USC Morning Buzz: Radio Rules When Performances Falter

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SARKISIAN.STANFORDThe sting of the Stanford loss switched from social media to radio Monday, where Steve Sarkisian made his pitch to the public. Sarkisian said on the USC weekly radio show he told the Trojans how Ohio State and Oregon lost early games last season but rebounded to make the national title game.

Where is Urban Meyer or for that matter, the Oregon coaching staff? Not in Los Angeles.

“We’ve got good schemes,” Sarkisian said. “We need to prepare our players better so they can go out and perform better.”

I heard from boosters, former players and regular fans Monday. And the common thread  was anger. The reality, however, is the campus usually provides sanctuary from this talk.

“If you walked into the McKay (Center) building right now, the sky isn’t falling in there,” Sarkisian said.

Meanwhile, here is my appearance on yesterday’s Petros and Money show. The interview begins around the 22:40 mark and is entertaining as ever!

109 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Radio Rules When Performances Falter”

    • Buckle up for a mixed bag (at best) this season. The denial from the coaches is really disappointing. We got our rear ends kicked after taking a 21-10 lead. Stanford had scored 27 points total prior to this game. They punted only twice. No turnovers. Giving up a TD at the end of the half and then another 10 pts when we really needed a stop after taking a 28-24 lead and then down 38-31. We have good players and this is not their fault. Poor preparation = poor results which comes from the coaching staff. Absolutely no capacity for in game management. Our TOP was hugely negative even when we were winning.

    • Stop it Rey… What if someone went to Air Cal and demanded that they fire you for late departures and not meeting expectations?

    • Haden has been a great Trojan and an even better athletic director. Both of his football and basketball hires were AAA. Sark has already won a bowl game and Andy has things going in the right direction. FIGHT ON!

      • I wish I’d had a boss like you when I collected W2s. You would be an employer to dream for.

        I’m fine with Haden. But if you can’t see Sark has been a failure, then you and Haden disagree. He’s not very happy with things and Sark’s current direction is anything but steady with Haden. As far as Enfield goes, he knows he has to win this year or be gone.

        • Let’s just say that I heard this from a very reliable source this morning. According to some very close to Haden, Saek is on strike 2 3/4.

          • Best news I’ve heard all day. I hate to see it come to this so early for the guy. But after the Stanford fiasco, I’m done with hoping for Sark to turn the corner.

            We got what we bargained for, a 7-8 win guy with no hope of winning the big games except by chance. Haden screwed up this hire radically and now knows to not go by his gut, but by the numbers.

            Live and learn. We’re due for the right guy – having gone through the Carroll Curse of Kiffin and Sark. No sense wasting any more time. If Stanford didn’t tell you all you needed to know, you need a job on Sark’s staff.

        • I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Nick is either a Bruin or an Irish troll. He has you all going pretty good. A fairly clever guy.

          • Duh. Guess you didn’t pick up on my sarcasm. In any case, I’m writing for the USC people, not the weird Trolls, who love this place like roaches in a woodpile. No sense even calling Trolls out anymore. They just get agitated and inflamed. Best just make them look stupid and play the straight guy.

            If you think Nick Jones is “clever” and somehow fooling anyone after calling USC’s football and hoops hires AAA, you need your head examined.

  3. The fan base here needs to relax and let Sark continue to build this program up from the ashes. Isn’t a good 7-8 wins enough for the program? This is not the old USC, where we can take any great football player with a pulse. We are now one of the best few academic schools in the land and all Trojans must adjust our expectations. We really need to appreciate what Sark and his staff has accomplished thus far. It seems like the unrealistic fans have forgotten that we won a bowl game last year. This staff really has done great things and I expect the same for many years to come. MORE FANS NEED TO SUPPORT OUR COACH. FIGHT ON!

    • Nick Jones,are you serious? USC will always get great local athletes,when we’re good we get more nationwide.The problems today are game day coaching{adjustments}and player development.Sark and staff have done very little with 4 and 5 star players.I think just about any could win 7-8 games with these players on atheletism alone.Your comment about winning a bowl game last year is beyond pathetic,any bowl short of the Rose is a down year. This staff has not done great things,they continue to get very little of the potential from players. How can we keep supporting a head coach who knows nothing about defensive football,even he clearly admitted that fact.NOTHING.The staffs defensive adjustments during the Stanford game were seemingly non existent.The very same thing occured numerous times last year.PATHETIC.

      • Well said. I was lambasted last year for bringing up these same points. I was told I was a troll for bringing out the truth regarding what I saw is major issues on the team. Sark’s nepotism in bringing over Weaklox was his biggest nail in the coffin- Washington didn’t want him as D coord ( which is ironic since Wilcox worked for Peterson at Boise) so you think he was worth anything other than being a friend of Sarks? Utterly ridiculous- easpecially when Penderghast had this D flying all around the ball. The O cant do it by itself, especially where the time of poss was 39 min 21. The pattern of ineptitude has been there all along, and while we don’t want to cause more unnecessary change- Wilcox- and maybe Sark, have to go, they are in over their head.

        I’ll leave you with this thought, when was the last time, since Sark took over, did we see a real defensive scheme adjustment at halftime- NEVER

    • I, for one, am 150% behind Steve Sarkisian.
      (note to Sark, plan to be the first one on that bus back from ASU and be sure to update your Uber App.)

    • There is nothing for Steve Sarkisian to build here in Trojan land, because all the pieces have been in place . Sarkisian is not at the University of Washington, where you can get away with mediocrity year after year, and he will regret leaving that cushy $3 million dollar a year situation, because his next stop as a head coach will be at a Mountain West conference school. I guarantee!

      • Every word true, Fred —-except for the guarantee of Mountain West employment. With all Sark’s baggage, I’m not that optimistic about his future.

      • no, no. Pete left the program in shambles, and sanctions almost killed SC. Sark needs AT LEAST 3-4, and more like 5-6 years to get things back to where they can be! #givesarkanextension

      • C’mon Fred. The clown is just trying to play you and others. He attempts to portray himself as being legit but is about as polished as 9th grade middle schooler. Surprised Helen was temporarly sucked in.
        Take heed, Zancudo knows all.
        At least Bucket and Thai are up front.
        #AdolescentsGarnerNoRespect

    • Yes, yes, yes. It’s not a big deal to lose games you’re favored to win. And it’s not embarrassing to go to minor bowls (and almost blow those games in the 4th quarter). What we need is MORE support for Sark. I mean, isn’t that what universities all across the country show underperforming coaches? Contract extensions? Raises?
      Sorry, Nick —“Fight On” is the wrong tag for your message —it should be “Hang On.”

    • Btw, is this a serious post or are you a closet UCLA fan? Adjust our expectations? Come on dude, go back to the Bruin site. While we support the school, we don’t have to support the man that is the coach- especially when we are seeing the same problems- no adjustments, stupid penalties, and a lack of toughness. And yet, we are hearing the same rhetoric about “we” having to do a better job of coaching to these things- REALLY Sark? You are damn right you have to do a better job- your time is running out if you don’t fix this!

  4. As much as I love human beings, there are a few areas of human expression that I don’t admire:
    Driving– well over 90% of drivers tailgate
    Football, Religion, Politics– Intolerance of a different opinion

    And so to all of you Sark haters, which seems to be in the 90-percentile (they’re probably all tailgaters to boot), Sark is here to stay, not only this year, but in all probability next year, and perhaps in 2017 (he does have a 4-year, $4.25 million per year contract).

    So get used to it, folks. And maybe a little more support might help the guy out. Ever heard of ‘sugar goes further than vinegar’?

    • JW, you left out all the people that roll through stop signs without stopping and the random u-turns in the middle of the street without warning. Then there are the pedestrians that walk across the street against the red lights. The city is a mess.

      And I support Sark 100%. Now, if I was a Trojan I might feel differently.

      • I used to feel the same about Toledo, aka Buffet Bob, Dorrell, aka Radio, and Neuheisel, aka Skippy. Ah, those were the days.

          • I met Bob Toledo. At the time, he was the most successful person who was overly paranoid and suspicious that I had ever encountered. I knew after our meeting he would end badly at ucla.

          • I only knew him a little. He was always friendly with my brother and me. We took two road trips on the plane, the first one to Texas for the 66-3 game. The other was with the team to The Farm for a win. He thought we were good luck charms. He was always friendly but don’t know anything about what he was as a coach or the paranoia. I know he spend time at SC as well, which is where I assume you met him.

          • I actually met him when he was the head coach at ucla – and doing fairly well. He knew I was an SC guy and he treated me as such – on guard. Silly, like I’m some spy. Very poor social skills and compared to other successful people I knew at the time, he was a poser who was insecure. I knew he would come crashing down.

          • Good old Bob. It’s 3rd and 1, and Mr Toledo calls a 80 yard trick pass play that fails.

    • I’m not sure I’ve heard of ‘sugar goes further than vinegar,’ but I think I know what you mean, J Dub.
      I try to abide by the ‘four second rule’ of space when I’m driving on the freeway so as not to get too close to other cars in case of a sudden accident, but it’s haaard!

      *CatchMoreFlies*

    • I know tailgating at the coliseum sucks but why such venom for tailgators? You are welcome to come over to the Rose Bowl for tailgating! You could witness a home team play with heart and win a game to boot!!

      • Been there, done that. Unfortunately, the trek after parking on the golf course to the RB is more like a Bataan Death March.

        • Hang out with Bruin donors. The parking is much better, the walk is much shorter and you get out of the area much quicker.

          • You can’t be talking about night games Trying to find your car – no lights anywhere – a mess trying to get onto the SR 134 or I-210. May be a safer place but it is no way an easier place to exit.

          • We park in the paved lots which are lighted. Parked on the course a couple of times. Not fun.

          • amen – can’t blame City of Pasadena for not installing lights – too many would never leave when the games end.

        • It is literally a walk in the park… Then again I don’t know where they put the southern cal honks on the golf course… 15 minute walk on the golf course beats a 2 minute walk on MLK and Figueroa!

    • Fan support isn’t what Sark needs, and if you think that’s the cure for his woes, you’re misguided.

      Sark obviously needs a better staff, a better plan, better leadership skills and more inferior opponents. We all know we’re stuck with him but we don’t have to pretend he’s doing a good job like you do. That’s your job.

      • You’re a little too tough on my pals, Jack —but, damn, you’re 100% right on this one (except for the “more inferior opponents” part).

      • when the ParaBeagle says “tailgaters” does he mean the people who party before the game?? i got nothing against tailgaters!!!

        PAR-TAY!!!!

        YEAAAAAAH, BAY-BEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

      • hey Thai, just when you thought is was only SEXUAL ASSAULT you had to worry about at Clown U….more RACISM raises its ugly head:

        from LAT 9-22-15
        USC Student President Says Frat Member Shouted Racial Eepithet, Threw Drink At Her:

        “The president of USC’s undergraduate student government – who was born in India — reports that a fraternity member called her a racial epithet, cursed her and hurled a drink at her through a window last weekend.

        Sampath, who was elected this year as the first woman student body president at USC since 2006, wrote that she and friends were walking past a fraternity house when a student screamed at her “You Indian piece of s–t,” and threw his drink at her.”

        so i guess the blatant racism of trOXans is not limited to the anti-antisemitism witnessed on this blog.

        #SonsOfCromwellLive

    • I believe that the phrase is ‘You can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.
      Speaking of flies…I believe that it was Bucket who said, “En boca cerrada, no entran las moscas.
      Take heed amigo.

        • Actually I discussed the game on several other sites. As far as a serious discussion is concerned, a Wolfian thread, given the majority of participants in play, would be counter-productive. Other than Fred, Helen, Guarino, Encinatas, Miller, SCgrad12 or Probation, most any other conversation would be an exercise in masochism, terminating in futility. There are several SC sites out there that have much to offer…Unfortunately, other than comic relief…this ain’t one of them.

  5. Steve Sarkisian should try to master the art of coaching football like he has at making excuses, and searching for positives in a negative situation .

    • Great suggestion, Fred —-but Sark (as you know) will NEVER be as good at coaching as he is at b.s. B.S. is his real specialty —always has been, always will be. The real question is –will it buy him a couple more years at USC?

    • I have previously made that comparison. The question is, will SC put up with Sark as long as UCLA put up with Lavin? My brain tells me no. My heart hopes for yes.

        • The next coach will inherit Sark’s recruits, sas….and, if he does something with them, he’ll bring in lots more. Conversely, if we stick with Sark, our recruiting is going to take a big hit.

          • I agree. A bad loss Saturday and Sark’s gone. Check out my first comment about a new coach. I’d like to here who you think could be our next guy.

          • Don’t worry about ASU. We could lose but probably won’t. It’s ND and ucla that will inflict the major damage, even though ND has numerous starters out. USC is healthy as can be. Little good it does us. We can’t tackle and both our OL and DL look like they’re playing patty cake, except Tuerk, who has suddenly lost his discipline and is costing the team in penalty yardage. What a mess. Things sure look a lot different for USC than they did a month ago.

          • Chad Wheeler, and Max Tuerk are overrated. I’ve thought that since last season. And Banner is still iffy. That’s why Chuma Edoga was getting lots of playing time.

          • I’ve also been told there’s out and out friction on the OL between some of the guys. Not just lack of chemistry, but ill will.

          • I’ve heard something along those lines. And as likable as he may be. I’ve heard Zack Banners name come up a few times.

          • Ditto. Banner isn’t liked and isn’t that good either. Never has been. Classic 4-5 star guy who was hugely over-rated. And I mean hugely.

          • Banner and Townsend – Two sons of NFL players who came here with a ton of hype and have done nothing.

        • supposedly….Goat Boy was also GREAT recruiter….don’t get easily confused….neither one is a great recruiter…..and neither one is head coaching material….however….many of us hope Phaden and Cutty stick around for a while. You’re gonna be pretty pi$$ed come signing day…..

    • For Sark to Sit there and Blatantly believe in the Defensive Scheme PROVES HE WILL FAIL!
      You can prepare the players all you want, but a PASSIVE DEFENSE will never succeed!

      • We only blitzed from one side and from one guy against Stanford. And that was Sua Cravens. Yet Wilcox blitzed Cam Smith, Porter Gustin and even Iman Marshall the first two games. Wilcox blew that game. If you can’t stop the run bring another guy closer to the box.

        • There were SO MANY 3 Downs where the SC Defense was so far back playing passively giving Hogan all day to throw.
          There was one delayed Blitz with MLB Sarao for a Sack, which injured Hogan, and we never saw that blitz package again..

      • After watching the replay, I agree with your point. Sark has more time for on-field analyzation of issues since he gave up his offensive coordinator position, so the defensive plan/revisions were painfull and ineffective to say the least. He needs to make some major defensive changes, including coaching, if we are going to have a successful year.

    • I was just saying that the other day! Sark is usc’s Steve Lavin! A coach, who the players love, but gets out- coached in nearly every game, that is sark, and Lavin.

  8. Sarkisian’s response is like a tape recorder. It is always we need to get better, we need to prepare the players better, we-we-we. No Steve Sarkisian, you need to take control of the mediocrity you created and in who you hired (namely the DC), on who is responsible for the players prepared for the next game (are we seeing any team improvement?) and how you yourself can stop, as a headcoach, in securing 8 & 5 records which might be OK for other programs but you will get fired having those records here!

    • Steve Sarkisian’s desire to be a offensive guru is going to cost him his job, because people with his weak personality, and lack of leadership skills, need to hire two strong coordinators , which is something he his too insecure to do.

      • Wilcox actually lost that game. IMO. And Chris Wilson is horrible, his Georgia lines were also known for having talent and not playing to it potential.

        • Funny you mentioned Chris Wilson, because he was Steve Sarkisian’s third choice , like most of the coaching staff he hired, and he actually turned Sarkisian down also, but the Athletic department decided to over pay him, to get him to move his family across country. True Story! But those are the little things that aren’t common knowledge to the public.

          • A 3-4 defense has to have a dominant DE. Not saying Leonard Williams dominant, but a consistent rush end guy. Wilcox has to finally see that we don’t have that after two cupcakes and the Stanford loss. He has to be creative with our LBs because it looks like Noah Jefferson will be playing a lot now and our DLine is gonna be in learning mode for a while. Blitz Biggie for crying out loud.

          • It’s not that easy when you have Justin Wilcox calling the defense, and because he’s not that savy, he has to rely on his players talent, and not his schemes. So he better hope his players come through in the next 5 games, because those coaches will can out coach Wilcox and Sarkisian with their eyes closed.

          • Wilcox had plenty of chances to make adjustments or take chances and didn’t do a thing. It amazes me how Sark has that much confidence in him when the defense is giving up 6 yards a carry.

        • So true about Wilson! And you are the first person to bother pointing this out, sas. We have weak position coaches on BOTH sides of the line. And that is a BIG problem— and one that, unfortunately, can’t be fixed mid season—whether we fire Sark’s butt or not. I don’t know where we go from October to December —I guess it’s win some, lose some.

      • Here’s our problem, Fred —- many of us, make that most of us, in fact, make that almost all of us —can see Sark lacks toughness and character. That makes him the wrong guy to imbue toughness and character. Where we REALLY get into trouble is that it makes him the wrong guy to pick coordinators too.
        Who in their right mind would hang on to Wilcox after last year? Wilcox gets nervous answering Scottie’s questions. Can you begin to imagine the state he gets in when the Trojans fall behind late in the 4th quarter?

  9. -NEXT USC FOOTBALL COACH?-

    Please leave a name or two. I’m sure we’d all like to hear some names from all of you on who could possibly take over…..if Sark loses Saturday it could be his last game as coach.

    1. Jack Del Rio (just pay him and get him here already)

    2. Ken Norton or Kris Richard (they’re unproven, but very bright defensive guys who know USC)

    • I think you’re showing more character than Sark has, sas, by not jumping on the “sack Sark soon” bandwagon that the rest of us are on. I only wish he deserved your loyalty. As far as who comes next, I don’t really have any idea who is actually available to us —so I don’t want to sound like the guys who are saying ‘get Gruden!’ Speaking generally, I hope we aren’t afraid to get a guy who’s known for pushing people beyond their capacities, being pretty much un-supervisable by Athletic Directors, and even being a bit of a bad boy (i.e., the Mora or Harbaugh type).

      • I apologize. Believe me. I don’t want Sark to get fired. I want him to win. I don’t want to go through another road of a new coach and staff. But all signs are pointing that way. Now it’s not too late to win and play good football, but time is running out for Sark.

    • Let’s swing for the fences…Nick Saban…Les Miles…Gary Patterson…John Gruden. The Saban thing could be in play in a year. I think he’s had enough of Alabama. He may take a year off and work for ESPN, then get back in the game. I don’t know if Haden has the stones to make the phone calls necessary to get the ball rolling.

      • Come on 12, Jon Gruden? – Why would Gruden quit MNF for the thankless grind of KU FB.

        KU FB is a basket case. If CC winds up fired, KU will be employing its 6th HC in 3 years. Who, in his right mind, would apply for the KU vacancy

    • Jack Del Rio is a Pro Coach, and dealing with 18 year old recruit egos and the CFB recruiting merry-go-round isn’t what Del Rio is about. Never going to happen.

      Patterson is a good FB coach. Before Mora was hired I had hoped UCLA might land him. He signed a recent big buck extension, and TCU would match anything KU could offer.

      I also don’t think Patterson is a So. CA type guy. If Patterson moves on, it will be to the NFL.

        • Not sure Norton is HC material. That’s just my opinion.

          Little Petey chose another Seahawk coach for his DC over Norton, so KN moved on to Oakland with Del Rio.

          • That DC that Pete hired could very well be a candidate also. Kris Richard. Coached the Seahawks “Legion of Doom” or whatever they’re called. But also a former Trojan CB.

  10. Let’s assume USC walked into the Coliseum this coming 28th Nov. against UCLA with a 11-0 record and lost! The hysteria would be even louder for hanging Sarkisian.

    Live with it – Haden is NOT going to sack Sark – if he did no one is going to want to coach here – the school will morph into what it was in the 1950’s – a has been – living on its’ past and worst wading through another Tollner-Smith-Robinson II.

    Stanford did one thing of gain for Troy – woke the team up – better to realize the lack of coaching/effort in game 3 then encounter it in game 6, 11 & 12.

  11. In all seriousness, usc’s struggles are not sarksian’s fault really. His problem is he just isn’t that bright, and has gotten many jobs he didn’t deserve, because of his close ties to Pete Carroll. The person to fault for usc’s woes is the person who hired sarkisian. I remember when this hiring process, was going down so many usc alums were saying “please don’t hire Steve Sarkisian.” Well pat haden did, because he thinks he is smarter than everyone else, and look what has transpired. In my opinion, all the venom should be directed at Haden, and Not Sarkisian.

  12. Speaking of petros and money, when are they going to let money go? The guy is so annoying, and he kisses Petros’ behind way too much. I have never heard money once challenge Petros on anything. He always agrees with him, and makes him look so stupid.

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