Now that's more like it! Trojan domination on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Bouncing back with a good performance was important as opponents thought they saw blood in the water from the Trojans. But they were wrong. This team is capable of making a run at another great season.
Here's the breakdown . . .
Offense
QB - Mark Sanchez came through with another big game completing 19 - 28 passes for 332 yards with (3) TDs and zero interceptions. The only demerit was a fumbled snap that gave the Ducks possession deep in SC territory. But Sanchez accomplished his mission - show leadership, confidence, and playmaking to lead the team. QB Mitch Mustain came in to show a few things. Although he had an INT, he did lead a solid drive with clutch third down conversions and then a bomb for a TD to WR David Ausberry. Grade: A minus
RBs/FB - Trojan RBs banged out 4 yards a carry and 155 yards running very well on the perimeter. Stafon Johnson had the highlight run with a 22 yard multi-cut back run that sent Duck fans to the exits. C.J. Gable continues to run well with 49 yards on 10 carries, and Joe McKnight really hurt the Ducks catching passes out of the backfield and from the WR position. I also liked the quick handoffs to FB Stan Havili in short yardage situations. Grade: B
WRs/TE - The consistency the WR unit is showing is impressive. Another strong performance from Patrick Turner who had 5 catches for 77 yards and a TD. Both Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson burned the vaunted Duck secondary for deep scores, and David Ausberry jumped into the act with the longest bomb of the night - a 60 yard TD catch and run. TEs Anthony McCoy and Blake Ayles didn't get a lot of opportunities in the passing game, but they are blocking well. Grade: A
OLine - A good night for this group after the debacle up in Corvallis. Oregon came in with (17) sacks, but the SC OLine held the Ducks to just one sack late in the game. Substitute starter at Guard Alex Parsons did a nice job in his debut, as SC kept the Duck defense off balance by opening running lanes for the RBs for 155 yards rushing. Grade: B
Defense
DLine - An active game for the DLine unit. They finished with (20) tackles, (3) sacks, and a ton of QB hurries to control Oregon's offense which had come into the game as one of the best in the nation. DT Fili Moala and DE Kyle Moore were especially good after the first series when the Ducks were able to move the ball. Young bucks like sophmore NT Christian Topou and true frosh Jurell Casey also played well. Grade: B +
LBs - Solid game from a mixed bunch. With Rey Maualuga out, Brian Cushing moved to MLB and OLB Michael Morgan got a chance to start. And after taking a little time to adjust, they made plays behind the active DLine. OLB Kaluka Maiava had (8) tackles and Morgan had (7), both doing a nice job of shutting down cut back lanes for the Oregon RBs. Cushing also broke up (2) passes. Grade: B
CBs - A terrific game from sub-CB Josh Pinkard. He forced a key turnover just before the first half ended that basically gave SC an insurmontable lead. Safety Kevin Ellison was key in supporting the run defense and led the team in tackles with (9). CBs Cary Harris and Kevin Thomas also played well supporting the run defense, and true frosh safety Drew McCallister garnered his first career INT. Grade: B +
Special Teams - Kicker David Buehler continues to be a consistent force making all (3) of his FGs and garnering several touchbacks on kickoffs. PR Joe McKnight continues to struggle with punts, so it looks like RB Stafon Johnson will take his place in that role because he did well. The kickoff and punt coverage was once again very good. Grade: B +
Coaching - Offensively, the variety in the run/passing game was right where the coaching staff wanted it. Nearly every skill position was involved, and SC knew to run the ball against Oregon's Cover (3) defense, and pass the ball against the Ducks frequent man to man coverage. After the first couple of Duck possessions, the Defense zeroed in on the inside running game the Ducks tried to establish and shut it down. From there it was a matter of bottling up the short passing game which SC did with good DLine pressure and coverage from the CBs/Safeties. The personnel moves (Matthews, Morgan and Topou starting) worked out well also. Grade: B +
Gameballs:
Offense: QB Mark Sanchez
Defense: Defensive Line
Special Teams: Kicker David Buehler
Prediction Winner: J-Man takes it!!!
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