USC Morning Buzz: What Is Going In Second Half Of Games?

Here’s my story on how USC coach Steve Sarkisian’s Crosstown Rivalry debut was a flop. I’m not sure I’ve seen a more listless performance for the Trojans in this game since 1986, when UCLA won, 45-25 at the Rose Bowl.

I’m still taken aback by how poorly USC came out in the second half. I don’t know whether getting the team emotionally prepared or the way USC seems to get outplayed in the second half is the bigger coaching concern.  It started back at Boston College and was totally apparent against Cal.

But the surrender in the second half at the Rose Bowl was unforgiveable.

 

52 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: What Is Going In Second Half Of Games?

  1. Hey wolf. Do an article on the remarks of “USC” fan snoop. I think he pretty much describes the situation perfectly.

  2. Just like we told you so……..
    Kessler is Mediocre….at best
    Your running back is not nearly as good as Perkins. Buck for heisman? You gotta be kidding.
    Your guys on the o-line are fat and slow.
    YOU HAVEN’T played anyone so far…prior to UCLA. Your wins came against weak teams and allowed you boneheads to put up impressive statistics. Statistics that were worth NOTHING!
    They don’t call him Seven win sark for Nothing!
    Roses are Red
    Violets are blue…
    You know the rest!
    Clowns from a clown school

    • Boston College gave FLA ST a pretty good game. We pretty much mirrored f ucla in how we played against the Pac 12 opponents. We should have beat the Scummies except for a incredible meltdown in the last 2 minutes. The Utah loss again was a series of mental mistakes in the last 2 minutes. So it gave us the illusion we could have been undefeated if a few bounces went our way against ASU and Utah and we completed the comeback against BC. It seemed like we were peaking at the right time with an impressive win over CO and a great first half against the Dirty Hippies, so it was easy to fall for the Fools Gold of Seven Win Sark.

    • USC Trojan Football – National Championships: (11)
      1928
      1931
      1932
      1939
      1962
      1967
      1972
      1974
      1978
      2003
      2004

      USC Trojan Heisman Trophie Winners: (7)

      USC Trojan Football -Weeks at #1 in AP poll: (33) – NCAA Record

      USC Trojan Football – Consecutive BCS bowl appearances: (7) – FBS (Division I-A) record

      USC Trojan Football – Consecutive BCS bowl Wins: 6

      *** UCLA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: (1) 1954 – Coaches Poll ***

      *** UCLA HEISMAN TROPHIES: (1)
      1967 – Gary Beban ***

      [PEOPLE] ON PLANET EARTH WHO CARE ABOUT UCLA FOOTBALL: (1)

      UCLA FANS WHO CAN COUNT: (0)

      • Yesterday U ……..actual Football Championships WON…….N-O-N-E
        Until you really win something, you are just a relevant as Football at Long Beach State.
        Clowns now, and forever!

      • Wasn’t the SUCC claimed 2004 paper FB championship vacated/fortified for cheating Ricky?

        Come Ricky, SUCC is notorious for anointing itself with bogus FB glory. Let’s face it, next year when SUCC faces mighty Idaho at the crumbling mausoleum, SUCC’s 88 – 0 victory will live forever in the lore of SUCC’s shallow FB tradition.

        Nurse Ratchet, shoot Mr Ricky with 11cc’s of self-confidence.

        • USC Trojans 2004 AP National Champions

          Kicked Oklahoma’s “Bμtt”, in “Real-Time” !

          Best BCS Championship Team to date !!

          Something only “Trojans” can do…

          It’s good to be KING !!!

          FightOn

          • Today is Nov. 23, 2014. Yesterday the Bruins scalped the SUCCster’s 38 – 20. What you say happened in 2004 is irrelevant to yesterday’s game.

  3. Wolfman you’re right on this one about being listless, lack of energy, no hunger and emotionless. Team energy is something you can’t teach. It’s inspired. Look at the SEC teams- they play every play as though their life was dependent on it. And yes team dynamics is probably the most important characteristic.

    How many coaches say do what we did in practice and we’ll win. In a game you have to go beyond that. ” Well coach we did what you said.” Players psyche themselves out when a great plan fails. And coaches over plan a team meaning we make it too complex. Let your athletes be athletes and trust their instincts. It’s just football how hard is that- pass, run, and tackle.

    Example the Raiders won their first game. How’s that game against KC different from the other 10. Energy and Emotion it was their Super Bowl

  4. Sark is officially defenseless after last night’s hapless performance. I actually feel sorry for the guy. It must be terrifying to not know what to do to fix a giant team problem – how to play hard for 60 minutes. Maybe Haden can give him counsel!

  5. Wow! It is aggressive, but who can argue against. Sark had a full season of warning signs. He has to get out of his shell that he is hiding in.

    • Interesting that the Sunshine Pumpers kept attacking Scott Wolf when he tried to warn us all season about Seven Win Sark. Today they, along with the King of Sunshine Pumpers, Pete Arbogast, are in hiding. No “How do you do” today on Trojan Brunch on 710AM.

  6. It was over at 24-14 late in the 2nd. The Trojans were unprepared and physically over matched on both sides of the ball. They looked worse than last year. Depth might be some of it but the offense was beat from the start. Sark gets one year to show improvement.

  7. Seemed game over when SC got stopped at ucla goal line. There is truly a coaching problem that cannot be fixed with personel we have on staff now. Wilcox really worth the buyout? Pendergast available?
    Sark should not be OC.

  8. Let’s not be so harsh my Trojan friends. Remember how you got to where you are today. For you who are not students of LA football, here’s how it went. BC (before Carroll) Southern Cal went through two coaches who didn’t win all of there games. Unhappy alumni increased pressure on their AD to win games and win them all. By the time Pete became coach, the alumni and AD were so hungry to win, that was their only priority. A program that has traditionally had little regard for the rules abandoned them almost entirely. I think they call it Lack of Institutional Control. Stay with me now. So Pete is given free reign to have his hairy way with the rules and wins. Then Pete is exposed, your AD is fired, Southern Cal sanctioned and a couple of years later you become UCLA’s pool toy. You don’t want that to happen again, do you? Sure, winning the right way is tough, but it works for UCLA, Give Sark a second chance.

    • UCLA’s biggest accomplishment in the last 20 years is winning the Sun Bowl twice. So it’s not really working out for them. Unless you count beating USC 4 times in 20 years a real honor.

      • Sandy,
        That’s true and if you prefer to look backwards it will help you deal with your disappointment today. SC football used to be good. Just keep clicking the heels of your Ruby Red Slippers together and keep saying “We used to be good”, We used to beat UCLA”

      • In the last 20 years it’s ucla 8, usc 10, with two games vacated for wrongdoing. Sounds like somebody jumped on the bandwagon in the early 2000s.

      • You’re semi-right Underpants, kicking SUCC FB into an LA storm drain isn’t that big of a UCLA accomplishment. SUCC FB just bends over and grabs their ankles and yearn for the pain.

    • Football is not anywhere near how PH threw the BB team under the locomotive. Retaining KO for two years put our program in the craper for at least 3-4 years. Having no S eniors…3 Juniors (with only one of them starting) and all the rest Sophs and Freshmen do not feed the bulldog.

  9. The Trojans again were out coached. That time out by Mora when USC scored the touchdown was perfect timing. so was the other time out. And the Play calling by Sark was terrible. 4th and 2 on the 2 and you run up the middle. Tell me UCLA wasn’t ready for that. As for energizing these guys, we had a coach last year that got these guys wanting to play a whole 60 minutes. We need a head coach that is not offensive minded. Or we need a coach the will coach and not call the plays. Shot bring back Norm Chow, Hawaii is probably going to end their football program. And bring back Coach O. He is ready to come back.

    • “We need a head coach that is not offensive minded.”

      Disagree…our coach is very offensive.

  10. At this point, a season in, the team has the character of the coaches. We saw that character in the 2d half last night and in the comments of Telfer. Shorter Telfer: “But UCLA is hard!” That’s what passes for senior leadership under Sark. That and running from the police, which now looks like a metaphor for our defensive adjustments.This is SC who will play anyone anywhere. Playing a great Alabama team at Alabama during segregation was hard. My jaw dropped watching in the 3d quarter watching a team that clearly didn’t have the heart or desire to play anymore. I went to my first game in 1960 and this is probably my least favorite team in that 54 years. Lots of talent, no character. I don’t remember a team quitting against UCLA before. The entire staff should have been fired along with Haden at the end of the 3d quarter. Those of us who actually watched Wasington play under Sark opposed the hire exactly because this is what we saw coming with him as coach. Character? Last years team, going through endless adversity and with lesser talent, sucked it up and won 10 games. Epitaph for Sark and this team, “UCLA is hard.”

  11. Congratulations to Coach Mora and the Bruin football team on their victory. As a USC alum and fan, what I consider most distressing is that the football team is not well served by this coaching staff. The players have not shown that they are prepared for sixty minutes of maximum play. The coaches’ game plans have been ineffective. USC’s second half adjustments have been futile. USC is not the place for a head coach to learn ”to coach better”. Wolf is correct, for the USC football players and the fans this game was a debacle. Now, the question is what actions will the the AD compel the coaching staff to take in order to help the team play better?

  12. Bleauz my man.. .I missed you after the game, how do we go about our pending transaction?? Ten Commandments is a stand up guy a man of his word I have nothing bad to say about him.. .

  13. I am saddened by the outcome,and no I am not going to get used to it…I don’t know if any player gave up,I hope not,but I admit I went to sleep in the second half,but I sorta’ have an excuse,we moved 10 yrs ago to Virginia so it was about 2230 hrs here,and that is my usual 10-11 time frame;I still believe SC will rise again;since 1951,my first attending games,I have seen SC go through tougher times than these…fight on…BTW…if all return that are eligible,and all heal that are on the mend…LOOK OUT…SC IS BACK…IN 2015.

    • you’re right that play was a game changer. Ucla was inspired and Usc was deflated- it was contagious for the rest of the team. bad voodoo.

  14. fellas they can salvage the season. ND is next. This is a major cross road for Sc. I hate to use this comparison in Los Angeles but we have to play our games like a gang fight. Loyal, dedicated, brotherhood, and with force. After all its for that Jeweled Club Stick.
    Hire the God Father Cajun -let me tell ya after hearing him speak I feel pretty violent and pumped

  15. j metaphor. YOU ARE DEAD WRONG concerning Pete Carroll’s tenure as USC’s Head Coach. Pete did not have to do the Oregon Duck, the Auburn, the Univ. of Florida to rise to the TOP and remain at the TOP OF the NCAA Football regime for an unprecedented 7 consecutive years. We Trojans will always look back in AMAZEMENT at the USC Trojan 7 year complete domination of all comers, esp. the SEC !! No, a player already enrolled at USC had parents living 100 miles away accept an offer by a Agent, not affiliated with USC, to think of him first after their son graduates. j m, this is far beyond Institutional Control. You sarcastically mentioned Pete’s “hairy way”. j m, what has truly gone down HAIRY is submitting your foolhardy accusations to thousands of informed people who do not have the time or desire to read CRAP !!! An apology is in order, Sir.

    • Previous posts by jm were so shallow and transparent, not to mention uninformed, that I put him in a category along with ‘Owns’, as someone who is not worth responding to, so I don’t. He obviously has not ever read the NCAA report, not that I blame him, as it takes over an hour to go through it, not to mention digest. Worst of all is that his bogus innuendos are not even being close to being sophomoric…translation, obviously not the sharpest Crayola in the box. Middle-schoolish at best.

      Completely concur with your response…even though the guy/gal is not worth the effort to even respond to.

      • LarDog, I can’t speak for Mr. Metaphor, but you exhibit the passive-aggressive attitude of Qualified Loser. You write these campy, ain’t I erudite threads that are subject to replies when posted.

        For instance, today you whined about MT, SUCC’s make do center, is forced into playing out of position, but you fail to suggest who should be snapping. So I ask you again LarDog, who should be snapping the SUCC football.

        SUCC’s loss was a team effort. UCLA was the stronger team and deserved to win. But you won’t respond because I don’t agree your whiny pseudo analysis. BFD.

  16. We are going to have to endure this crappy coach until either Pat Haden is replaced or the alum get tired of mediocrity . Because there is no way that Steve Sarkisian is National Championship type coach, he’s not even a top 10 coach in his own conference .

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