USC Morning Buzz: How Fast Was The No-Huddle Offense?

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USC ran a Pacific-12 Conference-record 105 plays but the offense was hardly lightning quick.

USC is tied for 35th this week in plays per minute, averaging 2.69. Six Pac-12 Conference teams ran plays fast last weekend with Oregon No. 2 in the nation at 3.33. Even Fresno State ran plays faster than the Trojans (3.29). Story here

107 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: How Fast Was The No-Huddle Offense?”

  1. Can someone explain to me how USC could run a conference record of 105 plays however 6 other conferene schools run plays faster?

    Seems if they ran more per minute then they would have accumulated more than the 105 record that USC set.

    Maybe someone can elighten me on the math of this. I must be missing something.

    • Wolfie needs us to fill up his glass, which is also why he caters to the Trolls who need this USC place. Their own place is crap, as usual. We Trojans provide most the facts, because of our huge interest and pride in our school, while Wolfie throws his line out into the water. His advantage is that the Trojans have such a huge fan base and massive participation, he can get by with his schlocky reporting because we actually answer the questions and correct his misinformation. It’s quite a gig if you can get it. It only works where you have a really passionate and huge fan base where an Outside USC guy actually attracts Inside USC info.

  3. In the first half the Trojans ran 3.32 plays per minute. That put’s them right there with Oregon. They obviously had the game in hand and ran a lot more in the second half.

    • This is the correct story. In second half and 4th quarter USC was trying to burn time trying to end game and not embarrass Fresno. Much like the 50-0 rout of the Bruins.

      • And that bad karma came back and landed Barkley face up on the Rose Bowl turf looking up into the eyes of his new master, Anthony Barr. Bruins in control now. What goes around comes around. Stanford 24-21.

      • Yes that may be so, but what was SUCC’s play per minute when they loss to the Bruins 35 -14 and two snapped ankles at the mausoleum. UCLA, the victor, got the bell and SUCC got tarred and feathered with humiliation. Sweet!

    • Holy cow. That is some good analysis. Do you want a job as our newest blogger?

      – Honorary Editor.

      • lol, hell no. The game just seemed faster to me so I thought I’d run the calculation for the first half. Over the whole game Wolf is right, but my point was that when the Trojans chose to run it fast it actually was fast.

    • Dubs Dubs has it right.

      Plus, I don’t think plays per minute is anything more than an internal assessment tool. Asked by an Eagles player mid-game “what the plan was,” Kelly got a little testy: “Score f_ _ _ _ n’ points. What’s your plan?”

      By the end of the first quarter, Fresno State was down three touchdowns–and demoralized. They knew that they could not handle USC’s talent running plays at that pace, and making relatively few errors.

      Scott: “Even Fresno State ran plays faster than the Trojans (3.29).”

      Play speed was a necessary, but insufficient condition for USC’s great success. It was the gestalt. It always is, with anything worth doing.

  4. You are just like most journalist, looking for the negative to report because it draws attention to your blog. Personally I thought for the first time out running this offense the team looked cohesive with very few issues with regard to all the moving pieces. Quite possibly after a few games and with live game experience they will be faster. You decide to report the negative. Oregon has run the speed up for 6 years, how about giving the Trojans a little time to acclimate? By the way did you make every practice this week for the entire time or show up casually late for the last 15 minutes as reported by many over the past few years?

          • Margarine, please explain how you know this to be true. Did you stalk the Wolfster with a stop watch in hand.?

          • wish I was the Margarine or Gin guy…. no need to stalk Wolf when others are there who note it and have for quite a few years.

      • that is his title at the Daily News. I do not mind criticism but his blatent obession to rip anything and everything takes away from what this truly is, a game played by kids.

        • I was being sarcastic, of course, but Wolfie is the epitome of yellow journalism……and you won’t find a more reviled sports writer in the country……

          • i know you were, just a shame that every word from his mouty/pen is negative. He brags about being on local radio shows, I doubt he does anythig for national shows. That said I continue to read his blog but a Hack he certainly is.

          • The last time he was on a national show, I believe it was ESPN, he got LIT UP when he tried to explain his ballot and justify one of lame contrarian picks when he voted in one the college football polls….it was hilarious…..plus, he has a face for radio…….

  5. Wolf you are total idiot. I believe YOU reported that it would not be fast like Oregon, but faster than it used to be. What a total waste. Even your blog sucks.

  6. Wolf, how big is your muffin top? It holds the record, yes, but I’d like to nitpick about something because I am by nature a pessimist. Your muffin top is the biggest by mass. However, other people have muffin tops that are bigger when measured by circumference. Therefore, your muffin top isn’t really as big as you would have people believe. In exchange for that key insight I just have one thing to say: you’re welcome.

  7. as Gomer Pyle said: “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!!”

    the wolfman was RIGHT AGAIN!!!!

    HAWR-HAWR!! wollfman you are so SLY!!! letting the Dummies cry and moan about your KEEN observation that the offense was not as speedy as advertised!! and then waiting a day to LOWER THE BOOM!!!

    Classic wolfman!! always 15-20 moves ahead of the Dummies!!

    #ChessGrandMaster

    • Excellent, in your earlier post you informed me that you have taken the first step which is to acknowledge you have a problem. Be patient with yourself. Initially dismissing the idea of treatment is normal. You may be unwilling or unable to make the drive or spend the time, however now that the seed of treatment has been planted and taken root you are on your way to dealing with your addiction to this blog. You may notice small behavior changes, such as a reduction of your offensiveness. Having another person take treatment with you could be beneficial to you. The UCLA owns Los Angeles person appears to be similarly addicted. I suggest you reach out to this person. There is no shame in seeking assistance for your addiction.

  10. In other news, new report confirms (again) what we’ve all known for years:

    The big USC vs. UCLA rivalry football game is a few months away, but we figured we’d ignite the trash talking now by drawing attention to a side-by-side comparison of the two powerhouse schools.

    According to Parchment, a company that compiles college choices, 59 percent of students picked to attend UCLA over USC in the 2012-13 academic year (via The New York Times). In other words, 61 percent chose to be a Bruin, and only 39 percent chose to be a Trojan.

    Oh, snap.

    • And maybe 59% of people surveyed are idiots and think ending a comment with “Oh, snap” is meaningful.

        • but, but, but…. SC’s a better school! But, but, but… anyone who has a choice chooses SC! LOL. More delusion in the face of FACTS at old Yesterday U!

          • If they can afford it they choose usc.

            But trolls gotta troll. You were funnier as gotroy

      • they weren’t “surveyed” – this is based on actual selections. That it’s even that close is ponderous though.

          • Stanford killed Cal in the same comparison, so yes, I’m assuming that applicants are self-selected and apply where they think they can go.

          • By the way, if you find some time to leave this crappy blog, I encourage you to look up SAT scores of incoming freshmen at Stanford, USC and your bestestest school ever.

    • Although I love my UCLA, perhaps this question was a bit misleading. Preference to attend a school and preference to graduate from a school can be quite different since one must factor in tuition costs.

          • linky linky, but you should try this new thing called google – it’s your friend.

            http://www.campuscircle (d0t) com/review.cfm?r=20372&h=Crosstown-Rivalry-Showdown-of-Students-Picked-to-Attend-UCLA-Over-USC

          • a different link to the same info, troll!

            http://www.parchment (d0t) com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Southern+California&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

          • 1. I’m on a USC website. I can’t be a troll, Troll.

            2. I’m not going to fact check your lame assertions for you.

            3. It isn’t actual choices! It’s a survey and not even a good one.

            “[T]he company was able to determine that if a student was admitted into two schools and picked one and not the other, then that student preferred that school.”

            The survey does not identify if the “students who applied to college” even applied to UCLA and/or USC.

            Keep grasping, Troll. You’re laughable. UCLA has been on the decline for years while USC keeps rising and rising in the the polls that count.

          • Classic. I’m not, you are, What are you 11?
            You lead a pathetic life that provides so little enjoyment you come to a rivals blog to troll. I know you’re not 11; that’s what makes you so sad. I’ve NEVER IN MY LIFE posted on a ruins blog. You assert everyone wants to attend your state university system public institution yet you spend your every minute trying to justify your decision to do so. You wish you were a Trojan. Now run along punk.

    • That doesn’t make any sense. Please supply a link so we can go to the source and unscramble the point you were trying to make.

    • 2 key points.
      1) 59% or 61%. You may have a math problem on your hands.
      2) What was the follow-up to “considering the cost of attendance, which school best fit your family’s financial situation.” Of course you are just trolling. BUT, the fact that USC is considerably more expensive than UCLA clearly played a role. Many of the students who applied to both could only attend USC if they had financial aid. If they didn’t get it, they defaulted to UCLA.
      But hey, trolls gotta troll.

      • And SUCCster’s got to lie and cheat. SUCC as a Private school can, as long as its accredited, admit any student it so wishes.

        UCLA has stringent University entrance requirements for incoming freshmen which can’t over looked or winked at like at SUCC.

        At UCLA, academics count, at SUCC, money counts; for instance, Arnie the Governator paid SUCC 20 million for a SUCC rubber-stamped honorary Professor’s degree.In SUCC parlance it called ” Take the money and run.”

      • Well, it was a cut and paste, so no worries on the math.

        And they did it for UCLA/Cal (Cal preferred), and Cal/Stanford (Stanford HIGHLY preferred). So, if Stanford is private and Cal’s public, what does that say about SC versus UCLA? Hmmmm.

        • If you are interested in an actual conversation and not trolling…

          Stanford is the gold standard on the west coast. It has an Ivy League reputation. No one compares and it is not even close. There is a reason the President’s daughter chose Stanford even over a Ivy schools. She got in everywhere. She chose Stanford (Chelsea Clinton). Anyone who is familiar with American higher Ed knowsStanford does not compete academically with the UCs or USC. It competes with the upper tier Ivy.

          I know a lot of students who got into both schools. They loved both campuses. USC is about four times as expensive as UCLA so a lot of the students who apply to USC are counting on financial aid. I don’t know, price being equal, which they choose. It likely varies on the programs offered and whether they like the considerably larger class sizes at UCLA. But if they don’t get aid, the decision is easy. 53K a year is simply prohibitive for a lot of families. I suspect that more than anything determines the gap. All things like price being equal, the number is likely right around 50% for each.

          • You have so much promise as an intelligent poster. Trolling is for low IQ posters like Suckee. Just stretch yourself and you can actually contribute to conversations rather than be a troll.

            I’m so disappointed in you. Ah well, it’s what I get for thinking a troll might contribute something worthwhile.

          • More RAH RAH Cool Aid drinking rationale….Every publication I’ve ever seen shows UCLA as the superior school when it comes to academics. $us is usually back in the pack of Pac 12 schools in ranking, behind Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and occasionally Washington. You are typically grouped with the Arizona Schools and the rest…..in the middle of the pack. If you’re gonna bring up the size of classrooms, you may as well also factor in the likelihood of getting SHOT on/near the $c campus as a consideration.
            fit Un U Stupid Clowns!

  12. The offense looked great, but I too didn’t think they were moving particularly quickly from play to play. I was a little surprised at the speed of this supposedly “up temp” offense. I was expecting to see something more like Oregon I guess..

    Not that it mattered… they looked great doing what they were doing.

  14. OMG – Wolf! Are you and CB THAT DUMB??? Look at the FIRST HALF, then realize the game was OVER.

    Here, how about this, since you like to cut and paste info, this is from a far more reputable source; “consider the fact that the Trojans averaged 66 plays per game in 2013. Saturday, they executed 64 plays in the first half alone. For good measure on the perspective front, Fresno State barely topped that first half total with 69 plays through four quarters.Sarkisian promised a run-first offense, and the numbers show that with 64 rushes to 41 pass attempts. Of course, numbers can be deceiving. The Trojans threw the ball nine times in the second half, compared to 33 rushes, most of which were intent on running the clock to close out the blow out”
    GET IT?
    Wow, you really are a putz.
    #USCWILLBEATTHEFARMBYTWOTDSTHENWHAT?

  15. Scott, do you think it would be appropriate to cite the source of these plays per minute stats? Neither your blog, nor the story you wrote and linked to cites an actual source for the stat. Or, did you just make it up, like you did Kessler and Bowman having staph infections?

    Also, assuming the PPM stats are from a reliable source, USC ranking 35th out of 120 college football teams is still fast-paced, is it not? Perhaps you could compare that to the PPM USC ran last season, which I would guess would be 60th to 70th.

    Context and citing sources is basic journalism. But I don’t think that’s your forte.

    • I just used stats on ESPN to calculate it. Trojans ran 105 plays and had 38:44 time of possession. 2.70 plays per minute

  16. Why would you have to run 105 plays against a lowly Fresno State, a team not good enough for the Pac12? It should have taken 3-5 plays, at most, per score! Delusion On!

    • Rea-Rea, how’s you daughter doing in school? I hope she’s stopped bullying her classmates.

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