10 thoughts on the Trojans first loss of 2010 plus an interview with Shareece Wright...
- Deja vu all over again... Erik Folk booted the game-winner in Seattle last year. Now, he's crushed the Trojan faithful in the Coliseum as well. Folk is a local product from Notre Dame Sherman Oaks High School, which has really become a prep cradle of kickers. As for USC's kicking situation, is it an open competition this week? "Definitely," Lane Kiffin responded.
- As Lane Kiffin said to the team and the media after the game, USC did not finish the Huskies off. They had chances to bury UW with 4th quarter touchdowns and settled for back-to-back field goal attempts. Matt Barkley took responsibility for the missed conversions to David Ausberry and Jordan Cameron. "There has to be a time when you step up and convert that," the sophomore QB said. While he did not throw any interceptions, Barkley attributed some of his "clutch drive" struggles to fear of making a mistake.
- Allen Bradford was the obvious star of the show. He carried it 21 times for 223 yards (10.6 avg). "It was mostly cause of my offensive line," Bradford deferred credit. "Stanley opened up some big holes for me." Kennedy Pola has made such a difference for Bradford, who spent most of his USC career lost in the running back shuffle. I cannot help but wonder how much better the recent Trojan backs would have been under his tutelage.
- How do you fix tackling without tackling? "I really don't know what we can do to improve on that," Shareece Wright admitted. "I really don't." Defensively, the Trojans failed to wrap up on too many occasions. While the Huskies punished USC for 536 total yards, Oregon and others will do far worse if the problem persists.
- Two freshmen headed in two different directions. Down 17-7, Robert Woods ignited USC's comeback with a kickoff return, reminiscent of his TD at Minnesota. While Dillon Baxter was expected to provide a spark tonight, he tiptoed on his one and only run. Hopefully, he learned something watching Bradford from the sidelines. In a bloody battle like tonight, running backs need to get their shoulders going downhill, pick a hole and hit it.
- Like a Quentin Tarantino film, Steve Sarkisian's offense was derivative tonight. He has seen the Trojans struggle against zone read (Oregon) and fly sweeps (Oregon St.), so he incorporated both. Hawaii used the pistol effectively, so he sprinkled in some of that too. In summary, Lane Kiffin's worst fears of Sark having two weeks to prepare were realized.
- As I stressed in my game keys, USC's defense had to make Jake Locker one-dimensional and keep him in the pocket. They accomplished neither. The future NFL QB bounced back from his disastrous effort against Nebraska to throw for 310 yards and run for 110 more. "It all starts up front," DE Nick Perry said of containing Locker in the pocket. "Things fell apart." USC gets a crack at another mobile quarterback next week in Andrew Luck.
- "We weren't going to stop 'em. We were dead," Kiffin explained why he did not use his timeouts on Washington's final drive. Without Wes Horton, the Trojans depth was pushed past its limits tonight and they ran out of gas on the final drive.
- The Coliseum is an old building and the home and visiting locker rooms are adjacent to one another. USC's locker room was somber and silent after the game. The air filled with regret. But just next door, the Huskies were singing and celebrating a famous victory. With all those former Trojans in the other room, I'm sure they knew that their cheers were heard loud and clear. To the victor, go the spoils...
- While the defense forced only one punt the entire night, Shareece Wright put together an emphatic performance. He forced the first defensive fumble of the season by chasing down Locker and punching the ball out from behind. While the linebackers failed to deliver many physical blows, Wright punished multiple Huskies for daring to enter his air space. Here he is after the game...
Why no mention of the "curious" play called by Kiffin on 3rd and 4 with 2:30 left to play? The team had been successfully moving down the field by using running plays and then he calls a pass? Missing that first down was the most crucial error of the game -- maybe the whole season. With a conversion, we win the game. Without it, well, everyone knows what happened...
We weren't going to stop them, we were dead. Well if that was the case you might as well let them score as soon as possible get the ball back with time on the clock and all your time outs and go for the game winning TD. I think Lane gets a bad rap, but tonight was not his best night. The team is overwhelmed by its own defensive scheme. Tackling is a problem for sure, but countless receivers were wide open in the flats? I would have run the ball in the last offensive drive, but the staff thought they had a play and the play was there to be made. So players do need to make the plays, but I believe this staff is too quick to dimiss their own short-comings.
My biggest fear is that WSU was SC's last victory of the season - many of my buds are thinking the same way - poor defense, poor offensive prep, poor game management (coaching) - still an SC true blood, just being realistic.
Under PC, USC was always loose, expecting to find a way to win, and most of the time they did.
Kiffin is like an overbearing parent, never satisfied and constantly criticizing his team in front of the meddia. No excuses, Barkley should have made both of those easy throws ... but the comments he made show that he was more afraid of making a mistake than "seizing the opportunity" to close out the game. He was afraid of making a mistake and getting called out.
I want USC to be successful, but this program is now 180 degrees opposite of the way that Pete Carroll ran it. There's not a single guy out there having fun.
To paraphrase Jim Mora: "National Championship? National Championship? I just hope we can win a game!"
The defense needs to stop relying on arm tackling to bring down an opponent... Time and again the ballcarrier would gain extra yardage by breaking a litany of arm tackles. Wrap him up!!!! Even worse, this whole season the defense has allowed teams to convert on 3rd or 4th and 13 plus yards to go so when I saw us at 3rd and 18/3rd and 14/4th and 11 at crucial moments of the game, I knew we were screwed. And when is the front four or the defense as a whole gonna get some pressure on the QB? I would have sent the hour after Locker on 4th and 1. Instead, they only rushed three and left eight men in coverage and Locker still got the completion! The Tampa 2 has been a complete failure.
The big mistake was still using Barkley and think he can win. All he had to do was complete one pass either to Asbury or the tight end and he sailed each. Meanwhile we have a stud who is being overlooked until he hits the pros next year.
I am tired of seeing the other team on a last minute drive to win a game and the camera showing Barkley smiling on the sidelines oblivious to the fact SC may or like yesterday, lose. Why is this clueless kid allowed to play?
the safeties are always out of position. on the long td pass Starling bit on an out even thought the corner was right with the receiver, he is suppose to be the last wall of defense, if it's a 20 or more yard pass playing center field he should be able to get there. also Kennard appears to be out of positon often, he is always trailing on the underneath pass plays, he takes very poor angles to the ball, and over commits or goes the wrong way on runs, wheres Galippo.
THIS IS A VERY POOR DEFENSE, WHERE IS THE PASS RUSH. THE DEFENSIVE SCHEME IS VERY POOR.
So, Janna would have run on 3rd and 4, even though that is a traditional passing down and the offense is well-prepped to throw on 3rd and medium. Not to mention that the play was open and a good call, just poor execution. What are you saying about Matt Barkley if your philosophy is to run on 3rd and mediums, Janna?
What would you have done if Allen was stopped for a 2 yd gain, and it was then 4th and 2? Go for it, or kick the FG?
Our offense is #13 in the nation, so I am personally thrilled with Kiff's schemes and play calling. That is a strength right now, not one of our several glaring weaknesses.
It is hard to believe that the players allow Jordan Moore anywhere near them after reading this crap. He better hope they don't. Whose team is he on, anyway? Oh, yeah he is not on any team, He couldn't walk onto a 7 year old pop warner team if his dad was the coach. Never thoght I would miss ben malcomsen so much. Those you can do, those who can't rip those who do. Out with Jordan! And take Kiffin with him!
defense!defense! can you get off the feild on 3rd and 4th and long situations!!!! tampa works in nfl with stand in the pocket passers but college qbs run and throw make the adjustment before its too late. Tackling in practice will make you tougher in games i dont want to hear about possible injuries or depht sc is about winning and winning is about defense! fight on!!!
I agree with Janna, I would have run it on 3rd and 4, why? because the Huskies couldn't stop Bradford all night. His worst carry was something like 4 yards. We could've easily pounded it in for the touchdown with him and the clock would've been near expired.