabbed the spotlight and now it looks like he will start the rest of the season.

Grade: A-

WIDE RECEIVER

Makai Lemon’s TD catch will be a season highlight. He’s going to be vital in South Bend against a better-than-average secondary. Ja’Kobi Lane was fairly average by his standards, which might be expected in his first game back from injury. He also needs to be at the top of his game at Notre Dame.

Grade: B

OFFENSIVE LINE

The pundit class seemed to give the o-line an A. I thought they were more C or C+. So we can split the difference.

Grade: B

DEFENSIVE LINE

The story line after the game was that this was full redemption following the Illinois debacle. I’ll bet the defensive line unit would admit it was far less stressful when Bryce Underwood is throwing passes instead of Luke Altmyer.

Grade: C+

LINEBACKER

This game was a linebacker’s dream. The offense can’t pass and likes to run the ball up the middle without its top tailback. And then people act like it was a masterclass in defense.

Grade: C

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Bishop Fitzgerald had two interceptions but they might go down as the easiest of his career. The secondary still had its typical moments, especially the 69-yard TD pass. DJ Harvey, who has struggled, did not play according to the official stats.

Grade: C-

SPECIAL TEAMS

Has USC had a game yet where the special teams did not have 10 men on the field? They did Saturday. Oh wait, they had nine men on the field for an extra point against Georgia Southern. There were also two players wearing the same number on a kick return vs. Michigan. When John Baxter did that, he was vilified. And how did the officiating crew let that slide? Imagine if Michigans fans knew a USC grad was the head official?

Thankfully for USC, Ryon Sayeri is making the kicking game look good.

Grade: D+

COACHING

On the plus side, Lincoln Riley had a pretty balanced offense with 36 running plays and 32 passes. On the other hand, the defense had some breakdowns, like leaving the tailback completely uncovered near the goal line, which would have been hugely embarrassing, but the Michigan QB ignore him. And special teams was a circus, as explained above.

Grade: C

CHEERLEADERS

Have you ever seen a USC game stopped because the cheerleaders were mucking about on the field? Who is supervising them?

Grade: F

61 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: USC-Michigan Report Card”

      1. I did not say that I agree with every grade he gave, I was making the point that to earn an “A” or “B” from Scott, is valuable, since it is more difficult to earn. Some give out “A’s” so frequently, that it dilutes their scoring.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. KAM: No one values your opinion, Brain dead vile antisemitic and racist Board Pest Board Cancer Cowardly Gabby aka Sparrow Calypso aka TebowObama aka Charlie Bucket the UCLA Fan aka The Guy who posts as Buddhakarma & So Cal’s Wife & Michael Guarino & Trojan RJJ & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse and TrojanFan 1-3 & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young and KATHY and Foreskin Thoughts and SCOTTLOVESTHEROOOOOTTÞ and Manureman and eric  and Smacky. Plow Horse summed you up perfectly:

        Plow Horse

        March 18, 2025 at 7:42 pm

        Cowardly Gabby embarrasses himself with every post. But why does he do it. Here is an excerpt from a recent abstract on why narcissistic personalities engage in antisocial behavior. It could be one of two reasons or both.

        “Narcissists seem to disregard social-etiquette norms. For example, narcissists are more likely to brag (Buss & Chiodo, 1991), behave aggressively toward others (Barry et al., 2006, Bushman and Baumeister, 1998, Stucke and Sporer, 2002, Twenge and Campbell, 2003), and use offensive language (DeWall et al., 2011, Holtzman et al., 2010). Although it is well-known that narcissists are prone to break social-etiquette norms, the underlying causes for this tendency remain largely unclear. One possibility is that narcissists break social-etiquette norms as a means of grabbing people’s attention (the “attention-seeking” hypothesis; Buss and Chiodo, 1991, DeWall et al., 2011). An additional possibility is that narcissists, for various reasons, simply perceive such norm violations as less offensive than non-narcissists (the “insensitivity” hypothesis; Collins & Stukas, 2008)

        DON: BWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. KAM: Brain dead vile antisemitic and racist Board Pest Board Cancer Cowardly Gabby aka Sparrow Calypso aka TebowObama aka Charlie Bucket the UCLA Fan aka The Guy who posts as Buddhakarma & So Cal’s Wife & Michael Guarino & Trojan RJJ & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse and TrojanFan 1-3 & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young and KATHY and Foreskin Thoughts and SCOTTLOVESTHEROOOOOTTÞ and Manureman and eric  and Smacky sounds like the Mainstream Moderate Democrat Rev. David Black, who gave the bird to Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE andm when called on it, told CNN Thursday:. “I have been hoping that the Holy Spirit will descend upon them and convert their hearts and minds. As to the extent the Holy Spirit appears as a bird, perhaps there is spiritual truth to her claims.”

        DON: Reverend Black is Cowardly Gabby’s Spiritual Leader.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Scott, I value your grades more than most others, because they are harder to earn and are therefore worth more. Fight On!

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  4. The offense rushed for 225 yards, over 7 yards per attempt, accumulated almost 500 total yards and scored 31 points. Riley called an excellent game. I’d give him something better than a C. And the defense held Michigan to 109 rushing yards, about 3 yards per attempt, about 360 total yards, and only 13 points. I think that warrants something greater than a C.

    How the song girls do. I think the chubby one was a bit out of sync.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Penn State writes interesting contracts

    James Franklin’s contract, which Penn State bought out for $49 million, includes a clause that calls for him to be diligent in searching for his next job.

    “‘Once terminated, Coach is obligated to diligently search for and make a good faith effort to obtain another position appropriate for his skill set (i.e., coaching, scouting and broadcasting only) and to provide the university upon request with evidence that he is seeking such employment,’” the contract Franklin signed in November 2021 states.

    The contract also notably calls for Franklin “to make good faith efforts to obtain the maximum reasonable salary” at his new job.

    Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft said the athletics branch — not the university — will be paying out what Franklin is owed.

    “’Should Coach obtain such applicable employment prior to the date this Contract would otherwise have expired, the University’s obligation to make payments to Coach … will be offset by the total compensation earned by Coach from such applicable new position through the end of the otherwise unexpired term of this agreement,’” the contract stipulates.

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  6. What is happening with running back, Harry Dalton? He’s included in every rating services’ “Top 25 Freshman Running Backs in the Country”. People were saying he’d compete for a starting position this year. Is he available?

    #NowWouldBeTheTime

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. Would you ask him for me?

        #IfHeDoesn’tAnswer…

        #ChallengeHimToMeetYouInBarstow

        #”Grrrrr…MeSybil!”

        Like

      2. KAM: Another bad day for Cowardly Gabby: Happy Birthday Charlie Kirk: Later Today President Trump Will Posthumously Award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

        DON: Today would have been Charlie Kirk’s 32nd birthday. Instead of celebrating with his wife and two young children, the violence that consumes the Democrat Party and is fueled by the legacy media, ended his life when he was politically a s s a s s i n a t e d on September 10th while inspiring young Americans at Utah Valley University.

        At only 18 years old, Charlie started Turing Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012. TPUSA has now grown to become one of the most influential conservative organizations in the country, pioneering efforts to engage and activate young conservatives. TPUSA is the largest conservative youth organization in U.S. history, with over 3,500 active chapters on high school and college campuses nationwide.

        Charlie’s a s s a s s i n a t i o n did not stop his legacy but has led even more young conservatives to activism.

        Just two days after his m u r d e r, TPUSA received more than 32,000 requests to establish new chapters across the country.

        TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet noted that the organization has already more than doubled in size.

        Cowardly Gabby and Tranny Bruin hardest hit!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Trump/Republicans awarded Charlie Kirk the Congressional Medal of Freedom.

        Biden/Democrats awarded George Soros the Medal of Freedom. That is really all you need to know about the values held by the two parties.

        Liked by 3 people

    1. KAM: Things are so bad for brain dead vile antisemitic and racist Board Pest Board Cancer Cowardly Gabby aka Sparrow Calypso aka TebowObama aka Charlie Bucket the UCLA Fan aka The Guy who posts as Buddhakarma & So Cal’s Wife & Michael Guarino & Trojan RJJ & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse and TrojanFan 1-3 & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young and KATHY and Foreskin Thoughts and SCOTTLOVESTHEROOOOOTTÞ and Manureman and eric  and Smacky since Trump established world peace.

      DON: Cowardly Gabby s h a r t e d her p a n t i e s after she saw the hostages were freed yesterday. What an evil person she is.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Gabby — maybe drop the “Cowardly Gabby” and just go with “sharted”—-it works better.

        Like

    2. Trump always Chickens Out (TACO). Really Cowardly Gabby. Ask the Iranians who chickens out. Trump took out General Soleimani, dropped bombs of their nuclear sites, took out hundreds of Iran backed Houthi terrorists and destroyed their weapon caches, and took out Russian planes in Iran backed Syria.

      What did Biden do. Oh yeah, he gave Iran 300 million in cash to fund their terrorism networks and lifted 1.3 billion in frozen financial assets to help them complete their uranium enrichment program. And then there was the Afghanistan withdrawal. Gave the Taliban billions in cash and high grade military weapons along with an airport and got 13 Americans killed. Then he allowed thousands of unvetted Afghans including the Taliban to enter the U.S.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. It’s related to his tariffs dumb——ass…… lost again!!!!!

        Quit trying to move the goalpost……you look pathetic

        Try Google, you need to get up to speed……just saying

        Like

      2. KAM : Remember when Cowardly Gabby told us Kamala was going to win? She is brainless!

        Gabby

        November 6, 2024 at 12:04 am

        HARRIS WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT TONIGHT

        HOORAY FOR KAMALA

        DON: She is such a dolt.

        Like

  8. DUE TO TACO’s THREAT OF MORE TARIFFS, STOCK MARKETS LOST 3 TRILLION IN VALUE LAST WEEK

    MILLIONS REGRET VOTING FOR HIM….

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      3. ARE YOU SAYING MILLIONS OF MAGATS WHO ARE GOING TO LOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE DON’T REGRET VOTING FOR HIM…….STUPID!

        BAAAAAAMMMMM…….CROTCH……..KICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        THAT HIT SO HARD IT CAUSED THE MUSHROOM CAP TO POP RIGHT OUT YOUR A-HOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        GO SERVICE SOLA AND QUIT BEING A PEST

        Like

      4. KAM: Cowardly Gabby does nothing but lie.

        DON: In the old days they used to know how to deal with false prophets like Cowardly Gabby!

        Liked by 1 person

      8. …which have been getting lamer & more desperate in 24 hour cycles since November of 2024……

        Like

  9. A+ for the RBs – Jordan turned a two yard loss on 4th down into a first down. 225 yards rushing, 7 yards per carry against a defense that gives up only 77 yards per game, about 3 yards per carry. Realistically, who would have ever imagined this performance against Michigan?

    LB grade only a C? Gentry looks like a consensus All-American.

    Coaching staff had a very good game plan. B+, though it hurts me to write this.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. With a few wrinkles, pretty much the same plan will work against Notre Dame. N. D. will be looking to stop Miller from cutting to the outside —we need to get him in space with quick passes over the middle just beyond the line. Actually, anything but cutting to the sideline —N. D. will not allow itself to get burned in exact same way as Michigan got burned.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. ND has a better offense, so let’s hope we keep their defense on the field with a ball control offense.

        I am guessing that sometimes we will have a TE lining up as an RB in the backfield…

        Maiava has something to prove in this game…

        Liked by 1 person

      4. 67 —100% on the Maiava comment. Jayden enters USC lore with a victory….

        #IJustHopeHeDoesn’tLetTheGameGetTooBigforHim…

        #EnjoyTheFight,Jayden…You’llDoFine

        Liked by 1 person

      7. KAM : Cowardly Gabby the Bruin Fan showed zero football IQ Monday when she lied about Juju:

        Gabby

        October 13, 2025 at 4:28 pm

        is there any surprise that former USC Trojan juju Smith Schuster got his a$$ kicked after the Lions game for not shaking the opponent’s hand. True punk a$$Trojan move

        Cowardly Gabby is as accurate with this as she is with her political pronouncements. Detroit Lions Safety Brian Branch, NOT Juju, refused to shake Kansas City Chief Quarterback Patrick Mahomes hand after Mahomes reached out and obviously tried to shake Branch’s hand. Sore Loserman Branch refused and attacked Juju. Branch instigated it by going up to him on purpose instead of leaving the field if he was going to act like a baby.

        DON: And now Branch proves Cowardly Gabby lied again!https://x.com/frank144/status/1977826709170000127lol

        Liked by 1 person

      11. YOU LOOK STUPID…….I POSTED AN EDIT…..BUT YOU’RE LIFE REVOLVES AROUND GHOSTING THE BLOG 24/7 SO YOU BEAT ME TO IT…..FEEL PROUD….YOU EARNED IT!!!!!!

        Like

      12. KAM: A new classic Cowardly Gabby post!

        Gabby

        October 14, 2025 at 8:15 pm

        you’re barking up the wrong free dumb—–ass

        senile turd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        DON: BWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! Cowardly Gabby as senile as Senile Joe Biden your role model.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Scooter,

    Your report card is something that I look forward to along with your analysis and why you gave that particular grade.

    In terms of the oline, I respectfully disagree with you grade. Over the years you have ragged on the false starts, misblocks, holdings, sacks given up, and being soft.

    With the michigan game, there were no holdings, false starts, or sacks. Physically, they opened up the the dline and ran the ball over 200 yards. Did I say there was no false starts or holds? Michigan was only giving up 77 yards rushing. I am not a fan boy because I am just as critical as you in regards to Riley and his pussified football, but the oline did an outstanding job and they deserve an A report card.

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  11. This started off as the most complimentary report card I’ve seen from Scott but as scrolled down to the defense it turned into same old same old.

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