Trojans Enter Dawg Pound

The Trojans venture up north to rainy Seattle to take on the Huskies in a match up of teams headed in opposite directions. After a couple of good wins, the Huskies have lost two straight to ranked teams (Ohio St. and UGLA). USC, on the other hand, is rounding into form with increasingly impressive victories. Here's how these two teams shape up:

Washington -

Offense: Redshirt Frosh QB Jake Locker is the straw that stirs the drink for the Huskies. An adept rusher (90+ yards per game), Locker ranks last in passing in the Pac 10 only completing 53% and has 6 INTs to go with 6TDs (four of those TDs coming last week vs. UGLA).

WR Marcel Reese is a huge target at 6'3, 240lbs, and RB Louis Rankin are the other players UW depends upon to make plays. UW really depends upon Locker to set the table with designed running plays, and then he'll suddenly step back and pass the ball displaying a strong arm (think a west coast version of Florida's QB Tim Tebow.)

Defense: The Huskies rush the passer well from the edge with two DEs Gunheim and Te'o Manheim ranking in the top ten in the Pac 10 in sacks (3 apiece). However, the already porous run defense may have to play without leading tackler LB E.J. Savannah who has suffered from shoulder/neck stingers lately.

The secondary has played pretty well overall - they rank second in the Pac 10 in pass defense. CB Roy Lewis is the anchor, but the other CB Vonzell McDowell is just a true frosh and was taken advantage of deep in their game with Ohio St.

Special Teams: What special teams? This unit for UW is horrible, ranking last or near last in every category of coverage, returns and kicking. The Huskies have put starting RB Rankin back on kickoff returns just to stop the bleeding there, as they have (4) fumbles by their return men.

USC -

Offense: The Trojans are starting to find some balance in their run/pass games. QB Booty is starting to find a rhythm with his WRs/TEs who stepped up big vs. Wazzu, and the RBs have been very solid all year. This game may see SC grind UW down on the ground because the Husky run defense is weak - giving up 175 yards per game.

The SC OLine has been feeding at the trough especially behind Byers, O'Dowd and Rachal. In the passing game, OTs Baker and Radovich will have to be quick and fundamentally sound, because the UW DEs come off the edge very well.

Defense: Here's the deal . . . play Husky QB Jake Locker like an RB initially. SC's DLine will have to be disciplined and stay in their lanes - especially the DEs (LoJack, Moore and Griffen) who need to keep outside containment on Locker. And of course, the LBs will need to drop in their lanes on the pass, with one eye on Locker leaving the pocket.

UW may try to come out throwing short passes (doesn't everybody) just to fool SC regarding Locker's rushing ability. But if SC can get an early lead, Locker will be forced to pass downfield, and that plays into the hands of the defense who will confuse Locker schematically and add to his rising INT total.

Special Teams: SC can make some hay here, as the UW kickoff man, Jared Ballman, is terrible. UW ranks last in kickoff coverage in the Pac 10 mainly because Ballman hasn't kicked the ball beyond the 15 yard line. Kickoff returner CJ Gable can expect at least one opportunity to break a big one in this game. SC's coverage units should be wary of new Husky KR man Rankin, as he is pretty fast.

Prediction Time:

USC - 45

UW - 7

Post your prediction below under the "Comments" link . . .

Tailgatin' Trojan Style

The 4thand9 Crew gets ready for the SC vs. Washington State blow out.

Click on picture to enlarge: Left to Right - Dwight, Tiffany, Sharnell, Big Rob, Jacqueline and Payback - Jordan (kneeling)

Read game recap below . . .

Trojans Bury Cougars 47 - 14

Look . . . up in the sky . . . its a bird . . . its a plane . . . no, its just big Fred Davis making catch after catch to help SC dominate Wazzu. The Trojans put the Cougars away with a decisive 27 - 0 run mainly in the second quarter, and never looked back. It was a total team effort as the passing game made strides, the running game kept humming, and the defense turned in another strong effort. Let's take a look at the grades:

Offense -


QB - JD Booty had his best outing of the year with 4 TD passes. He spread the ball around and bought time in the pocket really well to stay alive and find receivers downfield. The only blemish was an INT in tight coverage. Sanchez also got a few reps, completing a couple of passes, but also throwing a pick. Grade: B +


RB - Chauncey Washington ran physical while gaining 84 yards on 11 carries. C-Dub was most impressive breaking tackles when he got to the second level, scoring 1 TD on the night. Stafon Johnson looked impressive once again displaying a low center of gravity, breaking tackles and showing terrific acceleration. Even Joe McKnight finally looked like he was feeling comfortable at RB - slippery is the word for McKnight as defenders seem to slide right off of him. Grade: B +


WR/TE - SC came out determined to establish the passing game, throwing 12 of the first 14 plays. TE Fred Davis was the main beneficiary with (9) catches and 2 TDs. Patrick Turner looked good snagging six balls and Vidal Hazleton added a TD on a vintage SC WR slant route in the red zone. Grade: B


OLine - Another solid effort by this group as SC rushed for 200+ yards again. They continue to open holes at the LOS to allow the RBs to get to the second level and make people miss or break tackles. The inside trio of Byers, O'Dowd and Rachal are just cleaning people out . . . while Radovich and Baker hold down the edges, only giving up one sack in the game. Grade: B+


Defense:


DLine - Another good game pressuring the passer and completely shutting down the run game for the front four - Wazzu gained only 64 yards on 27 carries (2.4 ypc). LoJack is officially back! He registered two sacks, while Kyle Moore got another INT, as Wazzu was pre-occupied with The Beast (NT Sed Ellis). Grade: B+


LB - Keith Rivers is The Man - and 14 tackles (9 solo, 2.5 tackles for loss) is all you need to know. Maualuga, Matthews and Thomas "Hit Man" Williams all made their presence felt. Cushing played, but tweaked his ankle again for the only bad news. Grade: A minus


DB - This group did a solid job versus a team with a very good passing game. Only a couple of lapses led to big gains for Wazzu, but those were sporadic. CB Terrell Thomas played physical, and CB Shareece Wright is learning what it takes to defend Pac 10 WRs. CB Cary Harris dislocated a shoulder in the first half, and his availability for the next two games is in doubt.
Grade: B


Special Teams:

Kickers/Coverage/Returns - Kicker David Buehler had one of the biggest plays of the night when he ran a Wazzu return man out of bounds on a sure TD after kickoff coverage breakdown.
Desmond Reed had a couple of pretty good punt and kickoff returns. Buehler hit an FG, but did miss an extra point for the only mishap in the kicking game. Grade: B minus

Coaching: A nice offensive and defensive game plan for the Cougs. On offense, coming out passing (12 of the first 14 plays) was probably not what Wazzu expected. And then on defense, PCarroll and crew kept a good passing attack in check. Grade: A minus

Game Balls:

Offense - TE Fred Davis
Defense - LB Keith Rivers
Special Teams - K David Buehler

Prediction Winner - B-Dub

The Palouse is on the Loose

Its the Pac 10 opener, people - so let's get it crackin'.

Washington State comes to town with a hot QB and a suspect defense. The Trojans come back to the friendly confines of the Coliseum after a road grading win over Nebraska. Wazzu gave SC a tough game last year, and say they look forward to the rematch this Saturday. But they better be careful what they wish for. This SC team can be dominating, and still hasn't found its identity yet.

Here's the tale of the tape:

Washington State

Offense - QB Alex Brink comes in with a 73% complete rate and 10 TDs and only 2 INTs vs. Wisc., SDSU and Idaho. He attacked SC's cornerbacks early in last year's match up with SC, and I expect him to do the same this year. He's smart and gets rid of the ball quickly. Dwayne Tardy is a solid RB, and can catch the ball out of the backfield. The WR corp is the strength with two active players in Bumpus and Gibson. They have (6) TD catches between them. The OLine does a nice job of protecting Brink in the quick passing game. Watch for WR Jeshua Anderson (a So. Cal. kid) on the deep routes.

Defense - This is the worrisome aspect for Wazzu as they gave up 28 pts to Idaho who traded TD for TD with the Cougars for most of that game. Wazzu doesn't put a lot of pressure on the passer and has two brand new CBs on defense, so that played a big part in giving up 42 and 28 pts mostly through the air to Wisconsin and Idaho.

Special Teams - The Cougars have a solid field goal kicker, but don't do too much in the return game.


USC

Offense - Well . . . we know the running attack is humming. The Johnson/Gable combo at RB is in great sync with the OLine. But the passing game could also get on track this week vs. Wazzu because they are weak vs. the pass. WR Pat Turner looks to redeem himself, and I think SC's play calls will give him that chance. QB Booty has played efficiently, and if the OLine repeats its performance from last Saturday, the Cougs will have very little chance.

Defense - This unit will face another "quick" passing team in Brink and Wazzu this week. The CBs will again have to keep people in front of them, and the pass rush will have to be quick. But I think the defensive scheme will have to try and take away Brink's first passing option, and be prepared for him to scramble (he picked up 31 yards rushing last week.) The LBs will have to watch DTardy on screens and mis-direction as Wazzu will probably try to take advantage of SC's quick pursuit to the initial ball movement.

Special Teams - Gable takes the place of the injured VJosesph on kickoff returns, and he'll do very well. DBuehler usually kicks very well off the Coliseum grass, so expect a few touchbacks on kickoffs.

Prediction Time:

USC - 34
WSU - 10

USC Parts the Red Sea 49 - 31

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! The Trojans opened up a can on the Huskers and then left town. For the second year in a row, SC was quicker and more physical than Nebraska and the score didn't tell half the story. After all the talk of a potential upset, the Huskers found out that they just need to stick to the Big 12 North Division and tractor pulls . . . leave football to the real ballers at SC.

Let's go to the grades:

Offense:

QB - Booty had a solid game. His yardage wasn't big (144), but his WRs are letting him down with drops. He came through, though, with 2 TDs and zero turnovers. That's huge on the road.
Grade: B

RBs - This was a game an RB dreams about - a commitment to the run game, and holes you could drive a minivan through. Stafon Johnson led the way with 144 yards, CJ Gable and Stan Havili had big runs, and even Choo Choo got into the act with 2 TDs. Most impressive was the patience that the RB ran with, allowing the OLine to create the holes and then explode through them. Grade - A

WRs/TE - When the leading receiver is the TE with only (3) catches, then you know the QB and WRs are not in sync yet. WR Pat Turner had a forgettable game with as many drops as catches (3), and then he threw in a fumble he recovered to boot. Ausberry had a couple of nice catches, but Hazelton and Patterson did not get any looks. A couple of deep tries to RoJo did not connect either. Grade - C minus

OLine - This was a big test for the big uglies. Loud stadium, frosh Center, and hyped Huskers? No problem. The Trojan OLine bulldozed their way for over 300 yards rushing. Byers, O'Dowd, and Rachal, especially, removed any Husker obstacles up the middle. As we predicted in our preview, the young DLine and light LBs would disappear if SC decided to run the ball. And here's another positive: no penalties. Grade: A +

Defense:

DLine - Stellar game for this group. NT Sedrick Ellis' name has officially been changed to "The Beast". DE LoJack came through with a sack and constant pressure. And then DE Kyle Moore made game changing plays by tipping a pass that turned into an INT, and then snagging one himself and returning it to the 2 yard line. They also killed the Husker OLine, only giving up about 20 yards rushing. Grade: A minus

LBs - Good game. Keith Rivers is an all american . . . but we already knew that. I liked the way Kaluka Maiva played in place of the injured Clay Matthews (broken thumb) halfway through the game. Pass coverage, however, was a little porous in the first half, but they squeezed the Husker short routes in the second half when SC closed the deal. Grade: B

DBs - By design, the Trojan corners play soft on the outside which is frustrating sometimes to watch. Cary Harris was being picked on early because of the seven yard cushion he was giving. But they played okay. Once again, they didn't give up the big play and forced a team to string together 10+ play drives to have a chance at scoring. Grade: C

Special Teams - Kickoff and punt coverage was good, but the return game continues to be lackluster. Unfortunately, Vince Joseph got hurt, but I like getting CJ Gable back there on kickoff returns as he is pretty good at it. We just ask DReed to catch the punt, which is good enough when the offense is rolling. Kicker DBuehler kicked the ball deeper and deeper as the game went along, but it didn't result in any touch backs. Grade: C

Coaching - Nobody prepares a team for an early OOC game like the Trojan staff. Its just on the money everytime. If I have one complaint, its that SC puts the 2nd and 3rd teamers in the game when they take command of a ballgame when the other teams' first teamers are still in the game. So inevitably, SC gives up a couple of cheap scores that messes up the dominant stat sheet. Anyway, great job with sticking with the run game on offense, and making great adjustments on defense. Grade: A minus.

Game Balls:

Offense - OLine (Baker, Byers, O'Dowd, Rachal, Radovich)
Defense - DE Kyle Moore
Special Teams - Kicker David Buehler

Prediction Winner - JudoMan (he almost nailed SC's point total)

Trojans Face Children of the Corn

Well, let's get this season underway. No more talk, its time to get down to business on the road versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Trojans spent the last bye week taking another look at youngsters, solidifying spots and getting healthy. So now they venture into the "sea of red" at Memorial stadium to face a Husker team coming off a tough win over Wake Forest.

Let's break it down:

Nebraska

Offense: Our old friend QB Sam Keller leads the Husker attack. So far, he's thrown 2 TDs and 3 INTs vs. Nevada and Wake Forest displaying his old habit for impatiently throwing into coverage. The running game with RB Marlon Lucky is improved. Lucky has stayed healthy and has been the dependable back the Huskers have needed to stay balanced on offense. The wideouts are led by Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn. The key for the Huskers in this game is their OLine - Wake Forest made it look like swiss cheese for a significant part of that game. They run block better than they pass block, so they better open some holes for Lucky or it will be open season on Keller if the Huskers become one dimensional and have to pass the ball a lot.

Defense: Nebraska replaced their entire DLine with new starters and haven't gotten any kind of push from them - they must hold their ground vs. SC's run game to have a chance. The LBs are active, but light, so they can disappear when they face teams that can run the ball well. The DBs are led by Zack Bowman who's got good size, but will have to match up against the multiple 6'3 to 6'5 WRs SC will line up with.

Special Teams: Nothing special in the kicking game, but the kickoff returner Cortney Grixby is averaging 27 yards a return giving the Huskers decent field position.

USC

Offense: The training wheels will come off the SC offense in this game. With WR Patrick Turner back, QB Booty will have one of his "go to" guys in the passing game. RBs Stafon Johnson and CJ Gable are ready, and Chauncey Washington will play as well. Secret weapon FB Stanley Havili will present the Huskers with another dimension to try and handle - they've seen the film, but will they be able to stop "Stan the Man"? The WRs group also gets back Travon Patterson at full speed, and expect a heavy dose of TE Fred Davis on roll out passes from Booty. The OLine will again start frosh Kris O'Dowd at center and most likely Drew Radovich at right OT. The Trojans ability to run the ball will be key to putting the Huskers on their heels - and then SC will rain bombs on the Nebraska secondary.

Defense: This is a statement game for SC's hyped defense: are they killers or kittens? If the DLine gets it done vs. the pass and run . . . this game will be over. The Huskers showed some vulnerability to a good pass rush, so DEs Lawrence Jackson, Kyle Moore and Everson Griffen need to make it happen. The LB unit will probably have Brian Cushing back, but they need to shut down the "delay" and "draw" plays, especially in 3rd down situations. The DBs will have a chance at some INTs with Keller forcing a few balls during this game.

Special Teams: This is a good test game for kicker David Buehler. The turf, hostile environment, and Nebraska's good kickoff returner will mean Buehler will have to be on top of his game. And it sure would be nice to take the Husker crowd out of the game with a long punt or kickoff return from Desmond Reed, Vincent Joseph or say . . . Ronald Johnson.

Prediction Time:

USC - 34
NU - 9

SC Vandalizes Idaho 38 - 10

Well, it didn't take long for fans to realize that USC viewed this game vs. the Idaho Vandals as a glorified scrimmage. After scoring on its first three possessions to take a 21 - 0 lead, the Trojans substituted liberally and ran plays and schemes specifically to see how its new, younger players would handle the assignments. The result was a dominating, yet uneven performance by the nation's #1 team.

Offensive Grades:

QB - B minus

J.D. Booty had 3 TDs and 1 INT as he looked to establish a rhythm and timing with new wideouts VHazleton and DAusberry. The Booty - Haze combo looked really good, however trying to connect with Ausberry downfield and in the red zone did not happen.

RBs/FBs - A minus

FB Stanley Havili did work. He was a great option in the passing game, plus he ran the ball and blocked well. SC's RBs CJ Gable and Stafon Johnson did as they pleased in the first half and the SC running game broke the 200 yard barrier. Johnson, especially, looked fast and powerful. ABradford did not have a lot of room to run behind the reserve OLinemen in the 4th quarter.

TEs/WRs - B

Veteran TE Fred Davis caught a couple of passes, including a 30 yarder that showed off his hands and running ability after the catch. Hazleton played particularly well with a spectacular one-hand grab in the end zone - SC always has dudes who can do this. Ausberry, on the other hand, had trouble establishing a rhythm with Booty, although he showed some quicks on bubble screens.

OLine - B

Frosh Center Kris O'Dowd had a good debut - no fumbled snaps! Plus the 1st string OLine opened nice running lanes for the RBs and kept Booty clean. The reserve OLinemen, however, struggled and did not play well.

Defensive Grades:

DLine - B

NT Sedrick Ellis had a monster game, and his backup ASpicer had a sack. After adjusting to keep containment on Idaho QB bootlegs, DE Kyle Moore made a few plays - blocking a pass and recovering a fumble. No sacks, but they did force a lot of bad and hurried throws and knocked down a few passes as the Vandals were committed to getting rid of the ball quickly.

LBs - B minus

Cushing sprained an ankle early, but his replacement Clay Matthews played well. Rivers and Maualuga were solid, although they could have stopped a few running plays earlier at the line of scrimmage. Backups Mike Morgan and Luther Brown and frosh Chris Galippo and Malcolm Smith got some time - but they missed some tackles in the 4th quarter that allowed the Vandals to get a cheap TD.

DBs - B minus

Shareece Wright brought the hammer by making a few plays behind the line of scrimmage. But the unit as a whole allowed some 15 - 20 yard 3rd down completions that need to be locked down in the future.

Special Teams:

Kickers - B +

Great tribute to Mario Danelo was paid, and David Buehler lived up to his memory by nailing an FG and a few Kickoffs.

Returners/Coverage - B

Solid - Vince Joseph and Des Reed did their jobs, although I'd love to see RoJo in there on kick returns. The coverage teams didn't give up anything.

Coaching - B

Considering the number of youngsters the staff was getting a look at, plus the situational plays they ran, it was obvious the coaching staff never worried about this game and used it as a teaching/learning tool for the team. This is the only game that will happen in, however.

Prediction Winner: B-Dub takes it in a landslide (winning prediction 38 - 0)