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%.
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.
*QB Aaron Corp has been throwing in 7-7 drills the past few days and has looked solid. The coaches have been happy with his accuracy and most importantly, his swagger. He appears confident and is showing good leadership skills despite being out with a cracked fibula. He will return to full practice next week. It will be interesting to see how his mobility looks as that seems to be the only thing that concerns the coaches regarding Corp. If Corp is even just 90% going into San Jose State I think he will get the start. The coaches are more comfortable with Corp's command of the offense and trust him to make the right throw depending on the situation. It will really come down to his health and how he performs the next two weeks.
*Freshman QB Matt Barkley has had a tough week following his 5-18 scrimmage performance in which Coach Carroll threw him into the fire against a heavy rush and disguised coverage's. The hope was that Barkley would bounce back fairly quickly from the performance but even Coach Carroll admits the expectations for Matt from everybody, coaches included, might have been too high.
The spotlight shined very bright on Matt since Corp went down and he has received nearly every first team snap to get him ready. In the process, they may have overloaded him. However, all this work will pay off in a big way for him in the future. He may have struggled but he never quit and has handled himself "beautifully" as Coach Carroll would say. Barkley will continue to get opportunities and may see significant time in the San Jose State game in a "platoon" situation. He has so much talent and moxie that they want to get him on the field sooner rather than later.
Also, the coaches have not ruled out the thought of a "platoon" system this year while they bring along Barkley. Carroll says he is opened to it but I don't think it fits his coaching style. We'll see... it worked with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow at Florida.
In the meantime, if Corp heals properly from his injury, in the near term, Corp gives the program the best chance to win.
Quick hitters from USC’s second training-camp practice of 2009: ** Receivers Robert Woods and George Farmer of Serra High of Gardena chatted after practice with offensive coordinator John Morton. Woods, who is uncommitted, could end up being the top-rated wideout in the class of 2010. Farmer is a member of the class of 2011. ** Defensive end Nick Perry... more »
Saturday's scrimmage moved one step closer towards ending the quarterback controversy and crowning Aaron Corp as heir to the Trojan kingdom. Corp had a (mostly) error-free day, leading three scoring drives and landing 13-of-18 passes for 170 yards. Barkley got a couple of good drives, one blemish aside. He went 15 of 18 for 186 yards and a TD, but a poor decision cost him a pick-six at the hands of defensive end Malik Jackson. Mustain struggled again, only 3-of-6 for 33 yards, but managed to get in one impressive TD drive.
Here's how things look right now on the defensive line. DE -- Armond Armstead, Wes Horton NT -- Christian Tupou, Jurrell Casey DT -- Averell Spicer, Derek Simmons DE -- Everson Griffen, Malik Jackson... more »
Here are our thoughts on the guys that stood out in last nights presentation. Full bios and direct quotes from Pete Carroll after the jump.
John Martinez, OL, 4-STAR
Just a nasty, pancake blocking guard. He can get down field too (a la Jeff Byers). Highlight after highlight he would pull from his guard position, run and then just destroy someone. They want him to play center. He will be a cornerstone of a future O-line group.
Kevin Graf, OL, 4-STAR
This guy is 6'6" and 315 pounds. He looked like the green giant against his high school peers.
Matt Barkley, QB, 5-STAR
Not much needs to be said. #1 player in the country. Big arm. Can read defenses. Dedicated. His eyes were nearly popping out of his head when he spoke to the coaches following Mark Sanchez's departure.
De'Von Flournoy, WR, 4-STAR
Holy cow. Not sure if we have ever seen a highlight reel like his. There were over 20 plays. And not one that didn't go for a touchdown. Very impressive speed and sense of other players around him.
Jacob Harfman, K, 2-STAR
A little shorter than David Buehler but definitely of the same mold (a big, physical kicker). He can do it all — placekicking and punts. He was 3 for 3 over 50 yards and has kicked a 70 yarder in practice. He has incredible hangtime on his kickoffs if anyone ever does decide to take it out, they will be met with the Trojans special teams before getting to the 20. The ball just explodes off his foot.
Hebron Fangupo, DT, 4-STAR
Great penetration up the middle, even while drawing double teams on every play.
James Boyd, DE, 4-STAR
An incredible athlete that was actually the starting QB for his high school too. He is a freaking defensive end! He plays basketball too (and averages 25 points and 22 rebounds).
Devon Kennard, DE, 5-STAR
A prototypical freak defensive end. Hopefully with a more malleable attitude than Everson Griffen.
Frankie Telfort, LB, 4-STAR
He ran a 4.39. He is a cerebral player. He wants to major pre-med. He has a cool name. He has potential to be a really, really special player.
Jarvis Jones, LB, 4-STAR
A mean hitter that doesn't take any wasted steps before blowing up his opponent. Impressive.
Jawanza Starling, DB, 4-STAR
Another mean hitter. He is going to play baseball for SC too.
Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions in practice, one was picked off by safety Kevin Ellison and the other by freshman defensive end Malik Jackson.... more »
Aaron Corps kicks off the quarter and hands off to Allen Bradford for 8 yards. Corp rolls out but has Armond Armstead and Malik Jackson on him and throws the ball away. Corp throws a 10-yard pass to Vidal Hazelton. Corp finds his old high school teammate Blake Ayles for 21 yards. Bradford then gains 14. Corp waits and... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller   AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian Pete Carroll and the Trojans have their sights set on a Pac-10 title. LOS ANGELES -- Sat down with USC coach Pete Carroll on Sunday night. He ate ice cream and answered questions. What's your feeling on this scenario: Let's say Mitch Mustain starts at quarterback against Virginia and has a lights... more »
Freshman quarterback Aaron Corp stood out during the scrimmage portion of Sunday night's scrimmage before about 2,000 fans. Corp worked with the first team. ``Any time we move the ball and it's not going off the script, the defense doesn't know what we're going to do,'' Corp said. ``I did some good things.'' Mitch Mustain said he played ``average.''... more »
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