Before the season started, no one would have predicted that the most important game of the year would be Arizona. But it was. SC had to win no matter what, and they finally got some clutch offensive and defensive plays when they needed them. It wasn't pretty, but pretty went out the window a long time ago.
Let's get to the grades:
Offense -
QB - Much like the backup QB for Stanford, Mark Sanchez survived the first three quarters to make a few good plays in the all important 4 quarter. His stats, 19 - 31 for 130+ yards, 1TD and 2 INTs, weren't really the issue. SC needed a win, and he contributed. Grade: C+
RB/FB - CWashington had a terrific first quarter TD run, but not too much else, and JMcKnight contributed a 50+ yard run in the 4th quarter. It was hit and miss, even in short yardage situations, with no real rhythm established. Grade: C+
WR/TE - Fred "The Truth" Davis is the most reliable playmaker in the passing game, and he proved it again with the game winning TD catch. The WRs continue to feel there way around with no marked impact on the game. Grade: C
OLine - Dang . . . this unit is beat up. Even the indestructible one . . . Sam Baker . . . limped out of the ball game. But they did not play badly. Certainly they didn't dominate for the run game (140+ yards rushing), but they kept Sanchez upright and did a serviceable job with 3 and 4 reserves in the game at the same time. Grade: C+
Defense -
DLine - Good game. They allowed only 22 yards of rushing in 16 carries. DE Kyle Moore may have had the biggest play when he knocked down an Arizona pass at the line of scrimmage on a 3rd down play with SC only leading 17 - 13 in the 4th quarter. DE Everson Griffen also had his first sack of the year. Grade: B+
LB - Another solid game for the LBs. Mad Dog Maualuga got hurt, but Luther Brown did a good job filling in. Keith Rivers and Thomas Williams were all over the field. Grade: B
DBs - This unit did a nice job against a team that came in with an all out passing game attack. 'Zona got about 230 yards in the air, but only for 7 yards per completion. CB TThomas and S KEllison were extremely active. Ellison had 9 tackles with a forced fumble. Grade: B
Special Teams: Nothing to write home about, but PR Joe McKnight provided the spark that lifted the Trojans out of the doldrums with a 50+ yard punt return right when SC needed it the most in the 4th quarter. The Trojans took the lead on the next play. Grade: C+
Coaching: Challenging day for the offensive coaches as they were dealing with backup players at important positions on OLine and at QB. The playcalling gave QB Sanchez some interesting choices and he clearly missed some reads before the snap and in his progressions, but the coaches returned to the running game in the 4Q that set up the win. On defense, SC bottled up the Wildcats with the tried and true formula of stopping the run first, and turning the 'Cats into a a one dimensional team. Grade: B minus
Game Balls:
Offense - TE Fred Davis
Defense - S Kevin Ellison
Special Teams - PR Joe McKnight
Prediction Winner: Payback (by one point over RickyBobby)
No comments:
Post a Comment