I think three reasons can trace USC's decline in scoring in Pac-10 games from 2002-05 to 2006-08. 1. Norm Chow. 2. Reggie Bush. 3. The decrease in takeaways. Here's some stats from the Morning Buzz: USC's takeaways decreased the past four seasons. The Trojans averaged 38 per year in Carroll's first five seasons. But in the next three seasons... more »
How bout some USC Alumni NFL highlights…. Carson Palmer had a big day on Sunday going 20 of 24 for 233 with 5 TD passes. Other former Trojans featured in the highlights are Clay Matthews, Troy Polamalu, Reggie Bush, Fred Davis, Steve Smith, Terrell Thomas, Justin Fargas and Mark Sanchez.
The NFL 2010 Pro Bowl ballots are now available online. Click here to vote for any of your favorite Trojans.
(Photo of Damian Williams returning a punt on Oregon State by Icon Sports Media)
Here is a fantastic feature from the LA Times on Damian Williams punt returning abilities. Williams has already returned two punts for touchdowns this year, a 66-yarder at CAL and the game changing 63-yard return last week vs. Oregon State that Coach Carroll called, “the play of the year.” The last player to return two punts for TDs for USC was Reggie Bush in 2004. Williams also leads the Trojans in receptions with 34 and has three touchdown catches. Here is a tease from the piece:
Damian Williams does it while walking to and from classes at USC. He does it when navigating a crowded off-campus sidewalk. As pedestrians approach from the opposite direction, Williams fakes. He cuts. He finds a seam, slips through and continues on his way. Williams is practicing punt returns "It used to be a game," he said. "Now it's a habit." So is the fourth-year junior's propensity for making big plays....
There are some interesting stories out there over the past few day that are putting a lot of pressure on Charlie Weis and Notre Dame to beat USC. Moment of truth for Weis, Clausen - Wetzel Notre Dame's aim: Win USC game to regain name - Dodd Notre Dame and QB Jimmy Clausen must rise to occasion against sixth-ranked... more »
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day. •People Magazine is reporting that Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian are getting back together. Sources say Bush took a... more »
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.
From our resident guru, here is John Skinner with the Skinny on USC's 18-15 win over Ohio State.
1- McKnight shines when it counts: Though Matt Barkley is getting most of the praise for USC's final improbable game winning drive, Joe McKnight accounted for about 2/3 of SC's yardage on the drive and ran with a purpose we haven't consistently seen from him. He doesn't have the explosiveness of Reggie Bush but he does have the moves and showed Trojan fans that he can put the team on his back and get them down the field when it counts. Without McKnight on the final drive SC is probably 1-1.
McKnight Part II: Though McKnight was the major player on the final drive, he needs to improve his pass blocking to help the offense get going. He has a hard time picking up the blitz and one time a Defensive End just flat out ran around him causing a sack. Last year, SC was fairly predictable when McKnight was in the game and he has to be multi-dimensional for SC to get away from showing its cards offensively.
Thoughts on Barkley, the Defense and Special Teams after the jump.
*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.
No more jukes for Reggie Bush. The New Orleans Saints running back and former USC Heisman Trophy winner is looking to change his running style this year. He wants to hit the hole harder instead of dancing away from defenders. I am all for hitting the hole hard. This is what Bush told the Times-Picayune:
“The first step to recognizing when you have a bad habit is just admitting it to yourself. It's like an alcoholic when they go into an (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting or something. That's the first step, just recognizing it and getting better from there. I'm really just working on being explosive and, yes, hitting the holes. I think over these last two years I haven't done that."
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