Discuss The Game

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Uchenna Nwosu, Ross Bowers

I think USC was fortunate to play Cal today. The defense was on its heels the first half, unable to play with confidence or physically. The offensive line didn’t look great the whole game. And there are still receiver questions. USC better play better at Washington State.

159 thoughts on “Discuss The Game”

  1. USC is definitely not who I thought they were, but nevertheless, I hope they keep finding ways to win . They are still weak on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and continue to make opponents look better then they actually are .

    • This masquerade can’t go on much longer. They are not a “complete” team, and they lack chemistry and top-rate coaching. The latter is, as always, the Trojans’ achilles heel. Will we ever again see a brilliant HC at SC??

      • A great guy doesn’t automatically translate into a brilliant coach, and I think we have to accept the truth that Helton is no Carroll. Will the extraordinary QB somehow bail us out the rest of the season? I hope so.

        • You’re right, RT, Helton is no Carroll —but he’s still a very solid Pac 12 coach. And he’s beaten some first rate coaches along the way. Let’s see how he does against Leach on Friday after a short week to prepare.

          • We can’t judge CH just on one game. He’s pretty much already shown his cards. Big-time players’ coach. Not a great coach, but good. Needs better playcalling but is satisfied and apparently feels Tee Martin is such as good recruiter, he will settle. Has not shown he can get teams up consistently but keeps his team mentally in all games and makes decent adjustments. Wish he would put more pressure on some underachieving players. Super likeable, but not remotely close to a killer like McKay and Carroll. Without Darnold, we’re an 8-win team. Happy to see this team winning, but OL is super average and the DBs like to give up very important 3rd and 4th downs.

          • Yeah, what is IT with the confusion in our secondary? They get turned around, they fall down without being touched. It would be comical if I weren’t a Trojan fan.
            #SpotOnAnalysisOfHelton

          • Marshall would probably be more natural at safety. Jack will be OK with time.

            Plus, Clancy’s system demands QB pressure. When that doesn’t happen, it’s bad news.

          • Regarding your second point, Ben —hopefully we get Porter Gustin back soon [i.e.,for Washington State]. Nwoso and Gustin can really mess with a backfield [making things a lot easier on our defensive backs].

          • Agree. The starters on D, when healthy, are a strong unit. Probably even true for the starters on the OL, when healthy, despite playing guys out of natural position.

            Two very physical games, and many were physically tired, if not hurt. The away WSU game on a short week is a real challenge. It should ease up some after this, if they win this one.

          • 8 wins without Darnold? Aren’t you being a little too generous there, Jack? Can you imagine this team with guys like Max Browne? Where would they be with even Josh Rosen? To be real honest, the rest of this team isn’t any better than at the end of last season, and they could easily be something like 1-3 with an “ordinary” QB at this point. I’m just being brutally honest here.

          • Ya, you’re probably right. I was figuring SC would be a PO team before the season and win 12 min. A drop to 8 is pretty severe and 6 is certainly possible.

            But we won ugly against the Bears and Darnold didn’t give is the edge today IMO. We won because of horrible throwing and turnovers by CAL. They literally threw that game away to us.

            STAN is shoveling it to ucla and starting to look pretty good. I think we need a new play caller and some better DBs, regardless of who our QB is.

            Frankly, USC looks like a mess to me and I can’t believe we are 4-0. But I love it and there’s something about this team that intimidates others but seems to bend a lot. We really miss Adoree and JuJu. I never understood how our lack of a deep threat could hurt so much until now. It has really stunted us and adversely affected Darnold.

          • Very accurate analysis! However, my guess is Darnold’s accuracy and his chemistry with receivers should improve barring another major injuries in offense. The possible long term loss of Mitchell would be large. I think the important factors will be the consistent performance of the OL, reducing blown coverage by the secondary, and much improved play-calling, which could prove to be too much to be addressed in the remainder of the season. Let’s hope for some miracle-like and quick fixes, or we’re bound to have some bitter disappointments taking place soon.

          • BTW, I’m thoroughly enjoying watching UCLA defense being exceedingly generous tonight against the Tree by giving up 51 points so far.

          • This Team is the Cardiac Kids circa 2017.
            We will win most of our games–we might win all of the regular season games with luck and improvement. But they will never be easy wins, and it will be stressful to be a Trojan fan this season!

          • Jack, it’s a shame to have Sam D a year or two ahead of sufficient experienced depth. But it is what it is.

          • Just glad we have him. He literally saved USC football. Imagine if we had been playing with Browne all this time. OMG!

      • You handle is racist and is offending me. I need a safe place. Quick where is my comfort animal?

    • Fred I agree with you. We need big time improvement on both sides of the line. In my opinion I think the DLine could end up being really solid and they’ll be good, but i don’t like the pass protection and run blocking particularly from the OT’s. The whole line is overrated but I’m disappointed with the OT play. We better figure something out fast before our hopes of Championship end or worse (god forbid) Sam goes down.

      Lots of work to do but we won and that’s all that matters for now.

      ✌

  3. Relieved again about the win, but we’ve got a lot to clean up and improve on! The defense played well enough to give the offense a chance in the 4th quarter. Is Darnold trying to do too much? But he has shown that he’s still a winner when it counts! Fight on!

  4. Hope Rojo and Porter Gustin and Mitchell are ALL back. And, by the way, I hope Jack Jones doesn’t think he’s arrived yet —Luke Falk won’t be throwing up air balls on Friday. We have what it takes to beat Washington State but we need everybody to show up and play with blood in their eyes.

    • Jones has not become a good DB. He is just average at best. Carr worked his rear off, when he had a hole he got good yardage. When he had a hole.

  5. We didn’t match Cal’s energy or desire. I’m not sure what is going on with the O-line and why they aren’t run OR pass blocking well. Cal seemed like they were playing with 12 men on defense all game. How many turnovers do we need to actually blow someone out? For all the hype, Sam is in a sophomore slump and he was lucky to get away with just one pick. We better figure things out quick.

    • I don’t like to knock the guy who pretty much single handedly brought us back last year —but—-Sam has been told all summer that he’s God’s gift to the world. That’s heady stuff for a kid —-even one as level headed and talented as Sam. He’s frequently playing this year like someone who’s putting in his time before he goes pro. The problem? All the NFL dreams can go south real quick if this season falls apart. We still have away games with very tricky Washington State and Nortre Dame teams —not to mention a very good Washington team (should we get that far). Sam has to be at his best—for himself and for us.

  6. My first thoughts are the DB’s were a glaring weakness, the adjustments to misdirection in the run game came way to late, Sam is reading to much about himself and reflecting the pressure, D line has great hope, linebackers some of the best. O line seems lost in a fog. Tee needs a lot of help on play calling. USC has zero returners.This team needs to have a meeting and decide if they want to be great or is pretty good going to be enough. They know how to win, but just barely. Hat is off to Cal, played their game of the year today. They stepped it way up. If this team wants to play smash mouth football they need to realize they don’t have the manpower. This is a finesse team.

    • Sam said all summer that he wasn’t gonna let all the fanfare get to him —but it has a little bit. It would be impossible for it not to. Hope he stops thinking about which NFL team will ‘win’ him next year. Things can go south real fast when your priorities get even the slightest bit off.

      • Obviously, it’s not the easiest thing for him to empty his mind about all the prizes waiting for him, but in order to perform to his true capabilities he shouldn’t think too much about his destinations because it’ll hurt his performances on the field.

        • Yeah, you’re exactly right (and that is exactly what’s happening right now —-I wish he could just say “screw it, I’m gonna have fun and play within myself the rest of the way and let the chips fall where they may” and stop playing like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders).

    • I agree. The DB play is really, really bad. They cannot play man coverage to save their lives. That’s a technique/ coaching issue. Thanks to the front seven they were able to pressure the QB to throw up a couple of balls.

      Our O-Line needs to meet and figure out what they want to be. With the exception of #60, they are playing flat footed and soft. Toa should be moved to left guard and I would put in one of the talented freshman OT to take his place.

      Lastly, Tee needs to a much better job with game planning. Sorry to sound negative. It’s just frustrating to see all this talent play this way. I hope Helton and crew can figure it out. Fight On!

  7. You won’t go far in the playoffs unless you can run the Ball consistently, while controlling the line of scrimmage, and USC has not proved they can do that, except on a weak Stanford team, that eventually lost to San Diego State, too

    • This team does not have the smash mouth line you want, and it needs a 230 pound back. Cal showed how that works.

      • The O-line is too small to be smash mouth. The only one with exceptional size is Chris Brown and Talamavaio. Both tackles are finesse tackles with Toa coming off of an ACL tear and playing with both ACLs having been torn and surgically repaired. Finesse team. You have to accept what they are.

    • We aren’t doing anything consistently except tip-toeing the line of defeat and grabbing the desperate win.

  8. Is Darnold trying to do much this season? I think he should play with the same mentality as last season, and he’ll be more than alright. We know that he did pretty well last season, right? Thankfully, he has shown again that he can deliver when it counts. He’s still a winner!

    • All the heisman and nfl draft talk I think has put to much pressure on him. He needs to say screw it and just go out and play.

      • Exactly. He should just let it all hang out like last year when he wasn’t thinking too much about those things.

      • The pressure of being a preseason pick to be playoff team is the problem. The whole team is tight.

    • The offensive line can’t open lanes for the running backs, so opposing defenses sit back and wait for Darnold to throw

        • Agree. There are key injuries, and opponents understand Sam’s game better. Or…is he hurt…?

          It’s not rocket science. He needs more consistent footwork, a quickly-set throwing platform, more rollouts & bootlegs to both sides, designed runs, and more situation football awareness.

          It can’t always be improv and sandlot football. Hero ball has its place, but isn’t always the smartest choice.

      • That’s been the issue since the Texas game last week. Will this repeat for the rest of the season? I sure hope not!

      • Darnold could care less about that, he needs an OL to open holes for a running game. Who is Gomer OL coach, some high school flunkie ?

        • That would be Neil Callaway. He’s solid. Last year, the o-line got better as the season progressed —-this year, not so much. But we got two thirds of the season to go. [I’ll jump on your bandwagon if the o-line plays like this against Washington State, though]……..

    • Should have never monkeyed with throwing motion. Off season was disservice to Sam. When he scrambling he throws better.

      • Yes, I’m actually concerned about it, too. I don’t think his accuracy in long throws is where it was last season. He better get back to his old form no matter what those “experts” bark at him.

        • I’m sure Sam is thinking the same thing, RT. Adjusting back is going to cause trouble, too. He’s kinda in Limbo for the rest of this season. (Moral of story —if you’re a great college quarterback don’t start worrying about the pros til you ARE a pro).

    • If you take out the tipped balls, pretty much every one of Darnold’s picks this year have come when he has tried to force the ball into a nearly impossible window. The problem is that he can hit those passes in the clutch, so it is a tough call where you draw the line in coaching that out of him. Also, he relies on Barnett, who isn’t exactly a 50/50 ball specialist.

      On the plus side, SC has matched UCLA’s 2016 win total and the Bruins don’t start classes until Monday.

  9. Kal beat themselves today. If Gomer and his staff don’t wake up it might get ugly in Pullman, Leach is a scumbag but he can coach

  10. Ecstatic that they won. You could see this coming- I, with a lot of luck, predicted a 31 -21 victory. It isn’t a question of talent or having to impress every week. Just win. I think that the staff is pacing the team and not trying to burn out or peak. When you consider the lack of experienced, though talented, depth on D, a so-so Oline, new receivers, and a good, but not great, secondary, I think that it is not a bad strategy. Win each week by any means necessary, avoid an upset, but not get up too high emotionally; the letdown always follows an emotional high. Steady, steady, steady, win, win, win.

  11. I admit, I took a sip of the kool aid after the Stanfurd game. The Texas game sobered me up pretty quick though.

  12. No Rojo, no Mitchell, but Vaughns played fairly well and Pittman finally got his feet wet this season. The play calling will get better, and Clancy called a mostly vanilla game. They won and that is the main thing that counts.

  13. Slapstick comedy got nothin’ on USC. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result, then running up the middle on fourth and short is proof that Tee Martin and Clay Helton are insane.

    • Glad they won, but running up the middle and without a big fullback. Silly. Being a finesse team at times isn’t bad.

    • I honestly believe the coaching staff will be exposed this season for the lackeys they really are. They have been getting away with their mediocrity for too long.

  14. It’s not the NFL. These are 19-21 y.o. college kids. Anything can – and does – happen in CFB. So, no surprise here, but I was disappointed that the game was such a mess, from a SC standpoint. Aside from the negative impact of star players sidelined, the play calling was horrible, and the team was rattled by the bears on both sides of the ball. Without the turn overs, Cal wins this game. They showed more determination than SC, and oddly, more confidence.

    WSU has played no one so far…even Boise State, an also-ran this year. So what can we tell about them? Enough to fear this next game if SC can’t figure out a way to get their act together.

  15. We have a nice little team but nothing top 5 IMO. Sooner or later the crash will come. OL looks pretty bad still.

    13 straight has been very nice. 14 isn’t looking so promising anymore.

    • I hope that they have a season like Clemson did last year; they seemed to squeak by each week and peaked for the playoffs.

      • Hope so. It’s hard to see SC having an O-line and D-line that could hang with Alabama like Clemson’s did though.

        • Not if they play like they have the last two weeks. Bama and Clemson are in a different league. It would take super play calling and some luck to keep it competitive.

  16. I said last week that I trust 6 players. Only 3 of them played well today: Uchenna, Cam and Deontay. Gustin DNP. Darnold and Budrovich were pedestrian.

    It was if Darnold WANTED to throw more INTs, but Cal wasn’t having it. Darnold missing 3rd and 8 at CAL 28 to Deonaty for the TD to start the 4Q was a killer for his day.

    Budrovich kicked like Tilbey today. 38-special.

      • He’s better than expected, but trust? More today than last week. I don’t know that he’s a championship-caliber player who will perform every game.

        We have 3 LBs and Deontay. Horrible game for Darnold; could have thrown 5 INTs today. (Hopefully, Rosey will tonight in the PaloAltoTeePee)

  17. Other teams are adjusting and have found our achilles heel with different looks to throw us off our strength which was a high scoring offense and not establish a rhythm. Cal coach knows USC playbook so they were prepared. All teams are having their struggle i.e. Florida State, Oklahoma State and Michigan etc.

    • Penn St is struggling right now too.

      Every team we play is inspired and playing balls to the wall. They are saving stuff that they haven’t shown for USC. Team are just lying in wait ready to shanghai us and we better be ready every week.

          • SC has been trapped so many times now that you’d think we’d have our wits about us. The cougs will be ranked about 15 or 16 next week and if we lose, then they just beat us. I’m going to check them out and see what’s going on up there.

          • You would think. If SC loses it would be a bummer, but it would be early enough in the season that SC could recover from it.

          • I saw some of that Boise St. vs Wash. St. game earlier this season and Boise had them beat, but made some crucial mistakes late in the 4th and let the Cougs off the hook. Ended up falling to the Cougs in OT in Pullman.

  18. The only reason we don’t drop n the polls here is that everyone in the top 10 struggled today except AL and WI, plus OK St. lost.

    If WA smacks CO, they will jump us.

    • The Best thing about college football- the upsets and unpredictability. Unfortunately, SC is no different, but still UNDEFEATED.

  19. I saw Cal’s defense flying to the ball. So why didn’t Tee (run up the middle) Martin call some counter mis-direction plays unless the offensive playbook doesn’t have any? Darnold & the receivers are just not in sink. Thanks to the defense for keeping this game close until the 4th quarter.

  20. Wow….Oklahoma 28, Baylor 28 in the 3rd quarter. Long way to go, but what an upset that would be.

  21. Isnt the first conference road game a huge challenge every year? Take the W and get back to SoCal; short week for Washington State. This schedule is wack

  22. I thought the D played well. Cal only had one sustained drive(of 60 yards) for a TD during the time when the game was really on the line. They had another after the game was really over and SC was playing kind of a prevent defense. Their O-Line needs to get back to where they were in the first 2 games(although losing Rojo didn’t help any). They’re starting to find a 3rd receiver in Vaughs. Where was Betiku and Conner Murphy, I didn’t see them in there? Is Marlon still hurt?
    What about Brandon Pili and Jay Tufele? Are they ever going to give them a chance. The box score may not show it but SC was really in control of that game, especially in the 2nd half.

    • Betiku (#99) and Murphy (90) have played but it is quite telling that you didn’t notice them- I did only because I was specifically watching them. Marlon will play more (think he’s still hurt). I think Fatu and Dorton and now Rector provide enough depth for Pili and Tufele to redshirt. Wonder if either Betiku or Murphy will eventually be moved to DT. Not sure if Kenny Bigelow will ever play again.

      • The defense actually played fairly well. This was the first game that I didn’t think that the offense played well. I even thought that the offense played fairly well against Texas. Tee Martin is not the greatest play caller in the world.

  24. They have injuries. Plus, they have played 3 teams to start the year, that have new coaching staffs. Tough to prepare for new schemes.

    • Glad to be 4-0, but they are a little shaky to start the season. Hope they can improve as the season progresses.

  25. Obviously, if the Trojans play with the same lack of enthusiasm and poor coaching from the press box is the norm, USC will lose big at Pullman.

  26. 4-0..not the dominating way I would have liked, but 4-0 nonetheless. Hopefully the offense will perform a lot better in this game. Falk has 14 TDs to only 1 int. Their team is going to be jacked playing USC on their home turf.

  29. I love how this was a “trap game” two days ago to SW, and now it was something they were lucky to play. Complained on his live blogging about how terrible coaching was in the second half, and is absolutely mute on what they did to adjust in the second half. And Cal was leading the country in 2nd point differential heading into the second half. SW’s blog is such junk. USC “better play better”? What a joke.

  30. Did I just see the Chimp blow off Coach Shaw after the game and not go out and shake his hand at mid field ????

  31. I don’t know what the problem is but Darnold is not playing as well as he did last year. Maybe he should cancel all of the talk shows(like the Yogi Roth dig) and not read the newspapers and just concentrate on playing football. He’s missing men who are wide open. He’s just not playing as well as he did last year.

  32. Part of the problem with the offense is that Sam is not playing as well as he did last year. But, also, a major part of the problem is the play calling. Tee has only called plays in 17 games. He, by his own admission, is still learning the trade when it comes to play calling. His worst hour was against Texas. To try and establish the run when they are swarming with 9 and 10 players is crazy. You must take what the defense gives. Whenever they ran a play action pass on first down against Texas, they usually made a pretty good gain. Yet they kept running the ball on first down. Maybe he will be in the future, but, at this point, Tee is not a real good play caller.

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