Just a follow-up to this morning. When Lane Kiffin coached at USC, one of my main criticisms was that he was not a leader of men. You could talk to the players and they would express their dissatisfaction or lack of respect. Same with Clay Helton. But that is not an issue now. USC has never needed a great coach. It just needs a competent … Continue reading USC Thrives When It Has Leader Of Men

UCLA coach Chip Kelly said it was a mistake for the school’s official football twitter account to call it Transfer U. “When I saw it, I said, ‘That’s a mistake,’ ” Kelly said. Maybe someone was jealous that USC has become Transfer U. Fresno State QB Jake Haener said he grew up a USC fan. ‘I wanted that offer but little Jake Haener wasn’t tall … Continue reading Who Is Transfer U.? USC Or UCLA?

What do I like most about the first two USC games? It’s nothing really about the offensive scheme or the athleticism of Caleb Williams, which were already a given if you watched Oklahoma last season. I just like the consistent competency. USC might make mistakes or do things that go against its game plan but Lincoln Riley’s instilled a miminum level of competence that was … Continue reading Morning Buzz: What Do I Like Most About USC?

“He was awesome,” Lincoln Riley said. Is everyone going to just forget the three pass interference penalties? Does PFF factor those into their grades? I gave Blackmon credit because he was definitely defending the receivers Stanford wanted to throw to. But I’m not pretending the penalties were not called. USC is ranked in the top 10 of the Top 25 polls. You know where else … Continue reading USC Notes: Does Lincoln Riley Count Penalties?

Offensive tackle Courtland Ford (ankle) did not practice today and is going to be rested the first half of the week. It’s not vital he plays because Bobby Haskins has been splitting time at left tackle. There is a similar plan for defensive end Romello Height (shoulder), who did not practice today. Height was replaced by Solomon Byrd, who had two sacks. Continue reading USC Injury Update

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