The Pride Bowl: Trojans Take on Bruins

It's come down to this for the Trojans in 2009. I mean, if they can't beat the lowly Bruins on their own home field . . . what is there left to play for?

No matter what the records are, SC is 7 -3 and UCLA is 6 - 5, this game still means something. The winner will still be able to hold there head up high in their home city.

Let the battle for L.A. commence!

UGLA

Offense - It has been a real struggle for QB Kevin Prince and the Bruins. A lack of depth, talent, and injuries to members of the offensive line have made life tough for the inexperienced Prince (8th in the Pac 10 in passing efficiency) and the Bruin running game which ranks 9th in the Pac 10. As a result, scoring has been a big issue as the Bruins are only averaging 22 ppg. FG kicker Kai Forbath is the best offensive weapon on the team, ranking #1 in the conference at 89%.

Defense - The UGLA defense has carried the team for the most part. They lead the conference in takeways (27), and rush defense. DT Brian Price is the primary playmaker with a stunning 20 TFLs. LB Reggie Carter and Safety Rahim Moore provide leadership and playmaking in the back (7). Moore has (9) INTs this season.

USC

Offense - It's been awhile since the Trojan offense hit on all cyclinders, but getting WR Damian Williams, FB Stan Havili and TE Anthony McCoy back from injury should help big time. SC has been running the ball very well with Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford, but they and the OLine face a stiff test with the Bruin run defense.

Defense - The Trojan Dline must dominate this game against a suspect Bruin Oline. The Bruins struggle to run the ball, and protect the passer (given up 27 sacks this season), so DE Everson Griffen and DT Jurell Casey should make some plays. The LBs have been a much maligned group, but don't face a great offense in the Bruins. MLB Galippo and company should be able to hold their own in this one. And the Trojan secondary can take some chances in this game - CBs Pinkard and Thomas won't face consistent Bruin wideouts, so playing tight and physical should not be a problem.

Prediction:

USC - 34

UGLA - 10

Stanford Runs Over SC, 55 - 21

Well . . . that didn't go as planned, did it? Another trip to the woodshed for the Trojans, and this one hurt. Stanford ran left, ran right, and ran up the middle for a stunning 325 yards, and there was nothing SC could do about it.

I'm in pain writing about this shellacking . . . But here it goes:

Offense

QB - QB Matt Barkley had his worst game as a Trojan. You simply can't win with (3) INTs. Barkley had some terrific throws in the game, but those costly turnovers, which included a fumble, did him in. Barkley finished 21 - 31 for 196 yards with a TD pass and was sacked twice, as well.

Grade: D minus

RB/FB - RB Joe McKnight was a bright spot for the Trojans, finishing with 142 yards rushing on just (16) carries - a 9 ypc average. RB Allen Bradford had a TD run, but left the game early with an injury. Grade: B

WR/TE - WR Brice Butler had a little bit of a break out game, catching six balls for nearly 100 yards and a TD. RoJo also chipped in (7) receptions. No other receiver, however, was able to make an impact on the game. Grade: C

OLine - This group did not play that badly, and I don't think they were put in position to control the contest in the running game, even though McKnight had a very good game. They did give up a couple of sacks QB hurries, but that was due to SC's need to throw the ball exclusively in the 2nd half. Grade: C minus

Defense

DLine - This unit didn't make a play the whole game. Grade: F

LBs - See above comment. Grade: F

DBs - When the top tacklers for the game are the DBs . . . you know you are in trouble. Although the Cardinal passing game was not a problem, SC's DBs combined for (41) tackles, led by safety Will Harris who had twelve, coming up to make stops in the running game. Grade: C minus

Coaching

The offensive coaches missed the boat completely in this game. SC did not take advantage of the running game working well with Joe McKnight. This was a game in which McKnight should have had (30) carries, not the 16 he got. That would have allowed the Trojans to wear down the Cardinal defense, and keep the potent Cardinal offense off the field. Instead, SC passed on first down too much, and stayed in 3rd and long situations that were low percentage opportunities.

Defensively, I gotta blame the players. The whole stadium knew what Stanford was going to do . . . run the ball. Still SC was not able to stop it. And it wasn't just Cardinal RB Toby Gerhart who did the damage. On 3rd downs, QB Andrew Luck ran for a couple of key 1st downs on scrambles. At some point, a Trojan defender needed to make a stop . . . and they did not do it. Grade: F

Prediction Winner: There were no winners in this one.

The Cardinal Come Rollin' In

Week by week, it doesn't get any easier for the Trojans. And this week they face a hot Stanford Cardinal team that just finished beating the #8 Oregon Ducks (who of course, spanked SC a few weeks ago.)

So all is lost, right? Not exactly. Stanford is tough at home (5 - 0), but not so much on the road (1 - 3). Their defense is the main culprit, as the Cardinal give up twice as many points on the road (35ppg) vs. only (19ppg) at home.

So as the Cardinal roll into the Coliseum, it's time for the USC Trojans to put together a great effort in all (3) aspects of their game - offense, defense and special teams.

It's go time!

Stanford

Offense - RB Toby Gerhart is the heart and soul of the Cardinal offense. He's leading the Pac 10 in rushing, and is a tough back with surprising foot quickness. But the player who has taken Stanford's offense to the next level is redshirt frosh QB Andrew Luck who leads the conference in passing efficiency completing nearly 60% of his passes with 11TDs and 3 INTs. He's also good with the deep ball, and can scramble a little bit when he gets out of the pocket. WR Chris Owusu is a deep threat in the passing game with 5 TDs, and he's also a terrific kickoff returner with (3) TDs on the season.

Defense - If there's a weak link in Stanford's game, it's the defense which ranks 8th in the Pac 10. They've given up some big rushing yardage to the better teams they've played due to an undersized defensive line. Also, the Cardinal lost the captain of their defense MLB Clint Snyder for the season due to a knee injury just this past week.

USC

Offense - QB Matt Barkley and the Trojan offense are looking to bounce back from a rough game last week that saw them only put up (7) pts. And even though SC will miss WR Damian Williams who's out due to injury, the return of FB Stan Havili and TE Anthony McCoy should help them get back on track. The running game tandem of Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford will play an important part in this game, behind a Trojan OLine which should have an advantage against a smallish Cardinal front (7).

Defense - The entire defense will be tested this week as the Cardinal can run and pass the ball with efficiency. The matchup to watch is the Trojan Dline vs. the Cardinal Oline which has only given up 6 sacks this season, and paved the way for 211 yards rushing per game. Safety Taylor Mays and the Trojan DBs will need to remain alert, because Stanford gets defenders thinking "run", and all of a sudden is passing downfield.

Prediction:

USC - 27

Stanford - 14

Trojans Outlast Sun Devils, 14 - 9

This one will not go down as a masterpiece. In fact, the Trojan offense was downright ugly for most of the game. But the Trojan defense showed up time and time again to repel the Sun Devils who had to change quarterbacks just to threaten SC.

All in all . . . we'll take the "W" and keep moving.

Here's a detailed look at the unit by unit grades:

QB - Matt Barkley didn't want to look at the stat sheet after going 7 - 22, for only 112 yards. But his stats would have been much better if not for some key dropped passes by receivers. And although Barkley was only sacked one time, he was harassed all night by the ASU Dline. Grade: D +

RBs/FB - Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford continue to run consistently, each pounding out 5 yards per carry on a combined 29 carries for about 150 yards. Bradford really could have blown the game open but tripped on the 40 yard line of what could have been a 60+ yard TD run. Grade: B

WRs/Tes - Not a good night for this unit. It was Damian Williams to the rescue, though, with a 75 yard catch and run TD that gave SC it's win. Tight ends Blake Ayles and Rhett Ellison had some key drops, however. Grade: D +

Oline - This group led the Trojans to about 150 yards on the ground, and gave up only one sack. But that was the good stuff. The bad included allowing the ASU Dline to pressure Barkley most of the night, and a committing a couple of penalties that stalled offensive drives. Grade: C minus


Defense

Dline - Strong night against the run, as this unit helped limit ASU to only 81 yards on the ground. They also had (3) sacks. NT Christian Topou forced a key fumble in the SC red zone. And young DE Wes Horton had a very good game with (6) tackles, and Malik Jackson and DT Derek Simmons tallied a sack each. Grade: B +

LBs - A solid night for the LBs in this one. MLB Chris Galippo had an INT, and OLB Shane Horton laid the wood a couple of times on some nice plays. Grade: B

DBs - Safety Will Harris was the star of the show with (2) INTs, including a "pick six" that was SC's first TD of the game. The unit did make one mistake allowing a deep TD pass, as CB Kevin Thomas got caught looking in the offensive backfield in coverage. Grade: C

Special Teams

Kicking/Coverage/Returns - FG kicker Jordan Congdon missed what could have been an important FG for SC, and punter Jacob Harfman had an up and down night getting a 51 yarder, but also only averaging 37 ypp. Grade: C minus

Coaching

The offense could never get going in this game. But the coaches did call some nice plays that were not executed, including a dropped potential TD pass to TE Blake Ayles and a crucial 3rd down pass to FB DJ Shoemate that was called back due to a penalty. Defensively, SC bottled up the ASU offense for the majority of the night. SC's defensive coaches knew what to do against ASU's starting QB Danny Sullivan.

Grade: C +

Prediction Winner:

JMW does it again!

On the Road Again for SC vs. ASU

Who would have thought that this would be a big game for the Trojans and the Sun Devils? ASU has lost two straight games to CAL and Stanford, and is looking to get their mojo back. And after having their lunch money stolen at Oregon, SC is just looking to get it’s dignity back.

The final month of the season starts with this game, and the Trojans need to continue their “no loss November” streak to salvage the season. Here’s how the game breaks down:

ASU

Offense – The Sun Devils have been looking for an offensive identity all season. QB Danny Sullivan has not been consistent, only completing 54% of his passes with (8) TDs and (7) INTs. RB Dimitri Nance is solid, but not spectacular. The ASU WRs Kyle Williams and Chris McGaha are active, and have scored three TDs apiece on the year.

Defense – This unit has been the strength of the team. Led by leading tackler LB Mike Nixon, the Sun Devils currently rank #1 in defense in the Pac 10. They are particularly strong against the run keeping offenses to only 2.6 ypc. DT Lawrence Guy leads the team in sacks with 4.5 on the season, and safety Ryan McFoy has collected (3) INTs to lead the secondary.

USC

Offense – QB Matt Barkley and the Trojan offense has developed a balanced attack at this point in the season. The running game behind Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford has been consistent, but they and the Trojan OLine will be tested by a strong ASU run defense. SC can make the Sun Devils pay through the air, but the absence of TE Anthony McCoy and FB Stan Havili will be may felt again this week.

Defense – The ASU offense sets up very well for the Trojan defense to get back on track. The Sun Devils don’t do anything fancy, and the SC front (7) needs to establish itself in the trenches from the get – go. The Trojan LBs, especially, need a confidence building game, and can get it here. The DLine will probably not have DE Everson Griffen, so this is a big game for back up true frosh and Arizona native DE Devon Kennard to make his presence felt. The Trojan secondary will have to be ready against the ASU WRs who have good size, and will be a primary weapon for the Sun Devils in this game.

Prediction:

USC – 31

ASU – 10

Trojans Get Blasted by Ducks, 47 – 20

Ohhh . . . humanity.

We haven’t seen anything like it for a long time. The Trojans got their Halloween candy taken from them . . . and could do nothing about it. The Ducks ran the ball at will against a confused and frustrated Trojan defense. Offensively, SC hung in there for a half, but then got turned into a one dimensional team that could only hope to pass their way back into the ballgame. But it didn’t happen.

This wasn’t a game . . . it was a crime scene. And unfortunately, we gotta do our best impression of “CSI” to examine what’s left of the victims:

Offense

QB – Matt Barkley kept the Trojans alive and was very accurate in the first half. But with Oregon continuing to score, Barkley had to “wing it” in the second half, and the Trojan offense just wasn’t effective. Barkley finished 21 – 38 for only 187 yards with 2 TDs and a pick. Grade: C minus

RBs/FBs – RB Joe McKnight ran the ball very well, tallying 95 yards on 15 carries (6.3 ypc). But no one else got on track and could help carry the mail. Grade: C

WRs/TEs – WRs Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson each scored a TD, with Williams garnering (9) catches. But the receiving corp really missed TE Anthony McCoy. Replacement Blake Ayles only caught one pass for three yards. Grade: C

OLine – Believe it or not, the Trojan OLine was pretty good. Despite SC’s total reliance on the pass throughout most of the game, this unit only gave up two sacks. And they blocked well in the run game for McKnight. Grade: B

Defense

DLine – Zero sacks folks. And that wasn’t the worst part for the Trojan DLine. They couldn’t get any penetration to stop the run game. The Ducks rushed for an amazing 391 yards. NT Jurrell Casey led the team with (11) tackles . . . I just didn’t see any of them. Grade: F

LBs – This unit could not have played any worse. They simply didn’t know which Duck offensive player had the ball. MLB Chris Galippo did not fill the gaps fast enough, OLB Mike Morgan was a non-factor, and OLB Shane Horton was totally lost falling for the fake handoff to the Duck RB in the Oregon spread offense almost every single time. Grade: F

DBs – The Trojan secondary spent the night chasing Duck ball carriers. End of story. Grade: D minus


Special Teams

Kicking/Coverage/Returns – Just to add insult to Trojan injury, the KO coverage team gave up a 77 yard return to the Ducks. Grade: D

Coaching

Eeesh . . . where to start? The offense moved the ball well in the first half, but went dead in the water in the second half. The coaches obviously wanted to keep pace with the Ducks in the 2nd half by throwing the ball, but would have been better served to run the ball just to keep the ball out of the Duck offense’s hands. On defense, it was a total collapse of gameplan and player execution. The “containment” plan of Duck QB Jeremiah Masoli by the DLine did not work. And the coaches were helpless in assisting the Trojan LBs find the ball. Grade: F

Prediction Winner:

The AFLAC Duck