Mike Williams
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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.
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The tension and anxiety amongst the coaching staff in Heritage Hall this week ended up spilling onto the field and sidelines Saturday as the Trojans lost to the Washington Huskies 16-13 and dropped to #12 in the AP poll.
Despite an early touchdown drive where the offensive line opened up huge holes, the Trojans reverted back to the same recipe for disaster that annually costs them a game in Pac-10 play: Turnovers, Penalties and Questionable offensive play calls. It is very difficult to overcome these problems when you are playing the second of back-to-back road games and are without your starting QB Matt Barkley and All American Safety Taylor Mays.
The Trojans had the ball within or near the red zone six times and only walked away with 13 points and turned the ball over 3 times. They were a combined 0-11 on 3rd and 4th down and could only muster 110 yards passing, the lowest in the Pete Carroll era.
The offensive coaching staff botched an attempt to get a field goal off at the end of the first half by running the ball with no timeouts left and played not to lose at the end of the game instead of rolling Corp out and trying to attack the end zone.
(Potential offensive solutions after the jump)
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(Photo by Jon Vidar / AP)
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.
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