USC Goes to Oregon on Fright Night

As usual, when SC goes on the road to play a ranked opponent . . . it’s the “game of the year”. And this one is no different. The winner of this game will have the Pac 10 in a chokehold, and a BCS bowl invitation for the taking.

Oregon is on a roll after a shaky start, compiling an undefeated Pac 10 record of
4 – 0. The Trojans have picked up steam offensively, but are looking for its defensive mojo as it enters Autzen stadium – always a scary place to play.

So which team will impose it’s will on the other? Here’s the match up in a nutshell:

Oregon

Offense – After losing its star RB, Oregon found a young star in the making in RB LaMichael James who is averaging 105 yards per game. His backup Kenjon Barner is also very good, giving Oregon two very quick backs in their run-oriented spread attack. An early knee injury slowed QB Jeremiah Masoli, but he’s finding his stride as a dual threat now. The Duck WRs don’t do much, but TE Ed Dickson is a real threat leading the Ducks in receptions and TD catches with (4).

Defense – The Duck defense has had a lot of injuries, especially in the secondary,, but they’ve managed to be effective behind the play of MLB Casey Matthews and DE Kenny Rowe. Rowe has (7) sacks on the year, and Matthews leads the team in tackles. The Oregon defense is not big, but they are active and cause problems with their pressure on the opposing passers. They are 3rd in the conference in total defense, and first in pass defense.


USC

Offense – QB Matt Barkley has a ton of confidence on the road, but playing in Oregon will test him. The Trojan offense is getting on a roll with the return of key performers like WR Ronald Johnson, and the emergence of RB Allen Bradford. Maintaining possession of the ball and scoring in the red zone will be important to take the Oregon crowd out of the game early. So SC’s execution on 3rd down, especially, will be extremely important to keep drives going. Once again, keeping turnovers and penalties at a minimum will key SC’s effectiveness against a good opponent on the road.

Defense – The mantra for the SC defense this Saturday: Stop the Run. Oregon averages over 200 yards per game out of the spread offense, so SC’s DLine will have to be disciplined against the mis-direction and “slip” handoffs the Ducks like to execute. The Trojan safeties will play a strong role in run support. The Trojan LBs will need to be sure tacklers and take good angles against some very quick Duck RBs. Prediction:



USC – 34

Oregon – 20

Trojans Outlast Oregon St., 42 – 36

They say a win is a win . . . but that sure wasn’t a satisfying win by the Trojans. Once again, SC took a commanding lead in the 3rd quarter, but had to hang on to win at the end after the defense gave up two scores to the opponent in the 4th quarter.

Luckily, the Trojan offense came to play, and a big punt return by Damian Williams proved to be the difference. Here’s the good and bad of a performance the Trojans will need to learn from:

Offense

QB – Matt Barkley had his moments in this game with a couple of TD passes to TE Anthony McCoy and WR Ronald Johnson. But he also under-threw a couple of passes that turned into INTs. He was mostly efficient, though, going 15 – 25 for 200+ yards. Grade: C

RBs/FBs – This night belonged to Allen Bradford who rushed for nearly 150 yards on 15 carries with 2 TDs that included a 43 yarder. Joe McKnight also ran well for 65 yards until a cut hand sidelined him for most of the night. Without fullback Stanley Havili, replacement DJ Shoemate and the Trojans didn’t make an impact in the passing game. Grade: B

WRs/TEs – The Return of RoJo was a hit with the fans as it only took the lightning fast WR only one game to get his legs back. RoJo caught (6) passes for about 100 yards and a spectacular diving TD grab. Damian Williams was solid, and TE Anthony McCoy had a TD catch but left the game early after spraining an ankle. Grade: B +

OLine – This unit was very good in both run blocking and pass protection. They helped SC to 229 yards on the ground, and Barkley was not sacked once. C Jeff Byers and LG Butch Lewis did an outstanding job. Grade: A minus

Defense

DLine – A frustrating game for this group. Even though they had (2) sacks, the Beaver passing scheme and quick trigger QB prevented many more. Guys like Nick Perry and Everson Griffen were just one step away from blowing up a passing play several times. Grade: C

LBs – The worst game for this unit this year. MLB Chris Galippo and crew had a tough time corralling OSU RB Jacquizz Rodgers in the 2nd half both in running and receiving. Beaver RB and TE receptions over the middle turned into even more yards with a couple of missed Trojan tackles. OLB Malcolm Smith led the group with (10) tackles. Grade: D

DBs – The Trojan secondary was busy trying to break up the Beaver passing game. Unfortunately, they were unable to create turnovers and had to settle for making the tackle after a short reception. CB Kevin Thomas and S Taylor Mays led the team in tackles with (11). Grade: C minus


Special Teams

Kicking/Coverage/Returns – One of the bright spots of the night, the combination of Damian Williams’ key punt return for a TD and punter Jake Harfman averaging 44 yards per boot made this special teams effort a solid one. Grade: B plus

Coaching

The offense continues to come around with personnel additions on the OL and at WR making the team more balanced. The offensive coaches are becoming very comfortable going for it in different down and distance situations. Defensively, the coaches need to figure out how to keep a lead. More aggression is necessary when SC has a team down, and rushing 7 or 8 players should replace dropping 7 or 8 players into coverage when the opponent resorts to the passing game to make the game close. Grade: C minus


Prediction Winner:

J-Man rings it up!

Trojans Come Home to Face Oregon State

It’s been awhile since the Trojans played at home in the friendly confines of the Coliseum. And they get to exact a little revenge in the process against the Oregon St. Beavers.

The Beavers, you’ll recall, upset the Trojans last season in Corvallis behind the Rogers brothers (Jacquizz and James). Well, the Rogers boys are back, and SC will have to be prepared to stop them.

Here’s how the game shapes up:

Oregon State

Offense – RB Jacquizz Rogers leads the offensive charge for the Beavers averaging 116 yards per game rushing. QB Sean Canfield has been extremely efficient, completing 68% of his passes for 8 TDs against 4 INTs. WR James Rogers is also dangerous in the passing game, collecting 43 passes this season to lead the Pac 10. The OLine is not as good as it was last season. This unit has given up 19 sacks on the year, ranking 9th in the conference.

Defense – Oregon St. plays fast on defense, led by the underrated LB Keaton Kristick
Who leads the team in tackles, INTs, and TFLs. The DLine, however, doesn’t put a lot of pressure on the passer. They rank last in the Pac 10 in sacks with only (4) on the season. That pass rush weakness has led to difficulty in the secondary defending against the pass. The Beavers’ DB unit has given up 275 yards passing per game, and (11) TD passes so far this season.


USC

Offense – QB Matt Barkley has improved every game he’s started this year, and he could have a big game against the porous Beaver defense. RBs Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford will look to put their stamp on the game behind an OLine that now has Jeff Byers starting at Center and OG Butch Lewis joining the starting unit. Soph. fullback DJ Shoemate will also start in place of the injured Stan Havili. Look for WRs Damian Williams, returning starter Ronald Johnson and TE Anthony McCoy to find a lot of room in the Beaver secondary.

Defense – The challenge stopping the Rogers brothers starts up front with the DLine, and NT Jurrell Casey in particular. The DLine must force the hard to find and tackle Jacquizz Rogers to “dance” to find a hole, and the LB unit led by Chris Galippo must “clean up” before Rogers can hit the second level. Strong safety Will Harris will help by playing close to the line of scrimmage as well. Free safety Taylor Mays will need to shade over to Beaver WR James Rogers area to keep an eye on the crafty offensive playmaker.

Prediction:

USC – 31

OSU – 17

Trojans Out-Gun Irish, 34 – 27

Another trip to South Bend . . . another SC win. That’s eight consecutive wins for the Trojans over their intersectional rivals. And it feels good.

SC got out to a big lead, but the referees and a little bit of a defensive let down made it close at the end. But the Trojans prevailed, and got out of town.

Break down time!

Offense

QB – This Barkley kid is a keeper. Matt Barkley performed well on the big stage again going 19 – 29 for 380 yards, with (2) TD passes. The only blemish was an ill-timed INT in the 2nd half. But overall, Barkley showed his poise and precision to lead SC to the win. Grade: B+

RBs – Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford combined for 120+ yards rushing, and had some signature runs helped SC on scoring drives. Grade: B

WRs/TEs – Terrific game for TE Anthony McCoy who finished with 153 yards on 5 catches. WR Damian Williams caught (2) TD passes and finished with 106 yards receiving on 4 receptions. Even WR Brice Butler got into the act with a couple of clutch catches for first downs. Grade: A

OLine – A solid job by this group, that provided good pass protection for most of the day. Running the sweep proved to be a successful play for the OLine that got the tough yards when they needed to. Grade: B minus

Defense

DLine – Stellar effort for the DLine that garnered 5 sacks in the game, led by DEs Everson Griffen and Nick Perry who had two apiece. NT Jurrell Casey had an astounding 10 tackles. The Irish also only gained 82 yards on the ground primarily as a result of this unit’s effort. Grade: A minus

LBs – A bit of an up and down game for the LBs. MLB Chris Galippo shined when stopping 3rd and 4th down short yardage running plays by the Irish. But the group was also out of position on a few successful running plays by ND in the 2nd half.
Grade: C +

DBs – See LB commentary. While breaking up a few passes, the Trojan secondary surrendered its first two TD passes of the year. Safety Taylor Mays led the group with 10 tackles. Grade: C


Special Teams

Kicking/Returns/Coverage – No big plays from this group, but no major breakdowns either. A fake FG by the Irish was not sniffed out by the Trojans . . . but it was an illegal play the refs just missed. What a surprise. Grade: C

Coaching – The offensive game plan was very good. Highlighting TE Anthony McCoy in the seams of ND’s defense worked like a charm. The defense was great in the first half, but gave ground in the second half. The coaches relied on the front (4) DLine to pressure the Irish QB a little too much, and ND was able to throw down field with some success. Grade: B minus

Prediction Winner:

B-Dub takes the cheese!

Trojans Journey to South Bend

This is a game Dr. Phil would love. Notre Dame is 4 -1 by the skin of their teeth this season, and is looking to find out if they are for real or a fake by how they perform against SC. The 4 -1 Trojans are looking to keep the momentum going after improving noticeably as an offensive team the last few games.

So by the end of the game, which team will feel validated or crawl into the fetal position? Let’s breakdown the psyche of each team:

Notre Dame

Offense – QB Jimmy Clausen is finally having a season that matches the hype. With 12 TDs and only (2) INTs thus far, Clausen has been very efficient completing passes at a 67% clip. Helping Clausen is the appearance of a running game in the person of RB Armando Allen who’s run for 365 yards at 5.1 yards a pop. WR Golden Tate has been Clausen’s primary target with (33) receptions, and the playmaker the Irish rely upon. And 6’6 TE Kyle Rudolf has also proven to be a reliable target in the Red Zone and on 3rd downs.

Defense – It hasn’t been pretty for the Irish defense who rank 100th in Total Defense in college football. The defensive backfield led by Safety Kyle McCarthy has given up big yards, and the opponents have also been able to run the ball against the Notre Dame front (7). DE Kapron Lewis-Moore and his DLine mates have not been able to get much penetration this season, putting pressure on linebackers Brian Smith and Manti Te’o to try and make tackles at the second level.

Special Teams – The Irish do have an excellent FG kicker in Nick Tausch who has made 10 – 11 tries. The punt and kickoff return teams, though, have not been very helpful in generating good field position for the Notre Dame offense.

USC

Offense - At this point in the season QB Matt Barkley is no longer playing like a true frosh. His growth has been rapid, but he’ll have to repeat his performance at CAL this Saturday in South Bend. Barkley will be helped by a running game that is humming along with Joe McKnight (400+ yards rushing @ 7 ypc), and an OLine that is starting to assert itself after facing “8 in the box” due to SC’s passing game struggles earlier this year. Playmaking WR Damian Williams is playing fantastic football and will be a tough cover for the Irish DBs. And look for not-so-secret weapon Fullback Stan Havili to be heavily involved in the passing game.

Defense – The SC DLine that leads the nation in sacks behind DEs Everson Griffen, Nick Perry and DT Jurell Casey, is licking it’s chops to get after the pass happy Irish. OLB Michael Morgan has made a habit of getting into the opponent’s backfield, while Safety Taylor Mays is playing at an extremely high level. I expect SC to turn up the heat “blitz-wise” as the game moves along in hopes of forcing some turnovers by the Irish QB Clausen.

Special Teams – This unit is starting to gel with punter Jake Harfman averaging over 40 ypp, and the return game behind punt returner Damian Williams giving SC’s offense good field position or scoring. Look for the smallest Trojan, Curtis McNeal, as he will join CJ Gable on kickoff returns.

Prediction:

USC – 27
Notre Dame - 13

Trojans Trap the Bears, 30 – 3

Now that was Trojan football!!!

This total domination of CAL was a total team effort that keeps USC in contention for the Pac-10 crown and much more during this crucial October run. It’s wise not to bet against Pete Carroll and the Trojans when it comes to a big game. And they got the job done again.

Grades for your reading pleasure:

Offense

QB – The education of Matt Barkley continued as he put in another solid effort on the road. Passing for 283 yards on 20 – 35 attempts were only a part of the story. Helping SC convert 3rd downs with down-field passes shows Barkley’s increasing confidence and skill. He did have one INT that led to a CAL field goal, but took care of the ball in all other situations. Grade: B

RBs/FB – Joe McKnight stepped up big time with a 20 carry for 119 yard effort with (2) TDs. Allen Bradford also chipped in 53 yards on 12 carries. FB Stanley Havili contributed with a long reception for 56 yards. Grade: B +

WRs/TEs – It was the Damian Williams show once again, as he pulled in 8 rec. for 101 yards. Brice Butler and David Ausberry hauled in a couple of catches apiece. The TEs contributed some big plays, not only combining for 4 catches for 66 yards, but also blocking very well in the running game and down-field. Grade: B

OLine – Another very solid effort for the big uglies upfront. They led SC to 174 yards on four yards a pop on the ground. And they only gave up one sack against a very good CAL front (7). Grade: B

Defense

DLine – Another nice game from the Dline. They controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish. DE Everson Griffen is playing consistent football, garnering (4) tackles and a sack. This group helped hold CAL to only 86 yards rushing. Grade: B +

LBs – The LB unit combined for (17) tackles, (2.5) TFLs and (2) sacks – a superb game. MLB Chris Galippo broke up three passes, and substitute OLB Shane Horton was very active with (7) tackles. Grade: A minus

DBs – Taylor Mays' INT in the end zone to stop a CAL TD on the Bears' first possession set the tone for the game. He also made (10) tackles, including quite a few at the line of scrimmage on CAL RBs. CBs Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas chipped in with a combined (7) tackles. Grade: A minus


Special Teams

Kicking/Coverage/Returns – After a rocky start, the special teams unit finally looked special. FG kicker Jordan Congdon went 3 for 3 on FGs, and punter Jake Harfman averaged 40 yards per punt with good hang time to help the coverage team. But the dagger came from PR Damian Williams with the spectacular 66 yard punt return for a TD. Grade: A

Coaching

The coaching staff is starting to put it together. Offensively, SC is starting to look cohesive and comfortable in its play-calling. Red zone offense, however, needs improvement as SC settled for FGs on 3 of its 4 trips in that area. Defensively, it was the status quo – great stoppage of the opponents’ run game, and pressure on the passer to make passing difficult. The extra focus on avoiding penalties also paid off as SC only had (5) for the game. Grade: B

Prediction Winner:

JMW does it again!

Fellas, a nurse from Carson, CA is killing us . . . what’s going on here?!

Showdown at CAL

Well, it’s time to ask the question: Will the real Trojan football team please stand up?!

We know about the growing pains of SC’s offense, but the Bears are coming off an embarrassing blowout loss to the Oregon Ducks. Both of these teams have one loss, and realize this game will determine who’s a contender, and who’s a pretender.

There’s simply no other way to look at it - it’s put up or shut up time. Let’s break it down:

CAL

Offense – RB Jahvid Best is the straw that stirs the drink for CAL. He’s the Pac 10’s leading rusher at 116 ypg, and a home run threat. But what type of game CAL has offensively may rest on the arm of QB Kevin Riley. Riley has decent stats (57% passer with 5 TDs and 0 INTs), but he couldn’t make a play last week when Oregon focused on Best and put the game in his hands. CAL’s OLine let Riley down too by allowing (5) sacks and (6) QB hurries. Bear WRs Verran Tucker and Marvin Jones are solid receivers, but the Bear passing game is not nearly as effective as when they had #1 WR Nyan Boateng who was lost to injury in game two of the season.

Defense – This unit has not lived up to the high expectations they had at the beginning of the year. There is great personnel at every level – DE Tyson Alualu, LB Mike Mohamed and CB Syd’Quan Thompson – are all active players and all conference candidates. But the defense against the run has been shaky, and teams are effectively using play action pass attacks against them. Giving up (42) points to the Ducks last week has left this unit with a bad taste in their mouths.

USC

Offense – Another big test for QB Matt Barkley and the Trojan offense. We know Barkley is not afraid of hostile environments, and he looked very good last week vs. Wazzu. The question is: Will the Trojan offense get out of its own way, and not kill itself with turnovers and untimely penalties?

SC’s ability to pass down-field is greatly enhanced with Barkley, and despite the loss of Stafon Johnson, RBs McKnight, Bradford and Gable should be able to take up the slack. This game is also the toughest test for the OLine since the Ohio St. game. Their ability to open holes for the RBs and protect Barkley (CAL is 2nd in the Pac 10 in sacks) is a key to the game. Playmaking WR Damian Williams will face some good Bear CBs, but he’ll have to be a factor for SC to win.

Defense – SC’s defense has played at a high level all season. There’s no time to let down now . . . especially against CAL’s run game. The Trojan DLine and LBs have excelled against the run game, and pressured passers very well. Their focus will no doubt be on CAL RB Jahvid Best – but watch for backup Shane Vereen, who is also a very good player. And after having an easy game last week, the Trojan DBs will be tested by a solid group of Bear WRs.

Prediction: This has the makings of a barn-burner, even though the score may low.

USC – 20

CAL - 16

Trojans Beat Cougars, 27 – 6

A masterpiece . . . it wasn’t. But the Trojans did what they had to do, and showed some signs of improvement in beating the Washington State Cougars. But while it was a bounce back win for the Trojans who got off to a quick start, some old chinks in the armor revealed themselves yet again.

Let’s go to the grades:

Offense

QBs – Matt Barkley is back, and the difference was obvious right away for the Trojan offense. Although not at 100%, Barkley’s willingness to throw downfield resulted in two deep TD passes that helped get SC out to a 20 – 0 lead. Overall, Barkley went 13 – 22 for 247 yards. Backup Aaron Corp got a few snaps and promptly fumbled leading to Wazzu’s only score and an end to the Trojan shut out. Grade: B

RBs – The Trojans spread the wealth among RBs, with Allen Bradford making a strong impact with 6 carries for 55 yards (9.2 ypc). Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson added TD runs for the Trojans. Grade: B

WRs/TEs – Damian Williams was the star of the show with 5 receptions for 100 yards, and a spectacular hook up with Barkley for a deep TD pass. The only blemish for Williams was a fumble in the 2nd quarter that stalled a Trojan drive. The only other contribution was a nice TD catch by WR Brice Butler. Grade: B minus

OLine – This unit had another solid game. They led the way for 150+ yards rushing and only gave up one sack. OG Alex Parsons, in particular, had a nice game and is having a strong season. Holding penalties were a problem, and put SC in bad position in the 2nd quarter of the game. Grade: B minus

Defense

DLine – SC’s DLine was lights out. Wazzu could not run or pass due to a ton of pressure from the Trojan front four. The DLine accounted for 4.5 sacks, and helped SC hold Wazzu to only 85 yards rushing. Grade: A

LBs – OLB Michael Morgan had an outstanding game with 2.5 sacks. Jordan Campbell led the way with (8) tackles, and LBs Shane Horton and Chris Galippo chipped in with a combined (11) tackles. Grade: B +

DBs – CB Josh Pinkard came up with a clutch INT near the goal line, and CB Kevin Thomas had a sack. But otherwise, this group was not tested very much as Wazzu could only muster 144 yards through the air due to SC’s pressure on the QB.
Grade: B

Special Teams

Kicking/Coverage/Returns – On the positive side, SC may have found its punter. Jake Harfman averaged 46+ yards per punt. On the down side, SC missed an FG, as Jordan Longdon came up short on a 43 yarder due to messed up timing. For the second consecutive game, Damian Williams had a 25+ yard punt return. Grade: C

Coaching

With QB Barkley at the helm, the offensive coaches felt much more comfortable being aggressive in the passing plays - but may be a little too much, as SC could have run at will. Play-caller coach Bates is still searching for the elusive run/pass rhythm that can make SC’s offense go. Big negative issues are the penalties and turnovers which stopped Trojan drives in the 2nd quarter. Defensively, SC couldn’t have played much better with it’s first teamers. The 2nd/3rd team defense gave ground, but would have preserved a shutout if not for an offensive team fumble that gave Wazzu the ball back in the waning minutes of the game. Grade: B minus

Prediction Winner: Payback . . . bow down!