Open Forum

Time to ask questions regarding the Oregon game. Or anything else. One question per person please.

33 thoughts on “Open Forum

  1. Does it make any sense to you that the NFL is now having serious discussions about putting a team in London when there has not even been a team in Los Angeles since 1994?

  2. Although I am not a huge Barkley fan, I take exception to the following statement in your article this morning: “USC quarterback Matt Barkley has started 20 college games but lacks a signature victory in his nearly two seasons.”

    He beat Ohio State at Columbus last season, leading the team on a game winning drive during the final minute of the game, in front of 106,000 hostile fans. Doesn’t that qualify as a signature win? Ohio State did go on to win the Rose Bowl last season…

  3. I noticed Oregon would send on offensive subs as the ball was being marked for play….SC didn’t send anyone in. Why wouldn’t we preplan to sub the “D”?

  4. Since so many ruins haunt your blog, how about a question concerning the gutless wonders? What do Slick Rick and Dog Chow need to do to keep their jobs beyond this season?

  5. It feels like USC is no longer the king of the Pac-10 now. So say Oregon finishes the season undefeated and wins the national title, will this have a negative effect on recruiting for SC in the long-term? Would players rather go play for Oregon than SC or will Lane Kffin still be able to get those Top 5 recruiting classes and bring in the best talent?

  6. Scott, I’m not a fan of calling audibles from the sideline. Done the normal way, it self-implodes eventually like with that botched snap to MB7’s left knee. But Oregon with those silly picture boards… How long before there’s a rule against that?

  7. some plyers took advantage of free agency over the summer and transfered out of sc. that some others like gable, mustain and asbury didn’t, i found perplexing. in hindsight do you think any that stayed have regrets and do you think anymore leave will prior to next season

  8. i heard kiffin comment that a few positions may see new faces getting more playing time. Do you know what positions/players kiffing was referrig to?

  9. After shutting down formidable offenses like Stanford and USC in the 2nd half of games, how can you still rate Oregon below TCU? The Ducks’ offense is executed 50 times better than last season, and the defense is pretty damn stout. Do you actually believe TCU would beat this Oregon team, or do you still go by that logic that you vote based on how you think the team will end the season? After all, you had Texas at #1, who now has home losses to UCLA, Iowa State, and Baylor! Yikes, your judgment of football! Thanks!

  10. Does the ncaa have any rules in place regarding a student athlete and a sibling that plays pro ball (i.e. Malcolm & Steve Smith, Clay & Casey Matthews)? Does the student athlete have to register w/ compliance and are there any restrictions involved?

  11. how enamored with Barkley do you believe Lane and Pat Haden to be? Is there a chance that one of our stud freshman qb’s wins the job for next year over MB?

  12. It seems obvious to all but the coaches that Kennard is no MLB. He’s slow and constantly out of position. Any chance of moving Gallipo back? Last year he ran out of gas as the season wore on, but that shouldn’t be a problem this year since he hasn’t played as much.

  13. Mr. Wolf, I have a what “if” question, assuming both Alabama and Oregon win out, both of them are expected to play for the BCS title. Aside from the WAC schedule, why should BSU or for that matter TCU/Utah be omitted from the BCS title game considering that the SEC is weak this year, BSU has given Oregon fits the past couple of years; and both TCU and Utah have beaten solid opponents (TCU beat Baylor/Oregon State; Utah beat current Big East champ Pitt).
    At the moment I favor Oregon over Alabama but against BSU, TCU or Utah I probably give the non-BCS schools the edge over Oregon. Thank you in advance.

  14. I realize running the other team to death is a major M.O. for Fred Flinstone (a.k.a. Chip Kelly), but can you tell us, what is the rule for setting the ball and starting the play clock in college, and how it compares to the NFL, and do different conference refs handle that part of the game differently? In particular one play on Saturday looked to be ridiculously quick, like a batter who has just adjusted his cup to look up a see a high and tight one under his chin.

    I realize there is an illegal proceedure call once the offense is set, but is there a penalty for snapping before the play clock is started, or do the refs simple invalidate the play and start again. My vote is for a penalty then you can try again.

  15. I think Monte’s shortcomings in defensing sophisticated offense’s on the West Coast(Including Hawaii)needs to be addressed. After all he had two weeks to get ready. Additionally it seemed like SC gave the Ducks the same defensive look the entire game.

    Also what was the defense USC was in? It did not seem like USC was in a traditional Tampa 2 on many occasions as Shareece Wright was deep downfield on several plays (getting beat) which he normally would not have been in a cover 2 where the CB jams the receiver and stays in the flats.

  16. With our now-legendary and potentially ongoing depth issues, does the blueprint for playing against USC now become, “Wait them out and then put the pedal to the metal in the fourth quarter when they’re gassed”?

    In other words, should we expect that teams will just try to play us close in the first three quarters with the expectation that whatever happens, they’ll make it up in the fourth?

  17. Much was made earlier this season of our lack of conditioning. How did that happen, and who’s to blame? Clearly not a byproduct of sanctions and something entirely under the staff’s control, no?

  18. Dear Mr Wolf

    Why did PH spend the better part of the first half on the Oregon sidelines very close to the team bench on the30-35 yard line? Are conversations more important than the game?

    Always a fan
    keep up the great work
    Chize

  19. I know Bates’ playcalling wasn’t brilliant last year, but in all fairness Barkley was a true freshman that made many more mistakes. So, what is it about Carroll/Bates/SChawks that irks you? Seahawks have been doing well this season and you say nothing when they win. Why do you take childish, cheap shots when they lose? Isn’t this a USC blog, not a “Inside former USC Trojans” blog? What’s your deal!?

  20. After USC’s defense did a pretty good job through 3 quarters against a ridiculous Oregon offense, do you really see them being challenged like that again this season? Wins at Arizona and Oregon State no longer seem AS tough to come by. Arizona and OSU will be tough road environments, but SC should continue being motivated to prove people wrong. Can easily see SC finishing at 10-3, 9-4 worst. Agree or disagree?

  21. if the top 5 teams in the pac10 (Oregon, Stanford, USC, Az, Or st) played the top 5 teams in the big12, big10, and sec…

    what do you thing the records would be?
    (asuming best vs best, 2nd best vs 2nd best, etc.)

  22. Why do you keep calling coaching “interferance”? Did you see EVERY PLAY of Oregon’s offense? Darron Thomas constantly looked to Chip Kelly before snapping the ball. Are Kiffin and Barkley not allowed to do that? Shouldn’t a SENIOR like Kris O’Dowd know better? Not sure why it’s “coaching” when Oregon does it but “interferance” when USC does it. LOL.

  23. Scott,

    What was Wes Horton’s injury that kept him out for several games? I read on some message boards saying he had a something as serious as a broken back.

  24. No pictures with the Pflu or video interviews or even written interviews? The readers are disappointed.

  25. Scott, I’m having doubts this coming years’ recruiting class is going to be anything special at SC. I don’t hear or read much of anything on SC among the top linemen & linebackers as they list their favorite schools across the Country. Is this only about sanctions?

  26. How was the official visits at the game? Any new commits? Did prospects like the trip?

  27. wolfman, your piece on A-Brad made me think again about a theory of mine concerning how Southern Cal under-used Alan Bradford and Stephon Johnson…i think Southern Cal’s opponents, given a choice of having AB or SJ run the ball 25 times a game or facing a MacKnight or Dylan Baxter type, would say “bring on the scatback!”

    a power back (with decent speed) wears down the opposing defense and opens up the passing game for the later stages of game. i would cite how Stanford used Toby Gerhart as a good example. but although Southern Cal has had a lot of success, they seemed more interested in looking for the “next Reggie”… more interested in a few highlight reel runs than a more punishing approach. agree or no?

  28. Do you think Lane Kiffin will make any coaching changes on the staff to improve the staff? WHo are some possible additions?

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