I remain fascinated by what Alex Grinch does on defense. Or rather, what the players don’t do? Is the defense’s shortcomings his doing? “I watched the Arizona game and his defense is a hodgepodge,” a Pac-12 coach said. “It’s just a bunch of guys running around. They don’t look like they know what they are doing.” South Bend weather forecast Saturday: High of 55 degrees. … Continue reading USC Notes: Is It The System Or The Players?

USC coach Lincoln Riley offered the following assessment of his defense Monday night on the “Trojans Live” radio show. “I think going back and watching the film and our coaches knew right away, the couple of plays that they got on us early, we had the perfect call,” Riley said. “We were like dead to rights. If you were on the Arizona coaches’ headset and … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Coaches Had “Perfect Calls” Vs. Arizona

I mentioned during the game USC had to call timeout because it had 10 men on the field when Arizona was about to score a touchdown when it trailed, 28-20. Then the Trojans had nine men on the field for Arizona’s field-goal attempt with 2:17 remaining but a player ran on late to make it 10 men. Imagine the reaction if Clay Helton did it? … Continue reading An Unwanted Comparison To You Know Who

Cornerback Sione Laulea, who is ranked the No. 1 junior college player in the nation, committed to Oregon. USC and Miami were the other finalists. He is a four-star prospect from College of San Mateo. Is anyone surprised? Why would Laulea go to USC? What examples are there that he would develop? Would you want to play for Donte Williams? The USC-Utah game on Oct. … Continue reading USC Notes: Here’s One Corner Who Won’t Help Trojans

QUARTERBACK Caleb Williams had his worst game of the season and yet when the game was on the line, he carried the Trojans to the victory, often with his legs. Just imagine what it will be like when he is gone. Grade: C+ RUNNING BACK For all the talk about the depth at this position, it’s basically MarShawn Lloyd right now and his carries tend … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC-Arizona Report Card

If Lincoln Riley is serious, Alex Grinch and Donte Williams won’t be back next season. That’s the cold-hearted truth about USC football. If Riley wants to be as good as he claimed USC would be this season, he needs to make changes. When the coaches evaluated the roster in the offseason, how did they not bring in more cornerbacks? They had too much faith in … Continue reading USC Notes: Changes Need To Be Made