SB Nation User Blog: Paragon SC

USC Beats ASU 11-7-09 " USCFOOTBALLFAN.COM

Paragon SC — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:09:53 -0000

USC Beats ASU 11-7-09 " USCFOOTBALLFAN.COM

Nice photo album from Saturdays game

USC Basketball Notes 11/12

Paragon SC — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:26:03 -0000

I really haven't taken the time to look at the basketball side of things and I really don't plan on getting too involved with it until after the football season is over but I did want to at least acknowledge USC's 2010 recruiting class.

Kevin O'Neill seems pleased with this class...

"This is a great class in terms of what we were looking to sign," first-year USC coach Kevin O'Neill said. "All of these guys are good players, good students and good athletes."

ESPN.com and MaxPreps rank the Trojans' class among the top 13 in the nation. The ranking includes 6-6 Dwayne Polee Jr. of Westchester of Los Angeles. He committed to USC but did not sign Wednesday. His father, Dwayne Polee, is the Trojans director of basketball operations. Because his dad is a university employee, Polee can join the team as a walk-on.

I am not sure I buy into any of these rankings but that is imaterial...

I am also still not sure about the whole Polee situation...I still smacks of the way Tim Floyd did business and that along with Mayo put SC in a bad light. O'Neill has no choice but to paint the most positive picture on a bad situation. The bigger question is how will he develop these kids and how will he interact with the coaches. He still has to calm the nerves of the fans and his detractors who point to the Arizona situation.

Kevin O'Neill obviously has a long road to hoe. The resignation of Tim Floyd and the loss of what was shaping up to be a stellar recruiting class basically turned USC basketball into a desolate wasteland. SC was finally making some progress. But with all the allegations surrounding O.J. Mayo any positive progress has been wiped away so Kevin O'Neill is basically starting from scratch. This season will be painful to watch with all the depth issues that we have.

There have been some rumors that the NCAA is close to finishing their investigation...sad to say, which one I do not know. But if the basketball program gets hammered it would not surprise me to see any one of these players ask to be released from their LOI.

Here is the official press release from the athletic department.

So, here they are. This a thumbnail sketch of this class from the OCR...

Four players have signed letters of intent to play basketball at USC next season, the school announced.

The four are forward Garrett Jackson of Portland, Ore.; guard Bryce Jones of Woodland Hills; guard Maurice Jones of Saginaw, Mich.; and forward Curtis Washington of Elizabethtown, Ky.

"This is a great class in terms of what we were looking to sign," said first-year USC coach Kevin O’Neill, who inherited a team with only one scholarship freshman. "All of these guys are good players, good students and good athletes. Everyone of them will come here and contribute."

Here are the vitals on each player:

GARRETT JACKSON

Height: 6-6

Junior stats: 21 ppg, 11 rpg

School: Westview HS

O’Neill says: "Garrett can play multiple positions on offense and defense. He is making leaps and bounds as a player. He is a workaholic in every way. I can’t wait to coach him at USC."

BRYCE JONES

Height: 6-5

School: Taft HS

Junior stats: N/A (sat out as transfer)

O’Neill says: "Bryce has a big-time motor," said O’Neill. "He is a great athlete who plays hard all the time on both ends of the floor. I would take Bryce over any two-guard in the country. I love his competitive spirit and his upside."

MAURICE JONES

Height: 5-7

School: Arthur Hill HS

Junior stats: 27 ppg, 13 apg

O’Neill says: "Mo will be fun for our fans to watch every second of every game. He is a great point guard who can run a team and score. I love what Maurice brings to the table."

CURTIS WASHINGTON

Height: 6-9

School: Elizabethtown HS

Junior stats: 8 ppg, 4 rpg

O’Neill says: "Curtis is a great shot blocker and rebounder. He will be a great addition to our front line. He has the ability to shoot to 17 feet and beyond. I think he will make huge strides over the next four years."

The Press Enterprise has a little more detail of each player...

The USC men's basketball program has received signed national letters of intent (NLIs) from guard Maurice Jones of Saginaw, Mich., guard Bryce Jones of Woodland Hils, Calif., forward Curtis Washington of Elizabethtown, Ky. and forward Garrett Jackson of Portland, Ore, the school announced in a release.

The Trojan recruiting class is ranked No. 6 by MaxPreps and No. 13 by ESPNU and tops among Pac-10 schools, according to the release.

"This is a great class in terms of what we were looking to sign," said USC head basketball coach Kevin O'Neill. "All of these guys are good players, good students and good athletes. Everyone of them will come here and contribute not only on the court, but to our great institution. We're proud to have these four guys and their families as part of our Trojan Family."

I will admit that I do not know anything about these players. So if anyone has some insight feel free to write up in a fanpost.

Matt Barkley or Andrew Luck? " The Trojan Empire

Paragon SC — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:26:32 -0000

Matt Barkley or Andrew Luck? " The Trojan Empire

Nice write-up from Anthony!

USC Recruiting: The struggles of the 2009 team and the correlation to the recruiting class of 2006

Paragon SC — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:51:25 -0000

The Stable

The obvious struggles of this years team has made a few people take a closer look at the make up of this team. It is easy to point to the loss of all the talent on defense as well as the loss of Mark Sanchez last season but does that tell the whole story? There is a lot of talent on this team and many of those players are from the recruiting class of 2006. The overall expectations and production of the class of 2006 as we now know it has been less than what we have been used to from previous years. The class of 2006 may not be a bust but they haven't been lights out either.

This post is not meant to be inflammatory towards any player currently on the roster or any player who has departed the program for any reason or at any time, good or bad. This post is more a general observation.

So much has been made of Pete Carroll's recruiting prowess that it almost seems automatic that PC will haul in a top 5 class year in and year out. That isn't always the case, but I am more concerned about quality over quantity. Pete Carroll has not over recruited like some programs have but he isn't innocent either (I believe he over recruited by 3 or 4 players in 2003, I could be wrong on the year though).

There is no question that Pete Carroll has stockpiled a ton talent, almost to a fault, but he gets a lot out of his talent...but not always the most. That is what is frustrating many fans. Right or wrong, good or bad it is a perception that has taken root among many.

There have been some interesting discussions on the message boards about this subject and when you look a little closer you see some things that just jump out at you.

Here is one observation...

The 2009 USC Trojans is probably the least great of the CPC teams since 01 and will most likely lose 1-2 more games before its all said and done.

One over looked reason for this is this is the senior year for the disappointing class of 2006, which was CPC least accomplished in his tenure. The recruiting was excellent, its just the players either didn't live up to expectations or the coaching was too impressed with the * system and mythical recruiting championship as opposed to building the team around chemistry and functionality.

The 2 following classes 07 and 08 have already produced more dividends than the senior class this year.

Of the 06 class, only Taylor Mays is all conference. Stafon Johnson is a solid running back-but many of the other players failed out, transferred or just didn't pan out for whatever reason.

I have every reason to believe that this paradigm has lead to the dip in overall production and performance. The next few years with substantially better and now more mature skill players, we will be back on the top again.

The class of 2006 was a huge recruiting class for USC as they came off the loss to Texas in the BCS Title game. This class was dripping with talent...some real and some imagined. There were also some head-cases in this class as well. These guys were supposed to get us back to the tile game. They were supposed to fill the void left by the greatest offensive production ever seen in college football...Matt/Reggie/LenDale.

It just has never seemed that this class has ever reached its full potential and that is not something that many of us have been used to seeing from Pete Carroll during his tenure at USC...

And here they are.....(taken from Rivals)

Kenny Ashley	RB	5-8	210	4.45	5.8	Venice, CA
Walker Ashley	DT	6-4	295	4.96	-	Eden Prairie, MN
David Ausberry	WR	6-4	213	4.64	6.0	Lemoore, CA
Allen Bradford	LB	5-11	219	4.54	6.1	Colton, CA
David Buehler	DB	6-2	217	4.5	-	Santa Ana, CA
C.J. Gable	ATH	5-11	180	4.6	6.1	Sylmar, CA
Garrett Green	QB	6-2	190	4.5	5.7	Sherman Oaks, CA
Stanley Havili	RB	6-0	208	4.5	5.8	Salt Lake, UT
Vidal Hazelton	WR	6-3	193	4.47	6.1	Chatham, VA
Zack Heberer	OL	6-4	269	5.2	5.8	San Pedro, CA
Jamere Holland	ATH	6-1	175	4.35	6.0	Woodland Hills, CA
Stafon Johnson	RB	5-11	200	4.4	6.1	Los Angeles, CA
Vincent Joseph	DB	5-8	165	4.57	5.7	Long Beach, CA
Butch Lewis	DT	6-6	280	4.85	6.0	Aurora, CO
Taylor Mays	ATH	6-3	218	4.59	6.1	Seattle, WA
Anthony McCoy	TE	6-4	240	4.6	5.8	Fresno, CA
Emmanuel Moody	RB	6-1	195	4.44	6.0	Coppell, TX
Michael Morgan	LB	6-2	200	4.5	6.0	Dallas, TX
Alex Parsons	DT	6-4	260	4.9	5.9	Irvine, CA
Travon Patterson	WR	5-8	160	4.4	5.7	Long Beach, CA
Antwine Perez	DB	6-1	199	4.53	6.0	Camden, NJ
Alfred Rowe	DB	6-0	187	4.5	5.6	Long Beach, CA
Derek Simmons	DE	6-4	268	5.12	6.0	Fairfield, CA
Joshua Tatum	LB	6-0	219	4.66	6.0	Oakland, CA
Gerald Washington	TE	6-6	253	4.6	-	Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Shareece Wright	DB	5-11	180	4.53	6.0	Colton, CA

As you can see Pete Carroll was able to go after some incredible players...and if you buy into the recruiting rankings there are a lot of stars there!

We also know there was a fair amount of attrition from that class...

K. Ashley
W. Ashley
A. Perez
V. Hazelton
J. Holland
E. Moody
J. Tatum
A. Rowe
V. Joseph
G. Washington

What is left on that original list has either not panned out at all or has not lived up to or come close to their potential.

Obviously, recruiting is a crapshoot...

You can't take what the recruiting services say completely seriously. They get it wrong almost as much as they get it right. The fact is regardless of the amount of stars a player has next to their name that has never shown how hard a player is going to dedicate themselves to improving their game. It doesn't show how hard they are willing to compete. It doesn't show how much of a team player they will be within the program.

Pete Carroll did a great job of selling the benefits of playing at USC to the class of 2006 but it is clear by looking at some on this list that they were either not as talented on the field as advertised or they simply were not prepared to dedicate themselves to the high standards of USC.

I don't have all the answers here. There are some that will say that the coaching staff can't coach players up. Others will say that the coaching staff turnover is to blame and then there are those that will say that Pete Carroll plays favorites or that he got greedy when he took all those running backs.

Who knows...

Others are a lot smarter than I am when it comes to studying and evaluating the individual talents and attributes of the players Pete Carroll recruits. I offer this up simply because it has been a topic of conversation elsewhere and I do think that it is an interesting topic. It is relevant...many continue to point to the loss of Norm Chow as the main reason that SC didn't hang a few more MNC pelts on their wall. Others will talk about the losses of Davis or Coach O. I think those are valid questions but other than Chow all of PC's former assistants went on to blaze their own trail, chase their own dreams of running their own show or trying their hand in the NFL. A successful program will have a lot of attrition of assistants and this has happened to SC.

There is no magic bullet when recruiting top talent. There are always some players who don't pan out or who don't live up to expectations.

Unfortunately the Class of 2006 has a higher than normal amount of disappointment. Real or imagined.

Every player has a different reason for picking the the program they choose. I certainly won't question it. And even though the class of 2006 was for the most part pretty much able to get along that has not necessarily meant success on the field.

Pete Carroll's methods and results are fair game...but I won't lie, while it hasn't always been pretty I am pretty happy with the overall result.

Think of the alternative...

Stan Hasiak takes an "indefinite leave of absence" from ucla

Paragon SC — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:02:49 -0000

Rivalry aside it is never a good thing to hear that a student has trouble adjusting to the next phase of life...

Hasiak, who has appeared in four games this season, has had a number of anger issues on the practice field, particularly early in the season. He was involved in a handful of near fights with teammates during live scrimmages. He appeared in the first two games but was benched for the Kansas State game and did not play in the next two games.

Hasiak is back in Los Angeles but could not be reached for comment.

UCLA coaches considered Hasiak a key player in rebuilding the offensive line. He was ranked the fourth-best guard nationally by Rivals.com as a senior at Kapolei (Ha.) High. He was recruited by USC and visited Michigan and California before committing to UCLA.

USC wanted Hasiak, but it was the hope of early playing time that swayed his decision to commit to the bruins.

We all know that the O line is the TOUGHEST group of players to develop. Very few come in and make an instant impact. There is always some growing to do as the unit gels. This doesn't hurt ucla as some might think unless someone goes down to injury. They have been doing it without Hasiak the past few weeks. We can all see it is tough for some players to make the adjustment.

If Hasiak gets his head on straight he could be a real gamer for the bruins down the road. But even with his lack of production on the field this is still a setback for ucla because he was seen a major cog in the development in their O line and that is the biggest issue at ucla. I don't care what QB Norm Chow is trying to develop...it is tough to make any progress when you are constantly running for your life or getting beat up in the pocket.

I hope the kid works things out...

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

Paragon SC — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:28:12 -0000

by Matt York - AP

View full size photo »

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

This scene is getting old...

Paragon SC — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:21:30 -0000

This scene is getting old...

Unbelievable!

The Weis Fact Sheet

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:54:32 -0000

The Weis Fact Sheet

Enjoy!!

USC Football News and Notes 11/10 - The Offense

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:41:27 -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...

Arizona St. Highlights from our friends at TrojanWire

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:09:10 -0000

I know there aren't many highlights from this game and I did post another video of some other highlights but T-Wire does it the best!