Observations from the Coliseum and a few injury updates:
Mike Riley is a great coach: Riley proved once again that he is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. Why Tennessee (Riley has southern roots) or programs that have the infrastructure to be consistent top 15 teams have not intensely pursued him blows my mind. Riley and the OSU coaching staff had the Trojans number for the second year in a row on Saturday and he made one of the best defenses in the country look very pedestrian. Oregon State never quit and was one possession away from possibly winning the game.
The Rogers brothers aren’t too bad either. . .307 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the best defense in the Pac-10…
USC game MVP’s= Alan Bradford and Jeremy Bates: Is Lendale White back playing for the Trojans? Alan Bradford sure brought back memories of the former great Trojan tailback. The Trojans are starting to develop a mini Thunder-Lightning package which is going to really help keep opponents guessing. Bradford’s bruising style of running is complemented by deceptive top end speed that allows him to break off big runs like the 46 yard touchdown run in the second half. When Bradford is running hard it gives the Trojans offense a power mentality that fires everyone up and is the perfect compliment to a finesse style of offense.
Jeremy Bates called another fantastic game. With the exception of calling a long pass play in the 4th quarter up 13 points which was intercepted, Bates mixed up his play calling brilliantly and took advantage of a porous Oregon State pass defense. Bates continued to utilize the Tight Ends while allowing the running game to get into a rhythm.
(More on Bates and other observations after the jump)
Matt Barkley passed for a career high 380 yards with a pair of touchdowns, Anthony McCoy had arguably the best game of his career, and we are all happy Damian Williams transferred to USC.
The McKnight-Bradford duo is working well for the Trojans.
The Trojan defense kept the Notre Dame offense in check. The referees assisted the Irish all the way to the end of the game, but even that wasn't enough. Statistically speaking the Irish offense, led by ostrich Jimmy Clausen, is one of the better ones in college football. The Trojan defense is lights out!
Despite a very emotional week due to the unfortunate accident to Running Back Stafon Johnson, the Trojans put together its most complete performance of the year and routed Cal 30-3 in Strawberry Canyon.
On Friday, I wrote about the 5 keys to setting a “Bear” trap and the Trojans hit on all the points and proved once again that the only team capable of beating the Trojans is the Trojans themselves. When USC does not turn the ball over when it matters, commits few penalties and stays balanced on offense to compliment one of the best defenses’ in college football, it will be very difficult for any college football team to beat them.
A quick review of the keys to victory:
1- Contain Cal's running game: The Trojans held the vaunted Cal rushing attack to only 86 yards. Former Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best was held to 47 yards rushing and only 5 yards receiving. The Trojans forced Kevin “I don’t like big games and throw a high ball” Riley into passing situations that he is not equipped to handle which allowed the Trojans to dominate the Time of Possession 36:46 to 23:14.
The game was basically over when Trojan Safety Taylor Mays ran down Jahvid Best from behind in the backfield in the second quarter. The statement was made that USC’s best defensive player was not going to let Cal’s best offensive player get loose.
(More analysis and some team notes after the jump)
History repeats itself for the Golden Bears; they enter the season with lots of hype, only to fold like a bad hand in poker. Time for them to enter hibernation!
Cal's Heisman hopeful tailback, Jahvid Bust, was held to a season-low 47 rushing yards against USC. Meanwhile Joe McKnight looked the best out there, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal's quarterback, Kevin Riley, really outdid himself this time. Just when you thought his passing completion rate of 38.7% against Oregon could not get any worse, he sunk to a new low against the Trojans with a completion rate of 37.5%.
<!----><!---->With Cal more than capable of putting up points in a hurry, there is even more pressure on the Trojan offense to find the end zone early and often. We talked to receiver Brice Butler and tailback C.J. Gable about taking on the Golden Bears this weekend... more »
(Photo of Stafon Johnson Leading Conquest at the 2009 Rose Bowl by Icon Sports Media)
My three least favorite college football teams are UCLA, Notre Dame and Cal. This week we play Cal and I hope we kill them. Saturday will make or break someone's season. The game however is overshadowed by terrible off the field injury.
Stafon Johnson is one of my favorite Trojans. On the field he is smooth, steady and always reliable for a big gain or a goal line score. Off the field he leads by example. He is the spiritual leader of team. When I heard the news I was shocked, then bummed, then worried and scared, then hopeful, and finally thankful and proud. Shocked because this is the type of injury you never hear about. It was a fluke accident. Bummed for Stafon because he has so much potential. He was on track to have a great year. I hoped all his hard work would payoff with an MVP caliber season followed by an early draft selection in the spring. Worried because holy sh*t he dropped 200 plus pounds on his neck. Can you die from that? Scared because I heard he was coughing up blood and had been in surgery for so many hours. Forget about football, this was now about survival. Hopeful because USC is a great institution that takes care of its players. If Stafon was in surgery, I knew the best doctors would be working on him. Thankful that the surgery went well and he was recovering. And proud for all the love and support he has been shown. If you wish to continue that love and support you can send notes of encouragement or anything you deem appropriate to:
Stafon Johnson
USC Football
Heritage Hall 203b
3501 Watt Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Or you can keep Stafon in your prayers.
Now on to Cal, last year the Trojans defense dominated Cal in the Coliseum. The final score was 17-3. The Trojans D held Jahvid Best to 30 yards on 13 carries. This year Best is averaging 116 yards per game. Look for the Trojans to stack the line again and force Kevin Riley to make plays. Riley has not thrown an interception this season. He has a streak dating back to last year of 115 pass attempts without an INT. The last time Riley faced USC he was 4 of 16 for 59 yards and an INT.
Here are some random thoughts on the win: - It was a win, but a frustrating one. The 1st quarter started smoothly with a quick 3-and-out from Wazzu followed by a quick TD from SC, but then 3 holding penalties, 1 offsides, 1 personal foul, and 1 roughing the kicker happened. Let's not even talk about the 3rd quarter...... more »
The offense got off to a strong start, but they were inconsistent and fumbled more than they should have, but on the bright side, coaches opened up the playbook and allowed Matt Barkley to complete some deep passes. However this offense, and the receiving game in particular, needs to play better. Trojan fans eagerly await the return of the fastest receiver, Ronald Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury in the scrimmage game in August.
This defense is impressive. They almost held the Cougars to a shutout if it were not for Aaron Corp's fumble late in the game. Defensive back Marshall Jones and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo each suffered season ending injuries in this game. Injuries are part of the game, and this is why it never hurts to have depth like USC does. Pete Carroll and coaching staff "stockpile" talent, and given the current waves of injuries, this is when the depth is tested.
Some quick thoughts on the first three quarters of tonight's USC-Washington State matchup at the Coliseum:
Penalties! Penalties! Penalties! Ack!!!! USC's lack of discipline is turning me into Cathy Guisewite.
Great to see Brice Butler getting involved.
And even better to finally see a Damian Williams TD.
Loni Fangupo's injury was pretty gruesome. Not Tim Krumrie-ugly, but still nasty.
Watching Anthony McCoy limp off the field is disappointing, but watching Blake Ayles run out on the field is a thrill. There's no doubt, the kid's got the gift.
Way too much love for Tuel -- guy didn't score a TD, and yet the announcers were going all Tebow on him.
We connected with Big Mike Williams on Twitter tonight. Assuming it really was him and not an impostor, we are stoked.
Does being an academic star at Washington State really count?
Matt Barkley is throwing Brett Favre hard on some plays. Don't be afraid to dial it back a touch, young Jedi.
Those terrible Sonic commercials were more entertaining than a lot of the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
I left a sportsbar so I could come home and watch the game, which allowed me to get reacquainted with Petros Papadakis. A decision that wound up feeling like that time you opted to have dinner with your ex-girlfriend, only to have it quickly devolve to hurried eating and angst-ridden bill paying. And then he went and made out with Tuel before we even left the building.
What a surprise! USC had another post-big game letdown entering Pac10 play.
Don't go into hibernation just yet; there are positives to be taken away from this game shown in the highlights.
Joe McKnight rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries, upping his current season total rush yards to 305. Could he be the first Trojan since Reggie Bush to rush for over 1000 yards in a season?
The offense struggled with the passing game, but there were some great runs by Stanley Havili, Stafon Johnson, and Allen Bradford.
USC's young defense did a great job containing Jake Locker and holding the Huskies to 16 points. If only the offense would have scored another touchdown or two. Sophomore Jurrell Casey and redshirt freshman Nick Perry set up camp in the Huskies' backfield.
The hills of Los Angeles are ablaze and two USC starters are down and out — one for the entire season — but the Skinny's here to quell any fear and provide the low down on what this all means.
WR Johnson Injured: USC lost starting Wide Receiver Ronald Johnson to a broken clavicle putting him on the shelf for 6-8 weeks.
The Skinny: The wide receiver depth definitely takes a hit. However, as odd as this may sound, this could end up benefiting freshman QB Matt Barkley. David Ausberry moves into the #2 Wide Receiver position providing Barkley with a 6'5 target that is very easy to find. Ausberry has had his best fall camp since being a Trojan and has made big strides with Coach Bates now leading the offense. Over the past few seasons Ausberry did not mesh well with Sarkisian's often critical and negative style and Bates seems to have breathed new life into the potential difference maker. Usually, Ausberry would look great in the spring but get lost in fall camp. This year, he has continued his fine play through fall camp and if it translates into games it will give Barkley a big target he can lean on in tight situations. He has Mike Williams like qualities and we all know the impact he had on Carson Palmer's career.
Damian Williams will be the #1 option but don't be surprised to see David Ausberry lead the team in receptions.
The injury to Johnson will also give Freshman Da'von Flourney a chance to get on the field earlier than expected. He has been extremely impressive with his playmaking ability after catching the ball. Once he gets his arms around the playbook he will be tough to keep off the field. Brice Butler is the new #3 Wide Receiver beating out Travon patterson who will now have to battle with Flourney for the few plays delegated to the #4 WR. Jordan Cameron will be utilized in red zone and short yardage situations.
The wide receiver corps will be fine as long as they can stay away from another major injury.
Thoughts on missing big hitter Shareece Wright after the jump.
Ronald Johnson, one of USC's two top receivers and return men, will be out 6-8 weeks mending a broken collar bone he suffered in a 34 yard completion during Saturday's scrimmage. WR David Ausberry will fill the void in his absence. The only silver lining is that talented freshman receivers Brice Butler and De'von Flournoy should see some more action. Expect a slight shift towards the tight ends (McCoy, Ellison, Ayles) and fullbacks (Havili) to supplement the younger receivers.
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