USC-Stanford Report Card

Here’s the grades for the big upset in Palo Alto.

RESULT: No. 21 STANFORD 21, No. 2 USC 14
RECORD: 2-1, 0-1
WEEK 3 GPA: D

QUARTERBACK

Matt Barkley under duress but did little to overcome adversity.

D

RUNNING BACKS

Will Silas Redd’s shoulder stinger be a lingering problem?

D+

WIDE RECEIVERS

Did the nation’s top duo get shut down by Stanford or playcalling?

D+

OFFENSIVE LINE

A little too much being made of center situation. Every team has injuries.

F

DEFENSIVE LINE

Unable to stop TB Stepfan Taylor or QB Josh Nunes.

C-

LINEBACKERS

Deon Bailey seemed like he was everywhere but can’t do it alone.

C+

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Maybe Marqise Lee can start at cornerback and wide receiver. EP

C-

SPECIAL TEAMS

Lane Kiffin once tried 76-yard field goal with Raiders. Times change.

D+

COACHING

Where was Plan B once Stanford’s front dominated USC’s offensive line?

F

9 thoughts on “USC-Stanford Report Card

  1. CLK was horrendous on Sat. Receivers couldn’t make plays & got schooled by the ‘furd DBs. Matt B. was a pathetic joke (not ONE TD?? Come on Matt!!). The O-Line went to shit in a shower caddy. Our defense choked and gagged on the big one.
    What, we cant beat stanfurd anymore? U gotta be pulling my dong.

    This is embarrassing.

  2. Why not go more shotgun? Because the center wasn’t pitching strikes by any means. A couple he hung up there long enough for Stanford to get their special teams on the field.

  3. “Where was plan B…?” Nothing was outlined about any Plan B on the laminated Olive Garden menu Lame Kitten holds to his face all game. Hence the fully covered screen pass to Lee over and over and over again.

    Never Ending Pasta? KittyKiffs got a throat full of Never Ending Pass Rush last Saturday.

  4. D deserve better grades. It wasn’t their fault SU broke up that pass to Vainuku in the end zone or that USC couldn’t sustain 1 offensive drive in the 2nd 1/2.

  5. Yes coaching deserves an F. Barkley is a prolific passer but where are the “exotic” formations that really put pressure on a defense ie. trips formations, bunch formations etc. I recall one empty set where Trojans converted a 4th down. But how often are Woods and Lee lined up on the same side? Put one of them in the slot at times. Tight ends were non existent despite their athleticism.

    But this loss really amplifies the point that USC cannot scheme well enough for the spread or physical enough to run a traditional pro set offense.

    Finally the silly point bandied about this week is that USC has been recruiting to beat Oregon but not Stanford. Huh?? How is that Oregon has been beating Stanford lately with their “finesse” offense?

  6. Agree with NJTrojan. 21 points is not bad. If the offense can’t keep possession for awhile, of course the defense will tire.

    No, it’s not a GREAT defense. Wasn’t last year either. But USC isn’t designed to be a defensive team. USC has a passing offense, which tends not to grind out long possessions and rest the defense. It’s not by chance that the great defensive teams, such as Alabama and LSU, emphasize power running.

    The current overriding strategy at USC is: we’re going to score a lot, and often, rather quickly. You’re going to have to take risks to keep pace, and we have some really good athletes on defense, so you’ll end up turning it over more often that you would like.

Comments are closed.