FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Now This Picture Really Tells A Story

What is wrong with this picture?

It’s the second quarter and San Jose State called a timeout facing a fourth-and-1 situation at the USC 7-yard line. The USC defense is gathered around the 15-yard line.

And about 15 yards away is USC coach Lincoln Riley, facing the opposite direction of the huddled players. Everyone knows he is not a defensive guy but C’mon.

Now the first response is “Gary Patterson is in charge of the defense. Riley should stay away.”

But when you are the head coach, you still coach the entire team. Not just one unit. Pete Carroll was USC’s defensive coordinator but he was always involved with the offense. Can you imagine him so detached from the players right before an important play? The disinterest sends a poor message.

Back in 2015, Steve Sarkisian gave up playcalling at USC because he felt like it sent a poor message to the team that he was always focused on one side of the ball, which prevented interacting with the entire team in meetings, etc.

Well, we all know who Riley wants to interact with on the team.

  • Did you know Eric Musselman spent at least a year of childhood and his time in college living in San Diego?

Maybe that explains why Musselman is taking USC to San Diego for three different basketball games as part of the nonconference schedule (UC San Diego, San Diego State, University of San Diego).

Frankly, it isn’t much of a schedule given the hype surrounding USC. There isn’t a single good game at the Galen Center. It’s the Lincoln Riley attitude: We play in the Big Ten so we don’t have to play anyone in the nonconference. Do the fans ever matter?

57 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Now This Picture Really Tells A Story”

    1. LET ME EXAGGERATE A BIT HERE, GEORGE, BUT DIDN’T MAIAVA HAVE A HEISMAN DAY AS HE PUT UP 42-POINTS. THE OFFENSE WAS ON FIRE. THE DEFENSE?– A WORK IN PROGRESS

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      2. Answer: Not Lincoln.

        As Coach Hyde has pointed out repeatedly, Lincoln doesn’t even feel qualified to walk over to that defensive huddle and say “now, let’s kick some butt.”

        It is what it is. If Patterson is over his head, we’re phucked and Lincoln loses his job.

        I guess “the phone wasn’t really ringing off the hook” when Lincoln was looking for a defensive coordinator. I can’t believe Patterson was the best of a great field.

        Liked by 3 people

      3. How much is Patterson and how much is the third team guys simply not being very good?

        I have to give it to Scottie, he was 100% regarding the DBs, 90% about the LBs.

        Liked by 4 people

      7. Defense wins championships, offense cannot win them. Just look at Riley’s past, gave up 162 points ( scored 110 ) and lost every game in playoffs

        Liked by 2 people

  5. KAM: SC’s Muscleman has an easy schedule before Big-10 play

    DON: That way with our shining record it might scare teams

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    1. P. T.

      Lincoln doesn’t want to listen to fan talk …and he knows he has no business meeting with the defense. He’s just trying to maximize his strength: Being USC’s Offensive Coordinator.

      #TheFaultLiesWithBohn…

      #…[ButAtHiringTimeMostOfUsDidn’tSeeThisComingEither]

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      1. i suspect Riley studiously reads the wolfman’s blog, and is possibly keeping a dossier on some of his more ardent critics….i picture a pyramid with wolfman’s picture at the top like the FBI does.

        #You’veBeenWarned

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      3. Hate to say it, but keeping Riley out of the huddle is a good thing. This is a case of “Too Many Cooks”, and when it comes to defense, Riley is more of a dishwasher than a cook.

        Liked by 3 people

      4. Agreed. I don’t think anyone associated with the defense —coaches or players —wanna hear from him during crucial game moments…

        #I’mStartingToThinkCoachHydeIsWrong…

        #…RileyNeedsToConcentrateOnTheOffenseDuringTheGame

        Liked by 2 people

      5. He can be in the huddle, he doesn’t have to say shat, but look like a head coach for once, not a beta male who wandered onto the field by mistake

        Liked by 4 people

      6. Truth is recruiting is no longer an issue. Getting right in the NIL space and bringing in Chad Bowden were huge wins. Chad has re-prioritized the Southland and has repaired pipelines with the feeder schools. Trouble is we haven’t been able to stack elite classes yet like Ohio State and Oregon have. We only have the one so far. Quality depth not there yet.

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    1. And Lincoln is “Half Smarts”: he knows exactly how to run an offense…..

      #…AndHeKnowsHeDoesn’tKnowHowToRunADefense

      #[WhichIsWhyHeCan’tEvenPickADecentDefensiveCoordinator]…

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  9. DON: So after the 2024 season ucla was over $50-million in debt, and since then the Big-10 contracts have made a “dent” in that debt

    KAM: So much for these $80-$100-million a year projections that lured the L.A. teams into the ‘Big-10

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  10. KAM: Iran says it has repaired its airport and the number of flights is increasing daily. I thought you should know if you hadn’t made vacation plans yet

    DON: Once there they probably wouldn’t let me out

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    1. I wouldn’t worry about landing there in the first place, John… based on the photos released at the time, there is NO way on earth the strips we hit will be rebuilt for a VERY long time…..

      #AndTheOnesWeDidn’tHitWereLeftOutOfMercy

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      1. and yet they have managed to maintain the upper hand on our intrepid Generalissimo, Whiskey Pete.

        #HeAin’tNoRobertE.Lee

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      1. Exactly. It was 35-3, and SJSU had 90 yards of offense and no first downs in the first half. What we know is that depth is a huge problem as of now. Really need to get those guys on the bench coached up.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. It bothers me that Lincoln didn’t realize how unprepared the reserves were —-he was bragging about the depth like he really believed we were three deep …

        #HowCouldHeBeSoWrong?

        Liked by 2 people

  13. DON: The Times writer said that fans in other cities support their team as if it is their patriotic duty, whereas LA fans treat it as an expensive hobby

    KAM: There are something like 12 teams in the L.A. market. Win or you become irrelevant fast. Look at ucla trying to get off the floor

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    1. KAM: Cowardly Gabby Wolf has to use thousands of s @ # k puppets to try to make her arguments stick……

      DON: I see that it fell to the ground…….for 26 years

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  16. Perhaps a non vanilla defense will encourage some to be patient. D line is gonna be solid, linebackers are much better. Now they need to figure out the correct starting backfield. Like who is really the Nickel.

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  17. when you replace Notre Danme with San Jose St and Ole Miss with Missouri St, don’t expect anyone to spend money and time watching a scrimmage, Riley convinced Cohen to dumb down the sked, hope you beat a good big ten team , sneak into playoff and get humiliated, same as he did at Oklahoma, more entertainment options in LA than Norman , the sooner they buy this clown out, the better

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