FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Where’s The Competition?

For all the talk about depth and competition, has USC’s depth chart changed much since the opening game?

The only real changes that occured in the first three depth charts were players returning from injury. Now I’m not saying there needs to be change, just that it’s remarkable how stable the starting lineup is despite claims about players fighting for starting positions throughout the lineup.

The coaches basically knew who was starting before training camp and nothing has really changed.

Some of the media fanboys projected two or three new starters on the offensive line. There has been one, only because of a season-ending injury. I wrote a depth chart in the spring for a preseason football magazine and the offensive line is exactly as it is today, barring the injury. It’s funny how some project what they want to see instead of reality.

  • I’m already tired of people comparing USC tight end Mark Bowman to Brock Bowers. Did any of these people ever see Ozzie Newsome or Keith Jackson play?
  • Tonight’s Rams-49ers game will be interesting because people are taking sides over which team was smarter? The Rams, who swooped into Australia right before the game. Or the 49ers, who arrived last week.

34 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Where’s The Competition?”

  2. Keith Jackson and Ozzie Newsome? Did you ever watch Kellen Winslow. Everybody Else 1 WolfMiser 0.

    PS Woofie: Winslow would also give you the opportunity to glory over USC throwing a national championship away on another miserably hot opening night in LA (1976).

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      2. Yes, Brown scored on a 5 yard run, 95 yard KO return and 49 yard pass. USC was down 45-17 late in the game, White ran one in from 79 yards to make it 45-24. Wolf should love this, attendance was 49,500

        And SC’s defense wasn’t exactly this yea’s model, Walt Underwood, Gary Jeter, Clay Mathews, David Lewis, Rod Martin, Eric Williams, Dennis Thurman, Mario Coletto, Carter Hartwig, Mike Burns, Gary Odom. Every one of them played in the NFL.

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      3. And Missouri was playing its backup QB (Pete Woods – the starter – whose name defies easy spelling – was a #1 of the Cardinals, albeit a bust … Steve Pizarkiewicz or something like that).

        As said below, that ’76 team is one of the best that often gets overlooked … that list of talent … if USC would have hired Dave Levy instead of JRob one suspects they might have needed another wing in Heritage Hall for the additional national championships that escaped despite the most concentrated collection of talent in the history of college football between 1976-82.

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    2. That was the epitome of the 1970s Missouri teams that no national power with any sense would schedule [beat USC, Notre Dame twice (one being the Joe Montana defending national champions), Michigan, Ohio State , Alabama, Nebraska twice (knocked them out of a national championship matchup with Penn State that benefitted USC in ’78), LSU] … but who would lay down like a dog the very next week against a Big-8 cellar dweller or other sad sack … the ’76 team beat USC, Ohio State, and Nebraska, all on the road – and went 6-5 with no bowl …

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      1. Yep, in 1976 Missouri beat

        # 8 @ USC

        #2 @ Ohio State

        #14 North Carolina

        #3 @ Nebraska

        # 14 Colorado

        Kansas State 28-21

        Lost to

        Illinois 31-6

        Iowa State 21-17

        #16 Oklahoma St 20-19

        #14 Oklahoma 20-14

        Kansas 41-14

        They had a pretty good TE on that team, some guy named Winslow

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      2. After that game looking at what USC did just adds to the mystery (three 50+ point shutout beatings of inferiors, but a season ending run of #2 undefeated defending Rose Bowl champion UCLA, a tough win over a raw but talent Notre Dame squad that won the national title the next year, and a dominating physical beating of #2 Michigan I- with the number one offense in the nation that year statistically – in the Rose Bowl).

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  3. DON: I do recall that first game in 1976 under Coach Robinson and SC being run out of the coliseum.

    KAM: But that ’76 team didn’t lose another game

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    1. One of the somewhat forgotten teams that was just a notch below JRob’s other two all-time great teams in 78-79 (yet each laid an egg so no perfect seasons and only the one split national championship). Ricky Bell, Charles White, Mosi Tatupu, Vince Evans, William Gay, Marvin Powell, Gary Jeter, Rod Martin, Clay Matthews Sr., Dennis Thurman (just the future good NFL players off the top of my head).

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  4. DON: Ever wonder about how many national championships SC would have won if there had been a Playoff system in place. Certainly 1968, 1976, 1979, 2006, 2007 and 2008 the Trojans would have qualified

    DON: But then championships in 1962, 1967, 1978, 2003 and 2004 would have been in jeopardy because SC would have had to beat many Playoff teams for the Title

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      1. The 1974 team won a split championship. The 1969 team had Jimmy Jones at quarterback and hence would have been a longshot in any Playoff system

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      2. Jones had his moments – good and not so good – but that 10-0-1 team (not as good as others admittedly, but still had Clarence Davis, Gerry Mullins, Bob Chandler, Charlie Weaver, John Vella, and Al Cowlings, among others) beat a 9-2 Nebraska team (won next two national championships), a then undefeated UCLA, and Bo’s first Michigan team (that derailed Woody’s Buckeyes ) in the Rose Bowl … plus a tie against a 2 loss Theisman-led Notre Dame team … additionally, Texas was highly overrated (should have lost to Notre Dame and did the next year) … if any team would have been a problem, it would have been Penn State (beat Missouri’s best Dan Devine era team in the Orange Bowl) with Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris in the backfield.

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      3. My opinion is that the ’69 team was jobbed. At that time, the passing game hardly existed (outside of Jim Plunkett), and the Wild Bunch held teams to less than 2 yards per carry.

        Texas won the Natty, they ran the wishbone, and I can’t imagine them turning the corner on Jimmy Gunn and Charlie Weaver. McKay used to say that one (or perhaps both) could cover both the QB and the option RB. And they couldn’t complete a pass to save their life.

        Wild Bunch sacked Dennis Dummitt something like 10 times in ’69 once they figured out their wishbone was ineffective.

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      4. KAM: Don’t forget our own Wild Bunch blog member Bob Jensen!

        DON: And UCL football coach Tommy Prothro didn’t run the Wishbone, that came in after Prothro left for the Rams in 1971 with Pepper Rodgers.

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    1. LOL! You can claim that all you want to. But The Juice will always be associated with OJ.

      If someone came up with the idea without realizing this, that is on the people who signed off on it. Just another sign of how they’ve turned their backs on tradition.

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      1. KAM: Once Riley Coyote persuaded Jen “Taco Lita” Cohen to cancel the greatest intersectional rivalry tradition in sports history, you knew the hired help doesn’t care about USC tradition.

        DON: They cater to the bean counters.

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  7. KAM: Enjoy a football winning streak while you can. SC is likely to be 4-0 when playing Oregon

    DON: With another loss to the Ducks Troy will come crumbling down and there will be few Trojan supporters left

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  8. KAM: Well, since SC got the No. 1 recruiting class the Trojan bandwagon has gotten a little over-loaded

    DON: A loss or two will thin that out

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    1. Yup! Nothing wrong with 1 or 2 to open our schedule. But starting with 4 of them is incredibly weak.

      But Riley has no shame. He does not have an “Anyone! Anywhere! Anytime!” mindset.

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  10. Ozzie Newsome or Keith Jackson…………????

    None of them compare to Charles “the Tree” Young, and the Great Bob Klein… No freshman should be compared to a great player after only 2 games vs. weak opponents.

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