The Trojan football program is venturing down a road it has avoided for a very long time. Since 2002, USC has always followed up a loss with a string of victories to continue the Trojans unmatched success for the past seven years. However, USC has not suffered a loss of this magnitude in the Pete Carroll era. The 47-20 loss to Oregon was the first time the mighty Trojans got severely outplayed and out-coached in all phases of the game.
In the past, one could review the game and say the Trojans were just unlucky or if they played with a little more discipline they would have won. Not this time. If anything, the amount of injuries the Trojans suffered on the defensive side of the ball is a clear indication of how manhandled they were by the Oregon offense.
Saturday's game against Arizona State will provide great insight into the psyche of both the coaching staff and the players. Was the Oregon game just a set of unfortunate circumstances they can easily put behind them and continue Pete Carroll's perfect November record and put themselves in contention for a BCS bowl game? Will the Trojans fight though injury issues like they have in years past and put together a great performance or will the shaken confidence of a defense that has given up over 1500 yards of offense in 3 games lead to a debacle in Tempe?
Arizona State is not going to make it easy on the Trojans. They are led by the best defense in the Pac-10 and are fighting for Head Coach Dennis Erickson's job. This is also the second of back-to-back road games for the Trojans which are always tough.
However, this is a game the Trojans should win and be able to gain some confidence and swagger back on the defensive side of the ball. ASU has one of the worst offenses in the Pac-10 and doesn't possess a game-breaker close to the ability of Jacquizz Rogers, James Rogers or LaMichael James.
Keys to the game...
1-Trojans need to pass to set up the run: Cal Quarterback Kevin Riley threw for 351 yards last week in a narrow 23-21 victory over ASU. ASU does a great job of applying pressure and making it difficult to run with one of the best run defense's in the country. The Trojans should come out throwing the ball to send an early message to ASU's secondary which is susceptible to mid-range throws.
Once ASU's defense is worried about the pass, the Trojans should have success running the ball with McKnight and especially Bradford provided his knee is okay. Bradford fits the mold of Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart who ran for 125 yards against ASU.
Here are several injury updates for Saturday's game following team doctor visits tonight: DE Armond Armstead (wrist): Probable WR David Ausberry (calf): Out RB Allen Bradford (knee): Probable LB Chris Galippo (neck): Probable DE Everson Griffen (toe): Probable FB Stanley Havili (shoulder): Probable LB Jarvis Jones (neck): Questionable S Drew McAllister (hip): Out TE Anthony McCoy (ankle): Questionable RB Joe McKnight (ankle): Probable DE Nick Perry (knee): Questionable LB Malcolm Smith... more »
License to kill Beavers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill Beavers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote…
We are in the second half of the season. This week the Trojans face the Oregon State Beavers. A team that shocked USC last year. The loss to Oregon State was the only thing that kept Trojans out of the national championship game. The Beavers are a well coached team under Mike Riley and have some dynamic players on their roster. The Beavers won’t roll over and quit Saturday night. So how do the men of Troy win this game? In the words of Carl Spackler, with superior intelligence and superior firepower.
The superior intelligence will first need to come from our coaches. We all know that Pete is the man. He loves his job and it shows with the passion and joy he brings to it every week in everything he does. His football intelligence is starting to rub off on our new coaches. I thought Jeremy Bates called a hell of a game last week. He is finally taking advantage of his weapons and it is fun to watch. Matt Barkley looked phenomenal. What was the key to his success? In my opinion it was the play calling. On most of his passes, Trojan receivers were wide open. That is what we are used to seeing at SC, wide open receivers down the field. I hope the tradition continues on Saturday.
The superior intelligence will also have to rub off on the players. If USC plays smart football they can run the table. I think after last weeks game, the Trojans are finally starting to learn that the biggest enemy and obstacle they face each week is themselves. They are their own worst enemy. USC had five personal fouls in the second half last week. That trend cannot continue. When the Trojans limit their mistakes, no one can beat them.
We will save the superior firepower portion of thoughts of the day for our finale after the jump…
Lets start with Anthony McCoy! We all saw how great he played against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and he is now showing us that he is a legitimate contender for the Mackey Award and the he could be a great pick-up in the NFL. He is one of the better blocking TE's in the game and his... more »
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!
(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.
*Stafon Johnson's physical condition improved Thursday. He has been transferred to Cedars Sinai hospital. Coach Carroll said: "It's amazing how he is dealing with it, he's up and around and getting out of bed. He looks like he is OK, to tell you the truth.''
*Defensive End Nick Perry practiced Thursday and despite being hobbled by a bruised knee is expected to play against Cal.
*Corp still #2: Mitch Mustain had a great week of practice but Coach Carroll said that Aaron Corp is still the #2 back. Will see how long that lasts if USC is in a tight situation on the road and Barkley is unable to go. . .
*Speedster Wideout Ronald Johnson expects to be back for the Notre Dame game which will be a big lift to the offense.
*Wes and Shane Horton will both start for USC on defense Saturday. It will be the first time since 1990 (Craig and Don Gibson) that two brothers started in the same game for the Trojans.
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.
It is hard to say just how much USC will open up the playbook if Matt Barkley isn't able to chuck the ball down field. Clearly USC's problems on offense last weekend against UW made a lot of people take notice and scratch their heads. Today's game against Washington St. is the perfect medicine to try and get things... more »
The panicking and second guessing of the coaches needs to stop. Pete is the man, let him lead the team. The Trojans are reloading, but they will still compete in every game. Even if you have the most experienced QB behind center, which the Trojans do not have, when you fumble on three potential scoring drives, throw an interception and commit stupid penalties you will lose no matter how better you are than the other team.
The silver lining of this year so far is the DEFENSE. They are playing superb football. They lost last week but were on the field the majority of the game (Washington time of possession 34:11). The stats don’t lie. Going into this week USC is ranked 5th in the nation in rushing defense only allowing 51 yards per game and 1.63 yards per rush. USC has not allowed a passing TD and only given up two rushing TDs. Per game the defense is averaging 10 tackles for a loss, 226 total yards and 11.3 points. These stats might even be better if Taylor Mays was on the field last week.
Ben Malcolmson wrote yesterday that, “Taylor Mays will most likely start Saturday's game,” and Coach Carroll said, "He's ready to play."
Speaking of Taylor Mays, did you know that Disneyland is making a Taylor Mays ride. Outside the ride there's a sign that says, "You must be this bad-ass to ride this ride," next to a picture of Taylor Mays. No one will ever ride this ride.... For more Taylor Mays “facts” click here.
The Cowboys built a new stadium in Dallas. The seven story HD scoreboard that hangs over the field is cool, but not as cool as the “cages” they built for their cheerleaders to dance in, booyah!
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.
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