Bowl Practice Skepticism

Remember these December storylines:

1. USC is like a new team during bowl practices. 2. Practices are more physical than they were all season. 3. George Farmer was a star in some practices.

Well, did USC look like a new team against Georgia Tech? Did they look more physical? 3. Did Lane Kiffin give Farmer a chance?

Beware what coaches say during bowl practices.

9 thoughts on “Bowl Practice Skepticism

    • I guess you didn’t find any issues with the pass protection, the diversity and creativity of the running game, or the counter-maneuvers to the effective pass rush. It’s a gestalt, TrojanFan, and at the center of it all is Kitten, who has come too far too fast, and is not really on top of in-game adjustments. He plays chess at a very rudimentary level.

      True, from what I have read, Wittek has always been accurate in streaks, and in part, it was just not his day to be sharp, at least in those conditions.

      However, certain coaches actually bench a QB when that is happening, instead of just holding the course. Particularly when the talent gap between #1 and #2 is not great, as Kitten has alleged regarding Wittek and Kessler. I’m not saying that Wittek should necessarily have been benched. I don’t know enough to say that. What I do observe is that it was another day of third-down failure and third-quarter failure, in short, another 2012 game day for the Trojans. YOU can blame Wittek, but funny how Barkley had the same kind of results. At some point, isn’t Kitten the more likely causal factor?

      • What stood out the most, was all the inaccurate passes Wittek threw. You need to hit the open receive to move the chains. He played with no rhythm or tempo and seemed to lack command of the offense. His confidence was taking a beating the entire game

      • Only thing you can conclude is that the difference between Kessler and Whittek is far greater than Kiffin let on… he has never been honest about the situation of injuries or players. Because what puzzles me is George Farmer. If he has had great practices and was a “STAR” by Kiffin’s own statements why does GF never see the field?

        • Ted, it sounds as though you agree with Scott and me: Kitten is not truthful and open in his public statements, and what he says should be discounted.

  1. Scott, didn’t you get your point across on the previous posts? Now are you trying to influence recruiting so you can say you helped get Kiffin fired. Why don’t you just write an open letter to Haden and get it over with, or else please start writing about football, not your vendetta.

    • I don’t understand your complaint. Of course negative comments harm recruiting, but Scott’s job is not to enhance recruiting. It’s to make observations about the program to entertain and inform readers.

      In the context of that job, Scott is right on the money. Kiffin is not a reliable source of information about his intentions, or his athletes. Either he is not straightforward, or he doesn’t really know what to infer from what he observes–which is another way of saying that he doesn’t really know how to do his job.

      That’s how it is. Don’t blame Scott. And I like that Scott is not a cheerleader. You can read similar criticism today in the blog in the OC Register, or any USC football blog. In my experience, Scott is generally ahead of the curve in pointing out issues of interest.

      Yes, Scott can be petty. Yes, he can harp on what I consider non-issues, such as the color of USC’s cleats. But his observations about what happens in games and the program, and why it may be happening, are no less insightful than those of other USC writers, and are often more candid and more insightful.

      If Scott seems repetitive, such is sports writing, and especially blog writing. Check in twice a week, and you can skip some repetition.

  2. I think you know this, and…why answer a guy of of this kind, who apparently has O.D.D. or some kind of behavioral disorder, or, who knows, maybe a personality disorder? He would not stick around if everyone ignored him. His psychological want/need here is to provoke an angry response. As soon as everyone pretends that he doesn’t exist, he will look elsewhere to work out his pathology. Again, I’m sure you know this.

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