That’s the headline for my analysis on the victory over UCLA.
Excerpts: “All of this proves that any coach can win at USC simply by getting out of the way and letting the players play.
“The talent on that squad is simply amazing,” UCLA coach Jim Mora said.
“Dig deeper and another key reason for victory was limiting the influence of quarterback Cody Kessler. As much as Helton compliments Kessler, he seems to reduce his role. This is sane coaching because when the Trojans faced good teams the past two years, Kessler’s contributions veered toward negative.”
Which is it? Any coach can win or coach steps in and tailors game plan to run more and pass less? Because the second sounds nothing like the first and yet…
Quite honestly, Rosen and Wolf are both wrong, you guys were imposing your will and we were the ones along for the ride. Hopefully Mazzili gets a new job because I didn’t see many adjustments to counter what you were doing.
How does Scott Wolf have a job?
Some things you just cannot make sense of things.
I have to defend Scott. He is not perfect. Nobody is. But he brings a product here that we all come to see.
True —and for a guy that’s always walking the razor’s edge, he doesn’t land on the wrong side all that often (which, I guess, makes it all the more annoying when he does –because it looks like he’s doing it on purpose).
I commented during the game that both teams are very inconsistent . You never know which of the Trojan teams will show up. The one that played yesterday or the one that played against Oregon.
Kessler made some key plays for USC and performed like a leader. Very happy for him. USC had a good attack plan and I use the word attack pointedly because that’s what the Trojans finally did – and what many of us have been waiting for all along.
ucla got caught on its heels and couldn’t handle the USC playmakers. The real surprise to me was how USC’s OL and DL pushed the bruins into the dirt. Reminded me of the old Anthony Davis line – “We played like madmen.”
Yes. And playing as “madmen” as Davis said will be required to beat Stanford.
Not a Kessler issue. Pass protection is not a strength of the USC line. Would make any pocket passer look bad. We need to go head to head with Stanford. Take away the run.
Hang on Wolf. In an earlier thread you stated that USC did not play all that well. Now, you’re saying that USC played great, and with the talent they have anyone could coach this team. I swear, you’re like the Obama administration. If the truth doesn’t fit your narrative you’ll spin so that it does.
He’s just covering all of his bases.
I just received a text from Sally, she’s chartered a land yacht from a rock band for the trip to Santa Clara. I’ve decided to wear my game shoes from the Stanford game earlier this year. They are prefect with the outfit I have in mind. I saw Josh Rosen seek out Clay Helton after the game. I hear they became very well acquainted during the recruiting process. Classy move on the young man’s part. I see the nabobs (to borrow the term) are now projecting their UCLA game comments on the PAC 12 Championship Game. Some people are just too stupid to come in out of the rain. You can’t fix stupid. I see Charlie Bucket is heavily involved in the post game comments. This guy is no UCLA fan, he’s an empty holster that Wolf pays a dime per comment, if the comment includes Wolf’s name. When he doesn’t include Wolf’s name, Wolf pays him ten cents. Whenever Sally sees me texting, she asks me if I’m commenting on “that blog.” Heck, she’s the one who introduced me to it. Gotta get out of bed and get ready for church, just wanted to start the day on a positive note following a great game. See you up north. Fight On and Beat Stanford. P.S. I’m looking forward to the ride in the land yacht and another great Trojan Victory!
Well hopefully Wilcoxs got a clue, that a attacking defense is much better than a prevent defense. That a 4-3 defense is much better than a 3-4 defense
Scott, don’t kid yourself. If these teams were to play again tomorrow, the outcome may be different. They clearly weren’t expecting us to play man coverage. And even their players complained about the poor play calling.
This wasn’t an analysis. It was full of opinions, observations and speculation.
Those visiting this blog for awhile all understand Scottie’s knowledge of football is severely limited. Nothing wrong with that. Ryan Abraham gets by fine by bringing in football experts. But Scottie has turned to speculation and opinions in his reporting.
Your knowledge of football approaches zero as a limit. You also don’t know that blogs are where you bring up opinions and speculation. You really are quite a loser even after SC has a glorious victory. Why don’t you try being happy for once instead of trying to stick it to Scott Wolf?
Unless everyone is wrong and SW is right (he is not!) Kessler is not the problem. His role hasn’t been lessened due to his performance, it has been lessened to make the offense more balanced & not rely on him to make every big play. The defense is playing better for a variety of reasons–one being the time of possession by the offense limiting time the defense is. on the field ( oh yeah, a complaint of SW the last 2 years). SC is a flawed team, with a lot of talent and did not play a perfect game. But very few teams are without flaws and very few play a perfect game. Is SC elite?-no. Is Oregon better than SC?-yes But The players of SC have shown a great deal of resiliency and moxie–for that they deserve to have their performance fairly acknowledged.
And this is still a very young team so the future looks bright.
Happy for the kids.
Scottie, last night you said UCLA played poorly and not that USC played well… this morning you say USC should play this well every week – what will your view be tomorrow?
oh the Trojans won, look Helen is back…
It’s another day, look Trollin’ Fred is back.
Helen the frontrunner with the bad predictions is back. She still defends hiring Sark over Petersen. Quite a loon.
The Stanford game is gonna be TOUGH. We need to run the ball like crazy, but more importantly I think, our D-line and has to play its best game. This could be the game missing Cameron Smith hurts the most but I think USC will be up to the challenge. Trojans 38, Stanford 31.
Scott, can’t you just enjoy ONE victory?
I’m all gitty. A double dose of the Big Wang this morning. Mora’s interview on Wang’s blog is FUNNY. Boo Hoo. Thanks to my hubby
“All of this proves that any coach can win at USC simply by getting out of the way and letting the players play.”
The dumbest sentence in the history of sports journalism. Come on Wolf you can do better.
Tell that to Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, two of the biggest control freaks ever to dominate the game – always with lots of talent.
Scottie whines about USC coaching then when they do well – he claims players don’t need coaches.
Wolfian logic, baby.
Scott why don’t you just be THANKFUL (it’s that time of year, after all) that you are a TROJAN! Can you imagine being a bRuin fan, the perennial laughingstocks of the Pac-12? Do you realize ucla just lost for the 3rd year in a row when it controlled its own destiny to win the Pac 12 south (losing to ASU, Stanford and now USC)? It’s a GREAT TIME TO BE A TROJAN. Enjoy it, Scott!
If everyone is honest, neither team really beat ANYBODY this year. SC lost to ND, W, Ore and S. Ucla lost to WSU, ASU, S and USC. Yet Mora pops off like they’re Alabama. Sad to say, but UCLA football is really no better than ever. Name ONE signature win this year. Same for USC.
Absolutely right. In fact you can extend that to entire Pac12. I would say the only signature win for any Pac12 team was last night with Stanford over Notre Dame. This is aconference with a lot of good teams but no elite teams this year.
You say’un that our victory over the potato people was not signature? May I call your attention to the fact that it was the only game this season that Kess was not sacked?
Case in point: 10 Pac 12 teams are bowl eligible. IF Stanford beats SC, which will be tough with the Trojan’s momentum, they deserve to be in the playoff. Most competitive conference in FBS. Deserves to place a 2-loss team in the title race. Who’s playing better FB right now than the Cardinal?
Stanford going to need a lot to happen to get in. I still cant get over why they dont get dinged more for the Northwestern loss. Not because they lost but how bad they were in the loss. Throw the Oregon loss in there i just dont see how they get in.
Stanford, Notre Dame, and Oregon are very good teams. And Washington can play. This is a tough conference, and there’s been a lot of turmoil surrounding this team this year. I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished.
Agree. Really only one disappointment with the UW loss. But the domination of Utah and UCLA makes up for it.
You didn’t find losing to our rival Notre Dame disappointing?
ND is (was) ranked higher than Stanford and Oregon so it wasn’t unexpected. They played ND well given the Sark issues that week and for being on the road.
The Bucket has gone into hiding. He had a “good” run.
He’s just waiting for the heat to die down
Good “runs” since he has multiple faux accounts.
Good runs? The runs are never good.
Musta’ been from some bad chorizo consumed in celebration of one of their softball wins.
I hope some of Rosen’s post game comments are remembered by the defense next year. He’ll be a good one, but he has a lot to learn. The first lesson he should’ve learned by now is that he would’ve been better off walking on at Stanford than accepting a scholarship from Ucla. We and the NCAA did everything we could to put Ucla on top and it wasn’t enough. Back to the depths from which you came, Bruins. I told you a few seasons in the sun doesn’t mean climate change in Los Angeles. You are what you have been and always will be, ankle biters yapping at the heels of giants. The charade is over and you can stop trying on our clothes now because they never fit. You couldn’t follow our lead and what you need to do now is take notes as we show you how to win the conference and play in a Rose Bowl. The window has closed and your fingers got smashed. So passes the Mora era at Ucla. All the sound and fury was just a tempest in a Westwood teacup. It’s over little bear, back to hibernation for you.
Hey a bit ‘excessive’ but on a day after like this – sweet!
Per Rosen – read between the lines – he can’t believe they lost but he had no problem assuming they would against WA St. now did he? He’d best keep his ‘denials’ to himself – no one and I mean no one who saw that game yesterday had any doubt that he personally produced two touchdowns through his own lack of skill – foolish and yes, as stated, sour grapes comments are not forgotten.
Oh, Clay’s just letting off some pent up steam. I get it. Not losing any sleep over an exuberant fan’s celebration comments. As a longtime UCLA fan and alum, I’ll take victories as they come. Would much rather be here in ’15, with a new football facility on its way, the best coach the Bruins have had since Donahue, approximately 17 returning starters, and our best QB since Aikman. Bruins were picked to finish 5th in the conference back in late July by the P12 beat writers, while SC was picked to finish 1st. Am I happy about where we are? Absolutely not. Nothing but a P12 championship and play off shot will satisfy me. Good luck against the Cardinal. McCaffrey is a freak, and Hogan is channeling Andrew Luck right now.
North County – I know this sounds like a ‘homer’ but……it would seem USC has found it’s old legacy – running game – and Notre Dame out gained the Cardinal by almost a 3:1 ration last night. Granted the outcome wasn’t to the Irish liking (was to mine – year 27 since they won a NC) but this next game might be a lot closer and both squads understand the gain in TOP.
You are correct about TOP, and Helton gets that (40-20 yesterday). Mazzone is a big problem and needs to go. He just doesn’t get the fact that with Bradley’s bend-but-don’t-break D, you can’t run and gun your way to victory, especially with a true freshman QB. Obviously the pressure got to Rosen yesterday. When you have a great running attack (6.2 YPC vs SC), in the third and fourth quarters you put the game on the shoulders of your excellent junior running back, Paul Perkins, not your 18-year-old QB.
Mazzone came out of AZ St. There was a <2 minute video post-game with Bradley on the other insidesocal but he was very short answered on the results
Well see where this all settles out less than a week hence i.e. as to what school goes to what bowl – if USC loses I think they'll slide to 4th and were Stanford to lose they'll be @ 3rd
Rosen is a competitor. Every SC QB in the past three years said the same thing: “we beat ourselves.” Cocky? Absolutely. Makes me cringe a little, but he’s 18! He also said, “No offense to SC’s D,” after he played the worst game of his young career. Good luck against the Cardinal. SC will have to stop the run better than they did yesterday, giving up 6.2 YPC to the Bruins’ tailbacks. (Why did Mazzone stop running the ball?) Will be interesting to see how both teams do in the next two years: UCLA loses one offensive lineman, and hardly anyone on D. SC is SC, and with sanctions over, will be interesting to see who gets the keys to the Ferrari. But UCLA is in a much better and brighter place than they were 5 years ago, and I’ll take that.
Rosen’s comments weren’t the worst ever, but they are enough to have written a check his butt will have to cash next year. I may be guilty of a little hyperbole after the glow of a big win yesterday, but I truly believe Mora’s best days are behind him at Ucla. You guys were given a huge opening the last few years and that accounts for your program’s recent “success” in my mind. You’re not going to have a better opportunity than you’ve had for the last 10 years. However, the alarm clock just went off and it’s time to stop dreaming and get ready for school. Not only are we Pac 12 South Champions, but unlike ucla, we actually believe we can beat the team we play in the Pac 12 championship game and mean to do it. As to a comparison of the two programs, we’ll get another indication about relative program strength and trending after recruiting season ends. Turn out the lights, the party’s over and nobody came anyway. Two things that won’t be changing in the future are that you’re still ucla and WE ARE ‘SC. You’re old enough to know what that means.
For me, I bleed blue and gold and it means something you can’t understand, and vice versa. Love being a Bruin and an alum, and love the direction our program is headed in. Congrats on winning your first P12S title. The facts on the ground are that SC has been in a coaching shambles since 2010, when PC left–on top of being on sanctions, which were ridiculous and punitive. The Trojan football program has been out of the national spotlight for nearly a decade; no Pac-12 title since 2008. Can they climb back into it? Probably, because SC is a historical (but not current) football powerhouse. You still haven’t beaten anybody this year, though, and lost big chances to make a statement against Oregon and Stanford. Either did UCLA. Strap it on for Stanford. If UCLA can get 6.2 yards per rush, what will McCaffrey and Co do?
The losses against Oregon and Stanford are immaterial now. As far as making a statement, weren’t you listening yesterday? Maybe you’re right though… Maybe Mora will do even better once Usc is out of sanctions, small rosters and has a competent coaching staff with a permanent head coach. My money is on the opposite happening and if you think otherwise, I think you’re logic is bleeding blue and gold as well. You’re a nice guy and I’m going easy here, but I think you bruins are due some tough love. The run, such as it was, is over. In the back of your mind you realize that and quixotically you persist. Bravo EB, I applaud your gutty little spirit.
if I was a troll, I might engage. Because I’m not, I’ll just say, good luck against the Cardinal.
I think the trolls are done engaging for awhile. Thanks for the good luck wishes because we’ll need some good luck.
I actually trolled the bruin board. Ugh. My apologies.
Man you are right – over on insidela dot com ucla – no one posts there – they all come here instead
Mr.Wolf…Kessler rarely had good protection or a running game for play action passes vs the best teams…but vs regular opponents protection was adequate and run game semi successful.He is well above average q/b,not great, but very good. WHY? COACHING… the athletes have been there, this game vs a fine athletic well coached team is evidence…period…btw, anyone see Ore St, vs Oregon??? watch what happens when a great coach moves in, Oregon St is on the rise like Wash St, 2-3 years competing in the north.