SB Nation - Rhett Ellison

Five Good Minutes: Conquest Chronicles

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:53:38 -0000

about 1 month ago: USC quarterback Matt Barkley (7) hands off to running back Allen Bradford (21) against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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To preview this weekend's Emerald Bowl matchup between the BC Eagles and the USC Trojans, we welcome the SBNation USC blog Conquest Chronicles for Five Good Minutes.

In exchange, we also answered some questions for Conquest Chronicles and they will be posted later in the next day or so.

BC Interruption: Any line of questions regarding USC and the Emerald Bowl has to start with star running back Joe McKnight. Can you update us on this situation? Do you expect him to play? Should he play?

Conquest Chronicles: As of writing this Monday night, the common thought here in Los Angeles is that McKnight will likely not be able to play in the bowl game against the Eagles on December 26th. USC beat writer Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News reported earlier that McKnight did not accompany the team buses to the airport for their flight to San Francisco despite the fact that Carroll already said he would be making the trip up north with the rest of the team. But despite the rumblings, we are all still waiting for an official word from USC regarding McKnight’s status for the game.

While I think McKnight may in fact be innocent of the accusations for Scott Schetner seems to be a somewhat honest fellow and has a legitimate side of the story at this point in time, I highly doubt that number four suits up for the Emerald Bowl on Saturday. As we all know, USC is presently under investigation by the NCAA for a "lack of institutional control" so playing a possibly ineligible in McKnight, even if it yet to be proven, risks further damage to USC’s already partially tarnished reputation. I don’t see Carroll and company taking such a risk considering where they are as a program.

BCI: Are there other scratches for USC for the bowl? Do you expect the Trojans to successfully balance possible losses of McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, and DT Averell Spicer with Carroll’s desire to treat this game as a springboard to the 2010 season?

CC: Spicer was just a reserve so I don’t anticipate his absence to make a huge difference for Troy, but some of the others will. McKnight was the team’s leading rusher with just over 1,000 yards so if he is unable to go, it will force backups Allen Bradford and C.J. Gable to take on larger roles. Bradford rushed for 596 yards this season and Gable remains the only true freshman in the history of the USC football program to ever start a season opener at running back. So, both have the experience necessary to be effective against the Eagles.

I think ‘SC will be most challenged to replace McCoy and offensive tackle Tyron Smith, who was also ruled ineligible for the game due to academic issues. McCoy served as one of Barkley’s favorite targets this season due to his size and catching ability. Lacking a pass-catching tight end is only going to make things harder on a freshman quarterback, especially considering that there is a significant drop off between McCoy and his backup Rhett Ellison. The absence of Smith will force an inexperienced but still talented redshirt freshman Matt Kalil to take over the tackle position. At this point in time, it is yet to be seen whether he can be effective.

BCI: At quarterback, there seem to be similarities between the play of freshmen Matt Barkley (13 TDs, 12 INTs) and Dave Shinskie (14 TDs, 13 INTs). Both had up and down seasons in their freshman campaign. What are your expectations for each QB’s performance on Saturday?

CC: I have yet to see Shinskie play an entire game (I’ve only seen bits and pieces and a few highlights) so I will reserve judgment on BC’s "young" signal caller. However, when it comes to Barkley, I certainly expect him to play well. No, I don’t anticipate him to finish with numbers akin to a Texas Tech quarterback, but I do think he is capable of putting together a solid performance against the Eagles. While he has struggled at times this season (a 31.8 completion percentage against Arizona State and 3 interceptions at home against Stanford), he has compiled solid numbers for any freshman quarterback. 2,385 passing yards and 13 touchdowns while playing in arguably the nation’s toughest conference are nothing to cause a first year starter to put his head down.

In a perfect world, it would be nice for Barkley to play much like he did during USC’s best stretch of the season, early October, when they soundly defeated Cal and Notre Dame. During those games, Barkley threw 283 and 380 yards respectively while leading the offense to over thirty points each time. On Saturday, he doesn’t necessarily need to throw a bunch of touchdown to be successful. What he needs to do to be effective is to limit the interceptions and be efficient with the football (i.e. no errant passes on first down). If he can simply complete passes and keep the chains moving, then USC has a great chance of success.

BCI: Were the preseason expectations for USC too high this year? What are your expectations for next season with a win in the Emerald Bowl? If USC loses to BC, do those expectations change at all?

CC: I think it has become quite clear that a top ten preseason ranking for the 2009 Trojans may have been a bit too high. While the team does have an impressive track record of success, it would be more than fair to say that the media was a little too generous when bestowing USC’s preseason ranking. In short, the expectations were too high, even for a Pete Carroll coached team. And to be honest, that isn’t necessarily a disappointing thing. Look, it was entirely unrealistic for anybody to truly expect the Trojans to be the fourth best team nationally at season’s end. Not only did they have to replace starting quarterback and Rose Bowl MVP Mark Sanchez with a true freshman, but they also needed to find suitable replacements for eight starters on defense. There was just too much talent departing - eleven Trojans were drafted in the first six rounds of the NFL Draft - for anybody to reasonably expect Carroll’s bunch to seriously contend for the national championship.

With that said, because this is a lower-tier bowl, I’m not going to base my thoughts on the upcoming 2010 season entirely on this one game. Yes, Saturday’s contest will serve as some indication in regards to how next year’s bunch will perform, but to frame a prediction off of one good may be borderline crazy. Nevertheless, I still expect the Trojans to be much better in 2010 simply based on the fact that this team will be a year older. Matt Barkley will no longer be a freshman quarterback, sophomore Chris Galippo will not be a first year starter at middle linebacker, and play caller Jeremy Bates will have a year of coaching in college football under his belt. Greater experience and continuity across the board should enable this team to bounce back, and fully challenge for the Pac-10 title and a BCS bowl appearance once again.

BCI: This is the first time in 7 years that USC hasn’t played in a BCS bowl. This game is the day after Christmas in a baseball stadium. Do you expect these factors to limit attendance? Will Trojan fans show up for this game?

CC: Yes, some Trojan fans will show up for the December 26th Emerald Bowl, but don’t anticipates flocks of them to make the journey up to San Francisco. While I don’t have the numbers in front of me, I find it hard to believe that USC is going to sell out its ticket allotment as it is accustomed to doing. Over the past few days, I have received dozens of e-mails and text messages from the USC Ticket Office reminding alumni, students, and fans that there are still plenty of tickets remaining. Well, the game is about four days away and occurs one day after Christmas so I find it hard to imagine that a swarm of fans swoop in to purchase last minute tickets. ‘SC fans can be a bit fickle so that lack of interest in tickets is not surprising in the least.

BCI: Last one, make a prediction. Who ya got in this one? What’s the final score?

CC: Generally speaking, bowl games can be rather tough on prognosticators simply from the standpoint that it is tough to tell whether a particular team will show up or not. While I have little inside information, I do have the feeling that USC, led by seniors Jeff Byers and Taylor Mays, takes this game seriously for they have too much pride as a team to lay an egg against Boston College. Provided they can play mistake-free football, I think the Trojans are a far better football team talent-wise to get steamrolled by a middle of the road ACC foe. In the end, I like USC 28-14.

BCI: Thanks for joining us.

For more information on the USC Trojans, be sure to check out Conquest Chronicles.

USC Football News and Notes 12/22 - Who is in; who is out, no word yet on McKnight, A BIG night for some former Trojans!

Paragon SC — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:40:20 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Is he in or out?

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So we all patiently await the final status of Joe McKnight being eligible for Saturday's Emerald Bowl Game.

Regardless,if McKnight can't go that will give Allen Bradford the bulk of the carries and I would expect to see a heavy dose of CJ Gable as well.

SC has a chance to finish off the season on a positive note with a win on Saturday. It can be used as a catalyst for a new beginning in 2010. And with some players being deemed ineligible it will give SC a chance to see how some of the youngsters on this team could look in the future.

I am certainly not thrilled with all the negative publicity that SC has been getting over the past week but maybe this is what the program needs to find its way back on track. Be it better coaching, better schemes or simply changing the attitude to take nothing for granted. I have never thought that there was any good to be found in losing but I do think that looking at the reasons as to why a team loses is the road map to rededicate that team to winning. Teams get comfortable and that means complacency...we no what that means.

As I posted yesterday, McKnight did not make the trip with the team but there is still a possibility that he will make it to the bay area for the game...

USC is investigating McKnight's use of a sport utility vehicle that is owned by a Santa Monica businessman. It may constitute a violation of NCAA rules that prohibit student-athletes from accepting benefits from marketing representatives or agents, or "extra benefits" from anyone based on athletic ability.

The Times published a story last week about McKnight's use of the 2006 Land Rover. McKnight said he never drove the vehicle, which a Department of Motor Vehicles official said carried a purchase price of about $27,000. But McKnight has been observed driving the SUV.

[...]

McKnight participated in the workout but was not made available to reporters.

Coach Pete Carroll said afterward that the Trojans were preparing as if their 1,000-yard rusher would be available for the game at AT&T Park.

"We'll just go one day at a time and see where it stands," Carroll said.

Upon arrival in San Francisco, however, Carroll said in statement posted on the school's website that McKnight remained at home to complete "compliance-related" business.

"He has some paperwork he needs to do and it's best for him to stay in L.A. so he can be available to finish it," Carroll said.

Carroll did not provide a timetable for when McKnight might join the Trojans.

It is hard to know just what the "paperwork" really is but SC is doing the right thing by holding him back until this is all cleared up.

I realize that is not a popular opinion in some circles but because the NCAA is already looking at us, SC needs to make the politically correct moves in order to not piss off the draconian NCAA. Currently the NCAA is not involved with this...USC is one doing the investigating and if they don't do it right and the NCAA has to step in then really gets out of hand. Like it or not McKnight does not get the benefit of innocent until proven guilty.

We have read the claims that McKnight submitted the proper paperwork, yet the school didn't seem to have a hard and fast explanation for this and then the statement form the school is that McKnight needs to fill out more paperwork? SC can't close the loop on this until Schenter returns from South Africa as they will ask him some pointed questions and ask Schetner to provide documentation. They will probably do the same with McKnight's girlfriend too.

Don't think the NCAA hasn't already placed a call to review the progress of USC's investigation.

My guess is that the "paperwork" will probably take too long to complete for McKnight to play in the bowl game. This is probably SC's way of sitting him out...

- - -

With three players being ruled academically ineligible that means other players get a chance to step up and show us what they have got.

Replacing McCoy at TE will Rhett Ellison. This is his chance to make a name for himself for next season. With Blake Ayles out due to injury Ellison move to #1 on the depth chart. Ellison came to USC with some high expectations but because of SC's depth ti is not surprising that he would have some difficulty cracking into the starting line up with McCoy and then Ayles there. Ayles has shown us he has hands of stone and with some of his off the field antics it has made many question his dedication to getting better. This is a big deal as the TE spot is pretty important in the USC offensive scheme.

Replacing Tyron Smith will be freshman Matt Kalil. Kalil is a beast.

In a surprise, though, sophomore offensive tackle Tyron Smith was also ruled ineligible. Redshirt freshman Matt Kalil will start the week as Smith's replacement. USC could have chosen to move starting guard Butch Lewis to tackle and insert senior Alex Parsons back into the lineup, but chose to promote Kalil.

"I'm excited," Kalil said. "It's a chance for me to show what I can do and step up. I think I'm ready to play."

Kalil said he was told during a team meeting Monday morning that he would be a starter.

"I've mostly worked with the (second team) during bowl practices," he said. "I can handle it."

We will find out just how well he handles it.

As I noted above, if McKnight is out then that gives Bradford and Gable a chance to shine.

- - -

I found this last night...

There have been rumblings and rumors about USC linebacker Uona Kaveinga transferring to BYU.

Kaveinga, who has been in Las Vegas this weekend, committed to the Cougars before deciding to sign with the Trojans as part of the 2008 recruiting class.

Coach Bronco Mendenhall can't talk publicly about Kaveinga until a transfer is official, but he did have this to say during this morning's Las Vegas Bowl press conference while addressing questions about mid-year transfers and high school early enrollees: "We have young man who is considering transferring from another Division I school. He wouldn't be placed on scholarship right away. When we get back in January, and I can't tell you if he's coming for sure or not, but that would be noteworthy if he chooses to come at that point."

Obviously, if Kaveinga were to transfer to BYU, it would be a coup for the Cougar defense.

I have been reading these rumblings of Kaveinga transferring for a few weeks now. I am not sure as to what the issues are, on or off the field, but it is obvious that there is some frustration with Kaveinga that he can't get on the field. I really don't know what he is capable of but if he isn't seeing a lot of playing time even with our thin depth at LB than that is saying something.

I found the that last sentence intriguing...that is the power of the USC brand. How is it a coup for BYU if they pull a transfer from USC? The kid has not proven that he is the real deal otherwise he would be seeing the field. I have not read, not that I have looked very hard, anything that says how great this player is. I don't recall even reading one of PC's famous "he is doing all the right things in practice, etc. etc." quotes so I am not sure how that translates into a coup for BYU.

I want every player at USC to succeed but if they are not happy, for whatever the reason, then they should seek out a situation that makes them happy.

- - -

On a lighter note, looking at some former Trojans in the NFL I found this...

Observers around the nation continue to question the capacity of this team to deliver when it matters most. Saturday night’s mauling at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, 24-17, has been officially submitted as Exhibit A. The Cowboys drilled the Saints for 145 rushing yards on the ground, nullified the pass rush, and held on to win a game where the final score did not reflect Dallas’ dominance.

I still like the Saints and I believe that those observers would be wise to view that game in its full context. Sure, the Saints played without Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush sustained an injury during the game. That’s hardly the point. Dallas won that game between the trenches. They rode a powerful running game that included a defining knock out blow on Jonathan Vilma delivered by Marion Barber (Lights Out!!). And, the trenches are where the fortunes of the Saints have been determined all season.

Consider this:

In games in which Sedrick Ellis (the 2nd year defensive tackle out of USC) has played, the Saints have allowed an average of 94.7 yards rushing per game. That would be good enough for 5th in the league overall. Only Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Cincinnati, and Minnesota rank higher.

In games that Ellis has missed, including Saturday night’s game vs. the Dallas Cowboys, the Saints have allowed a whopping 149.6 yards per game. Over the course of the year, that would tie them at 29th with the Cleveland Browns. Only Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Buffalo have been worse.

Who here doesn't miss Big Sed mauling the middle of opposing offensive lines?!

We have seen it all year...how many former Trojans are performing at the highest level in the NFL? Last night there were three Trojans who scored in the Giants/Redskins game. Steve Smith got a TD pass, Big Fred Davis got a TD pass and Terrell Thomas (T2) had a pick six. Not a bad showing, as it shows once again that if a player puts in a lot of hard work at USC and goes the distance there is a pretty good chance that he will find success in the NFL.

Steve Smith has to be headed to the Pro Bowl! If he isn't I will be stunned.

Anyway, great times for many former Trojans!

USC Football News and Notes 11/10 - The Offense

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:45 -0000

USC is going to be challenged this weekend when they Stanford if for no other reason than the amount of players injured on the team.

This week Damian Williams is unlikely to play due to a high ankle sprain...

Damian Williams, USC's top receiver and punt returner, is doubtful for Saturday's game against Stanford because of a high ankle sprain suffered against Arizona State.

The junior did not practice Monday and wore a calf-high protective boot on his right foot.

"It's been tough the last two days just trying to walk," Williams said. "I kind of figured out, like, 'OK, there is a possibility that I might not play,' so that's really tough for me."

Williams said it was too early to rule out his playing against the Cardinal -- "I'm a quick healer," he said -- but high ankle sprains typically take weeks to heal.

USC tight end Anthony McCoy, for example, has sat out the last two games because of the same injury. The senior did a few drills Monday and said he would meet with doctors tonight with hopes of playing Saturday.

This is the last thing SC needs. This Stanford defense can be exploited but USC needs its skill players to make plays. RoJo is pretty much back at full strength so who will play the #2 receiver. Ausberry is pretty much out for the year. Carswell? Butler? Carswell has a toe injury so I doubt he's the guy. Butler has shown us some nice things, 10 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown, but he hasn't been on the field enough to really show some consistency. Now is his chance. This is really concerning because the passing game has been the one thing that has kept opposing defenses on their heels as the running has been inconsistent.

This is where the coaching staff is going to earn their money...it is easy to be good when you are at full strength with top notch players. When you have piece a team together with untested players it is a whole different story.

One weapon SC hopes to have back is TE Anthony McCoy...

Receiver Damian Williams‘ situation makes tight end Anthony McCoy’s possible return even more essential for USC.

McCoy, who has missed the past two games, ran in a straight line and jumped without any setbacks Monday. He said he still has some pain but expects it to dissipate by the end of the week. He will try to practice Tuesday or Wednesday.

Although replacements Blake Ayles and Rhett Ellison have struggled with drops, that isn’t McCoy’s motivation to come back.

"The season’s almost over; that’s my urgency trying to get back," said McCoy, a senior. "I’ve got three games left. … I want to get back so I can finish my senior season."

Don't get me started. Ayles hasn't struggled, he simply hasn't shown up. He has 5-star talent with a 5th grade mind. He has dropped some easy balls the past few games that were drive stoppers. When highly touted players with great potential aren't getting it done it takes another option away for an already struggling offense. The TE position is crucial component to the USC offense so whomever is playing need to have a lot of positive production. I say give Ellison a bigger role until Ayles gets his head straight.

Of course the other concern that we really shouldn't have is with the O line. They got pushed around by the ASU defense especially their stud DE's. There is definitely some talent on the line but for some reason they have not lived up t their potential. Again, some of that is due to injury but you can't use that excuse forever...guys need to step and beat back the rush...

One of the more interesting comments following USC's offensive meltdown at Arizona State occurred when quarterback Matt Barkley said the Sun Devils' defensive ends lined up wider than expected and he could not see them when they tipped his passes.

But USC coaches said Monday the Sun Devils did not line up wider than other teams. They simply slipped past USC's offensive tackles when they pressured Barkley.

"We just got beat. Flat out," USC offensive coordinator John Morton said. "That was unexpected. It was one-on-one situations."

The most successful rusher was Arizona State defensive end Dexter Davis, who tipped two Barkley passes.

I understand that they can't protect Barkley on every play but you could see SC's O line really struggled. I also think that the ASU defense was already in Barkley's head before the game even started...he had happy feet all night. He never looked comfortable in the pocket. And it showed with some of the throws he made...he made a couple of short throws but it was the over thrown balls that concerned me more. That showed me a guy who had a little too much adrenalin going.

Barkley has enjoyed a fair amount of success this season it hasn't been perfect but it has been serviceable. His last to games though have shown us that his still growing into the game. I realize that some do not to want to hear that he is a freshman QB...but the facts are the facts. He is a true freshman and while he has shown us some great things he is still prone to mistakes. Heck, last season MArk Sanchez looked like a freshman against ASU throwing 3 or 4 picks, we see how that turned out...

Barkley is not satisfied with his poor performance...

Barkley completed only seven of 22 passes for 112 yards, 75 of which came on a catch-and-run touchdown by receiver Damian Williams.

Barkley was four for 11 for 24 yards in the first half and three for 11 for 88 yards in the second. He had one pass intercepted, and might have had two more if not for a penalty that overturned one and a drop that prevented another.

Barkley, who also struggled in the second half against Oregon, said he was "a little frustrated" against the Sun Devils.

"I just felt like we couldn't get into a rhythm," he said.

Barkley has completed 125 of 221 passes for 1,839 yards, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

I cannot blame Oregon on Barkley...the coaches went off the reservation in trying to force things to play catch-up. But I can lay some blame on Barkley for his ASU performance...some receivers did drop some easy balls but Barkley made some errant throws as well...lets just say that there is plenty of blame to go around and leave it at that.

SC need to put all of its focus into beating Stanford this weekend.

- - -

File this in your "NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN." file...

Think UCLA at 4-5 is a cinch to make a bowl game with two more victories? Think again. In a testament to how weird this Pac-10 season has been, in order for the Bruins to earn a bowl invitation, not only must they beat Washington State and Arizona State but they likely need USC to win out … which means they would need to lose to USC in their regular season finale.

Consider the following:

There are only six guaranteed bowl spots for the Pac-10.

UCLA, with two victories in its final three games, would be 3-6 (6-6 overall) and finish seventh in the conference.

UCLA, if it wins out, would be 4-5 (7-5 overall) and still probably finish seventh in the conference. (Only Cal, currently 3-3 in the Pac-10, has a reasonable shot of falling below UCLA. If USC loses out it could also finish behind UCLA.)

Oregon’s loss to Stanford ended the Ducks’ outside shot of playing in the BCS title game, which would have given the conference an extra bowl bid.

USC is the only Pac-10 team in line to play in a BCS bowl other than the Rose Bowl, which would give the conference an extra bowl bid.

If Oregon wins out, it’s going to Pasadena. If the Ducks were to lose again, their ranking would be too low to play in another BCS Bowl. Neither Arizona, Oregon State or Stanford are positioned to finish high enough to make another BCS Bowl. (Note: Another Oregon loss would probably mean a three-way tie atop the conference, which could put USC in the Rose Bowl and deny the Pac-10 the extra bowl bid.)

In other words, UCLA needs any team other than USC in the Rose Bowl and USC in another BCS bowl. This leads to my favorite part: Heading into their season finale with USC, the Bruins, with victories in their next two games, could be in a situation where they would knock themselves out of a bowl by beating USC (subsequently knocking the Trojans out of a BCS bowl) but would ensure making a bowl by losing. That would be fascinating.

Heh.

Right...

In spite of this weekends win the offense continues to sputter

Paragon SC — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:45:10 -0000

Fans and pundits alike continue question and wonder about USC's offensive production this season.

Many want to point to the tired and worn excuse that without Norm Chow the USC offense has never been the same. Some will say that it is because of Pete Carroll's ego, wanting to have complete control to run things his way in respect to the offense and then there is the other faction that simply simply say that Pete Carroll is simply an average offensive coach.

Who knows...

I do not think that it is too far of a stretch that it is probably a little bit of all three. No coach can do it all, no coach is always right and big time football coaches do want to run things their own way.

Go Figure.

Regardless of all the psycho-analysis or pining for the past, the fact still remains that the USC offense this season is far from living up to where many of us thought it would or should be.

Pete Carroll knows it too...

After the seventh-ranked Trojans beat Washington State 27-6 Saturday night, Carroll effusively praised his defense, which took a shutout into the final minute and racked up eight sacks. Carroll even said the defense had "an easy game," handling everything Washington State could throw at it.

The USC offense is where nearly every fault with these Trojans (3-1, 1-1 Pac-10) currently exists, and Carroll isn’t afraid to say it—albeit a little indirectly.

"It’s great to win, it’s fun to win, but we’ve got a lot of work to do," Carroll said. "Gosh, it’s just not at all the satisfying kind of win we would have liked to have had. … Defense played really well. There’s a lot of room for improvement. Most of the problems were self-inflicted."

[...]

The offense wasn’t nearly as impressive, even with the return of freshman quarterback Matt Barkley from a bruised right shoulder. Barkley’s arm still hurts, but he pushed through the pain to pass for 247 yards and two long first-quarter touchdowns.

OK, so what is the problem?

To me it is simple...it is coaching or lack there of.

The biggest problem I see is ball control. 1) Either protecting it once you get it or 2) making sure you get it when it comes your way. The second one really pisses me off. Ellison should have caught that ball in the end zone it was right in his hands. Ausberry seems to have hands of stone...he had one pass placed perfectly by Barkley on the sidelines that he could not hang on to. Ausberry is a pretty big guy so he should be able to muscle opposing defenders away from the ball. Patterson made a nice catch also but he went out of bounds before he caught the ball...that is coaching as well. The receivers need to have a sense of field presence.

Just what are the coaches doing to ensure that our guys are learning the proper technique to protect the ball? You can't teach concentration either the player has it or he doesn't. Ausberry and Ellison, for all the great things we have heard about them, should do a better job at hanging on to the ball. Yes, Ellison did get a TD against SJSU but we are at a critical time now. SC needs to score when they are that deep in the opposing teams territory. That does a lot to build a teams confidence...it takes away all the second guessing. When the team executes on the easy plays it allows them to expand the play book, to start opening things up.

USC for all of their talent, are really being scrutinized for their lack of production on offense. I don't know if it is on Morton, Bates or Carroll.

They are responsible if you ask me...

USC is headed for a season like we haven't seen in a long time if the team doesn't start producing like we expect them to.