The Year in Review

The 2007 season was an up and down adventure for the Trojans. The year started off with the rumble of player transfers, and then injuries to key players and units took their toll in October. But by the end of the year, the Trojans came out smelling like a rose with an undefeated November and December that put them back among the elite in college football.

The roller coaster included high points in big nationally televised wins at Nebraska and Arizona State, and the lows were losses to heavy underdog Stanford at home and at Oregon. But ultimately, SC accomplished its stated goals in any given year: Beat Notre Dame, Beat UCLA, Win the Pac 10 title, and go to the Rose Bowl. Its hard to complain when those things happen.

Let's hand out the regular season grades and awards:

Offense:

QBs- JD Booty did not have the great season he was hoping for. New starting WRs with a season-long case of the dropsies, and a mid-season injury causing him to miss three games were the main culprits. But he put some really solid performances together the last (4) games (8 TDs, 1 INT), and still had 20 TDs against 9 INTs for over 2,100 yards (62% completion rate) on the year. Mark Sanchez got some valuable experience starting three games at a crucial time. He showed the skill level and mobility that will make him a prime-time player in the years to come, but also showed the inexperience reading through progressions that comes with a first time starter. Grade: B minus

RBs/FBs

- Chauncey Washington finally had a healthy season with weight loss and added muscle, and SC relied upon him all year. He finished with nearly 900 yards on 5 yards per carry. Stafon Johnson showed what he could do early, and was on his way to a big season until a foot injury derailed him. A healthy Johnson was the best RB on the team and he finished with 569 yards (6 ypc) despite missing (4) games. Joe McKnight just got better as the year progressed. Ball security was an issue, as with all frosh, but the big time playmaking in the running and passing game was apparent. And Stanley Havili was Mr. Versatility - running, blocking and serving as a weapon in the passing game. He suffered through the dropsies during the year, but his threat as receiver gave SC's offense a whole other dimension. Grade: B +

WRs/TE - What a year from Fred "Mackey Award Winner" Davis. He led the team in receptions with (55), and was un-guardable the entire year. The WR unit was a disappointment, however. Pat Turner finished with 48 receptions, but was not consistent in catching the ball or playmaking, especially early in the year. Vidal Hazleton made excellent strides this year and really played well. David Ausberry did not make the impact anticipated from his great Spring and Fall camps. He dropped quite a few passes and did not read defenses well to get open consistently. Ronald Johnson, however, looks like a playmaker in waiting. Grade: C

OLine - Yeoman's work from this unit. Injuries were a constant theme, as three starters went down mid- season. But All Conference selections Sam Baker and Chilo Rachal led the team to 185 yards on the ground per game, and only gave up (15) sacks. The healthy year turned in by Jeff Byers was a great story, and solid performers Spanos and Radovich helped the cause. The future is also bright with players like Kris O'Dowd and Butch Lewis playing well when their number was called. Grade: B+

Defense:

DLine - Tremendous performances this year from this unit that helped SC finish 2nd in overall defense nationally. NT Sedrick "The Beast" Ellis, was a nightmare for interior OLinemen collecting 8.5 sacks. DE Lawrence Jackson also played at an All American level, especially in the last 4 games of the year, garnering 9.5 sacks. DE Kyle Moore was a playmaker early with a couple of INTs and knocking down passes, before an arm injury slowed him down. Fili Moala was an overlooked contributor, while youngsters Everson Griffen and Averill Spicer introduced themselves to big time football. Grade: A minus

LB

- This group turned in a very good year. All American Keith Rivers was a force against the running game, and MLB Rey Maualuga led the team in tackles and "snot bubble hits" . And while Brian Cushing was slowed by an ankle injury, he still made plays when on the field. Backup LB Kaluka Maiava had a terrific year playing the run and pass aggressively. And reserves Clay Matthews and Luthur Brown also made solid contributions. Grade: B +

DB - Despite not having a lot of INTs, PCarroll stated that this may have been his best secondary. CB Terrell Thomas really stepped up as a leader, and had some key INTs at the end of the year. S Kevin Ellison was finally recognized as one of the best by garnering 1st team All Pac 10 honors. Cary Harris and Taylor Mays were also very good in coverage denying any big plays deep and playing the run aggressively. CB Shareece Wright is an up and comer who will continue to make strides in coverage, but really made his mark with physical play. Grade: B

Special Teams: Kicker David Buehler did a very good job on FGs this year. He was money inside the 40 yard line, and ended up 16 - 19 on the year. On kickoffs he did a good job considering that the the ball was moved back five yards this year. Punter Greg Woidneck did not have a stellar year avergaing 38 yards per kick. That's not bad, but he wasn't able to knock many within the 10 yard line or really give SC a field position advantage.

Kick returner Ronald Johnson ended up averaging 25 yards per return finishing among the top returners in the PAC 10. On punt returns, SC did not gain a significant advantage here, but Joe McKnight got acclimated to that position, and that bodes well for the future. Importantly, there were no turnovers by the return units all year long. The coverage teams were solid, with only one breakdown on kickoff coverage at ASU. Grade: C +

Coaching: It took awhile for offensive coaches to establish the RB rotation, and injuries to key personnel and execution (dropped passes) prevented a whole lot of rhythm in the passing game. The staff probably should have relied on the running game more during the year since it was the team's strenghth. And penalties and turnovers were a problem for most of the year. But the offensive numbers on the year were strong - 185 on the ground and 230+ through the air per game. Interestingly, SC was very good offensively in the 2nd and 3rd quarters outscoring their opponents 227 to 80. On Defense, finishing 2nd in overall defense in college football is fantastic, and the gameplans to stop teams generally worked over the course of the games. The only downside was the generation of takeaways did not pick up steam until later in the year, and of course, 4th and 20 vs. Stanford will haunt everyone for a little while. Grade: B

MVPs:

Offense: TE Fred Davis
Defense: NT Sedric Ellis
Special Teams: K David Buehler

Predictor of the Year: Payback - on the strength of an unprecedented run of predictions at the end of the year . . . Payback takes the home the hardware.

Road Warrior of the Year: Ricky Bobby - the good ole' boy traversed through rain and wild fires to get to SC games this year.