If there is a better defense around than SC's . . . I haven't seen it. The Trojan D completely shut down a very good CAL offense, and led the way to a 17 - 3 victory over the CAL Bears.
The SC offense, however, still hasn't found its rhythm against the last couple of good teams they've faced. Penalties and mistakes remain a bugaboo, and continue to short circuit offensive drives for the Trojans. But with a defense that's barely giving up anything, SC continues to win.
Let's grade 'em out:
Offense
QB - Mark Sanchez had a solid game. He finished with (2) TD passes on 18 - 29 for 238 yards. The big stat was ZERO interceptions against a very good CAL defense. Sanchez made solid decisions with ball in terms of taking what the defense gave him. Grade: B
RBs/FB - Trojan RBs ran very hard on their way to 170+ yards. CJ Gable led the way with 79 yards on 10 carries, followed by Stafon Johnson who collected 60 yards. Joe McKnight made his return with 51 yards on 7 yards per carry, but had a key fumble that stalled one of SC's offensive drives. FB Stan Havili chipped in with 3 receptions for 27 yards, and blocked very well. Grade: B
WRs/TE - This group had kind of a quiet game. Damian Williams led the group with (4) receptions for 67 yards, and Pat Turner had another TD reception but caught on (2) balls in the game. TE Anthony McCoy had his best day as a Trojan with (4) catches for 53 yards. Grade: C +
OLine - A mixed night for SC's OLine. On one hand, they opened up some nice holes in the running game that led to 173 yards rushing and nearly (7) yards per carry for the running backs. But they also gave up (3) sacks to CAL, and a few penalties on OLinemen stalled some drives. Grade: C
Defense
DLine - The Trojan DLine had to have a strong game to stop CAL's explosive running attack . . . and they did just that. The group had (15) tackles, (5) TFLs and (2) sacks. They also did a great job of occupying CAL's OLine allowing the Trojan linebackers to flow to the Bear running backs unblocked to make tackles. DE Kyle Moore continued with his very good year with (2) TFLs, including a sack. Grade: B +
LBs - The Trojan linebackers continue to be a nightmare for opposing offenses. MLB Rey Maualuga led the team with (10) tackles (seven of them solo) and OLB Brian Cushing added (9) tackles, (2) TFLs, including a sack. Grade: A minus
CBs - Taylor Mays had a spectacular game for the Trojans. He broke up (4) passes, including two deep attempts with spectacular hits. Trojan cornerbacks Cary Harris, Kevin Thomas and Josh Pinkard also had solid games, with Pinkard collecting an INT. SS Will Harris also made his presence felt with (5) tackles and a tipped pass that led to a Trojan interception. Grade: A minus
Special Teams - Kicker David Buehler made his only FG of the night, and had two touchbacks on (4) kickoffs. But punting continues to be an issue for Greg Woidneck. He averaged only 27 yards per punt with a long of 35 yards. PR Stafon Johnson also had a less than stellar night, fumbling a punt, but luckily recovering it before any damage was done. Grade: C minus
Coaching - Let's start with the defense this time . . . SC's schemes and mix of DLine stunts and CB/LB blitzes harassed the CAL QBs into a 15 - 31 passing night for only 138 yards. Add on the fact that a couple of defensive INTs were taken away on questionable penalty calls. The Trojan defense leads the nation in scoring defense giving up only 6 pts per game . . . that will get it done.
Offensively, the Trojans are not in rhythm. They had very good running success, and Sanchez made good decisions. But small mistakes with penalties and McKnight's fumble stalled drives. Give CAL's defense some credit too, they are tough to score upon - they are #1 red zone defense in the Pac 10. But SC should have put up one or two more scores. Grade: C
Gameballs:
Offense: QB Mark Sanchez
Defense: Safety Taylor Mays
Special Teams: Kicker David Buehler
Prediction Winner: Big XII - nailed the opponent score (3 points)
1 comment:
The ol' mantra is that defense wins championships, however it'd be hard to say that SC is truly playing championship ball. Anyone who pays enough attention knows that one of the obvious reasons is because of the glaring number of penalties. Am I missing something here?? How much worse does it have to get before the coaching staff does something that will stick all the way up through game time?? Granted the defense is off the chain. But they wouldn't have to play quite as hard if certain penalties didn't hamper drives on offense, and keep other drives alive for opponents. You put a turnover on top of that type of lackluster play, and that's how Arizona was able to score a touchdown against that incredible D. I'll accept a W anyway it comes. However, you gotta believe the W's would come a lil easier if even half of the mental mistakes were eliminated. Let those mistakes hang around, and they'll eventually cost you a W, and we all would hate that. The alarm is sounding! - D.Moody
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