USC Rolls Over Ohio St., 35 - 3

It was billed as the "Collision at the Coliseum" - the matchup between traditional, top five rated USC and Ohio St.



And then boom . . . just like that . . . it was over by halftime.



For the Ohio St. Buckeyes it should have been named the "Calamity at the Coliseum". The Trojans beat the Buckeyes in every way possible - on the ground, through the air, forcing turnovers and playing what Pete Carroll likes to call "Trojan Football".


Let's grade this puppy.

Offense:



QB - Mark Sanchez got it done at a high level again. He was efficient and protected the ball for the most part going 17 - 28 for 172 yards with 4TDs and 1 INT. He missed a couple of throws, but his decision making and check downs are just emaculate. You can tell he learned a lot from his (3) starts last year, and he's applying all of the lessons. Grade: A -



RBs - Joe McKnight started off the game hot, and played really fast. He led the group with 12 rushes for 106 yards. Johnson, Gable and Bradford also ran well, and pass blocked OSU's defensive blitzes extremely well. FB Stan Havili got things started with a TD catch and run, plus led the the team in receptions. Grade: B+



WRs/TE - Damian Williams is solidifying himself as the "go to" receiver with 2 TDs and (3) catches for 49 yards. Patrick Turner had another solid game - no drops. There were a couple of mis-communications between WR and QB, but nothing big. True frosh TE Blake Ayles caught a TD pass, and is now a regular part of the TE rotation. The WR/TE unit also did a nice job of blocking the entire game. Grade: B



OLine - All questions have been answered . . . the Oline is good. Against a pretty good Dline, this group paved the way for 164 rushing yards and only gave up (1) sack - and that was QB Sanchez's fault for not getting rid of the ball on a scramble. This group is athletic and tough. Grade: B+






Defense:



DLine - This group gained control of the game as it went along. After a long drive that led to an OSU FG on their second possession, SC's Dline got constant pressure on the Buckeye QB (3 sacks) and stuffed the running lanes. DT Fili Moala ended up with a sack and several good plays against the OSU running game, and DE Clay Matthews forced a fumble on another sack. Grade: B+



LBs - The best unit in the country proved it with another stellar performance. Rey Maualuga had the highlight "Pick Six", and Brian Cushing led the team in tackles with (10). Grade: A -



DBs - Safeties Kevin Ellison and Taylor Mays played the passing lanes well, and supported the run defense. Ellison had an INT and Mays came up with (7) tackles. CBs Cary Harris and Shareece Wright got kind of lonely cuz they weren't tested for most of the game. Grade: B



Special Teams:



No big plays here, but no mistakes either. Kicker David Buehler clocked a couple of touchbacks, and the kickoff and punt return coverage was very good not allowing dangerous OSU KR Brandon Saine and PR Ray Small any room whatsoever. SC's return teams did not break anything, although field position for the Trojans was good all game long. Grade: C+



Coaching:



Give 'em credit - with two weeks off the coaching staff had SC well prepared. The offensive game plan kept OSU off-balance, and a couple of scoring plays flat out had the Buckeyes out-schemed and/or confused. The defensive coaches made the proper adjustments that shut off any gains that OSU was making with QB Terrelle Pryor and the running game. And they forced QB Boeckman into numerous mistakes. Grade: A -



Game Balls:



Offense - QB Mark Sanchez


Defense - Defensive Line


Special Teams - Punt/Kickoff Coverage Teams



Prediction Winner: Payback