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.