Here’s a stat that hasn’t been discussed much in the afterglow of the media fawning over USC’s victory over Stanford. The Trojans rank 106th in rushing defense, allowing 183.5 yards per game. It’s worse if you go by fancier stats like rushing success rate (119th) or rushing marginal explosiveness (121st). I’m not a stat geek but I know if a Clay Helton defense did this … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Here’s A Stat That Won’t Please You

Here is what Lincoln Riley said tonight on “Trojans Live” about USC’s goal for the week. “Playing a cleaner, more full football game has been the rallying cry this week. “We need to be as good as we can be, like yesterday. We’re on a race against time.” Continue reading Lincoln Riley’s Goal For The Week

The UCLA-Colorado game will be on the Pac-12 Network. That’s four straight games on the Pac-12 Network for UCLA. It has to be a record. You can blame their shoddy non-conference schedule. But all I hear from people is what a genius George Kliavikoff is. Couldn’t he work out some sort of compromise to make the network more accessible? And for the people who say … Continue reading Here’s Another Debacle From Pac-12

The USC-Oregon State game on Sept. 24 will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and be televised on the Pac-12 Network. This looks like an intriguing matchup and a possible trap game so why put it on a network a lot of people can’t watch? It’s moments like this where I feel USC can’t get out of the Pac-12 fast enough. Continue reading USC Going Back On Pac-12 Network

QUARTERBACK Caleb Williams was nearly perfect in the first half and the Heisman campaign is in full bloom. He looked more ordinary in the second half when he was 7-12 for 97 yards. Grade: A- RUNNING BACK If you watched Oregon last season, you knew Travis Dye was a worker bee who always gives 110 percent. Austin Jones was less memorable and I can see … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC-Stanford Report Card

Kirk Herbstreit is becoming a college football institution and now does NFL games. But I have to say I find his performances on USC games wanting. For one thing, he kept defending Clay Helton and said USC should retain him during a Notre Dame game a few years ago. Last night, Herbstreit made a big deal about USC being physical at the line of scrimmage … Continue reading Mediawatch: USC Analysis Was A Tad Out Of Touch