The Cougars Visit the Coliseum

Somebody has to pay for SC's poor performance last week, and it might as well be the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars have been a downtrodden team the last few years, and come into this game 1 - 2, with losses to Stanford and Hawaii.

But this is still an important game for SC. The Trojans have to work on some things, and have a clean game all the way around. Better execution and quarterback play on offense are essential for USC to start climbing back up the ladder to elite status. It starts tonight.

Washington St.

Offense - Wazzu is another Spread team that has used two QBs, Kevin Lopina and Marshall Lobbestael. Neither QB has lit it up as they've combined for only 3 TDs and 5 INTs. The RB unit was hurt by the loss of James Montgomery for the season. Dwight Tardy takes over, and he has rushed for 117 yards in three games this year. WRs Jared Karstetter and Daniel Blackledge lead the team with (11) receptions apiece.

Defense - This unit is in bad shape. The Cougars rank 119th in total defense, giving up 537 yards per game. The pass defense ranks last in the country (120th), and the run defense isn't much better ranking 92nd. Safeties Xavier Hicks and Chima Nwachukwu have been extremely busy, leading the Cougars in tackles with (20) apiece.

USC

Offense - QB Matt Barkley is back, but not at 100%. Hopefully, he will be healthy enough to take some shots down-field and get the SC offense going against a porous Cougar defense. The running game should flow well behind an offensive line that has been very good this year. Expect a lot of RBs to play in this game. After last game, the WRs Damian Williams and David Ausberry would like to get a work out against the Wazzu CBs who get knocked over by a stiff breeze.

Defense - After three games of solid defense, this unit is looking to pitch a shutout versus the Cougars. The DLine should be able to get excellent penetration, and the DBs are looking to have a bounce back game after a sub-par effort last week. The LBs have been really good all year long behind Chris Galippo and Mike Morgan.

Prediction Time:

USC - 41
WSU - 0

Trojans Suffer Dawg Bite, 16 - 13

Unbelievable. Not that the Trojans lost, but how they lost. Turnovers, poor quarterback play, suspect coaching calls . . . you name it. Losing this one hurt because after the very first offensive possession, this didn't look like Trojan football at all.

Here's the ugly truth:

Offense

QB - Well, this was pretty bad. This was Aaron Corp's chance to get it done, and the situation just overwhelmed him. Corp started out fine, going 6 - 7 for 43 yards in the 1st quarter. But then the kid came un-glued - short armed passes, pass thrown into double/triple coverage, and no desire to look down-field to make a play. Corp finished 13 - 22, for 110 yards and (1) INT . . . which easily could have been (4) INTs. Grade: F

RBs/FBs - Again, this group started off well. But then fumbles by Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight and Stanley Havili played a crucial role in SC's offensive troubles. Despite rushing for 250 yards on 7+ yards per carry, this group put the ball on the carpet too much. Inexcusable. Grade: D minus

WRs/TE - These guys did not get much of a chance with SC's QB troubles. The unit had a paltry 6 receptions for 68 yards. Grade: C

OLine - The OLine was on point from the beginning opening huge holes in the first half behind the right side - Alex Parsons and Tyron Smith. Not only did they lead the way for 250 yards rushing, but they did not give up a sack in the game.
Grade: A

Defense

DLine - Another good game for this unit who recorded (4) sacks on the game, led by DE Nick Perry with two sacks. Washington rushed for only 56 yards on the game due in part to the DLine's penetration. Grade: A minus

LBs - Solid games from OLB Michael Morgan (3 TFLs) and MLB Chris Galippo (8 tackles to lead the team) were key to keeping UW QB Jake Locker locked up for the most of the game. OLB Malcolm Smith chipped in with (6) tackles. Grade: B

DBs - A sub-par game for this group considering their past high level performances. The DBs (Kevin Thomas in particular) were victimized on a couple of long passing plays on 3rd down. The Trojans did not allow a passing TD, but the Huskies throw for 237 yards. Grade: C minus

Special Teams

Kicking/Coverage/Returns: SC's kicking game is slowly, but surely improving. Punter Billy O'Malley averaged 41 yards per punt, and FG kicker Jordan Congdon was 2 - 2 on FGs. Punt returner Damian Williams also gave the Trojans a spark with a 29 yard punt return in the 2nd half. Grade: C+

Coaching

Really suspect offensive play calls in this game. With Corp completely frozen, SC did not use the run game enough. And the mismanagement of the FG try at the end of the first half (calling a running play with 11 secs. left and no timeouts) was brutal . . . and devastating. Defensively, the gameplan to bottle-up UW QB Jake Locker was good. But a decision not to blitz on UW's 3rd and 15 play with the game basically on the line was also devastating. Grade: D

Prediction Winner:

Nobody. There were no winners in this game.

Trojans Enter the Dawg Pound

The USC Trojans are singing that Willie Nelson classic, “On the Road Again”, as they venture up to Seattle to face a re-energized Washington Husky team. All of the drama surrounds the match up of former students vs. teacher, as former Trojan assistant coaches Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt square off against Pete Carroll.

But the drama doesn’t end there. SC will have former first string QB Aaron Corp at the helm, and UW stadium can be a tough place to play. Can the Trojan take care of business, or will the Dawgs bite finally be bigger than its bark?

Let’s check out the matchups:

UW

Offense – The straw that stirs the drink for the Huskies is QB Jake Locker. A dual threat QB, Locker is slowly but surely improving his passing completing 60% with 5 TDs and 1 Int. He’s a good runner, as well. RB Chris Polk has provided some help in the running game, averaging 85 yards per contest. The receiver the Huskies count on is James Johnson who has a couple of TD catches this year.

Defense

The Husky defense is led by an active LB unit. MLB E.J. Savannah leads the team in tackles with (19), and OLBs Donald Butler and Mason Foster is an under-rated player with a nose for the ball. Upfront, DEs Daniel Te’o Nesheim and Cameron Elisara are pretty good pass rushers. Safety Nate Williams is the best DB in the Husky secondary.

USC

Offense – With QB Matt Barkley injured, Aaron Corp gets his chance to run the Trojan offense. Also a dual threat QB, Corp is a smooth player who moves the chains with smart decision making. Trojan RBs McKnight, Johnson, Bradford, et. al. will get plenty of opportunities as its always easier to run the ball in a noisy stadium. The WRs/TEs are chomping at the bit to have a break out game – could it happen here? The Huskies are a dismal 96th in the country in pass defense.

Defense – This unit has been excellent overall. The defensive line will once again have to play disciplined football to corral Husky QB Locker – led by DE Everson Griffen. DT Jurell Casey has been a monster so far in ’09. MLB Chris Galippo and OLB Mike Morgan have been extremely active, and CB Josh Pinkard and crew will have to be ready as Husky QB Locker has stayed in the pocket to pass more this year.

Prediction Time:

USC – 31
UW - 13

Dang . . . that was close! We said it was a clash of heavyweight college football programs, and the Trojans got the 15th round KO with one last offensive drive that will go down as a classic.

It doesn’t get much tougher: Ohio St. in the ‘Shoe . . . 106,000 screaming fans . . . trailing 15 – 10 . . . 1st and 10 at your own 15 yard line. . . with a true freshman at QB.

No problem for Matt Barkley and the Trojans.

So how did Barkley do it? Just when did the Trojan OLine finally take over the game? And is a stellar defensive effort by USC being overlooked? These questions and more are answered below . . . so let’s go to the grades!

Offense:

QB – The stats ain’t pretty for Barkley (15 – 31, 195 yards and an INT). He started the game a little shaky with some balls thrown behind receivers, and he missed some TD opportunities throwing the ball just out of bounds to Damian Williams and David Ausberry. But he came through when it counted. One of his spectacular throws was a 25 yarder in between defenders to TE Anthony McCoy on the final drive. Grade: B minus

RBs – Not a lot of running room in this game. But the Joe McKnight/Stafon Johnson combo rushed for 110 yards on 4 yards per carry, and got the tough yards when needed the most. Johnson rushed for 2 TDs. Grade: B

WRs/TE – The connections in the passing game just weren’t made to have a serious impact on the game. Damian Williams led the team with (5) catches for 51 yards. Success in this area would have really loosened up the 8 man “in the box” defensive formations Ohio St. was using. Grade: C minus

OLine – It was expected that SC had a significant advantage offensively in the trenches. It didn’t turn out that way during the game. According to OLine coach Pat Ruel, the Buckeyes used a defensive front four alignment that SC had not seen before. But they SC figured it out on the last offensive drive, and blew Ohio St. off the ball. However, SC only rushed for 118 yards on the game. Grade: C minus

Defense

DLine – Terrific game by this group. DT/NT Jurell Casey and DE Everson Griffen combined for (11) tackles, (2) TFLs, and a key sack that pushed the Buckeyes out of FG position that could have iced the game. Grade: B+

LBs – MLB Chris Galippo came through with an INT that led to SC’s first TD, and added (5) tackles for good measure. OLB Mike Morgan had a terrific game with (7) tackles, including (2) TFLs. Even LB Luthur Brown got back into the mix in goal line defensive situations. Grade: B+

DBs – In the first half, Safety Taylor Mays made a critical error in coverage that eventually cost SC a TD. But he did come back to make (8) tackles. CBs Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas were good against the pass, and contributed (7) more tackles between them, and a pass break up. Grade: C


Special Teams

The kicking and return units have yet to be special. Long snapper Cooper Stephenson air-mailed a deep snap to the punter for a safety, and punter Billy O’Malley has yet to get over the 40 yard per punt average (he only hit the 37 yard mark vs. the Buckeyes). To top it off, FG kicker Jordan Congdon banged the cross bar on a 44 yard attempt. He did nail a 23 yarder later in the game. Grade: D

Coaching

Offensively, the SC coaches were scrambling to crack the Buckeye code on defense. Give Ohio St. credit for a nice scheme and inspired performance, but I thought SC kept itself in 3rd and long situations by not running on first down enough. Defensively, the game plan to bottle up QB Terrelle Pryor mostly worked. Pryor hit a couple of nice passes in the first half, but then was frustrated by the Trojan defense for the majority of the game. Grade: C

Prediction Winner:

Mrs. Payback turned out to be the most reasonable one among us, and gets the W.


So what did you guys think? Post your "Comments" in the link below.

Trojans Go to the 'Shoe for Showdown with Buckeyes

This is why college football is fun. Two heavyweight teams . . . under the lights. . . 100,000+ fans.

USC crushed its first opponent San Jose St., while Ohio St. survived a serious scare from Navy. None of that matters now. Both teams will be jacked up to play the highlight game of the year so far. The winner will be the team that executes the best.

Let's get 'er done!

Ohio St.

Offense – For the Buckeyes, it starts and ends with QB Terrelle Pryor. A massive 6’6, 240lbs who can run, and is getting better at passing the ball with accuracy and consistency. Tailbacks Dan Herron and Brandon Saine will team with Pryor to pose a good running game. WRs Dane Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey lead the receiving corp, and the OLine is solid with Center Michael Brewster anchoring the line with Jim Cordle at Tackle.

Defense – The Buckeyes had a lot of change over since last season. The DLine has the most returners with DE Cameron Heyward leading the charge up front. MLB Ross Homan mans the middle of the defense, and active Safety Kurt Coleman and CB Chimni Chekwa are the Buckeye’s best players in the secondary.

Special Teams – RB Brandon Saine and Lamarr Thomas are good return men on kickoffs, while WR Dan Sanzenbacher holds down punt return duties. The kicking game is good – FG kicker Aaron Petrey had a 50 yarder last week vs. Navy and was 3 – 3 on FGs. Punter John Thoma averages 44.5 yards per punt.

USC

Offense – Every week is a test for QB Matt Barkley, and Saturday night at the ‘Shoe is a tough one. Once again, it’s about protecting the ball and getting it to the playmakers. The RBs (McKnight, Johnson, Bradford and Gable) could be the stars of the show, behind an OLine that gets Center Kris O’Dowd back in the starting lineup. FB Stanley Havili should be the “not so secret weapon” that Ohio St. can’t cover, as well. WR Damian Williams and TE Anthony McCoy will need to help Barkley out with good games.

Defense – Corralling Buckeye QB Pryor will be no easy task. It starts with the DEs Everson Griffen and Wes Horton “staying at home” and not falling for the Read Option fake to the RB allowing Pryor to sprint to the outside. DT/NTs Jurell Casey and Christian Topou will have to control the middle as Ohio St. will run up the gut. It’s a big game also for OLB Malcolm Smith and the LBs who have to make sure tackles and play “downhill” football. Safeties Taylor Mays and Will Harris can be big helps to stopping the run game.

Special Teams – SC needs a better game out of its Punter Billy O’Malley who averaged less than 35 yards per punt. Kickoff return specialist CJ Gable should get some opportunities as the Ohio St. doesn’t get many touchbacks from its kickoff team.

Prediction:

USC – 31
Ohio St. - 10

Trojans Crush Spartans, 56 - 3

Well, it took a little while, but once the Trojan steamroller started moving, it left a trail of destruction the SJSU Spartans won't soon forget. USC moved into the Barkley era with a blowout victory, and answered a few questions along the way.

And now, let's grade 'em:

Offense

QBs - After a slow start, Barkley passed his first test with solid numbers of 15-19, 233 yards and a TD pass. Most importantly, he had no turnovers, no fumbled snaps, and didn't waste any timeouts because he was flustered. Aaron Corp got some mop up time and looked smooth on 4 for 4 passing and a TD pass. Grade: B

RBs/FBs - This was the RB unit's game to run wild. Joe McKnight, Allen Bradford and Marc Tyler each had spectacular long runs, and Stafon Johnson chipped in with (2) TDs. Stan Havili also had 3 receptions, and blocked very well on some long TD runs by the RBs. FB DJ Shoemate also had a TD catch. Grade: A minus

WRs/TEs - The WRs did a nice job of taking some short receptions and turning them into long runs. Damian Williams and TE Anthony McCoy led the way with 3 receptions. The only negative for the group was a fumble by McCoy in the first quarter.
Grade: B

OLine - The blocking at the point of attack and down-field was beautiful to see. Behind the big uglies, SC rushed for 342 yards. Grade: A minus

Defense

DLine - Great day for the young DLine that collected (5) sacks. DT/NT Jurell Casey was active, and redshirt freshmen DE Nick Perry tallied two sacks, while DE Wes Horton recovered a fumble. True frosh DE Devon Kennard had five tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, and JC transfer DT Loni Fangupo made his presence felt on the inside. Grade: B+

LBs - Nice game for the new posse. MLB Chris Galippo led the team in tackles with (9) including three TFLs. OLB Malcolm Smith was especially active, breaking up a pass while collecting 1.5 TFLs. True frosh Jarvis Jones also made his presence felt with (5) tackles. Grade: B+

DBs - These guys weren't tested much. Safety Taylor Mays, and CBs Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas supported the run defense well tallying (14) tackles, while holding SJSU to only 112 yards through the air. Grade: B

Special Teams

Kicking - Punter Billy O'Malley needs to improve upon his 34 yard average, but new kickoff specialist Jake Harfman impressed with three touchbacks. The return and coverage units were solid, with one spectacular hit from DJ Shoemate on the kickoff team. Grade: C+

Coaching - Coaches Carroll and Bates did a nice job of giving QB Barkley what he could handle, and easy options to choose from in the passing game. But as usual, a QB's best friend is the running game, and SC ran often to sprint away from SJSU. The defense did it's normal thing: Dominate. SJSU accounted for a measley 121 yards in total offense. Grade: B

Game Balls:

Offense - Offensive Line (Brown, Lewis, Byers, Parsons, Smith)
Defense - MLB Chris Galippo
Special Teams - FB DJ Shoemate


Prediction Winner: J-Man takes the cheese!

Trojans Face Spartans in the Coliseum

We're baaaack . . . for game one baby!

The 2009 season is about to jump off with more story lines than a Hollywood screenplay. But this ain't the movie "300" or "Gladiator"! This is Trojan football versus the San Jose State Spartans in the legendary Coliseum.

Let's get it crackin'!

San Jose State

Offense

It was a tough season for the Spartan offense in 2008. They only averaged 18 points per game, less than 100 yards rushing per game and less than 200 yards passing per game. But the hope is that returning QB Kyle Reed is another year older and wiser, and the offensive line is tougher after getting a couple of injured former starters back. Running back Patrick Perry returns after missing all of 2008, plus speedy Brandon Rutley will be a big part of the Spartan attack after gaining about 400 yards last season. WR David Richmond (72 catches, 7 TDs in '08) will be the big play receiver on the outside.

Defense

The Spartan defensive line was very solid in 2008, but they need to replace a couple of good players this season. Linemen Carl Ihenacho will be the leader, returning from a big 2008 in which he had 18.5 TFLs and 7 sacks. The linebackers are the strength of the defense with leading tacklers Travis Jones and Justin Cole manning the middle. The secondary is rebuilt and young. Safety Duke Ihenacho will lead the back four after posting 5 INTs in 2008.

Special Teams

The kicking game is up in the air for the Spartans as they have to replace their FG kicker with either a true frosh or JC transfer. Punter Phil Zavala is back, but must improve on a 36 yard average. The return game will be led by RB Brandon Rutley who averaged over 26 yards per return on kickoffs.

USC

Offense

The Barkley era begins! The first true frosh to start at QB in Trojan history goes to work on Saturday, and Matt Barkley is the guy. What must he do? Job numero uno is protect the football ... then spread the ball around to the athletes at RB, WR, and TE. The OLine is veteran and terrific (even without center Kris O'Dowd). Joe McKnight will start at RB, but Stafon Johnson, CJ Gable and Allen Bradford will all get carries. WR Damian Williams is a proven playmaker, and TE Anthony McCoy is ready for a big season after a strong Fall Camp.

Defense

SC doesn't rebuild, it reloads. And the defense is reloading with new starters in the front (7), but a veteran and talented secondary. DE Everson Griffen returns for what should be a big year. MLB Chris Galippo leads the LB core with new starting OLBs Malcolm Smith and Mike Morgan. Safety Taylor Mays patrols the DB unit that will strike fear into every opponent they face.

Special Teams

SC replaces it's FG kicker with Jordan Longdon, a transfer from Nebraska who is very accurate 40 yards and under. Billy O'Malley takes over the punting duties, with Jake Harfman kicking off after Trojan scores.

WR Damian Williams is the new starting punt returner, while CJ Gable assumes the familiar role of kickoff returner. Gable will be joined by redshirt frosh jitterbug, Curtis McNeal.

Prediction:

USC - 31

SJSU - 3

Trojans Skin Nittany Lions, 38 - 24