FOOTBALL

My Analysis Of The Rutgers Debacle

The disaster that unfolded in Piscataway, N.J., clearly stunned all the fanboys yesterday, who could not believe what happened to the team that shamelessly overhyped for months.

It should not have surprised this blog’s readers because we have discussed the deep-seeded problems that existed within the program for years.

I don’t know why others ignore that Jayden Maiava has poor fundamentals and keeps offering clunkers (Nebraska, Oregon, TCU, Rutgers).

I don’t know why people inflated the offensive line? I don’t know people ignore that USC cannot dominate the line of scrimmage.

Since the spring, I’ve said the linebackers are a problem and the secondary cannot cover anyone. That was clearly apparent at Rutgers.

How is Gary Patterson allowing Rutgers to amass 460 yards in offense? I’ll tell you one thing Patterson will say as an excuse: Riley does not play complementary football. The USC defense was on the field for 33 minutes. There is a case that whatever USC tries to improve the defense it is still saddled with the culture of Riley, which is the real culprit.

That’s not to minimize Patterson is not doing. Remember when he got hired, I quoted someone who worked extensively with Patterson. ““It will be a good hire if they get the old Gary Patterson and not old Gary Patterson,” he said.

Why did Riley fail to kick a field goal when it would have given the Trojans a two-score lead?

Why did USC look so inept when it fumbled the snap at the end of the game?

What is special teams coach Mike Ekeler doing? The special teams made mistakes in the first three games but nothing compared to the fake punt Rutgers pulled off. It was a blunder of epic proportions.

How many times did USC throw a pass on fourth down that was short of the first-down marker?

Charles Nelson Riley makes some shocking decisions as a play caller and that’s supposed to be his strength. He can’t even perform the basics in stressful games.

The joke is all this occurred against winless Rutgers. What happens when the Trojans play real teams?

22 thoughts on “My Analysis Of The Rutgers Debacle”

  1. Take off the cardinal colored glasses my friends, what do you REALISTICALLY think SC will go over the next 6 games ????

    I say 1-5 and 0-6 is not out of the question.

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    1. I’ll optimistically stick with my prediction from a week ago (and beginning of the season) and say 2-4:

      Sat, Sep 26 21 Oregon LOSS

      Sat, Oct 3 Washington WIN

      Sat, Oct 10 @ 14 Penn State LOSS

      Sat, Oct 24 @ Wisconsin WIN

      Sat, Oct 31 6 Ohio State LOSS

      Sat, Nov 14 @ 4 Indiana LOSS

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      1. Ok, that puts him at 6-4 with Maryland and ucla left, if he goes 1-1 ( losing to ucla which to Riley is just another game, like Fresno or San Jose ) for 7-5, is there anyway he survives ?

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  3. I watched the entire game and I found the team’s play to be uninspiring, though there were some solid individual efforts (King Miller, Bowman, Dixon-Wyatt, Prophet Brown).

    Where was the energy and enthusiasm?

    Is it just me, or did the team effort seem totally flat, aside from the coaching miscues?

    And why does the secondary as a whole have such a difficult time covering receivers, particularly over the middle?

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    1. “Where was the energy and enthusiasm?”

      The idiots who came up with “The Juice Box” didn’t do it for you? 😜

      Can’t believe the people in power thought that something so incredibly hokey was a good idea. Our players & fans should be getting charged up from the pounding we inflict upon our opponents.

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  4. Like I said in another post, Patterson is partially to blame, but the one common denominator from Grinch to Lynn to Patterson is ONE guy, LINCOLN RILEY.

    We got the typical Riley road effort yesterday. The same laid back attitude. The same disorganized mess on both sides of the ball. The same lack of toughness on both sides of the ball. The same Maiava who looks like he’s got a shoulder issue but he still plays with his head up his fanny.

    SC was just lucky enough to make enough plays to win against a team that lost to UMASS. They got 346 yards against UMASS, they got FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY against USC, 120 more against USC, that’s pathetic !!!!!!!!!! Rutgers lost to BC, who almost lost to MAINE!!!!!!!!

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  5. Could you imagine sitting next to Wolf watching an SC football game? ‘Come on, what is with that offensive line, and why does Maiava keep unintentionally throwing the ball away. And now the linebackers act as if matadors with the ‘bull passing by. I can’t take it!

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  6. From the NY / California Post

    ” As reporters waited down a narrow corridor from an open USC locker room, they caught glimpses of Lincoln Riley delivering his postgame speech.

    Fragments of the coach’s fiery address could be heard.

    When it ended, a team spokesperson scurried over to the handful of media. Asserting that what Riley had said was private, the spokesperson demanded that reporters not disclose any of it. “

    What Riley said – on the record, thankfully – when he finally met with reporters in a tiny interview room didn’t soothe any concerns.

    He claimed the close call was mostly a result of the fake punt shifting momentum in the second quarter after his team had taken a 10-point lead.

    “It kind of breathes life into them,” Riley said, “where, you know, you flip that scenario and don’t give up the fake punt, get the ball back, we were moving it pretty good at that point – go score, I mean, the air is going to be out of that stadium when you go into halftime.”

    While acknowledging the defensive breakdowns, he spent equal time praising the highlight plays, which included safety Prophet Brown’s 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.

    “We made some big ones,” Riley said. “Obviously, the pick-six was massive.”

    He defended his decision to go for it on fourth-and-4 at the Rutgers’ 17-yard line early in the fourth quarter. That move backfired when wide receiver Corey Simms caught a pass but was stopped short of the first down.

    “Obviously, you get a chance to use more clock, get a chance to obviously score a touchdown, get it back to a 14-point game, and the field position piece is real there too, right?” Riley said. “And if you don’t convert it, you know, it’s a long ways for them to go and the game is starting to get short there.”

    Most gallingly, Riley referenced prevailing in a half-filled stadium against a crummy team whose coach may not make it to midseason.

    “Listen, we’re not going to take road wins for granted in this league,” Riley said. “They’re all hard.”

    What’s hard is believing that the Trojans might really be different this season.

    Reporters deserve their share of blame for hyping this team amid the usual devouring of cupcakes, but USC’s lack of meaningful practice access prevented them from seeing many of these warts.

    Jayden Maiava has gone from Heisman hopeful to a quarterback who locks in on primary reads and struggles with accuracy.

    Patterson has gone from savior to supervillain.

    Riley has gone from being redeemed to feeling a new level of heat.

    His only saving grace may be that nothing is linear in college football. That means the narrative could wildly shift again Saturday at the Coliseum when the Trojans face equally frustrating Oregon in what’s long been billed as a make-or-break moment for Riley and his team.

    Now this onetime showdown might more accurately be described as the Disappointment Bowl.

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  7. I was there and saw this near disaster first hand. Rutgers outplayed SC. The 99 yard pick saved the day. Can anyone explain the sideline antics on kickoffs? Two players lifting another in the air repeatedly. Another holding a Juice Box prop over his head. Are these future NFL draft picks or middle school children? It was also comical that I paid $155 from USC for a ticket then bought one on the 46 yardlne 15 rows from the USC bench for $50. And forget about where the band had to sit which was as far away as possible at that stadium. SMH

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  8. KAM: Maybe the malaise SC played with in the Rutgers game was partially due to overlooking them and thinking of Oregon

    DON: That won’t be a problem for SC this week. I doubt anybody is overlooking Oregon for Washington

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      2. John, can you imagine that as a resume line:

        “Shoulder Tapper, USC Football. Responsible for tapping the HC on the shoulder as many times as needed for him to realize there are 15-seconds on the snap clock. Developed different cadences and pressures, depending on the situation. Chased the coach up and down the sideline to ensure I would be at his side on every snap.”

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  10. KAM: Suddenly Oregon needs this game worse than SC. With 2 losses already tacked onto the Ducks their Playoff hopes are dashed

    DON: As the jocks say, “We will play one game at a time.” SC certainly has a chance at winning the Oregon game

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  11. KAM: There is hope. The SC offense is pretty good at a 40-point pace even though Maiava was a bit off yesterday

    DON: But I don’t expect SC to get to 40-points with Oregon, maybe 31 or so.

    KAM: So you are hoping SC’s defense keeps the Ducks below 31

    DON: And in fact the gamblers have the game at about a total of 60-points

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  13. The defensive backs and linebacker looked bad, but more as a result of a defensive line that get severely pushed off by the Rutgers offensive line which dominated. The Rutgers QB was average, but had plenty of time to throw, and the running backs had huge holes to run thru.

    Defense all starts on the defensive line. I see poor tackling throughout the entire defense, but think about it how many sacks has the USC defensive line put on the QB’s this season against very inferior opponents… the answer is ZERO.

    Now Oregon comes to town with elite offensive and defensives line, and many skilled athletes including the QB. USC will get blown out in this game, and this could be it for Riley, and his Juice Box program culture. I don’t think this if fixable unless Marv Goux comes out of retirement up in heaven to motivate the defensive line. RIP Marv Goux we miss you.

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