Ten days, 14 players and nearly 5,000 words later, we have hit No. 1 on our countdown of the 15 Trojans to watch in spring practice. But wait. There’s more. Starting Thursday, we’ll begin our position-by-position preview of spring football, including three questions (and answers) for each spot. And remember, you can follow the USC blog on Twitter at... more »
Thirteen down, two to go. The countdown of the 15 USC players to watch in spring practice is nearly complete. For Nos. 3-15, see below. For No. 1, check back in a couple of hours. NO. 2 — RB ALLEN BRADFORD Profile: 5-11, 235, redshirt senior 2009 stats: 13 games, 115 carries, 668 yards, 5.8-yard avg., 8 TDs Why... more »
Here are some notes and analyses from our preliminary two-deep depth chart posted on Tuesday, again keeping in mind that it's still January and the season is still more than seven months away):Officially, if the depth chart remains as is, USC will have 11 returning starters in 2010, plus four other starters who have previous starting experience. The offensive... more »
For those of you who missed the USC-BC game or would like to watch it again, TrojanWire has you covered.
OFFENSE:
Despite missing 3 starters on offense (RB Joe McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, and OL Tyron Smith), the Trojans did not miss a beat. Matt Barkley had one of his best performances this season, throwing for 350 yards, 2 touchdown passes, and 1 interception. Damian Williams had a career-high performance, 12 catches for 189 yards. The NFL is calling for Williams, but USC fans are calling for one more year.
DEFENSE:
The defense played tough. Jurrell Casey had a monster performance and Shareece Wright's return was welcomed and a positive impact. Wright had an interception and great pass coverage the whole night.
The Trojans held their annual end-of-the-year awards ceremony at the Nokia Club Sunday night. This years MVP is Damian Williams. Williams finished the season with 58 receptions for 821 yards and eight total touchdowns. Williams has until January 15th to decide if he will forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
Other Trojans receiving awards were:
Most Inspirational Player: Stafon Johnson
Linemen of the year: Jeff Byers (offense); Christian Tupou and Jurrell Casey (defense)
Special teams player of the year: Garrett Green
Service team players of the year: Michael Reardon (offense); Marquis Simmons (defense)
Player of the game versus Notre Dame: Anthony McCoy
Player of the game versus UCLA: Allen Bradford
Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" Award (year's biggest hit): Taylor Mays
Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award: Garrett Green
Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character): Christian Tupou
John McKay Award (underclassman with the most competitive spirit): Devon Kennard
Courage Award: Josh Pinkard
Co-Lifters Award: Jeff Byers, Will Harris, Taylor Mays Best Fan Website: TrojanWire
Favorite Thing to Look Forward to on Mondays: Song Girl Monday by TrojanWire
So, the team is back at it this week as they go into bowl prep. A couple of interesting story lines are taking shape as the season comes to a close. I noted yesterday that Safety Josh Pinkard is out for the Emerald Bowl because of a knee injury. That makes things very interesting as Pete Carroll will now... more »
USC practiced today and no one got hurt. Wide receiver Damian Williams looked good again. Devon Kennard will officially start at outside linebacker in place of Mike Morgan. Averell Spicer is expected to play more this game after several good days of practice.... more »
The headline of the last Skinny was “It All Comes Down to the Running Game” and boy did it ever. Toby Gerhart and Stanford ran for 325 yards while thoroughly outplaying USC in every phase of the game in a 55-21 blowout of the Trojans. It was the most points ever given up by USC in the Coliseum and after 28 straight victories in November under Pete Carroll; the Trojan program is clearly out of sync.
Before we get into some of the issues that are plaguing the Trojans, USC fans must tip their cap to Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford program. Harbaugh inherited a program that was 1-11 in 2006 and in his third year he has Stanford in a position to possibly go to the Rose Bowl. In the last two weeks, Stanford scored 106 points in victories over Top 10 teams and physically beat up the opponent. Harbaugh did exactly what Pete Carroll did when he came to USC. He loaded his staff up with experienced and hungry coaches and has given his players every opportunity to excel.
After seven years of “always competing” and finishing stronger than anybody, the Trojan program is in peril. USC only has 3 losses and you don’t want to overreact but the way the Trojans have lost and the fact the Trojans could easily have 5 or 6 losses at this point is very concerning with the amount of talent they have.
The issues can be addressed and the ship can be turned in the right direction but if you truly want to Win Forever you have to continually evolve, innovate and not let ego get in the way.
Discussion points for the water cooler and IM chats:
1- No Hunger- With seven consecutive AP top 4 finishes and ending the season with a bowl win 6 of those 7 years, the Trojan program and its fans seem to be living on its accomplishments of the past. The program seems to have forgotten how bitter losing can taste and do not play with the attitude “WE MUST WIN THIS GAME”.
An example of that was clear when after suffering one of the worst losses in USC history, some players were seen after the game smiling, laughing and carrying on like it was no big deal. Like some of the "new” LA fans that have joined the bandwagon the past 5 years, I wonder if some of the supposed “5” star recruits just wanted to be along for the ride and not put the necessary work in to become a high caliber player. When you’re the top dog with everyone gunning for you, especially with a young team, you have to outwork everyone else.
(lack of depth/experience, coaching attrition, Pete's focus after the jump)
Stanford comes into the Coliseum as a hot team with Rose Bowl aspirations. The Cardinal’s defeat of the 8th ranked Oregon Ducks 51-42 put the nation on notice that Stanford football can compete at the highest level and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is one of the best young coaches in the game.
It was just two years ago that Harbaugh inherited a football program that was one of the worst in the country and used the biggest upset in college football history against USC (Stanford was a 42.5 point underdog) that year as a stepping stone to building a top 25 team.
The heart and soul of Stanford is Toby Gerhart, a 6’1, 235 pound physical powerhouse running back who is one of the best in the nation. He is one of the few backs in the country that can and will carry the ball over 30 times a game and beat defenders up. His mentality has crossed over to his teammates who thrive off playing a physical brand of football.
Another key to Stanford’s success is they play intelligently and usually will not beat themselves. The development of Redshirt Freshman Andrew Luck has been tremendous and gives Stanford the balance on offense that makes them dangerous anywhere on the field. In the past 3 games, Luck was 50-83 for 910 yards and 5 TD’s against only 1 interceptions and that included games against two top 25 teams (Oregon and Arizona) and against one of the best defenses in the conferences Arizona State.
The banged up Trojans will have to play far better than they have the past 6 quarters to leave the Coliseum with a victory. It is going to be tough as the offense will need to come to life without #1 wideout/punt returner Damian Williams (high ankle sprain) and Wide Receiver Ronald Johnson and Tight End Anthony McCoy not operating at 100%.
The Stanford defense is vulnerable to a balanced attack and the Trojans offense is not only going to have to generate at least 24 points of offense but also grind away at the game clock to rest the defense which will be involved in a very physical battle.
4 Keys to the Game:
Hold Gerhart to under 4 yards a carry: It is going to be difficult to completely shut down a back as physical as Toby Gerhart. The Trojans have to look to contain him and not allow him to frequently gain over 5 yards a carry. The Defensive Line will have to play very physical and win the line of scrimmage battle.
The shift of Defensive Lineman Devon Kennard to Linebacker could be a huge factor. Kennard looked great in practice this week and has the size and strength to handle a guy like Gerhart. He gives the undersized linebacking core a physical presence that is sorely needed in a game like this. USC coaches are very enthusiastic about Kennard's physical and mental attributes. He can be a “55” type linebacker. However, a lot is being asked of a freshman who has not played the position before.
Matt Barkley completed 15 of 25 passes for 202 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. In light of the interceptions, he has improved tremendously since the home opener against San Jose State. And it sure is nice having Ronald Johnson back on the field, too!
Allen Bradford rushed for a career high 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sharing number 21 and being a solid, bruising back, he looked liked LenDale White. Joe McKnight rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries and left the game near the end of the 1st half due to a hand injury; it is unknown what his status for next week is at the moment. With McKnight's speed and explosiveness combined with Bradford's bull-like qualities as a running back, will this tandem be Thunder and Lighting version 2.0?
Here are some of the defense "highlights" against the Beavers. USC struggled defensively against Oregon State last year, so it should have been no surprise this year considering they returned a veteran quarterback in Sean Canfield and the notorious Jacquizz Rodgers, along with brother James. Enjoy the few clips of the defense stopping the Beavers' offense. If any other team expects to beat Oregon State, it must be done with a good offense. No matter how good a defense is, it is hard to prepare for the Beaver offense.
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.
USC will be tested all year. Saturday is their first test. They have to travel to a hostile environment to play a worthy opponent. What will the outcome be? Your guess is as good as mine. But the Trojans always come to play on Saturday. If they can limit mistakes and stay cool under pressure, I expect things to go our way. Here is our second edition of TrojanWire Thoughts of the Day:
I was impressed by Jeremy Bates and the USC playing calling last week. Some said that the offense was very simple because USC had a true freshman under center. I disagree. Barkley was there all spring and has the tools and smarts to run a complex offense. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be the starter. The Trojans just didn’t want to give anything away. Why show any trickery in week one? Lets surprise opponents as the season progresses. I have no problem with USC running the same play over and over if the other team can’t stop it. Coach Carroll has put together a great coaching staff. This will help the Trojans on Saturday.
The Galen Center, along with five other locations around the country, are showing the USC vs. Ohio State game in a special 3-D format. 3-D doesn’t work for Taylor Mays. The stuff on screen is afraid to get up in his face. Ahhhhhhhh SNAP! For more “facts” on Taylor Mays click here.
Allen Bradford (pictured above) is a beast. He looks like LenDale 2.0, but bigger, stronger and faster (and cooler tattoos). Jeremy Bates on Bradford, "I wish I had this guy on the Broncos last season."
More jaw-dropping, head spinning, bad ass analysis after the jump…
(0)
