What a fun night of football it was to watch. The Trojans put on an offensive clinic, compiling over 600 yards of total offense. In fact, up until the point when Mark went down with a knee re-aggravation (which doesn't appear to be serious), USC never punted. It was especially impressive, in my eyes, because the trend of stupid penalties continued.
Line play on offense was certainly improved, compared to last week's effort. Alex Parsons proved a very capable starter at right guard. He was filling in for the injured Zack Heberer.
CJ Gable got the official start at TB. Joe McKnight saw more specialized work. That left a lot of the conventional, pound-it-out style run plays for Stafon Johnson. Allen Bradford wanted to see more action this week, but he sat out of the game with a sore hip.
The trio of CJ, Joe, and Stafon worked effectively. So it begs the question; Is a fourth, and even a fifth back, too many? Hard to say, I like the change of pace we get from AB specifically, and also the 2 freshman; Marc Tyler and Broderick Green.
Sanchez, however, was the clear cut story of the game. He threw for 332 yards on 19 for 28 passing, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions. That was in 3 quarters of work, before the play calling got conservative, and knees got re-aggravated. Here's a look at how his passes were distributed (check his player profile for the 3 other passing charts)...
If you're looking for video of the game, here is a nice highlight package courtesy of ESPN. I'll be sure to bring you condensed-game video later this week, along with a closer look at the defense.
"And though most experts would dub this as a rollover game for the Trojans, I see a few things that have me worrying about a possible '06 repeat..."
But I couldn't pull the trigger and picked USC:
"All of that can be nullified through penalties, however, which SC has seen a lot of this season. They'll have to be careful this week, it's a hostile environment, and it was our graveyard in '06, when we also had national championship aspirations. One game at a time. I think Pete will have his crew ready Thursday night and come out of there with a win."
Pete didn't have his crew ready, and they came out with a loss. Carroll, himself, shouldered much of the blame, for a supposed lack of leadership. Keeping in mind, this is one of the busiest times for a coach. It's getting into the heart of the Pac-10 schedule and high school recruits are playing games all over the country.
Anyways, without further ado, here are my picks for this Saturday (full of more unpulled triggers):
Oklahoma over Baylor
Alabama over Kentucky
Missouri over Nebraska
Texas over Colorado (this is a "don't jinx it by picking them" pick)
Penn State over Purdue
Texas Tech over Kansas State
USC over Oregon
Florida over Arkansas
Auburn over Vandy
Ohio State over Wisconsin (as a USC fan, you better be praying for this result, GO BUCKEYES)
UNC over UConn
Cal over Arizona State (another game SC fans should keep an eye on, a possible 2-4 start from Rudy Carpenter and Co. [the Trojans host the Sun Devils next weekend] could have HUGE recruiting implications [see: Kennard, Devon])
Illinois over Michigan
Miami over Florida State
Ole Miss over South Carolina
The Trojans have this article series on the brink of extinction (for this season atleast), thanks to a Pac-10 opening loss to Oregon State last week.
That loss has USC sitting in a precarious position. Mel Kiper Jr., who I consider to be someone actually worthy of the title "Football Expert", was on ESPN this week and he got asked, ofcourse, his thoughts on the #1 team in the college football...
"In a late season, end of the year game, where everything is on the line...I'll take USC any day of the week." - Mel Kiper Jr.
Me and you see eye-to-eye, Mel. But the fact remains, USC is 2-1, 0-1 in conference play and a freshman tailback reaked havok right through the middle of our highly regarded defense last week. The Trojans better watch out again because #20 Oregon is in town this weekend. So let's dive right into a preview of this '08 Ducks team, which, exhale, doesn't have the likes of Dennis Dixon or Jonathan Stewart anymore.
Oregon Ducks - Offense
At quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli is expected to play and start most of the game. He's a smallish JC transfer who was thrust into the spotlight early in the season, following a laundry-list of injuries to the position. Youngsters Darron Thomas and Chris Harper could also see some snaps if Masoli struggles. Athletically, Masoli's strength is running the ball. He certainly won't wow you with his arm, and hasn't been asked to yet.
Despite the QB troubles, Mike Belotti's offense has been business as usual so far this season. RB's Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount have helped the Ducks average 48+ points, and 500+ yards offensively. Johnson is the lightning, and Blount is the thunder in the running game. They'll be handed the ball out of Oregon's shotgun 3-WR formation, almost exclusively.
As you can probably remember from last year; draws, sneaks, misdirection, zone-reads, and execution are the name of the game for the Ducks. To no surprise then, they don't have a game-changing wide receiver to speak of. Jaison Williams, who went to school in west-LA, is probably the closest thing. However, he's been criticized for dropping too many passes. TE Ed Dickson might be a player to watch out for.
Oregon Ducks - Defense
Not a lot has changed over the course of the year on defense for the Ducks. Patrick Chung, strong-safety, is their best player and will roam the field, looking for errant Sanchez passes. He's also a good run-stopper, and that seems to be the emphasis of this defense.
The corners play confident, but lack the talent in my opinion, to justify the way they play. I see this as an opening for Mark and the receivers. Big plays can be had, especially on 1st and 2nd down. 3rd down usually means 7 or 8 drop will drop into coverage for the Ducks, a danger area for the passing attack.
Linebackers are probably the weak spot for Oregon. That leaves a void in the middle for Anthony McCoy and Blake Ayles to take advantage of. Neither of those guys have seen enough balls thrown their way.
One other note on this defense; They are more of a blitzing team than Oregon State was. This is not breaking news to Steve Sarkisian and the offensive coaching staff. I'll be curious to see how they've altered the protection schemes, hot routes, and play calls for those situations.
Oregon Ducks - Special Teams
Neither punter Josh Syria, nor Matt Evensen, are spectacular but they are both solid and part of one of the better special teams units in the Pac-10.
Patrick Chung, #15, will probably handle the kickoff duties. He's electric and that'll be another fun battle to watch, vs. our great coverage unit.
Overall, this game is a huge opportunity for both teams. Many believe that Oregon will be the Trojans' toughest remaining test. This may well be true. Partly because of that, I expect a big bounce-back after last week, especially at home in the Coliseum.
Two more not to be under-estimated tidbits about this game. 1) Oregon is ranked, and 2) The game is on ABC in primetime. It's extremely important in my eyes that, if Miami is the end goal, USC begins to regain some of their national credibility. A win tonight should give them exactly that.
As usual, hop onto USC Blitz for the live blog around 7:45 PM EST/4:45 PST. Today's picks are up next. Fight on Trojans!
As always, here are the highlights from USC's stunning loss to the Beavers of Oregon State (available in low & high quality versions):
1st Half
2nd Half
The loss got me thinking...do we still have a serious shot at the national title? I think the obvious consensus is that we would have to run the table to get there. Our conference isn't benchmarking well this season, and that means that even an 11-1 record is no guarantee. The latest AP and coaches polls have us at #9.
Another wild college football weekend saw almost half of the top 10 teams lose; with Florida, Wisconsin, and USC all going down to unranked, conference foes. Preseason #1, Georgia, got the snot knocked out of them by a very good Alabama team infront of their home fans on Saturday night. My point? Clearly the parody that we saw last year in college football was no fluke.
I took a look at the 8 undefeated teams that currently sit infront of us in the USA Today coaches poll. I wrote down the toughest remaining games left of their schedules. The coaches poll accounts for one third of the BCS formula and the first rankings of the year are set to be released on October 19th.
1. Oklahoma Sooners
- vs. Texas
- vs. Kansas
- vs. Texas Tech
- @ Oklahoma State
2. LSU Tigers
- @ Florida
- @ South Carolina
- vs. Georgia
- vs. Alabama
3. Missouri Tigers
- vs. Oklahoma State
- @ Texas
- vs. Colorado
- vs. Kansas
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
- @ LSU
- vs. Auburn
5. Texas Longhorns
- @ Colorado
- @ Oklahoma
- vs. Missouri
- vs. Oklahoma State
- @ Texas Tech
- @ Kansas
6. Penn State Nittany Lions
- @ Wisconsin
- @ Ohio State
- vs. Michigan State
7. BYU Cougars
- @ TCU
- @ Air Force
- @ Utah
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
- @ Kansas
- vs. Texas
- vs. Oklahoma State
- @ Oklahoma
My eyes will be glued to all of these games, especially Texas @ Oklahoma and LSU @ Alabama (during a brutal 5-week stretch for the Tigers). Someone has to lose each of those games, and that virtually guarantees one of those teams dropping behind the Trojans in the polls. Again, making the unmerited assumption that SC wins out.
For now, however, the Trojans turn their attention to the Oregon Ducks. It's our Pac-10 home opener and I'll have my preview and week 6 picks later this week.
Finally, after a brief technical hiatus, comments are back. Let's hear what you think; Do we still have a national title shot? If not, who are your favorites? We're 0-1 in conference play, but are we still the ones to beat in the Pac-10?
"Despite a remaining schedule free of Top-25 competition, the chances of No. 1 USC completing an undefeated regular season are still relatively up in the air. According to BetOnline.com, the odds on the Trojans going 12-0 in 2008 are 7-to-2, despite the fact that their remaining schedule boasts a combined 17-18 record overall and just four teams with winning records."
USC's Road to the National Championship: @ Oregon State
Thursday marks the start of the Pac-10 season for the Trojans. They head up north to take on the Oregon State Beavers. The team that upset them back in '06 (33-31). It was a game that I'll remember for the last minute failed 2 pt conversation. Heart breaking is how I would describe it, but I'll save you the rest of the therapeutic mumbo jumbo. Suffice to say, I don't want to see it happen again. And though most experts would dub this as a rollover game for the Trojans, I see a few things that have me worrying about a possible '06 repeat.
At face value, the Beavers are 1-2. But I don't think that paints the right picture of what they've done or what they are capable of. Take a look at week 1 for example. A 36-28 loss to a Stanford team that was at the bottom of a lot of preseason Pac-10 lists. That game took it's game-clinching turn near the end of the 3rd quarter. Though they were only leading by 3 points, at 20-17, it was clear that Oregon State was dominating the game offensively. In fact, they finished with 11 more first downs and almost 200 yards more than Stanford on offense. However, a Stanford field goal tied it at 20. And just 2 plays later, Beaver quarterback Lyle Moevao fumbled into his own endzone for a safety. Stanford scored on that next drive. All of a sudden, a 3 point lead was gone, and Oregon State was down two scores on the road. Moevao proceeded to throw two interceptions not to soon after that, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
Yet, Moevao didn't give up, he got the game to 1 score, and WR Darrell Catchings was literally 6-inches short of what could have been a game-tying touchdown when he fumbled into the endzone for a touchback in the final seconds. It was a game that certainly had it's ups and downs for the junior quarterback Moevao, originally from Torrance, California. But he has an up side, and it's good. If the Beavs spread us out with 4 and 5 wide, I think Shareece's loss will be felt.
Oregon State's next game was against Penn State on the road, where they got thumped by a team that I think is probably the best in the Big-10 right now. Then, they came back and looked good against Hawaii at home, winning 45-7.
Sammie Stroughter, #19, is their go-to receiver. He averages over 12 yards/catch and so does senior WR, Shane Morales #13. The Rodgers brothers (James [older] and Jacquizz) are the faces of the Beaver backfield. I consider them "would be 4-star" tailbacks if not for their smallish size, at 5'7" a piece. The younger brother, Jacquizz, #1, is dangerous in space. Ideally, I think they'd love to get it to him on a screen. Those are the type of plays that work against the speedy, aggressive style of this USC defense. Combine that screen and run game with their quick passing attack, and the Trojans could quickly have a game on their hands.
On defense, the Beavers will have to get a home-field boost to keep up with our offensive attack. I don't see them matching up well in any regard. Particularly, I forsee them being overwhelmed by our athletic offensive line. All of that can be nullified through penalties, however, which SC has seen a lot of this season. They'll have to be careful this week, it's a hostile environment, and it was our graveyard in '06, when we also had national championship aspirations. One game at a time. I think Pete will have his crew ready Thursday night and come out of there with a win.
I'll be back with more on the game, my week 5 picks, and ofcourse, the Oregon State live blog.
Back by popular demand, here are my picks for this Saturday (USC was off this week, preparing for their next game vs. Oregon State):
Purdue over Central Michigan
NC State over East Carolina
Pitt over Iowa
Georgia Tech over Mississippi St.
Troy over Ohio St.
Alabama over Arkansas
Arizona over UCLA
Oregon over Boise State
Florida over Tennessee
Houston over Colorado St.
Miami over Texas A&M
Notre Dame over Michigan St.
Navy over Rutgers
North Carolina over Virginia Tech
Utah over Air Force
Ball St. over Indiana
Texas over Rice
Ole Miss over Vanderbilt
FSU over Wake
Auburn over LSU
Georgia over Arizona St.
Starting about a half hour before the game (around 7:30 PM EST), USCBlitz.com will be the place to be for some exciting live blogging before, during, and after the Trojans vs. the Buckeyes. Instant reaction, opinion, and analysis with other USC fans.
- Update: An early upset already this Saturday. Cal's offense struggled mightily today against the Maryland Terapins on the road. After scoring 104 points in the first 2 games of the season, Jeff Tedford's Bears trailed all day and ended up losing 35-27 with 3 late fourth quarter touchdowns.
