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USC Football News and Notes 11/11 - Havili and McCoy Return, Barkley refocuses and Kennard to LB?

Paragon SC — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:35 -0000

by Matt York - AP

So, Stanford is not to be taken lightly...

It would appear that they are really up for this game. They are no longer intimidated by either playing USC or playing them at the Coliseum. Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh has taken his lunch pail mentality and really has his players prepared...This will be a great game!

There is some good news on offense with both Stanley Havili and Anthony McCoy back in the mix.

Both the fullback and tight end positions are key to executing the USC offense. For being a tight end Havili is one of the better receivers on the team. At one point this season he was #2 in receiving, in either catches or receiving yards...I don't remember. You can line him up just about anywhere and throw him the ball.

So, having him back on the field is a big deal...

Havili, hurt in the game against Notre Dame on Oct. 17, did not play against Oregon State and Oregon. The junior was in for a few plays last week against Arizona State but did not carry the ball or catch a pass in a victory he described as "just a terrible game to watch."

"We just need more tempo -- we need more life out there," Havili said Tuesday. "If you ask anyone, it seems like the offense is dead even when big plays are made.

"This week I've told myself to make it an emphasis of bringing guys up and letting guys know that they are doing good."

Havili's return should bolster an offense that has been outgained in each of the last three games and produced only 10 points in the last six quarters.

With Damian Williams probably out for Saturday, having both Havili and McCoy back will will make life a little easier for Matt Barkley. McCoy has been another favorite of Barkley's. He has become a key weapon in the offense and with the apparent inability of Blake Ayles to step up and make a statement that he is the TE for the future McCoy's presence should calm some nerves as the season enters its final stages.

Speaking of Barkley, Many of us saw that last Saturday's game at ASU was far from the Matt Barkley that we have been used to seeing. He lacked some of the poise that we saw earlier in the year. He throws seemed hurried and it was clear that he was a bit rattled in the pocket. That is understandable...He was destined to have a bad game sooner or later and the ASU defense gave him fits for most of the evening. You could probably lay blame in at a number of peoples feet but Barkley has taken the blame for last weeks sub-par performance and has rededicated his focus for this weeks game...

Asked about the USC offense's struggles in the past six quarters, the freshman quarterback pointed the finger squarely at himself.

"There are a lot of things that go into it, but I'll take the responsibility for it and for the offense," Barkley said Tuesday. "It does start with the quarterback."

Consider that yet another lesson learned for the Mater Dei High product in a college career that is still only eight games old: No matter what, take the blame.

Although other factors contributed — including some dropped passes — Barkley's numbers have taken an undeniable nosedive since halftime at Oregon. In the past six quarters, he has completed 31.5 percent of his passes with one touchdown and two interceptions. Before that, he had a 61.7 percent completion rate and a 9-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Carroll likes the way Barkley has responded in practice as USC prepares to face Stanford on Saturday.

There is no question that Matt Barkley is mature beyond his years...

No, he is not a God. But he has taken command of this team. He knows that regardless of dropped passes, missed routes or assignments it is on him to to get the team firing on all cylinders. I certainly do not expect Barkley to be grabbing players face masks or publicly berate players on the sidelines but he knows that he needs to set the tone and the example to get the rest of the offense to perform.

Barkley's maturity shows us that he knows just what he needs to do and he will not point to excuses for his recent poor performance...

In the last six quarters, he has completed only 12 of 38 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. The USC offense has scored only 10 points during the span.

Carroll said this week that he was "not worried about it a bit."

On Tuesday, Barkley also sounded unconcerned while refusing to blame injuries or a rigorous road schedule for the struggles.

He focused instead on "corrections" the Trojans were making in practice to help the offense get back on track.

"We're confident this week we're going to get a complete game and really finish strong," he said.

He is becoming a true leader.

I never expected it to be all wine and roses. Many of us knew that Barkley would probably have some struggles. We all knew that Pete Carroll was taking a gamble in starting a true freshman with two other QB's on the roster that more experience in the system but Barkley really stood up and took control of his destiny. I am not disappointed at all in his performance. Nobody could have expected Barkley to play like a senior in his first season but after witnessing the complete meltdown of Aaron Corp against UW and the apparent inability of Mitch Mustain to fully grasp the offense Barkley stepped up and controlled his own destiny.

The season is far from over so Barkley has an opportunity to make a bigger statement than he already has...

A lot is being made of the number of young QB's in the Pac-10. There are something like 5 true freshman or red shirt freshman starting or getting ready to start at this point in the season. I am not really sure what the reason is for the new youth movement but it is clear that Pete Carroll is not the only one who sees the benefit and risk of going young.

Harbaugh thinks he has the best one in the bunch...

Last month, Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh said the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Luck was "the best quarterback in the country." And that was before he passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in the Cardinal's 51-42 victory over Oregon.

Luck, the son of former NFL quarterback Oliver Luck, has completed 58% of his attempts, with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in nine games. He leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency.

He is also the Cardinal's second-leading rusher, averaging 5.7 yards a carry.

"He's as good right now as anybody we've faced," Carroll said. "And [it's] really because they've gone with it and they've allowed him to really come out and go for it.

"And when you add their running dimension with that kind of passing attack, it really makes it a challenging offense."

Harbaugh said Tuesday that Luck benefited from redshirting last season while senior Tavita Pritchard started at quarterback.

That is fine...

Luck has really shown us some nice things this season. He has had an extra year in the system so I would expect him to have a better grasp at this point in his young career but lets not get too carried away. Except for WSU all of their losses have been on the road. Their big "wins" have been at home. In contrast when you look at SC's road schedule Matt Barkley has gone into much tougher environments and performed pretty good. Sure, Luck has better number and stats but I would like to see just how good he would do with a similar road schedule that Barkley has had to navigate. This is not to take anything away from Luck...he is scary good and SC will have his hands full but where you win is sometimes important to how you win.

Does anyone think that Stanford would have beaten the Ducks if that game was in Autzen?

I don't know...but that is a growing experience I don't care who you play for.

Simply stated...Luck is a solid QB and Harbaugh has done some great things with him but even with some of Stanford's "signature wins" its not like Harbaugh or Stanford is an elite team in the nationally or the Pac-10. The next three games is the toughest part of the schedule for Stanford. I do feel that if they were to win out then you could have that conversation, after SC the both Cal and ND at home.

We'll see how it goes...

- - -

Briefly...

Devon Kennard tries his hand at linebacker.

this is an interesting development...

USC freshman Devon Kennard might start at strongside linebacker against Stanford on Saturday despite his limited experience with the position - only two days.

Kennard, a defensive end who made his first career start last weekend against Arizona State, could replace Michael Morgan, who sprained his right wrist. Kennard was switched to linebacker this week and made an impressive transition.

"He's really astute and picked stuff up quickly on film," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "He sees everything and has a knack for the position."

Kennard, who is 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, would give the Trojans a big, physical linebacker in the mold perhaps of former All-American Brian Cushing.

"I feel like I'm capable of doing it," he said. "I don't know if it's permanent or not. I'm picking things up quickly and I understand the concepts of the defense. I'll be ready Saturday. I don't think I'll be nervous."

Intriguing to say the least. It says a lot about USC's depth. I have no idea how this experiment will work out but I am not the one coaching the team. This might be another way to have a big body on the field to counter Stanford RB Toby Gerhart. This reminds of last year when Pete Carroll wanted all the LB's on the field in the "elephant" formation. I can see why he would want to maximize his talent. But, it would seem to me that moving a linebacker to the down lineman position would be easier than the other way around.

This will be interesting to see...

- - -

Finally some links...

Pete Carroll's Stanford Presser

Freshman quarterbacks are growing up fast -- latimes.com
A little more on the youth movement in the Pac-10

USC defensive back Baucham savoring a new lease on life - LA Daily News
I'll say!

Hail Harbaugh! - Inside USC with Scott Wolf
Jim Harbaugh's presser quotes...

Various Provocations: Toby Gerhart! Also, Andrew Luck is the Special One.
Hey there is a Stanford Blogger out there! We will do a Q & A with these guys later this week...

Pac-10 Week 10 Notes and Observations: USC Trojans | All Pac 10

Game Day Notes - Arizona St.

Paragon SC — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:03:43 -0000

USC can't possible lose two weeks in a row can they?

That pretty much seems to be the consensus from all the pundits and analysts. I agree with that assessment, but SC is far from being out of the woods after last weeks loss in Eugene.

I don't think I am breaking any earth shattering news that SC is officially in some sort of rebuilding/retooling mode. Plain and simple the road schedule, our youth and our thinning depth really exposed many of SC's flaws that many of us are not used to seeing in a Pete Carroll coached team. In reflecting on last weeks loss I simply do not think that the sky is falling. It is one loss, a bad one for sure, but that's the way the ball bounces...sometimes you need to get your teeth kicked in to get your mind straight.

I guess that makes me a sunshine pumper because I refuse to beleive that this is the begining of the end for USC. This is where Pete Carroll will earn his money...there is no guarantee that SC will win their last 4 games so he has his work cut out for him.But I am not too terrible concerned with the teams mind set. Pete Carroll knows how to rebound so I expect the team to be ready.

So, obviously with that rebounding mindset in place SC look's to get back on track and Arizons St.'s offense could be the perfect elixir for USC's struggling defense ...

USC's defense breathes a sigh of relief. Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is in Palo Alto to play Stanford and can no longer torment the Trojans -- until next season, perhaps.

Arizona State quarterback Danny Sullivan is neither as efficient as Oregon State's Sean Canfield nor as mobile as Masoli. He has completed 54% of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Samson Szakacsy, who at one time committed to USC, is more mobile and could be utilized in goal-line situations as he was last week against California.

I watched a fair amount of the Cal/ASU game last Saturday and I didn't come away impressed. Sullivan made some plays but that was also against a Cal defense that both SC and Oregon shredded so as aeve as SC's defense is hurting in some areas I expect the defense to make some plays.

Injuries continue to plague SC right now, especially on the defense and that is PC's first challenge. He needs to plug those holes with players who are going to respond and pick up the slack...

USC's linebackers are still smarting, physically and emotionally, from the Oregon nightmare.

Middle linebacker Chris Galippo is fully recovered from a sprained neck, but Malcolm Smith is not on the trip because of a shoulder injury. Shane Horton starts on the weak side with Michael Morgan on the strong side.

All three linebackers need to play better than last week. It looked like these guys had never played before with missed assignments and missed tackles that needs to change this week.

Injuries also open the door for others to show us what they can do on a consistent basis. With Everson Griffen not making the trip his week Malik Jackson and Devon Kennard will get their chance to prove their worth.

First some news on Griffen...

Griffen, a junior defensive end from Avondale, Ariz., suffered a toe injury against Oregon. He did not practice this week, working instead with trainers on the sidelines with the hope of healing enough to play.

Griffen, however, did not make the trip.

"He woke up . . . a little bit worse maybe from the work they did [Thursday] so we just figured it would be best to treat him for three straight days," Coach Pete Carroll said Friday after the 12th-ranked Trojans' walk-through at Sun Devil Stadium. "We never thought he was going to make it to full speed, but he was trying."

Don't get me wrong, both Jackson and Kennard have shown us some nice things this season but this weekend they will get the majority of the work on the defensive line so now they can really show their stuff. They will also have some help...

USC received some rare good news on the injury front this week when defensive linemen Nick Perry (shoulder) and Armond Armstead (wrist) responded well to rest. Their availability should ensure a deep DL rotation.

The more help the better.

I think the D line will have a good showing today. ASU just doesn't have the same level of talent on the O line that SC has faced in the past and with Sullivan's average performance numbers I think SC can force him into making some mistakes...but there are no guarantees...SC needs to earn this one on defense today.

What could make this game close is ASU's solid defense.

Even though Matt Barkley didn't have a terrible game last week it certainly wasn't one of his better performances either...

Though Barkley did not turn the ball over until his final pass was intercepted, the freshman was far from stellar. He uncharacteristically underthrew one receiver. He also overthrew another for what could have been a touchdown. He completed only five of 16 second-half passes.

Barkley, who has passed for nine touchdowns with six interceptions, now faces the Pac-10's top-ranked defense, an aggressive unit that has a conference-best 13 interceptions.

Welcome to the Pac-10, Tyson Pencer

Nuss — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:24:11 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

Oregon's Kenny Rowe (left) is going to be a handful for Tyson Pencer, and will likely spend a lot of time harassing Jeff Tuel if Pencer doesn't pick up his game this week.

Browse more photos »

All week long, we heard about Tyson Pencer getting ready to make his first start at left tackle, as Paul Wulff raved about his athleticism and how he's the kind of player we need more of on our offensive line.

Lost in translation, apparently, is that Pencer can't block very well. At least not yet.

Pencer was repeatedly beaten Saturday, especially in pass protection. He looked slow coming out of his stance and awkward with his footwork. Watch him (left tackle, No. 75) on the Jeff Tuel highlight video. It's not pretty in spots, and that's even with the understanding that it represents a substantial improvement over what he did early with Marshall Lobbestael under center.

Now, does that mean I'm down on Pencer? Not really. It just means he had a not-so-good starting debut against a defense that possesses the kind of speed that simply can't be replicated in practice or appreciated on video. (If we did have players with that kind of speed, they'd be playing, right?)

Pencer looked to me like a guy whose head was just swimming -- a feeling I can readily identify with.

Let me start out by saying I was not a good football player in high school. I played offensive line because I was too slow to really play anywhere else, but I did play left tackle because I had pretty good technique and could move my feet well enough to keep most guys in front of me.

Or so I thought.

My junior year, I started one game midway through the year. I was the backup to our best offensive lineman -- a country strong 6-foot-4 guy with 7-foot arms -- who had gotten in a spat with the coach and quit the team. In I went to the starting lineup.

So I trot out onto the field for our initial drive, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Despite my limitations, I was there, on the field, playing varsity! I was still feeling pretty good when I got down into my stance for our first offensive play, a running play in which I was supposed to block down on the tackle for a counter. All I could think was, "Don't false start." Followed by, "Please, legs, stop shaking."

The quarterback barked out the snap count, I took my first step ... and there was no one there to hit. Where did he go? A million thoughts went through my brain in about a tenth of a second, the last of which said, "Turn around." He was in the backfield tackling my quarterback before he could hand off the ball.

Welcome to varsity, Nusser.

I was a mess the rest of the half. That first play had me so freaked out that I kept trying to get off the ball quicker, resulting a false start or two. I kept questioning my blocking assignments, worried I was going to block the wrong guy. I was serviceable in pass protection, but that's about it. For a guy who wasn't very good to begin with, I really wasn't good when my head was messed up. Oh, and I was benched at halftime for a bigger sophomore in my one and only start of my high school career.

To be honest, that's what Pencer looked like on Saturday. He got his "welcome to the big time" moment when rushing linebacker Michael Morgan blew around him like he was standing still, and then looked like he was overthinking and overcompensating for the rest of the night.

The difference, of course, is that Pencer's got talent. Lots of it. Which is what gives me hope that we're going to see a much different Pencer this weekend.

If we've learned anything from watching the WSU players this year -- and we've learned lots -- it's that the ones with legitimate physical talent (however few they may be) are rapidly improving each week. The learning curve in the Pac-10 is steep, but these guys have proven up to the task, and that's a real credit to the coaches.

To be truthful, we desperately need a huge improvement from week one to week two out of Pencer. He's going to be tangling with junior Kenny Rowe, who recorded two sacks last week against the vaunted Cal offensive line. He's precisely the kind of quick pass rusher (a converted linebacker at 6-foot-3, 232 pounds) that gave Pencer fits last week, and while Tuel's mobility is a plus, he's simply not going to be able to have any success if he's consistently running for his life.

C'mon, Tyson. Show us that talent everyone's been talking about.

USC gets back on the winning track with a win over Washington St.

Paragon SC — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Browse more photos »

It wasn't pretty and questions remain but there were some things that I saw that I liked...

Last night the USC offense came out hot!

They took three plays to score a TD on their first drive. By the time the first quarter ended they had scored twenty points. And then the offense did not score another point until the 4th quarter.

Let the gnashing of teeth begin...

I said in my game day notes that USC was not going to cover the spread (the spread was unrealistic to begin with). They didn't. We all know that Pete Carroll does not like to run up the score. He didn't. The last time I checked a win is a win and with all the carnage within the Top 25 yesterday USC is right back in the hunt provided they continue to win...by one point or a hundred, it does not matter to me. I can see why some are upset that USC did not go for the throat early and often. Well, they did early but they transformed into the conservative offense so many of us have come to loathe.

I am actually more ticked off over the continued lack of discipline and sloppy ball control. There were some stupid penalties out there last night but I also know that once again USC is being singled out more than their opponents on some of those personal foul penalties.That has a lot to do with how the offense is run. When you are looking at first-and-long or second-and-long deep in your own end it does change the complexion of the scheme you run...especially if you don't have faith in your punting unit. Harfman actually had a solid night as the punter with 40+ yards per kick. But lets see that sort of production on the road...

It is clear that Jeremy Bates is still bringing Barkley along slowly. You could also make the argument that Bates is still getting his sea legs in the college game. You could also make the argument that Pete Carroll is still pulling the strings.

Here is Pete Carroll's take on last night's performance...

Here’s what the coach had to say after USC’s 27-6 victory over Washington State:

(opening statement)

The way I look at this game is, it’s great to win. It’s fun to win at the Coliseum. We love doing it. But we’ve got a lot of work to do. It was just not the kind of satisfying win that we would have liked to have had. We were in command the whole game. A lot of guys got a chance to play, which was great. Probably the best part of the night was Barks (Matt Barkley) got out there and got to play and did very well; he looked great. It isn’t about Matt Barkley; it’s about the rest of the guys. We had so many situations where we made it hard on ourselves. We couldn’t get any flow at all. Thirteen penalties. We had seven in the first half and came back out and ripped it up again. It’s not stuff that’s indicative of playing good football. We have to get right, and we have to keep working at it.

One of the things we hoped to do was balance out the offense a little bit and feel more comfortable about that. That was definitely there. The defense played really well. It was not a hard game for them. There’s just a lot of room for improvement. We’ll see what happens. Just go back to work and start battling - see if we can clean things up. The great majority of things that happened were totally self-inflicted. That’s the good part of it - we’re in control of it. We need to seize the control and do the right things.

It was great to see some firsts. To see Brice Butler get a touchdown for the first time, that was great stuff. It was a great throw from Matt. Matt had some terrific throws tonight. That was one of them. Obviously Matt can get the ball down the field, and he’s still not healthy yet. Nick Perry, two more sacks again. He’s just chalking them up. Mikey Mo’ (Michael Morgan) had a great game for us tonight; he was all over the field making plays and making things happen. Taylor Mays got back, played well and did the things he needed to do to get back on the map here. He was running and hitting. That was a good thing.

Read the rest by clicking through the link...

I was happy to see Barkley sling the ball down field for some nice plays. TD receptions by Butler and Williams proved to many that had Barkley been healthy last week when we played UW we would have won. Barkley also made some nice throws to McCoy...but for all of the nice throws that ended in completions the receivers dropped some on target passes that could have either put points up on the board or kept drives going. Ellison's drop in the end zone comes to mind. I mean it hit him right in the hands!

What was refreshing was that we saw some of the young receivers in the game. Patterson made a great catch but because he went out of bounds unencumbered the play was called back because that is a penalty. That is a big deal because it means SC is going to have some speedsters that can bring the deep threat to the offense, something we have lacked so far this season.

The defense once again looked stellar. Yes, WSU scored on their final drive with 22 seconds left but that was the second unit that had a lot of youngsters out on the field who were getting some much needed game experience. You could see that SC when went into prevent defense mode...keeping everything in front of them, especially with a mobile QB. Tuel is going to be a pretty good QB for WSU but lets be honest, he wasn't going up against the first-teamers for much of his time in and the defense was providing a decent cushion. The USC defensive front got some pressure on him and sacked him numerous times he also threw one pick that Pinkard brought back up field thwarting a potential scoring drive.

It is hard not to be impressed with Perry and Casey. Those two were getting some serious penetration. Griffen looked solid as well. Fangupo was looking to have a solid game until he went down with a broken ankle. Devon Kennard is going to be a stud too. It is simply amazing that that SC continues to have such impressive talent on the defense. It is clear that Pete Carroll's strength is defense and not offense. I saw very little on defense with the first-teamers that I could be unhappy about. PC still likes to play that soft zone which gives up chunks of yards.

Lets talk about the onside kick. At first I was not happy about it. I did not see the reason for that being up two scores but when SC decided to go into conservative mode it became pretty important. I thought is was bush league but no worse than say Florida running up the score on the Citadel. Because there was no real threat of WSU winning this game it looked like SC simply wanted to try a few things out. It sure was a flawless play.

My biggest disappointment was that SC was stopped twice on 4th and goal. Much to the delight of some CougCenter fans who told Pete Carroll to Suck It...classy. They were nice stops that said more about SC's play calling than it did the WSU defense. I give the Cougs credit...they played a scrappy game but if SC didn't go into conservative mode this would have been a much bigger blow out. SC is really in a no win situation...run it up and we look like assholes. Play down to the Cougs and everyone will say we have issues. We do have some issues i.e. lots of bad penalties but USC hardly sucks.

Anyway...it was far from perfect. There were some nice performances and some head scratchers last night but it is time to focus on Cal...

Here are some links from the local papers...I have perused most except Plaschke's because I know what it coming so why bother?

Pinkard–Trojans still have things to fix - OCRegister.com

USC turns it around against Washington State - OCRegister.com
Lev...

Trojans win, but it isn't pretty -- latimes.com
Klein...

USC's Jake Harfman steps into new role as punter - latimes.com
More from Gary Klein

Trojans, Barkley do what is necessary against Cougars - OCRegister.com
Miller...

Williams–Offense still has room to grow - OCRegister.com

Matt Barkley plays through the pain - OCRegister.com

Trojans' performance is strictly for the (boo) birds -- latimes.com
Plaschke...

USC Football News and Notes 8/25

Paragon SC — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:25 -0000

The team is back at it today after having the day off Sunday and Monday. They will have a simulated game week concluding with a mock game day on Saturday.

Today we find out just how far Aaron Corp has progressed since his injury and if he will be able to start the first game but there is a lot more at stake than just who starts the season the question will be who will take ownership of the position in the years to come.

After a winter of anticipation, a spring of competition and a summer training camp marked by injury and developing intrigue, USC's quarterback race comes down to the next five days.

And more could be at stake than who will start against San Jose State in the Sept. 5 opener at the Coliseum: ownership of the position for the next three years.

Regardless of which quarterback Coach Pete Carroll taps, sophomore Aaron Corp or freshman Matt Barkley (we'll get to Mitch Mustain later, even if the Trojans coaches won't), the winner will be positioned to keep college football's most glamorous job until he heads to the NFL.

That's the way it happens at USC under Carroll.

I am really not that worried about it.

Like many, I believe Aaron Corp will be the starter this season. He has two years in the system and that goes a long way to running Pete Carroll's offense. The time that Barkley had with the first team will be an invaluable experience as he moves forward at USC. That is certainly not to say that he won't see some action this season but I think the job is Corp's to lose. There is still the possibility of Barkley red shirting but I think that is pretty unlikely at this point.

Barkley wants the starting job but I don't think he is there yet even though Pete Carroll and Jeremy Bates would be comfortable starting Barkley for the opener against San Jose St. Barkley has struggled at times but he has also made some significant progress but the difference here is that Barkley is one of the more prepared and complete QB's that have ever come into D-1 and his graduating early so that he could participate in spring ball showed a lot people just how good he is.

It is going to be interesting as the picture will become more clear as the week moves on...

- - -

One of the weapons that Corp or Barkley will look to the most is WR Damian Williams.

WIlliams will be back at it this week after sitting out a few days with a bruised quad. I don't see that as a big deal as Williams has more than showed his comfort and knowledge of the system but having back on the field will be a big boost of confidence for whichever QB is under center.

We should be thankful to have as I am not sure how many knew just how close he was to heading off to the NFL with Mark Sanchez...

When former quarterback Mark Sanchez left USC for the NFL last January, the Trojans' top receiver almost followed.

"He was one of my best friends," Williams said recently. "Not only that, the quarterback is leaving. You didn't quite know who was going to be the next guy. I can't lie and say I didn't think about it."

The Trojans are happy that Williams came back.

The fourth-year junior was USC's most dependable receiver last season, catching a team-high 58 passes for 869 yards and nine touchdowns.

Williams said before the Rose Bowl game against Penn State that he had no intention of leaving for the NFL.

Then came Sanchez's dynamic New Year's Day performance against the Nittany Lions. The junior passed for four touchdowns and ran for another, setting in motion a process that culminated with his decision to pass up his final season of eligibility.

There is no disputing how important Williams was to the success of the offense last season. He was pretty much instrumental in every win for USC last season. He and Sanchez were "ON" last year it was scary. I watch a replay of the Rose Bowl and the one play where Sanchez put it up where it was a full second before Williams made the turn and the ball was right there...Williams ended up gaining another 20 or so yards. This year Williams will be the old man on the receiving corps and it will be up to him to guide the younger receivers to build the same sort of simpatico with whomever is named the starting QB.

More importantly Williams has shown us a high level of maturity. He knows he wasn't ready for the next level and he wanted to graduate. This is the same sort of maturity that we have seen in a number of USC players over the years. Football is important but it is only part of the picture.

He will have a huge impact on the offense this year no question.

- - -

On the defensive side of the ball the one big question is who would replace the injured Armond Armstead at DE? SC has some depth here but that depth is a bit inexperienced. Right now it looks like Pete Carroll will looking for Malik Jackson to start...

There's an intense competition to find a replacement for USC defensive end Armond Armstead, but it will not include highly touted freshman Devon Kennard.

Sophomores Malik Jackson, Wes Horton and Nick Perry, along with junior Derek Simmons, will try to claim the job after Armstead broke his foot while Kennard will back up the opposite defensive end, Everson Griffen.

Kennard, considered one of the nation's top 25 prep players last year, did manage three tackles, including two for losses, and a sack during Saturday's scrimmage, but coach Pete Carroll is intrigued by the idea of Jackson replacing Armstead.

"I want a good look at him the next two weeks," Carroll said. "He was behind Everson and was very active and should do fine there."

Kennard will be a monster but I think he needs a full season under his belt and in the weight room before he is ready to compete for a stating job. Kennard will definitely see some time here and there backing up Griffen but the year he lost because of his ACL injury probably set him back a bit in his physical conditioning but I have no doubt that he will pick it up.

While Jackson seems to the front runner for now it would not surprise me if Carroll looks at the others as interchangeable. All have made some plays in the past and all will see some action especially if SC gets out to a big lead against SJSU. You gotta like where SC is headed on defense.

- - -

The other unit that we actually have heard very little about that had the biggest amount of turnover is the linebackers. Many feel that even though the production may drop off a bit from last season the talent definitely won't as this years group has more speed that last years group. They question will be making the plays.

Chris Galippo offers his take!

USC's linebackers were considered a question mark the minute Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing used up their eligibility, but Maualuga's replacement, Chris Galippo, is not shy expressing his feelings about the new group.

"I think the linebackers are getting a reputation, and people who underestimate us will get smacked in the mouth," Galippo said.

Galippo, weakside linebacker Malcolm Smith and strongside linebacker Michael Morgan have answered most questions for USC coach Pete Carroll, especially in scrimmages, in which the defense tends to dominate the offense.

I love Galippo's confidence!

They have some big shoes to fill, but with how the defense runs on this team I am looking for big things from the linebackers this season. They will be the stop gap behind a pretty new defensive line and their speed will be key.

I feel pretty good about this group...

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Here some links...

Oldtimer's Take: Scrimmage Edition
Oldtimer offers a solid write up...

Ranking the Pac-10 receivers - Pac-10 - ESPN

A curious Butkus Watch List - Pac-10 - ESPN

Daily Trojan - Defense still has plenty of swagger

Daily Trojan - With Corp near recovery, other Trojans are sidelined

USC's Offensive Line will be the most watched in 2009 (the linebackers too)

Paragon SC — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:23 -0000

The offensive line will be one of the most watched units this season. With a new quarterback under center this season having a solid and experienced O Line will go a long way to helping Aaron Corp settle in.

[B]ut more important, more valuable than any other single unit on the team is a group of big, burly guys with a passion for imposing their will.

With vets like Jeff Byers, Kristofer O’Dowd and Charles Brown surrounding players like Alex Parsons, Zack Heberer, Butch Lewis, Tyron Smith and Nick Howell, the offensive line might be just what makes this edition of the USC football team truly special.

The offensive line will prove to be ridiculously valuable this season for a number of indisputable reasons.

For starters, with a young quarterback taking the snaps, protecting him will be of the utmost importance. The group, remaining entirely in tact, protected Mark Sanchez phenomenally for an entire season.

Year in and year out USC contuinues to put solid units on the field. USC has always been for its defense but this is the year where I think the offence can make a real statement. They won't be as explosive as we saw in 2005 but because the defense has so many new faces in prominent roles the offense will all of its experience will be center stage this season, even with a new QB at the helm.

That stability will go a long way for Corp to settle in. We all know about the running backs and Damian Williams will be the main guy to lead the receivers but none of that matters if Aaron Corp doesn't have time to let the plays develop.

This will be a fun season...it will also show just how well USC recovers from losing so many players on defense.

Of course the one group of players on defense that will be closely scrutinized will be the linebackers. They have some BIG shoes to fill but SC has always done a great job at grabbing solid talent but this year all three linebacker spots will filled by players who are not considered veterans. That also doesn't stop Linebackers Coach Ken Norton from liking what he sees...

If someone were to say that the USC linebacking corps may actually be better just one season after losing Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava and Clay Matthews to the NFL, you might say he was crazy.

If the person talking was USC linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., you wouldn't use the word crazy. Instead, you'd listen.

For Norton, things got under way this spring when Malcolm Smith, Chris Galippo and Michael Morgan played more like veterans than first-time starters.

"I'm really excited about this group. One of the things that excites me most is how this group learned from the one ahead of them," Norton said. "I thought it was really important for them to understand what the guys like Rey, Brian, Kaluka and Clay did before and learn from them. Remember, those guys were pretty good. The great thing about it is guys who here are now aren't new guys.

"They've been in the program at least two or three years."

That is a lot to put on this groups shoulders but I have no worries about their being able to handle it.

A quick note on Brian Cushing...I have read around the internet where Cush has come in an been an instant impact. The Texans are quite impressed with his work ethic. Is anyone really surprised?

There will be a lot to keep an eye on this upcoming season...I am actually looking forward to it more than I am worrying about it.

FIGHT ON!

Final thoughts on the win over Oregon

Paragon SC — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:06 -0000

The frustration that the defense felt after the Oregon St. game had to be tremendous. Yes the D line got pushed around and there was some lack luster play due to just mailing it in but SC still had issues trying to stop Rogers. When you cant see them coming its going to be tough to stop them but last night they saw what Oregon was going to do and after the Ducks scored their only TD the defense adjusted and they locked them down. Of course everything has to be in sync, so while it wasn’t a pretty performance in the early going SC figured it out and made it work. The adjustment was one that SC used against OSU but this time with D line standing its ground and getting penetration it worked and Oregon’s two running backs who thought that they were going to get 100 yards each didn’t do much at all.

The USC defense held Oregon, the top rushing team in the Pacific-10 Conference, to a meek 60 yards on the ground.

Or about 250 yards below the Ducks' average coming into the game.

The reason for those numbers was because of safety Kevin Ellison. His coming up and being the eighth man in the box went a long way to stiffing Oregon's running attack.

Ellison's presence as the "eighth man in the box" – the football term for the safety who joins the defensive linemen and linebackers for run-stopping duty – had a lot to do with USC shutting down Oregon's prolific ground attack Saturday night in a much-needed, 44-10, bounce-back victory.

Ellison was involved in a team-high 12 tackles – all in the first half, when the tenor was established and the game was decided. And no, it wasn't a case of Ellison cleaning up the mess left by others. He repeatedly crept up near the line of scrimmage to help absorb the blows from Oregon's 1-2 punch of Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount.

The two entered Saturday night's game averaging a combined 184.2 rushing yards per game.

They had just 35 in the first half, which ended with USC leading, 27-10.

When the advantage grew to 37-10 late in the third quarter, the Ducks had to abandon the run and play a game they didn't want to play.

The first half played out right in Ellison's comfort zone.

There were a lot of passes that should have been picked off last night once Oregon was forced into passing situations but none of it could have happened had the defense not put forth a superior effort when compared to the debacle in Corvallis.

The defense, once they settled in put up a pretty good performance and the "new look" that we saw due to injuries or previous poor performances didn't affect us for the worse. Good or bad, it was different not seeing Rey Rey in the game because of his injured knee. It was odd, but it also gave some of our depth a chance to step up and show what they can do. Cushing did a great job at MLB and Michael Morgan, before leaving the game with a concussion, played solid in his first start.

A team simply can't turn on a switch and say they going to get motivated they have to come into a game with a certain mind set. A team also can't get angry to the point of letting their anger get the best of them and negatively affect their play on the field, they have to sometimes just get back basics.

When they are at their best, the Trojans are all about balance on offense, but quarterback Mark Sanchez and his receivers will have to sync up better than they did in Corvallis to punish the Ducks.

If the Trojans do take out their frustrations on the Ducks, they may make a resonating statement to pollsters that it's premature to count the House of Troy out of the national title race just yet. Not that Carroll is interested in talking about rankings or big picture stuff like that.

Exactly, the outside noise is for us fans and the media, SC just needed to settle in and find its game. Some people seem to miss that, it isn't always pretty. As long as SC is working through their issues and getting positve results I can live with an average game in terms of performance especially after last week.

Look at Alabama, after smoking UGA they looked aboslutely pedestrian against Kentucky. Yes, UK was undefeated but with what I saw Alabama do to Clemson and UGA in the first half they are clearly ahead of schedule but they are not immune from average play. Heck, they looked pretty pedestrian in the second half of the UGA game.

I would love to see solid wins every game but the fact is it doesn't always happen and sometimes you have a lot of stinkers but still get the win. Some days style points work other days they don't.

One thing that stood out was USC's confidence on that 4th and 2 play where Williams scored his TD.

Saturday's fourth-and-two in USC's 44-10 win over Oregon could never, in terms of historic significance, match the other fourth-and-two.

The difference, though, was that this one worked for USC, and it was the key play in one of the more important bounce-back games Pete Carroll has faced in seven-plus seasons as the Trojans' coach.

USC was down, 10-3, in the second quarter, a week and two days removed from being down 21-0 in an ultimate Thursday night defeat at Oregon State.

The Trojans had to beat Oregon to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since a Washington-Stanford combo early in 2001 -- Carroll's first season.

But things weren't going well. A roughing the holder penalty on USC allowed Oregon to take a field goal off the scoreboard and trade it for a touchdown.

USC had first-and-goal from the six and had to settle for a field goal.

Then, down by a touchdown, USC faced fourth down at the Ducks' 34.

You knew Carroll was going for it -- he usually does.

Instead of a run, though, the coaching staff went for the kill.

Mark Sanchez found Damian Williams, wide open, streaking down the left crease and hit him on his No. 18 on the way to an easy touchdown.

"Beautiful call," Carroll said of Steve Sarkisian, his offensive coordinator. "But it wasn't one you make to make the first down."

I like the swagger of that play, it showed a lot of confidence that was missing last week.

You saw a little bit of it when Mustain came in as well. I wasn't happy with the INT he threw but I liked the play that was called as showed some aggressiveness on Sarkisian's part to try and get Mustain's confidence up. I actually thought it was a pretty good play by the defender more than it being a poor decision on Mustain's part. It wasn't his best performance there but he made up for it later on the TD to Ausberry. Speaking of Ausberry, he is absolutely huge! I would love to see him get some more touches. It was also nice to See Travon Patterson get into the game.

Let me briefly address the last TD that Mustain threw to Ausberry. I know Mike Bellotti was not happy about it and I can understand if it was the first team in there running up the score but this was the second and third stringers, at home, getting their chance to make some plays and show the staff what they've got. The game was well out of hand and the spread was covered so what's the difference. If it was on the road up at Autzen I could probably see his frustration.

so there are still some issues and kinks to work out but this had to be a big boost to SC's confidence. next week its ASU who is coming off a bad loss to Cal. I still think the Pac-10 is up for grabs...