QUARTERBACK Jayden Maiava threw his first interception of the season and faced some real pressure. But he played well enough to win the game if he had some help on defense. Grade: B RUNNING BACK After some impressive flashes against inferior competition, I thought the backs looked pretty average against Illinois. GRADE: C WIDE RECEIVER Makai Lemon had a great game (as usual) and the … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC-Illinois Report Card

Sometimes, the official stats are wrong about who plays and who doesn’t play. But the official stats from Illinois say defensive tackle Jide Abasiri did not play Saturday. It appears true because USC’s stats show him playing in only four games this season. Why does it matter? He is still listed as a starter on USC’s depth chart and was not listed in the injury … Continue reading USC Notes: Under The Radar Lineup Switch

How is this playing with Jen Cohen? She was already fed up enough with Lincoln Riley to bring in Chad Bowden. Now she has to watch USC lose in exactly the same way as it did before. Who imagined before the season USC would have the 103rd-ranked pass defense in the nation going into the Michigan game? Remember how Riley vowed to get more involved … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Are We In The Middle Of A Rerun?

One thing that is funny when USC loses is the way some people suddenly change their opinion on the team. For example, one post-Illinois reaction is “Well, what can we do with a young secondary? It is what it is.” These people conveniently forget that Lincoln Riley and Chad Bowden spent the offseason bragging about the new philosophy of focusing on high school talent over … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Poor Planning In Portal Suddenly Becomes A Problem