SB Nation - Allen Bradford

USC Football News and Notes 12/14 - Emerald Bowl Prep, Team Banquet and C.J. Gable News

Paragon SC — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:59 -0000

So, the team is back at it this week as they go into bowl prep.

A couple of interesting story lines are taking shape as the season comes to a close.

I noted yesterday that Safety Josh Pinkard is out for the Emerald Bowl because of a knee injury. That makes things very interesting as Pete Carroll will now be giving us a small glimpse into the future as to what players may have a role in 2010.

With Pinkard out, sophomore T.J. Bryant, who has been the nickel back, probably will start. But redshirt junior Shareece Wright and redshirt freshman Brian Baucham also are in the mix.

Wright, a projected starter, is expected to be available for the game after sitting out the regular season because he was academically ineligible.

Baucham, who was ahead of Bryant coming out of training camp, returned to practice Sunday after missing several weeks because of a foot injury related to a September motorcycle accident.

I am not really sure as to just how effective Wright will be after not playing for almost four months. His loss really became apparent in the second half of the season when SC's defense started to struggle. I was not pleased that Wright did not take his classwork seriously...his not being on the team really changed the dynamic of the defense.

The question I have for everyone is academically eligible does Wright deserve to play or should he wait for spring ball? Wright definitely should not start but should he see some playing time? Playing in a bowl game to me is privilege not a given. I know he is talented but is missing the regular season enough of a punishment? It is a fine line but what is the message that needs to be sent?

T.J. Bryant already has some playing time under his belt but we really have not seen anything of Baucham after his motorcycle accident...will he be game ready?

- - -

Last night USC held their Team Banquet and handed out a number of awards...

Sixth-year senior Jeff Byers was named offensive lineman of the year, while Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey shared defensive linemen of the year honors. Senior quarterback/wideout Garrett Green was recognized as special teams player of the year. And, for the third consecutive year, Green also won the Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award for having the highest GPA on the team.

The night wasn't lacking thrills. Cedric the Entertainer performed standup comedy and linebacker Marquis Simmons led a rendition of "Lean on Me" -- along with the tear-jerking presentation of Johnson's award by Jake Olson.

Here's a look at the full list of winners from the 2009 USC football awards ceremony on Sunday night:

Most Valuable Player: Wideout/punt returner Damian Williams

Most Inspirational Player: Tailback Stafon Johnson

Linemen of the year: Center/guard Jeff Byers (offense); defensive tackles Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey (defense)

Special teams player of the year: Quarterback/wideout Garrett Green

Service team players of the year: Center Michael Reardon (offense); linebacker Marquis Simmons (defense)

Player of the game versus Notre Dame: Tight end Anthony McCoy

Player of the game versus UCLA: Tailback Allen Bradford

Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" Award (year's biggest hit): Safety Taylor Mays

Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award: Quarterback/wideout Garrett Green

Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character): Defensive tackle Christian Tupou

John McKay Award (underclassman with the most competitive spirit): Linebacker Devon Kennard

Courage Award: Cornerback Josh Pinkard

Co-Lifters Award: Offensive lineman Jeff Byers, safety Will Harris, safety Taylor Mays

Recognition of the 22 graduating seniors

The awards for Stafon Johnson, Garrett Green and Damian Williams are no surprise.

Speaking of Garrett Green...

Garrett Green has been cleared to hold on placements despite a torn ACL in his right knee.

How cool is that! He definitely deserves it. He has probably been the most under the radar player on this team over the past few seasons. It sucks that he won't have a bigger role on kick returns like he has had but at least he will get a chance to have a hand in his final game as a Trojan.

- - -

So, what about C.J. Gable?

No player has been as much as an enigma as Gable has during his time at USC.

He had the hot hand before going out with an abdominal injury and he had a pretty good season in 2008 until he saw the bench after putting the ball on the turf against ucla and Penn St. At times his attitude has been questioned in the press but that is hard to really know. He made some statements in the past that probably put him in the doghouse but this season he has been completely off the radar.

Last season there were some rumblings that he might go pro but he stuck it out...

But with the season almost over the questions are now being asked...will he stay or will he go?

Gable is one of several draft-eligible Trojans underclassmen who must decide by Jan. 15 whether to go pro or return to school. Unlike many of the others, Gable has played only a bit role this season after being a major contributor a year ago.

Gable started all but one game last season and tied for the team lead with 10 touchdowns. This season the redshirt junior has no starts and just 21 carries as Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford have shared most of the workload.

"It’s been frustrating," Gable said Sunday after USC’s second practice in preparation for the Dec. 26 Emerald Bowl. "Anybody would be frustrated. … Why would you play if you don’t care whether you get in or not?

"I care because I want to play. But I can’t do anything about it but keep on doing what I’m doing, which is work hard and let everybody see what I can do."

Gable made quite an impression Sunday, when, according to USC coach Pete Carroll, "he was the best guy on the field." But being a good practice player — and a good soldier after complaining about playing time last season - hasn’t translated into a greater role during games.

We have heard how great players have performed in practice only to see them disappear when game time comes around so I am not taking Gables strong performance as nothing more than just a snapshot in time.

Personally, I think he goes pro. SC will still have a glut of running backs, four off the top of my head, and that is before LOI Day where SC is in the mix for a couple of more top RB's

Here is a little more for the DN...

After rushing for 617 yards on 107 carries with eight touchdowns last year, Gable has been buried behind Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford in the running back rotation during his redshirt junior season, causing him to contemplate whether he'll return to play for the Trojans in 2010 or explore his value in the NFL draft in April.

"(In the past) I've always been basing my decisions off anger, but now I'm thinking clearly," said Gable, who has seen action in 11 of 12 games, but has rushed for only 98 yards on 12 carries with no scores.

"The most important thing is graduating. I've learned that football isn't everything. There is life after football. It's been difficult, but I just get in a rhythm in practice and I forget that I'm not playing anymore. I don't talk about it unless somebody brings it up."

Gable needs three more classes to graduate, but intends to sit down and talk with coach Pete Carroll following the Dec. 26 Emerald Bowl against Boston College in San Francisco about his future prospects.

"Allen is coming back too, but it also depends on who they might bring in," Gable said. "The only thing I know I'll benefit from by coming back is that I'll graduate. But (this year) they were better than me. The best man won the position."

Gable's mature approach hasn't been lost on Carroll, especially following the Trojans' second practice in as many days since a 21-17 loss to Arizona on Dec. 5.

You know Carroll is going to try and get him stay...but he may be in the same as Mark Sanchez. He can take those three classes and be done next semester so his commitment in my eyes is fulfilled...he has no obligation to stay once he has his degree...

It should be interesting.

Game Day Notes - Stanford

Paragon SC — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:43:30 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

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Apologies for the lack of posting yesterday. I got stuck at a one-day conference longer than I had expected.

It is hard to really know what team we are going to see today. Will it be the team we saw early in the season that seemed to have a certain spring it is step with a true-freshman QB at the helm or will the team we see today be the one that seemed to lose all sense of desire on both sides of the ball at different times during the past four games.

This is a different feeling for SC fans at this point in the season.

It is clear that the 2009 version of Pete Carroll's incredible run is not living up to the same standards of success that we have been used to seeing in the past few seasons. The annual loss to a unranked team is almost a right of pasage now...it shouldn't be that way but it is what is. It is clear now that losing al that we lost on defense from last season was more than anyone wanted to admit. I know it sounds like a tired excuse but the numbers bear it out.

You know its bad when you have look at a defensive lineman to possibly play linebacker.

Pete Carroll seems a little bit "tighter" that I am used to seeing him. His control of the offense, or lack there of (see the Oregon game) coupled with the defensive struggles and you can see why many of us have some concerns...

Because of USC's visible struggles over the past few weeks there are some rumblings in a few places that Stanford has chance to upset USC. Of course that is a possibilty...Stanford is the only Pac-10 team to beat USC at the coliseum in the Pete Carroll era. Is this just another test for this team? I don't know...but how the team plays today will tell me alot about the last two games of the season.

Of course we all remember 2007. Stanford look's to repeat that feat while taking SC down another peg in the 2009 season...(emphasis mine)

But if Stanford beats USC on Saturday in the Coliseum, that result will resonate.

If the No. 9 Trojans (7-2, 4-2) suffer a third Pac-10 loss, it's a near-certainty their extraordinary seven-year run atop the conference --- and college football -- will end. One of the great dynasties -- two national championships, seven consecutive top-4 finishes -- the sport has known would tumble.

Boom! And then the big picture would transform. The Pac-10 and all of college football would feel an impact.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh has refused this week to wax poetic about the 2007 game. And he's also refused to use the "one game at a time," "every game is important" refrains that are so popular with coaches when they want to tamp down media hyperbole.

"This is put-up-or-shut-up time for Stanford football," Harbaugh said. "We win this game and we stay in the hunt for the conference championship. If we don't, then we are out."

I would agree with that sentence wholeheartedly. While no fault of their own, Stanford has lived off of that win in 2007 without anything else to show for it (kind of like ucla in 2006).

Stanford comes to USC looking for some respectability. A win in L.A. would do just that.

Yes, they beat Oregon, but as I noted earlier in the week this is a Stanford team, that while playing with a certain fury at home they have struggled on the road (outside of WSU). I think it is clear that Stanford is not intimidated by playing USC, let alone playing them in the Coliseum. Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh has obviously recruited well, gotten the most out of his players, changed the attitude of the program and not been afraid to say or do things are against the grain (kind of like Lane Kiffin).

Harbaugh is right...it is put up or shut up time. Once again it is clear that the Pac-10 plays some very solid football overall but so far...even this year, no one has stepped up to take the tile away from SC in any resounding way. Just beating USC in your "signature" isn't enough you have to do something more with it.

SC will have their hands full today. The defense will have to play in its old form if they expect to shut down Stanford's proficient offense.

When USC plays Stanford, a common question is whether this game is a physical mismatch.

That's the key issue today when the No. 11-ranked Trojans play the No. 25-ranked Cardinal at the Coliseum. But there is a twist to the question.

This time, there are doubts whether the Trojans can physically handle the Cardinal.

It's a unique position for USC but also a legitimate question when the Trojans average 228 pounds at linebacker while Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart is 235.

"Their foundation is a smash-mouth running game," USC linebacker Chris Galippo said.

"He is just a hammer back there," USC coach Pete Carroll added.

Whether the Trojans (7-2, 4-2) can stop the Cardinal (6-3, 5-2) will determine if the Trojans play in a BCS bowl game.

I will admit that if SC was a lot healthier on defense I would say that this Stanford offense would be the perfect match-up for USC. This is obviously a run first offense. SC has done well against the run. If the USC defense reduces Toby Gerhart effectiveness by even 50% SC will win this game. Gerhart will be playing with some extra motivation today...

USC once coveted Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart, who set California high school rushing records at Norco four years ago.

But Tailback U told the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Gerhart he'd have to play linebacker or fullback if he wanted to be a Trojan.

"I wanted to be the featured back, so I told them I wasn't interested," said Gerhart, who on Thursday was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award that honors the nation's best collegiate running back

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Same old story, "they gave me no respect"...

I know Gerhart is a special player but for all that he shows his hand in the quote above that he is still a guy who places his aspirations higher than the team. He thinks SC disrespected him by not giving him what he wants, fine. But that is crap...USC can't pick them all.

Gerhart is a fine back in the Stanford system. He got what he wanted by being the featured back and he has put up some nice numbers but I really think that PC could have nurtured him into being a Mike Alstott type FB and we all know how well Alstott did in the NFL. They are the same height, Gerhart just needs to bulk up a bit more. Gerhart can piss and moan all he wants about being disrespected by USC but if he wants to get to the NFL I pick Pete Carroll over Jim Harbaugh any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Anyway...

SC MUST curtail the Stanford running game...

It isn't difficult to picture the powerful Gerhart hauling stuff, including teammates. Nor is it farfetched to imagine him rumbling through USC's defense, which has had trouble tackling at times.

The difference this time is that the Cardinal won't deceive the Trojans, and Gerhart won't elude them. The runners who have given USC fits this season are MINI Coopers, not Ford F-150s. Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers, who rushed for 113 yards against USC on Oct. 24, is 5-7, 191 pounds. Oregon's LaMichael James, who rushed for 186 yards the following week, is 5-9, 180.

"We've seen a lot of finesse running – a lot of little guys, a lot of edge guys, quickness type of guys," Carroll said. "With Gerhart, there's a dimension to him that makes them unique. It's his heavy-duty running, and their commitment to getting him the football a bunch."

Gerhart leads the Pac-10 with an average of 135.2 rushing yards per game, and he leads the nation with an average of 25.9 carries. Last week against Oregon, Gerhart rushed for 223 yards on 38 attempts, both career highs.

But just because they know it's coming doesn't mean the Trojans can stop him. Their linebacking corps isn't as sturdy as last season's, which featured 260-pound Rey Maualuga and 255-pound Brian Cushing (and Gerhart still was one of only two rushers to top 100 yards vs. USC). The Trojans moved 255-pound freshman defensive end Devon Kennard to linebacker this week because of injuries, but the timing could be fortuitous.

Pete Carroll admits later on in the article that he may have pigeon-holed Gerhart a bit too much when recruiting him as a full back. That's fair but I also think that Gerhart would have different production at SC because of how the offense is run. Every team talks about establishing the run first to set up the pass. But with the receivers SC has had the past few years and the reliance of using both the TE and FB in different scenarios Gerhart doesn't get half the touches he has at Stanford. Again, its all about team...I doubt Gerhart would be happy with that.

Simply put, if Gerhart goes down Stanford is toast. It is the gambit you run when relying on just one guy...

If SC controls the Stanford run game that puts it all on Stanford QB Andrew Luck. As good as Luck is he is not the most mobile QB that SC will face this season.

If SC's front seven gets the pressure that we have seen in a number of games this season Luck may have to put it up quickly and putting up quickly does not necessarily mean taking of advantage of the quick slant that is sure to be there in the middle. I also think that Pete Carroll may use the same tight coverage on Stanford's WR's like we saw against ASU and that changes some things for Stanford.

After a grueling road schedule SC can now take comfort in playing at home to close out the season. But that is not enough, SC has to go back to the things that helped them win earlier in the season when it appeared that everything was firing on all cylinders...

USC must establish its running game, with tailbacks Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford sharing the workload. McKnight has not scored a touchdown in the last three games, Bradford the last two.

It really is as simple as that...Stanford is a different team on the road this season and if SC can get things fired up at home against a Stanford team that struggles on the road then that is another thing that USC can use to its advantage. It feels odd writing that...SC shouldn't have to worry about home field advantage as something in the plus side of the column to help them win but with all the injuries and with offense in a bit of a stall that is just how it is...

- - -

Here a few links...

Steve Mason's Blog: HOMECOMING EVE!: 710 ESPN

Video: Stanford-USC Preview - Pac-10 Blog - ESPN
Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller previews the Stanford-USC game.

Williams out, but McCoy will try to go for USC - Pac-10 - ESPN

TheMatadorSports | SC’s top WR is out

Game Day Notes - Oregon

Paragon SC — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:31:18 -0000

I am just going to throw out some observations about tonight's game. Too many have already over analyzed this match-up. These are just some things that I see.

I get the feeling that a lot of people are or will be picking Oregon to win in tonight's game at Autzen.

The tone of the articles I have read that have either criticized the defense or the coaching are setting an interesting tone. I think Oregon is fine team. They have got their heads on straight after that stinker of a loss against Boise St. Boise is a tough place to play and when you couple that with Oregon playing their first game with Chip Kelly as head coach you could see where there might have been some growing pains. seems to have got things tuned up pretty good.

A lot has been made of how Oregon has played since that loss.

So, lets take a not so scientific look...

I am going to throw out the ucla and WSU wins for the obvious reasons because those teams are just bad. Yes, they are wins but it almost seems that any local high school could play those teams competitively.

Oregon's win against UW is impressive and to the casual observer, one could (like that idiot Eddie George) point to the fact that the Duckies handled UW pretty easily while SC struggled against UW in their loss...that would be a mistake. Give SC Barkley and Mays, take away all the emotion of two former SC coaches facing their mentor, knowing all the teams weaknesses (read Aaron Corp) and that is a win. USC's loss to UW was because of two things emotion and an exposed USC QB.

Oregon dominated Cal...but so did USC, so that is a wash...

So looking at just how Oregon has played this season comes down to really just two games Utah and Purdue...

Lets take Utah first. From SBN's Mountain West Connection...

The run defense which was to be Utah's strength but in this game Oregon ran all over Utah. Oregon was lead by LaMichael James who had 152 yards, also QB Jeremiah Masoli made timely runs to keep drives going and happened to score two touchdowns. However Oregon was able to win by only completing four passes.

So, we know this Utah team is a shadow of the team that beat Alabama. But this shows that Oregon needs to run the ball to win. Masoli only completed FOUR passes in this game and the Ducks win by 7. I can assure you that USC run defense is much better than Utah's run defense. Masoli can run ball...so could Terrelle Pryor and the USC defense shut him down. Now, there will be those that will then point to Jake Locker in his win over USC...but the missing factor there was Taylor Mays. Regardless of all the criticism of his pass coverage skills as of late there is no denying his run defense skills. We all remember his stops of Jahvid Best and of Terrelle Pryor.

As for Purdue, the Duckies barely got past them at Autzen. Purdue's Defense is not as good as Utah's and the barely beat them...at home! The Oregon Defense bailed them out setting up 17 points off of turnovers. But the game also showed that the Oregon D line can be run on but I also know that Oregon D line has tightened things up a bit since that win.

Those two wins were early in the season so you know there were some adjustments to be made and it would appear that they have tightened things up.

Here is an interesting take from The Trojan Empire...

Anyone watching and reading about Oregon in the past week has surely seen the repetitive focus on the so called "high flying" Ducks offense. Truth be told, despite being ranked 16th in scoring, Oregon ranks 66th in total offense (368 ypg). In comparison, the Trojan offense, as conservative as it began the season, ranks 13th nationally at 440 yards per game. USC’s past opponents, Oregon State, Notre Dame, and Cal, have more productive offensive units.

The reason for the lagging production total is simple. The Ducks are 108th in the country passing the ball, which represents the lowest of all Trojans opponents so far this season. USC is most threatened by balanced attacks, so emphasizing the need to air it out is a definite key to Oregon success.

Another myth exposed is that Oregon lacks defensively. When the Trojans travel to Eugene tomorrow night, they will face the best defense since playing Ohio State in the second week of the season. The Ducks rank 19th in total defense, allowing season opponents fewer than 300 yards per outing. When you couple the defensive effort creating short fields, you come to understand their ranking in scoring offense without productive numbers. If there is a soft spot, it would be against the run, which could prove favorable for USC on an expected rainy field that would limit passing abilities.

That's a good take...SC has played in the rain before and has done fine like against Cal in 2007 and with the arrival of Allen Bradford on the scene coupled with Joe McKnight it will be an interesting battle. I also agree that a rainy forecast keeps the ball out of the air...maybe we see some throws underneath but I would not expect many deep balls thrown in the game.

My biggest area of concern for the USC defense is stopping Oregon TE Ed Dickson. He had a monster game against Cal and it made me take notice.

Dickson is the leading receiver in Oregon's run-first offense with 27 receptions for 362 yards. He has 23 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns in his past four games, including an 11-reception, 148-yard, three-TD performance in Oregon's upset of then No. 6 Cal on Sept. 26.

"Ed Dickson really draws your focus," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "He's a great player. They've been going to him for years so he's going to be hard to stop anyway, so we're going to have to focus on him and try and keep him from being a big part of their offense."

The Trojans face Dickson a week after the USC defense gave up 127 yards on nine catches to Oregon State tight end Joe Halahuni in a 42-36 Trojans victory.

"Last week, we just kind of made a lot of mistakes," USC linebacker Chris Galippo said. "This guy is actually their go-to guy. You know they're going to see that film from last week.

"We exposed ourselves, obviously. We're scheming up for that. We've got stuff that's going to take care of that. It's really just trusting in the players who are going to be on him, and hopefully he won't be a factor."

SC got exposed last week against Oregon St. when they allowed the Beavers TE Joe Halahuni run wild underneath. I actually think that poor performance could not have come at a better time. It was clear last week that SC was overly focused on the run and they missed the open TE right in front of them. But now that they have had their scare they have seen the error of their ways so they should adjust accordingly. I would expect to see a balanced approached on Defense.

OK so lets quickly look at USC's offense...

Many Ducks fans think that Autzen is going to rattle Matt Barkley. Maybe...then again maybe not. Barkley has already stated that while he acknowledges the noise he doesn't see how it will affect his play on the field. He knows like the rest of us that when USC comes to town that is the other teams Super Bowl so they line up to take their best shot. The crowd gets a little louder, the opposing team gets up for the game a little more.

Barkley had a less than stellar performance last week against Oregon St....That is fine, he can't have a great game every week. Leinart and Sanchez didn't so why should we expect Barkley to. He still makes some freshman mistakes but some of those types of mistakes are made by 5th year seniors too.

Like I said earlier If the weather is a factor then I see SC trying to push their ground game. If not we will see USC attempt a more balanced attack.

This one is hard to pick. We all know what happened the last time SC played in Eugene but we also know what happened in 2005.

To me this almost a pick-em game. I do not see a blow out. this one will tight all night. It could be a barn burner as much as it can a low scoring affair.

I think SC has better over-all talent but the Duckies are not to be taken lightly and while I don't think Autzen will affect Barkley I do think Autzen will fire up the Ducks. We saw it when the Ducks demolished Cal and I do not expect anything less from their fans tonight.

- - -

Here are some links....

Pac-10 Q&A: USC defensive coordinator Rocky Seto - College Football Nation - ESPN

Sports Radio Interviews - Pete Carroll and The Trojans Will Have Their Hands Full With Oregon This Weekend

USC hopes to mask Oregon's advantage: its rabid fans - LA Daily News

Damian Williams expected to play for Trojans -- latimes.com

Trojans missing some pass catchers - OCRegister.com

Leaving the USC football team in a sorry state -- latimes.com

Oregon-USC: Pac-10 showdown poses big recruiting opportunity, too | The Ducks Beat - OregonLive.com

Closing the book on Oregon St.

Paragon SC — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Well, since Matt and Reggie left I never thought I would see the day where the offense would have to bail the defense out at USC.

Oh yeah, the defense definitely did their thing early on but I can't remember seeing a Pete Carroll defense get carved up by an opposing tight end like we saw Saturday. USC was so intent on stopping 'Quizz Rodgers that they totally forgot about OSU TE Joe Halahuni.

Halahuni had nine catches for 127 yards. I was stunned at how often he was open. Pete Carroll fell right into Mike Riley's trap and it could have had a terrible effect if it wasn't for Matt Barkely and the offense doing what they needed to do to keep OSU at arms length.

I don't think anyone was expecting to see the game we saw on Saturday.

On Saturday against Oregon State, USC for the first time found itself in a shootout at home.

With the help of tailback Allen Bradford and another big punt return from Damian Williams, the fourth-ranked Trojans outlasted Oregon State, 42-36, in front of 89,718 at the Coliseum.

"This was a different game than we hoped to have," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "We were scrambling trying to slow them down."

The victory improved USC to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference and kept the Trojans on track for a possible berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

But on a warm night, playing at home for the first time in four weeks, the Trojans got all they could handle from an Oregon State team determined to show that last season's upset of the then-No. 1 Trojans was no fluke.

I really did not know what defense I was watching on Saturday but the offense seems to have finally found its stride and they are going to need to be hitting on ALL cylinders next week when they travel up to Eugene to play the Ducks. The defense looked lost out there because they were so focused on stopping the run and OSU put the pressure on the secondary by spreading them out when SC committed to stopping the run. That left Halahuni open to run wild underneath. I was surprised that OSU did not use their motion blocking more like the did last year. James Rodgers had one play where he broke through for a big gain. SC still has fit s with that and because 'Quizz was not in the game for most of the second quarter OSU had to adjust their game...

It could have been really ugly.

Barkley did not have his best game even with the nice throws to Damian Williams and Ronald Johnson. Barkley even described his game as mediocre.I would agree with that assessment. Yes, Barkley threw for two TD's and rushed for another but his 2 INT's kept the Beavers hanging around...

Barkley passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the first half. However, he finished with two interceptions. And another interception was nullified by a penalty on Oregon State for a late hit on Barkley.

"I didn't think he was as sharp as he’s been," Coach Pete Carroll said. "We went after these guys pretty good. He was called on a lot to throw downfield. ... He just had a couple miscalculations."

I realize it isn't always going to be perfect this year, so as long as he progresses in his overall performance and as long as we win I am fine with a stinker here or there.

SC had a hard time putting these guys away...and they will be tough to beat next year in Corvallis.

The Trojans took a 19-point lead after Williams returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t keep Oregon State from clawing back into the game.

"We couldn’t separate," Carroll said. "We had so much momentum on offense, and then there was the punt return, but we just couldn’t stop them. It just made for a frustrating night. We couldn’t get them off the field."

Oregon State scored two consecutive touchdowns to make the game a one-score possession before Barkley and the offense ran out the clock.

"I’m very proud of our team for their effort," Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said. "Nobody blinked. A lot of times, it looked like when USC scored, it would be hard to get back into the game, but we always kept trying…

"USC is very impressive."

Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass despite an ankle injury, and his brother, James Rodgers, gained 194 all-purpose yards and scored on a seven-yard pass. Beaver quarterback Sean Canfield completed 30-of-43 passes for 329 yards and three scores in the losing effort.

More than a few think that there are a lot more questions on defense than there are on offense.

We're usually convinced by now.

Shoot, we're usually convinced before the first hamstring of spring ball is stretched.

But here it is, Halloween week, and we're still trying to figure out just how good USC's football team is this season.

Good enough to go 6-1 with road victories over a ranked Ohio State and a ranked Notre Dame? To be sure.

Good enough to get strangely pushed around by Notre Dame late and Oregon State throughout? To be sure.

I was definitely having a Maalox Moment towards the end of the game.

One of the keys to Saurday's win was Allen Bradford.

Two years ago the rumors were flying under the radar that Allen Bradford was going to transfer form USC. I got a tip that his lack of playing time was was frustrating his family and that there was some pressure for him to transfer. I had a story all ready to go...but he never pulled the trigger.

I have in the past questioned why we heard all the great things he was doing in camp and in practice but never making it on the field.

Then there was his hip surgery that shut down his season last year. I was skeptical about whether or not he would be effective after this surgery but he kept on working and Saturday it paid off.

For months, for years, Bradford, frustrated with his lack of playing time in USC's tailback by committee rotation, openly talked of quitting, and leaving USC. And for months, for years, the voices talked Bradford out of running away.

Saturday evening, Bradford looked into the eyes of a fallen teammate and was finally given wings. Stafon Johnson didn't say a word, couldn't say a word. He didn't have to.

"I went to go see him I almost cried, I almost teared up because of just the energy that he brings," Bradford said of the pregame appearance of Johnson, recovering from emergency throat surgery last month after a weight-lifting accident. "We all got love for him and when he was in there I just felt like I'm going to run hard for him."

If there was ever a definition of the Trojan Family this is it...

Many of us have wanted to see Bradford get a fair shake and on Saturday we got our wish with his break out game.

I do not know what the future holds for Bradford but no one can deny that we are all happy to finally see Bradford get the touches.

The other person who came back to life was Ronald Johnson...

Johnson, a junior who suffered a broken collarbone during training camp, made a diving catch for a touchdown in the Trojans' 42-36 Pacific 10 Conference victory over Oregon State on Saturday night at the Coliseum.

Johnson missed the first five games of the season before returning last week against Notre Dame.

He had one catch against the Fighting Irish on a pass that tipped off the hands of fellow receiver Damian Williams, but otherwise struggled to play at his regular game speed.

Last Tuesday, Johnson remained sore and said he was still struggling to regain his pre-injury form.

But on Saturday night, Johnson looked like he was at full strength early in the second quarter when he dived to grab a Matt Barkley pass for a 22-yard touchdown and 14-6 lead.

He's Baaaaaack!

One final note...the Pac-10 suspended one official for missing the the face-mask call on Taylor Mays' hit on James Rodgers in the end zone when he scored in the 4th quarter.

The Pac-10 Conference has suspended an official for one game for missing a facemask call on Taylor Mays during the USC-Oregon State game on Saturday.

Mays ripped off James Rodgers‘ helment in the end zone, but no call was made. The Pac-10 did not name the official who’s being suspended, but Commissioner Larry Scott did issue this statement:

"Our members expect a high level of officiating in all our sports, and the conference office shares that expectation. We have taken this action in light of the blatant and dangerous nature of the missed call. We have full confidence in our highly trained and qualified staff of football officials, but they, like the coaches and players, are accountable and must meet the high expectations placed upon them."

What about the non-calls in the ND game?

Up next...Oregon!

Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight Highlights from our friends at TrojanWire

Paragon SC — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:13:54 -0000

The Monday Morning Wash

John Berkowitz — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:31 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington's Devin Aguilar reaches for a pass against Oregon in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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I traditionally hate bye weeks because they take me out of my usual fall schedule which is either flying out West for a game or just watching it on the couch with my wife and our trusty Golden Retriever. This week I feel differently. The one thing that this Washington team needs more than anything is a week off to simply rest and get healthy for the stretch run of the Pac 10 season.

It's time for the team and its fans to take a week off and regain focus on the goal of making it to a bowl game this season. I personally probably need a week off of football too which means that we will probably load up the SUV and head over to Michigan for a little rest and relaxation next to the Western shores of Lake Michigan.

Last second - never should have been - losses to Notre Dame and Arizona State have clouded that picture a bit but Washington will be facing three teams over the final five weeks that lost by a collective score of 118-19 against the very same Oregon team that beat us on Saturday. The first stop after the bye is a road trip to Pasadena, but lets put that off for a few paragraphs while we examine what is going wrong for this team.

The big question going into the bye week is what is wrong with Jake Locker? He certainly wasn't himself against Oregon and it just wasn't their tenacious defense. Can he pull himself back together for what may be the final stretch run of his career at Washington?

Ever since Washington upset USC the talk has been all about Jake being the top QB on the NFL draft board. We all love the potential but the Jake we have seen the last few weeks hasn't been very good. In fact I would rate a number of Pac 10 QB's ahead of him now just based on performance. Locker isn't sure of himself out there right now. The QB who used to play the game like a LB now seems very reluctant to run the ball.

He had a sure TD against Oregon in the first half which would have changed the complexion of the game if he had tucked it in and ran it. Instead he inexplicably tossed the ball away. The drive ended on a fourth down interception in the end zone which allowed the Ducks to start taking control of the game. If Washington gets seven on that series it could have been a different game.

Is that the coaches or is it just Jake? You would think he would have the green light to run the ball if he see's a hole the size of the Grand Canyon which just happened to exist on that play. We all have bought into the theory that Jake needs to be a passer first and a runner second this season if the Huskies are going to get to a bowl game. That being said the biggest weapon the Huskies do have is his ability to run the ball. He only ran it three times against Oregon for nine yards. To me that kind of play calling is just a waste of resources.

Jeremiah Masoli by the way isn't nearly as fast as Jake Locker is. He was wearing a knee brace out there after missing two weeks because of a sprained MCL. MAsoli had no problem running the ball on Saturday and that was a huge factor in the Oregon win. Once the Husky defense couldn't solely focus on LaMichael James it became a different ball game offensively for Oregon. That was a coaching adjustment on Oregon's part that helped open up the game.

Many fans are starting to question the game day ability of this coaching staff. We all know they have potential, enthusiasm, and an incredible work ethic. We are also left sometimes shaking our heads by what is happening out on the field. Coming away with no points from the Oregon two yard line is a real head scratcher.

Another head scratcher is clock management. Last week that aspect of the game cost Washington a victory on the road. This week it happened again in the waning moments of the first half. UW had three time outs before its last series with 1:06 but didn't use any of them. The Huskies still came up with three points to finish the half because of a gift 15 yard penalty on Oregon and a 47 yard Erik Folk FG with one second remaining. You really wonder though why it had to come down to that? Why did Sarkisian let 36 seconds of the clock run out without calling a timeout?

Another coaching problem right now is special teams management. Washington had a punt blocked and returned for a TD which gave Oregon a lead they never relinquished. To make matters worse they faked the PAT and Costa ran uncontested into the end zone for two points because Washington only had ten men on the field. Why not call a time out to get it right?

Later in the first half the Ducks put together the most improbable TD drive of the game. At one point the Huskies had them backed up with sacks to 2nd and 36. The Ducks actually ate up that yardage on the next two plays with some nifty passing and catching to keep the drive going with a first down. What is maddening is Washington ended up stalling the Duck drive again and forced them to kick a FG which would have minimized the damage. Enter Nate Costa who again ran the same darn fake and picked up the first down. If you stop Oregon there like you should do it is a completely different game.

The coaches need the week off to reaccess what they are doing on game day. You can blame whatever you want on the players but the fact is the coaching staff has not done a great job of putting the team in a position to win over the last two weeks. You can even make a good case that it extends all the way back to the Notre Dame game.

What does it take for these guys to figure out that they need a hammer inside the five yard line to score TD's? The one time they were successful yesterday they used Paul Homer as a lead blocker for Chris Polk. Washington has done a poor job this year of using its 240 pound FB in short yardage situations. That has to change during the final stretch of the season. The one back offense isn't going to work at the goal line for this Washington team.

Next up for Washington is UCLA in Pasadena. Even though the Huskies haven't had much luck in Pasadena against the Bruins over the years this is a game they should win. Of course we said that about Arizona State. UCLA is terrible right now and they are not going to get any better between now and the time that we face them in two weeks.

Rick Neuheisel used three QB's against Arizona on Saturday in a desperate move to try to find the a winning combo on offense. It isn't going to happen and a strong defense which keeps them close enough gets more nicked up week by week. UW will end its road losing streak in the Rose Bowl!

After UCLA the Huskies travel to Corvallis to take on OSU who left it all on the field Saturday in a track meet with USC losing 42-36. Washington can score on the Beavers. Most teams in the country can actually score on the Beavers this season but taming that offense may be a pretty tall order for this Washington team. It isn't out of the realm of possibility for Washington to beat these guys but I am not betting on it.

Washington State is the worst team in the Pac 10 and the BCS. We also have them at home. Now you can always say that the record book should be thrown out in the Apple Cup but Washington has way too many pieces for WSU to contend with. Mark this down as an indelible W!

What that should set up in a perfect world after another well deserved bye week is a contest with California at home with bowl eligibility on the line. What exactly will the Bears be playing for at this time of the season? The last place in the world they want to be is in Seattle during December. If Washington is 5-6 when the Bears roll into town they will be playing for a lot more than California. Washington needs to keep their bowl hopes alive until the finale.

In conclusion when Pete Carroll took over at USC everyone laughed. Pete was their fourth or fifth choice and it seemed like he was just another version of Paul Hackett to kick around for a couple more years. Carroll's first USC team opened the 2001 season going 2–5. However after that a slow start he was able to close the season with enough wins to go 6-5 and become become bowl eligible.

Steve Sarkisian is going to be a very good head football coach. Like his mentor Pete Carroll he is going through some growing pains with his team in his first year. What he needs to do is finish strong like Pete did and set the table for an incredible future. The pieces are all in place to do exactly that. Perhaps this bye week will be the launching pad that makes it all a reality.

Around the Pac 10

USC 42 Oregon State 36

Allen Bradford rushed for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns as USC avenged its only loss of last season. The USc defense better tighten up quite a bit for next week because Oregon State shredded them for a season high of 482 yards. Sean Canfield passed for 329 yards and a career-best three touchdowns for the Beavers, while Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 113 yards and a score and also caught a TD pass on an injured ankle. Even though OSU dominated the stats at the end of the game they never had the lead. USC came out early and built a 21-9 lead at the half. Holding the Beavers to three FG's in the first stanza was the difference in the game.

Arizona 27 UCLA 13

Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes to Juron Criner, and Arizona overcame five turnovers to defeat UCLA 27-13 on Saturday and keep pace in the Pac-10 race. Foles had a hand in all of five of Arizona's turnovers. The Pac-10's leading passer threw three interceptions, had a fumble returned for a touchdown and botched a handoff that led to a fumble. Even with the gifts the Bruin defense helped create an inept offense was unable to take advantage of them. UCLA fell to 0-4 in Pac-10 play for the first time since 1994 when the Bruins lost their first five conference games.

Stanford 33 Arizona State 14

Andrew Luck threw for 236 yards, Toby Gerhart ran for 125 yards and a touchdown and Stanford greatly boosted its bowl hopes with a 33-14 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night. the Cardinal built a 24-0 lead at the half and coasted to the victory.

California 49 Washington State 17

Kevin Riley threw for touchdowns on his only three passes of the first quarter, Jahvid Best scored three touchdowns and California routed Washington State 49-17 Saturday. After two dissapointing back to back losses to Oregon and USC the Bears are back on track with a two game winning streak.

Pac 10 Power Ratings

1. Oregon...The Ducks are the best team in the conference right now. Next up is a showdown for what looks to be all the marbles against USC in Autzen Stadium. Can you say College Football Game Day?

2. Southern California...Next weeks game against Oregon will make or break the Trojan's season. If they win they might have enough juice to play for the national championship.

3. Oregon State...The Beavers left it all on the field against USC on Saturday coming back in the second half to take the game to the wire. If they were just a little better on defense the Pac 10 title might have been settled in the Willamette Valley this season. Next up is UCLA at home.

4. Arizona...The Wildcats did what they had to against UCLA and that was simply win the game. Five turnovers however have raised some eyebrows. Next up is a bye that sets the Cats up well for the stretch run.

5. California...Nothing like getting well against a string of patsies like UCLA and WSU. The buffet continues this week against ASU.

6. Stanford... A much needed win over ASU means the Card are only one win away from bowl eligibility.

7. Washington...Last second losses to Notre Dame and ASU haunt this team even thoug a lighter schedule in the last quarter of the season still holds the hope of bowl eligibility. Huskies have the week off then head to UCLA to end the current losing streak.

8. Arizona State...The Sun Devils may not win another game this season which makes last weeks last second win over Washington even more dissapointing to Husky fans.

9. UCLA...The 0-4 Bruins are off to their worst conference start since 1994. Another loss beckons next week against Oregon State on the road.

10. Washington State...If you need a confidence builder the Cougars are the right team to play. Next up is Notre Dame in San Antonio.

Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Week

Oregon's LaMichael James ran for 154 yards on 15 carries and scored two TD's in Oregon's victory over Washington.

Pac 10 Defensive player of the Week

UCLA free safety Rahim Moore, the national interception co-leader, picked off his sixth and seventh passes of the season.

Washington Offensive Player of the Week

Chris Polk had the second 100 yard game of his career against an Oregon defense which has been stifling against the run so far this season. What makes polk even more impressive is facotring in that he is playing through an injured shoulder and sprained ankle.

Washington Defensive Player of the Week

Safety Nate Fellner served notice that he is going to play quite a bit over the next four years at Washington. He made mistakes and at times was physically overmatched but on a whole it was a very nice debut for the true freshman. A year in the weight room is going to make him a very tough player to dislodge out of the starting lineup.

Quote of the Week

Steve Sarkisian: "We've got to assess what we are doing schematically and from a personnel standpoint, and it's going to be great to have a bye. We are obviously a pretty nicked-up football team right now so the bye couldn't come at a better time to hopefully get our guys back fresh, get our minds fresh, and go into this last quarter of the season with a vengeance and finish strong.''

USC 42 Oregon St. 36...Man that was close...too close!

Paragon SC — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:49:50 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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So, discuss the game.

I am going to jump all over for a bit throwing it out there as thins comes to my head.

This game reminded me of the Fresno St. game in 2005.

Hats off to Cansfield...he would not be deterred, he never gave up and we were damn lucky that he did not get to finish the job.

The Rodgers brothers continue to frustrate our defense. Mike Riley has found a gold mine in these two great players. Speaking of RIley he really knows how to scheme against us. He is the class of the Pac-10.

I am not sure I can say that SC was out of gas because of the ND win last week. We know OSU is good, they have shown us some grit in the past. SC was out played in some areas tonight and it should be cause for concern...especially with Oregon up next week.

We will have our hands full up in Autzen, especially if we are missing McCoy. The defense needs to get better.

Taylor Mays disappoints me with his rough play. There is no need for that. I have defended him in the past but it is hard to keep defending himwhe players helmets are coming off like coed's panties.

Barkley did not look his best. He made some poor throws that kept OSU in the game. The defense did an OK job and they were on the field a lot. They let some plays go tonight that the haven't let go in other games. I was surprised at many of the missed tackles I saw that kept some OSU drives alive. The defense can't bail us out every game, the offense needs to put a lot more points on the board.

I just don't understand why Bates and Morton didn't run the ball more when they were driving the ball midawy through the 4th. Throwing a pick there lets OSU back in the game and OSU goes down and gets a score at the 5:40 mark.

There is simply no excuse for SC to continue to air it out...Bradford was doing a fine job in there.

Thank you Allen Bradford!

Thank you D-Will!!

Penalties were fine in the first half but sloppy in the second half.

Special teams were a wash in my eyes.

Leave your comments or rants here...I will back later tomorrow for a closer look (I am on the road back to NYC in the PM)

This is our post game thread.

FIGHT ON!

Oregon St. Notes, Byers starts over O'Dowd, RoJo will start on Sat. as well

Paragon SC — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:13:49 -0000

There was some interesting news from the coaching staff yesterday...

Jeff Byers will start at center over Kristofer O'Dowd. This might be a shock to some but the running game doesn't seem to be where many of us think it should be.

The season has not gone as planned for the 6-foot-5, 300-pound O'Dowd, who had off-season shoulder surgery that caused him to miss spring practice and then suffered a dislocated kneecap for the second time in three seasons.

O'Dowd sat out the opener against San Jose State but returned to play against Ohio State.

"I tried to fight back and got back as quickly as I could, but it still wasn't necessarily 100%," he said. "I was hoping that by going out there and working on it, I would build it up to where it would get back to normal, but it just hasn't been the case."

Byers, who came to USC as a center in 2004, took the majority of snaps with the first-team offense during practice this week. He will start for the second time this season at center.

I am not surprised that he was not 100%. A dislocated patella is a tricky injury to recover from, especially if you re-injure it. O'Dowd is looking at some off-season knee surgery to fix the damaged structures.

The great thing in this article is that O'Dowd plans on returning for his senior season.

Opposing defenses have been able to get penetration on our running game this season. We have seen it in a number of different games. With Marc Tyler out of the season and C.J. Gable inexplicably still in the doghouse it all falls on Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford. It is possible that we could see Curtis McNeal in the game but with Stanley Havili pretty much questionable that opens up the door for D.J. Shoemate at the FB spot. Regardless of who is on the field the O line needs to blow some holes open to get these guys some room to operate.

From what I have seen it would appear that McKnight actually does pretty well when runs between the tackles. When he jukes and moves trying to get to the outside is when he seems to not be less effective...this is particularly true (obviously) when the defense can beat him to the outside.

The offense is really close to busting out...If the running game gets rolling we could see some some really interesting games in the second half of the season.

USC closed the first half of '09 with its strongest offensive performance since the season opener (which was against 1-5 San Jose State, so please feel free to affix an asterisk). The Trojans scored 34 points at Notre Dame – after scoring 30 at Cal, 27 against Washington State and 13 at Washington.

Barkley missed the Washington game – the lone loss on 5-1 USC's ledger – because of a shoulder injury. In his four games since the opener, he has mirrored the offense's ascent.

Barkley passed for 195 yards Sept. 12 at Ohio State. He nearly doubled that total – 380 – at Notre Dame.

Barkley completed 48.4 percent of his passes against the Buckeyes. He hit on 65.5 percent – again, the best since San Jose State – against the Fighting Irish.

Yet in a sign of how driven he is to succeed – and how he is raising the standard for every freshman quarterback to follow him – Barkley was far from satisfied with his performance.

"I've got more potential in me," Barkley said. "After watching tape on Saturday's game, it was a lot more scrappy than I thought it was, not as pristine. There's always stuff to improve on. ... There are some little things we need to work on in order to get better."

I don't think there is any question that Barkley has some growing to do.

He has come a long way for a true freshman...just going on the road and getting the win at Ohio St. and Notre Dame with minimal mistakes shows his maturity.

And Barkley learns fast as well...

USC twice ran play-action passes on third-and-1. The first time, tight end Anthony McCoy was open – but Barkley didn't set his feet and underthrew the pass. McCoy gained 23 yards, but it could have been a lot more.

The next time, McCoy again was open – and Barkley delivered a strike. McCoy rumbled downfield for 60 yards. It took all of a quarter for Barkley to learn his lesson and make the proper adjustment.

"The kid is doing great," senior guard Jeff Byers said. "He impresses me every day. He's a really special guy back there. He's playing his butt off."

That Barkley has won over his veteran teammates isn't insignificant. USC returned nine starters on offense, and the unit had great expectations despite one of the losses being All-Pac-10 quarterback Mark Sanchez, whom the New York Jets took with the fifth pick in the NFL draft.

When Carroll elevated Barkley over redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp – who won the job in spring but lost it in fall after breaking his leg – there were hints of skepticism inside the locker room and heaps of it outside. The Trojans entered 2009 with seven consecutive conference crowns, BCS bowl berths and 11-plus-victory seasons, and now they were entrusting a freshman to help make it eight?

I don't think anyone is questioning PC's move now are they? Barkley has done good enough to shut the mouths of clowns like the insufferable Matt Hayes who constantly tried to say that Barkley's inexperience would hurt SC. So far that hasn't been the case and while I am not ready to say that he is not susceptible to a rookie mistake Barkley has done a remarkable job at leading the offense.

SC needs to put some points up on the board early to force The Beavers to have to play catch up and the running game is key to putting points up on the board. More on why later...

USC also gets RoJo back in the starting line up on Saturday.

Receiver Ronald Johnson struggled to regain game speed against Notre Dame and acknowledged continued soreness early this week.

The junior, however, will start against Oregon State, Carroll said.

Johnson, who suffered a broken collarbone before the season, had one reception against Notre Dame.

Johnson replaces David Ausberry in the starting lineup. Ausberry, who has 10 receptions, has been slowed this week by a calf strain.

I think that is a big deal.

RoJo clearly was not himself against ND, nor did I expect him to be. I think he needed a little more time to get back into the groove in regards to his timing and route running. You just don't come back after being out six weeks and hope to perform at the same level that you were out prior to your injury, especially in a big game like Notre Dame at South Bend. We all know RoJo is our speedster and if he is on that will keep the OSU defense honest. If RoJo gets behind their DB's it could spell trouble for Oregon St. especially with Barkley getting better and better each week.

On the defensive side of the ball this weeks game is a big test for the USC defense.

Last year the D line was embarrassed by Jacquizz Rodgers. Averill SPicer and Christian Tupou both had bad games last year, they had no answer for him in the first half, though SC made some adjustments in the second half to contain 'Quizz better. They moved Casey to the NT spot and moved Ellison up into the box. I could go on...

This is a very stout D line that SC has coming into this game. With Casey at NT and Armond Armstead (probably right nest to Casey) back in the groove from his injury I think that 'Quizz will have a tougher time than he did last year. It will be more difficult than last year to get the type of yardage that he had last year. I also want to see how Everson Griffen plays in this game. Last season he was continually motion-blocked by James Rodgers and taken out of the play. Hopefully Jethro Franklin has brought Griffen along to be able to handle that wrinkle in the OSU offense.

I think 'Quizz will get some yards and he won't put the ball on the turf, but I think this is a better front seven for this game than what we had last year by just putting in Casey and Armstead over Tupou and Spicer (no offense gents). The speed of this years D line is just insane. We already have seen their speed but I think the LB's are less susceptible to over running the play like we say Rey do last season in Corvallis. The OSU O line lost three players to the NFL last season, not that it matters, so while they still have some talent it is not quite as experienced as last season if SC gets some points on the board early it could force OSU to use 'Quizz less if they have to play catch up by airing it out.

Lets talk a little bit about some players on Oregon St.

There is an interesting article up at the Oregonian discussing Oregon St. players who feel they were snubbed by not being recruited by USC.

I found these comments by Beavers OL Gregg Peat...(emphasis added)

"Not even a second glance," Peat said. "Pete Carroll was there and I'm sure (he watched me) and was like, 'Ah, um, no.' They recruit the best of the best and none of us are usually their caliber of player.

"Or so they think."

Peat's recruiting anecdote is common among Oregon State players who played high school ball in the Southern California area. A handful of them, like senior corner Tim Clark, who is from Compton, and safety Lance Mitchell, who is from Pasadena, grew up in USC's backyard -- but they didn't get a sniff from the Trojans.

"I think not being recruited by your hometown team is a little bit of a slap in the face," Mitchell said.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Blah, Blah, Blah.

Please...

Peat has turned into a fine player, no question. Some players need a few years at the college level to really blossom and Peat looks to be one of those. Look, I get it that these guys will try to use what they feel is "snub" as some motivation for this game but SC can't recruit them all. Pete Carroll and his staff can't look into the crystal ball and see how every player out there will turn out.

More interesting is this...

Peat originally committed to Nevada before accepting an offer from the Beavers without ever taking a visit. Nevada? Really? That is a real power house of football...I guess SC really missed out when the kid committed up there, I am sure they scrambled to steal him from Nevada.

</sarcasm>

So, yeah PC may "have seen him" when he was recruiting Mark Sanchez but does anyone think that Peat would be on the field now with all the other talent SC has on the O line? There are only 85 schollies so I am not sure who SC should have NOT recruited on the OL in place of Peat. Point being is simple...everyone gets up to play USC. If these guys want use a supposed "snub" about not being recruited then so be it. I wish them luck...

I think this will be a great game and if all the mini drama's help to make it a better game than that is fine with me.

Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford Highlights from our friends at TrojanWire

Paragon SC — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:04:33 -0000

Great stuff from yesterdays win over Notre Dame!

FIGHT ON!

University of Southern California Trojans at University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Preview

CW — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

2 months ago: In this photo made Oct. 3, 2009, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, left, celebrates a touchdown against Washington during an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind. Clausen isn't the same quarterback who walked out of the Los Angeles Coliseum seven games ago following USC's 38-3 win over Notre Dame that he describes as the toughest loss of his life. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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This game needs little introduction. It is perhaps the greatest rivalry in college sports, with no conference affiliation or in-state feud to sustain it, just a quest for continued excellence and national titles on both sides. The fact the rivalry has lost some of its luster in recent years also needs little explanation as, save for one fantastic game in 2005, the Irish have been little more than a speed bump for the Trojans as they roll to top five finish after top five finish. If Charlie Weis and Jimmy Clausen want their Notre Dame careers to take the next step, they need to win this game. Considering how the last few games have gone (the Irish haven't scored a touchdown in two years during two rather humiliating contests), there is some work to do.

Irish Defense vs. Trojan Offense

Clausen vs. Pete Carroll's defense gets all the headlines, so let's start on the other side, with Matt Barkley squaring off against Jon Tenuta's defense. Barkley beat out Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain to become starting quarterback out of camp and is undefeated in that role, but the offense revolves around a meat grinder of a running game, with five monsters blowing giant holes in the defense for a variety of tailbacks. With Stafon Johnson still recovering from that awful throat injury, all-world recruit Joe McKnight is the featured back, a dazzling player more than capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. McKnight is the consummate home run hitter, and helping to clear the way is one of the bigger x-factors in the game, Stanley Havili. There are few fullbacks in the country that are capable of taking out a middle linebacker on one play and splitting out to wide receiver and catching a fifty-one yard fly route on another like Havili did against Cal. Allen Bradford will spell McKnight, and depending on CJ Gable's health, you may see him or Marc Tyler get a few touches over the course of the afternoon. With Anthony McCoy a capable blocker and pass-catcher at tight end, the Irish will have to be wary of the passing game even when Southern Cal goes to a power running formation.

The aptitude of the Trojan running game raises an interesting question: Do you sell out to stop the run, loading up the box and sending in a variety of run blitzes, or do you respect Barkley's arm? Notre Dame Stadium was as loud as any venue in the world in 2005, but I'm not sure how rattled Barkley will be after leading a fourth quarter comeback in the Horseshoe. He hasn't been asked to do a whole lot, but he's been absurdly competent and has the arm to make any throw the Trojans ask of him. If the Irish front seven can't at least put a dent in the Trojan rushing attack, then there isn't much of a chance of slowing this offense. If there are eight or nine in the box, Barkley is going to play action and find Williams, or the returning Ronald Johnson, or McKnight, or Havili, or one of the talented tight ends. I wish it were more complicated than that, but I don't think Barkley is going to lose this game for the Trojans if the Irish drop it into his lap. Perhaps that's a strategy you have to try, but I don't think it will end well.

If the Irish can limit big plays - a tall task against an offense like USC possesses - there's a chance the Trojans shoot themselves in the foot trying to string together long drives. They have been awful on third downs, not particularly disciplined when it comes to penalties and have a penchant for putting the ball on the ground (which is one reason Washington pulled off the upset, along with Barkley and Taylor Mays missing the game).

This Irish defense has had issues, yes - that's perhaps the understatement of the season - but there have been flashing moments of brilliance. A good Purdue offense was held scoreless for nearly three quarters. Washington's offense only mustered three first half points after their opening drive. There have been massive breakdowns at horrible times, yes, but this team has the potential - the coaching, the recruits, the motivation, the home crowd - to stop the Trojans. It will take everyone playing at their peak, but the Trojans have been slowed before, and this Irish defense has stood up to some talented offenses when need be. If they don't wrap up the speed merchants who are going to be getting the ball most of the game, be prepared for another game like 2008, or 2007, or 2003, or 2004...

Irish Offense vs. Trojan Defense

When it's strength versus strength - Weis' offense versus Carroll's defense- something will have to give. As I wrote about earlier in the week, neither team has played a unit anywhere near the caliber of the one they'll be facing off against tomorrow. A lot of Irish fans seem to want to establish the run first, but lining up in the I-formation and pounding the Trojans might resemble a suicide mission. Their defensive line is deep and talented, and their linebackers can cover ground on anything going outside. When the Irish run, it seems like a fine idea to keep the Trojans spread out with three or four wide and use the strength of the Notre Dame offensive line - Robinson, Olsen and Stewart - to pop some draws up the middle. If the Trojan front isn't as formidable as it seems (and it seems awfully damn formidable), then adjust and take a few more cracks at them. However, I have no desire to start the game with an I-formation and a two yard loss just so some fans get their fullback fix. (That being said, welcome back, James Aldridge. We need all hands on deck for this.)

Jimmy Clausen is the best player on the team, and while the Irish need balance, they're also going to need a Herculean effort from their QB1. We can pine about how this game would be different with Michael Floyd, but he's a few weeks from returning and Clausen will just have to make do with the tremendous talent remaining at the skill positions. Golden Tate will draw a lot of attention from the Trojan defense, but Weis has been playing a shell game with him since Floyd's injury, and I don't see him suddenly making it easy to bracket his main playmaker. Kyle Rudolph will face some athletes who are more than capable of matching up with him, but he's already shown he can come through when it matters. My primary concern is the continued lack of a definite answer at the second wide receiver position. Whether it's a consistent rotation or one standout performer, someone is going to need to give Clausen somewhere to go when Mays is blanketing Rudolph and a double team has latched onto Golden.

The Trojan pass rush is among the best in the nation, and if Paul Duncan and Sam Young don't seal the edges to protect their quarterback, this offense is going to look like it did in the lights of the Coliseum last year. If I were Weis, I would lean on the no-huddle spread. Not a hurry-up, but simply getting to the line in an effort to limit USC's substitutions, which will in turn limit the effectiveness of that tremendous defensive line depth. Quick drops, quick reads and keep them guessing. Toss in some pro formation and wildcat to keep things interesting, but the Weis offense has always been at its best when it's spread out, in a rhythm and keeping the defense off balance. This will obviously be impossible if there are a flurry of false start and illegal motion penalties, so it would be nice if those were at a minimum.

The Trojan defense hasn't given up a passing touchdown all season and Mays gives the cornerbacks an ability to press up and take chances, but if Clausen can't effectively move the ball through air, the Irish have little chance. He'll need some help from his running backs, but the biggest match-up on the field is how Clausen deals with the pressure, reads Carroll's coverage and finds the correct option. He was 11 for 22 for 41 yards and two interceptions last year, but that Jimmy is long gone. The 2009 Jimmy Clausen is up for this challenge, and I think he'll respond well to it.

Inane ramblings and a vague prediction

Over the past five years, I think I've been respectful of - perhaps even deferential to - the Trojans. They've been the class of college football in the 21st century, continually finishing at the top of the polls and one amazing Vince Young performance away from seven straight Orange/Rose Bowl wins, with victories in Lincoln, Columbus, Auburn, South Bend, Fayetteville, Charlottesville and Landover (against Virginia Tech) thrown in just for fun. I almost never feel good about an Irish game going into it, and especially not against the Trojans, but I find myself oddly at peace about this clash. (There's a very good chance that I've just accepted the fact that if Notre Dame loses this game, the majority of Irish literature I read daily on the internet will become unbearable. As you read on, do not discount this fact that I'm just looking at this whole thing through shamrock-colored glasses because I've experienced the alternative and it's too unbearable to contemplate.)

As I've stated all week, these men of Troy do not jump off the screen at you like some of their past versions. They are obviously dripping with talent, but it's raw, and it's beatable. Washington already knocked them off. Ohio State was very close. The rest of their opponents were either tin cans or a Cal team that was still trying to get its torso back in order after Oregon had ripped its heart out the week prior. People are correct to say this is a giant test for the Irish, but they're downplaying what it means to the Trojans. It won't have any effect on their Rose Bowl chances - the trip to Autzen on Halloween will most likely decide that - but as far as national championships go, there are no more toe stubbings available for the men of Troy.

Of course, Notre Dame and Charlie Weis have considerably more to prove, as there are still plenty of questions after dodging raindrops to a 4-1 open to the season. The Irish lost to the only team with a winning record they've played, and barely survived against a slate of mid-tier Big and Pac Ten teams. But every game, they show off something new that gives fans a little bit of hope. Against Michigan, it was finding two key touchdowns and a necessary pick to rally from an eleven point fourth quarter deficit. Against Michigan State, it was recovering from the loss of their best weapon on offense and another fourth quarter hole in front of a home crowd that was more anxious than supportive. The next week it was domination that slipped away due to a couple poor defensive possessions, but Clausen-to-Rudolph fixed everything. Then there was goal line stand after goal line stand against Washington, the reemergence of Robert Hughes, the ridiculous production of Golden Tate, and again, Clausen-to-Rudolph.

Everyone wanted this team to just be great from the word go in September, but teams usually can't just flick a switch. You have to learn greatness, and more importantly, earn it. This squad bottomed out in November of 2008, with the losses to Pitt, Boston College, Syracuse and Southern Cal. Perhaps it was in Hawaii, or the practices in the cold of the South Bend winter before, that made them look like a completely different team as they mauled the Rainbow Warriors. It's a look in the eye that hasn't faded since. They kicked the crap out of Nevada, punched Michigan in the mouth repeatedly with Armando Allen, then showed tremendous guts in three straight games where lesser teams would have just said "You know what? We're losing. We'll put it together and go get them next week." The offense is a well-oiled machine, led by the best passer in the country who has a support system that has him in ideal conditions to earn that rating. The defense has the horses to slow up Troy, and for the first time in a few years, there's a placekicker that inspires confidence when he walks onto the field

Then you have the intangibles, and the mounting frustration of being on the wrong side of a beat down every season. There's a west coast quarterback who could have followed in the path of two recent Heisman winners in his own backyard but didn't, and has gotten his ass handed to him the last two years for that decision. There's a freshman receiver playing against his hometown school who wants to show them that he also made the right choice, and a freshman linebacker who'd love nothing more than the same thing. No matter how long these guys have been on this team - three months or going on five years - they've never beaten USC. Most of them have never even been close, and for the few fifth year seniors who started to storm the field like the rest of us in 2005, they have to have a burning desire to just take back control of this series and get the respect they want.

Since the dazzling 2005 offense moved on, games like the Rose Bowl against Penn State where the Trojans storm out to a giant lead are the exception, not the rule. The way USC wins is by slowly grinding you, continually throwing haymakers on both sides of the ball until you just break down and end up on the other side of a three touchdown loss. Normally it's a touchdown here and a field goal there and next thing you know some freak tailback is taking a wheel route seventy yards for a score and you immediately realize there's no way your favorite is coming back. They have the swagger and the confidence that no matter what the situation is, they'll make a play and win because hey, they're USC. For the first time in a long while, Notre Dame has a little bit of that same confidence. It's not a confidence where they can slip n' slide on the sideline four days before a giant rivalry game, but it's growing. There is no doubt that the Irish have to play great to win, and they will need some breaks and a little bit of luck along the way. But - and this is a little different from the past few seasons - they have shown over the last six games that greatness is attainable. Maybe it's not there consistently yet, but the flickers are there.

If USC has any lapses, like trailing 3-0 against San Jose State after the first fifteen minutes, Notre Dame will have points on the board. They have to have points on the board after the first quarter. They need touchdowns, not field goals, and need to continue the trend of doing a relatively good job of protecting both the ball and their quarterback. The numbers tell you the USC defense is good, and I don't doubt that it can consistently deal out some pain, but they have not had to deal with a quarterback like Clausen yet. (Locker is good, but he's still learning Sarkisian's system and hiccups were inevitable, like at Stanford. Pryor is still a mess and Riley looked like a deer in the headlights from his initial drive-ending pick on.) If the Trojans can't slow down the Irish, then the pressure goes onto Barkley. He's been calm, cool and collected up until this point, but he's also been either been out in front or in low-scoring slugfests in his other four starts. How will he respond to a shootout, on the road, in front of a crowd that's ready to burst with another chance like 2005? (Probably pretty well, but it's a potential factor that could lean towards the Irish.)

I loathe making predictions and have no idea how things will go Saturday, but all I can say, for really the first time this season and for the first time in years against Southern Cal, is that I like our chances. I will most likely end up eating these words come darkness tomorrow, but for now, I am at peace. Backs are against the wall, echoes are awakened and there are seven years of pent-up frustration that need to be released at some point.

October 17th around 3:30pm seems like as good as time as any to begin.

Go Irish, Beat Trojans.