USC Morning Buzz: 10 Things To Fix To Beat California

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It’s time for this week’s column on 10 things USC needs to fix after last week’s game against Texas.

Excerpt: Fewer penalties, please: USC averages more than eight penalties per game. That ranks No. 105 in the nation. Do you think there will be fewer at Cal, where the offensive line will undoubtedly have a false start? It had several false starts against Texas at the Coliseum, which is almost inexcusable. Again, this is a coaching issue.

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93 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: 10 Things To Fix To Beat California”

  1. Reminds me of when my sister used to ask: Why do they keep running up the ball up the middle? Why don’t they run outside where there are fewer players?

    • Hey, that’s coming from the guy who was moaning about being sick of people talking about the SC-Teaxas Rose Bowl… during the SC-Texas week, but is still talking about it in the “Things to Fix” column… 11 years later.

    • Maybe a new DN Trojan sportswriter might be the trick.. Im up for a new and approved USC blogger..

    • Yep, this is a perfect example of why Wolf will never be Cowherd. A lack of attention to detail, or for that matter, proofreading. I am sure by the time he got to No.10, he forgot what kind of list he was writing, and just started venting about all the things that annoy him. And, I was at the Coli, walked right in when the gates opened. Anyone stuck in a mad rush right before kickoff has only themselves to blame.

  3. We will fix the penalties when the refs play both sides of the ball. Maybe it’s the color of the uniforms, after all they say red cars get more tickets, but the calls seem slanted in my opinion. Despite what Brutus Cortez says I am allowed to see what I see. In this case hands to the face needs to be called when it’s intentional and not just a ploy to move the ball for the opposite team. Pass interference is another call that seems to be used to help the other team and even though we do commit interference occasionally we get called way more often.
    Knowing that there will be a false start could be used to an advantage. have Sam bump into an opposing player to gain 20 or so yards on a roughness call.

    • Come on now, blaming the refs ? This has been on ongoing issue and it’s all about coaching

      • Not from my point of view. With the exception of false starts and obvious stupid penalties (like fighting etc.) the coaches have no control over the tilt of calls. If you don’t like the coaches go watch Mora
        When I see the other defense mugging our receiver without a call, or the obvious holding, that springs a pass, that goes on I can’t help but wonder why there is no call. Then like it or not USC gets called on incidental contact and I have even seen a grounding call when the receiver was tackled at the line of scrimmage and the quarterback was outside of the pocket throwing a timed route. There is an imbalance of calls.

    • If the slant is that we’re not being officiated properly well that’s probably true then again we get calls our way as well i.e. we got some calls our way against TX as well

    • When was the last time we weren’t in the ranked in the 3-digits regarding penalties?

      We have been an undisciplined, stupid penalty leader since at least Kiffin’s first season.

      • USC has always had a penalties problem. Be it arrogance or the refs having an anti USC agenda, it’s always been a problem no matter who the coach is.

    • Playing another Pac 12 team, I expect more penalties against USC. That seems to happen. The refs one sided against SC in the Stanford game. But the same crew was light on SC with Texas.

  4. If SC can’t blow Kal away, look out.

    Does Colorado beat UDUB ? Probably be cold and wet. Will ucla beat the Indians ? 0-2 for the Indians will end their season

    • Ucla will be embarrassed again by the nerds.. It will be fun watching you frauds and the frozen one lose on national tv…

    • Stanford’s season is already over as far as the national championship playoff. The ruin season ended last week in Memphis making this the Crummy Game of the Week.

      • One loss for Stanford doesn’t ruin their conference chances, they were never a national contender. ucla’s season was over before it started.

        Think Colorado gives the dogs a hard time

    • Perhaps this group doesn’t remember that the Clowns took the injuns to the brink last year, a much better injun team and a much weaker UClown team.

      2 TDs in the final 25 seconds, to be exact, to win by NINE.

      Sadly, it wasn’t Rosey throwing the pick-6…

      • Really good points (and, yes, I do remember). But, this time, Stanford (i.e, Shaw) knows it HAS to win —that makes them pretty fricking dangerous at home.

        • This would be one of the few times I’m rooting for the tree-people. I read an idiotic story (SI dot com?) about final scores this week with stats. They have Love gaining only 120 in that game (a Stanford win).

          120!!! LOL against THAT D!!!

          I think he’ll go for closer to 260 — Shaw would be a fool not to run him 30 times with the way Chryst is playing. Scarlett should get 20 carries for over 100 as well! Old School, Shaw, Old School!

          The clowns are missing a few guys; Joleen Phillips rolled an ankle and DT Odighizuwa will be suspended for the first half because of a target penalty last week. Their monstrous Bull, Nate Starks, is out and so is SoSo. One real RB is all they have this week!

          The guy WE missed in 2013 but don’t miss today? Eldridge Massington.
          Now in his 5th year, he’s a bust. Bad choice, dude. Now you’re Baby Blue and Yellow for the rest of your life.

  5. You’re kidding, right, Flow? #10? We’ll be playing in Bizerkeley. What do the gates to the Coli in LA have anything to do with what USC needs to fix in order to be Cal? In fact, what do the gates at the Coli have anything to do with the product the team puts on the field? C’mon, man. You’re really reaching here. Fishing to get Chaz Beefcake back for more comments? He’ll be gone until around the week of November 18th.

  6. “The past two games USC allowed a 3-yard touchdown pass to the same corner of the end zone. And the receiver was uncovered. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said a safety was the culprit both times. What play do you think Cal will run if it gets to the 3-yard line?”

    Who says they need to get to the 3 yard line? Both of those play could have score a TD from their own 3 yard line (with minor tweaking) the way we responded on D.

  7. “Only an extremely unlikely 56-yard reception from Ronald Jones got the touchdown back as the half ended.” So it was not the legend of Darnold. I remember seeing H. Dennis line up in a single back formation with Bush and White on the sidelines. That was when USC was voted AP Nation Champion after beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

  8. After constantly trashing Wilcox for the past several years…there is a very nervous blogger praying that Cal doesn’t pull the upset. Won’t be able to explain that one away.

    • After constantly trashing Wilcox for the past several years…there is a
      very nervous FAN BASE praying that Cal doesn’t pull the upset. Won’t be
      able to explain that one away.

  9. WTH is with people on this page always sinking to the very bottom of insult (calling someone a “bRuin”) whenever they don’t bandwagon YOUR idea?

    What is this, Facebook for 5-year-olds? (Yeah, kind of redundant…)

    I’ve been hit with that insult several times, by several people despite my handle and avatar, not to mention I have never posted anything but anti-UClown words and valid concerns about USC in hope that we wins championships at a rate that makes people forget the name Nick Saban.

    I am going to change my Avatar to show what I just wrote, in 3-foot letters, under my new hardwood floors: those 5 letters are also cut into the concrete of my driveway, marks all of my tools and is included in all of my passwords (or some variant). I have those 5 letter on my email address AND my freakin business cards, so don’t ever think I am a G.D.F. bRuin!

    How exactly did Cortez earn all the (seemingly) daily attacks? I have seen nothing; please inform me.

    Please ease up on the petty attacks on fellow Trojans.

    • Because many ie, chaz and owns come here with other aka blogger names and well you know the rest..Some bloggers are easy to figure out ..

    • Relax!….you got your panties all twisted.There is nothing wrong with good-natured banter. Cortez has earned his reputation.

  11. 1. Agreed
    2. Agreed
    3. Nope. Use timeouts when you need them. That way don’t have to do a 2 minute drill type drive.
    4. Agreed
    5. Maybe some false starts, but that’s it. Refs have an anti-USC agenda. Its obvious to anyone who watches the games.
    6. Agreed
    7. Be very greedy. If Greene catches the ball, this is a non-issue. But I guess Helton should have known Greene would volleyball the pass to the Texas defender…
    8. Agreed
    9. This is redundant. Same as 8…
    10. Really? This is just petty…

  12. Thanks to Scott, we’re probably assured of one Cal touchdown being scored on the OTHER side of the end zone.

  13. I so much agree on getting other receivers involved. I remember when Dwayne Jarrett was first taking over for Mike Williams. He dropped a few passes. But Chow had Leinart to keep throwing to him and he turned into a good receiver. if these young guys are good, they need to play. The injuries could be a blessing in disguise if it FINALLY gives some of these guys a chance to show what they can do. Let the injured players heal – we’ll need them for Wash St, and Notre Dame.

    • Agreed —-but you’re forgetting ONE thing, crpcpt. Kiffin made Jarrett HIS project —-calling him out in the locker room and in the press, saying he was brought to USC to win games, not drop the ball. Jarrett responded big time to the challenge. One of the assistants needs to do the same with Velus Jones —with a little push in the butt, he could be our difference maker.

      • Mitchell is hurt and Greene has been underperforming. Velus, Tyler and the others have to seize their opportunity when given a chance. And the coaches need to get on them to rise to the challenge. Great players meet the challenge like Jarrett did.

      • Yeah, but Williams was getting wide open when he was dropping passes. USC receivers this year are having more trouble getting open. But pass blocking has been bad so idk…

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