When Lincoln Riley was looking for a defensive coordinator, one of the issues was whether any candidates (like Jim Leonhard) would enjoy Riley’s aversion to playing complementary football. In other words, do you want to coach the defense when Riley doesn’t care how much time his defense is on the field? Or doesn’t call plays to run some clock and give the defense a rest? … Continue reading The USC Defense Rarely Rests

QUARTERBACK Miller Moss was solid and did not have any turnovers. But was this more the result of the quality of the opponent than anything Moss or the offense did? Grade: B- RUNNING BACK Woody Marks had 20 touches in the game and USC ran only 43 plays. He’s the offensive MVP. People keep saying Quinten Joyner should get more carries and he rushed three … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC-Rutgers Report Card

Hasn’t USC been consistently average all season? It really is a reflection of its 4-4 record. I see some people trying to highlight individual players each week as they try to find silver linings. But overall, the team looks pretty average, outside of maybe the first two games. This is where Lincoln Riley and Joel Klatt will say USC is three plays away from being … Continue reading USC Notes: Are Trojans Getting Better?

Lincoln Riley has done what he probably wanted to do from Day 1 in his first season at USC and closed practices to the media. Personally, I don’t think this matters much because he only allowed the media to watch 15 minutes of stretching and individual drills at two practices a week. But it does show that the $10 million man is feeling the heat … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Do Not Disturb, Genius At Work

USC might be 4-4 but they are still making national news. The Today Show and New York Post both have stories today on Rylee Arnold (a dancer on Dancing with the Stars) announcing her relationship with USC tight end Walker Lyons. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rylee Arnold (@ryleearnold1) //www.instagram.com/embed.js Continue reading USC Making News Off Field

USC had new starters at four of the five secondary positions on Friday. It had new starters at two of the four defensive line spots. A third starter, Nate Clifton, left in the first quarter with a boot on his foot. So by the end of Game 8, seven of the 12 starters were hurt. What happened to gaining 1,400 pounds in the offseason? The … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Bigger But Not Better