FOOTBALL

USC vs. Wisconsin Report Card

QUARTERBACK

Jayden Maiava pulled out one of his vaunted clunkers just before the teeth of the schedule. He can’t handle pressure. That’s a problem. The only person who doesn’t realize this is D’Anton Lynn with his three-man rush.

Grade: F

RUNNING BACKS

The run-blocking was atrocious but King Miller doesn’t look the same as last season. Maybe it’s time to let some other guys get a chance. The longest run from scrimmage for the game was 7 yards. Pathetic.

Grade: F

WIDE RECEIVERS

Not a single explosive play (20-yards-or-more) in the game. That’s the first time it happened to Lincoln Riley since he was an assistant at East Carolina in 2011. Is it the receivers’ fault or more likely the o-line and Maiava? Regardless, no unit is going unscathed from this debacle.

Grade: F

OFFENSIVE LINE

The peanut gallery suddenly discovered the shortcomings of this group. When has USC been good in short-yardage situations during the Riley Era? When has the offensive line ever excelled against a physical run defense? No one talks about offensive line coach Zach Hanson anymore. Remember in the offseason they all said what a difference he made?

Grade: F

DEFENSIVE LINE

They didn’t control the edge and they didn’t know what to do on QB read option plays despite two weeks to prepare for the game. They made flash plays but lacked consistency.

Grade: F

LINEBACKERS

Wisconsin hardly has an explosive offense but when they needed yards, they got them. Did anyone tackle former USC running back Bryan Jackson?

Grade: F

DEFENSIVE BACKS

They could have played in their slippers given the anemic Wisconsin passing attack and they still had two pass-interference penalties. They’ve been terrible all season.

Grade: F

SPECIAL TEAMS

Does Lincoln Riley hamstring his special teams when he sends the field-goal team on the field too late and gets called for a penalty? The coach who hates field goals tries a 58-yarder with a kicker who had no chance to convert it. The fumbled kick return was a problem too.

Grade: F

COACHING

What is it about Lincoln Riley and road games? And why do his teams take on his soft personality in these contests? USC got pushed around most of the game and looked unprepared despite having a bye week before the game. It takes a special kind of coach to lose by 17 points to a team that passed for 58 yards.

Grade: F

COACHING, PART II

Grandpa Patterson can’t get the team aligned for the touchdown where two USC players lined up against four Wisconsin players and either doesn’t have the authority to call timeouts or waited too long. Mike Ekeler can’t go a game without a special teams mistake. Riley says he has a long-range kicker then doesn’t use him for a 58-yard field goal.

Grade: F

36 thoughts on “USC vs. Wisconsin Report Card”

  1. Wow…all I can say is… wow. Can’t remember a solid “F” for Helton. But there will be at least one more game that is worse, and unfortunately, there isn’t a grade of F-. I guess Scott could include an “attendance” (showing up to the game) category…

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  2. Scooter,

    Does that mean Riley’s F stand for: Firing Riley and the whole coaching staff? On the positive side, we get to see SC in a bowl game, once again the Holiday Bowl game where Iowa will kick SC’s ass again.

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  3. Scott, you are on target with. all of the F grades. My only concern is giving the players grades when it is all on the coaching. The running backs look mediocre when running poorly schemed and predictable plays, that is on the coaching. Same thing with the misalignments that you mentioned on defense. Hard for players to overcome an ineffective scheme. And, the play calling on offense was all on the coaching….did you see any slant passes; everything was sideline throws. I would give the players themselves D’s except for Maiava who along with the coaching deserve the F’s. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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  4. 10 million year for 5-15 against ranked teams, 4-7 on the road in the Big 10.

    “Listen, if I didn’t want to be at this place, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to leave. This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me. I’m the right person to be here. And that’s as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.” Riley said after the Trojans’ practice Tuesday.

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    1. Buddha, that’s what he said as quoted ‘but’ other unnamed sources are pointed in stating he’s through per the school looking hard to get this resolved i.e. ‘…time ta’ git’ Lincolnska….’ the powers that be know this is never going to change…he’s indifferent towards both defense and running game. As other’s have noted, Leach was beloved and massive impact on offense with his ‘air raid’ but it never produced a dominant program.

      Sooner he’s gone the better regardless of the last 4 games….for him as well.

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      1. “Sooner he’s gone[!]” (emphasis and punctuation added)

        Would love to see Boomer & Sooner pulling up the U-Haul wagon for him (yesterday) …

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  5. But when asked about the idea that he might be a better fit at a different school, Riley balked at the notion.

    “I love it here. I mean like I told you guys a lot of times — there’s not many people in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come here,” Riley said. “I don’t care if it’s 15 years down the line, that never should be taken lightly. It’s certainly not taken lightly by me. I came here because I believe in this place and none of that has changed whatsoever.”

    Yes, the guy who flat out refuses to attend golf outings, will not mingle with alums, students, fans, ex players, boosters, donors, is Nixonesque with his media control, practices. Yes, he loves the place.

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    2. What exactly did he give up when he came to SC? He gave up coaching at oklahoma and was allowed to live in So Cal. That is a win for him. he gave up a puny couple million salary for a $10 mil for 10 year salary. That is win for him. He gave up riding a horse and buggy ride to practice when he got a chaffeur. That is a win. He got two new offices. That is a win. He didn’t give up anything. If he feels that way,then send him back to Oklahoma. Wait, they won’t take him back either.

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    3. Agree with the assessment, except Riley’s high level of hyperbole is more akin to the current POTUS.

      “there’s no one in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come here. I didn’t need to do this, folks, believe me — believe me. I built a great football program from nothing in Oklahoma and I had a wonderful life… ”

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  7. The offensive line has been a problem since Riley arrived.

    If I had the chance to watch a practice I bet 90% of the time they are working on just pass blocking to support the air raid offense. To me the offensive line looks lost on most plays, and if you watch closely those not involved directly with a play just stand around watching rather than following with the running backs, or behind them to pick up yardage,. There is also no push forward on the offensive line again these guys spend most of the time moving backward in this offense to pass block, and on Saturday they didn’t even do that.

    It’s all about this gimmick air raid offense. No one has ever won a national championship running it, and never will because it’s washed up due to the fact coaches know how to defend a finesse offense now.

    The real problem with SC is Lincoln Riley is one dimensional he only knows the “Air Raid” and nothing else so it’s time to part company.

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  12. Bass closes the gap!!! so we’re gonna get a rogue trOJie or a fresh Commie, either way, LA wins!!!

    #WorkersUnite!

    #VivaElProletariado!

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  13. DON: A freshman quarterback such as Ohio St’s usually does not beat a senior quarterback

    KAM: You can be assured that Ohio St is not taking SC lightly and is not expecting another Wisconsin-type embarrassment

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  14. Imaginary Wiley: ‘Don’t these SC people realize what I gave up by leaving Oklahoma? We went to the playoffs 3 straight years, I was a king there. But I wanted a challenge and after Helton left SC in shambles I thought I was the cure

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