Rose Bowl vs. USC

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Both teams had their timeouts at the end of the first half. There were no celebrations after missed tackles. Receivers did not celebrate ordinary catches. Definitely a different game.

148 thoughts on “Rose Bowl vs. USC”

      • It would be a bloodbath … Gomer is not even close to this level and never will be

      • No doubt about this. USC would have been ground mush in either the Rose or the Sugar Bowl. Amazing how much the 2017 USC team declined in 1 year.

        • And that’s where the problem lies, it seems like the team went backwards from last season, but they didn’t lose any significant players, other then a few no talented, offensive lineman…go figure

          • They lost spectacular Adoree, one of my favorites of all time, and super tough JuJu – already an NFL legend.

            But Helton sat back and outside of hiring a fantastic RB coach, did nothing to push the team forward and Darnold regressed somehow.

            The next 60 days will determine USC’s 2018 season and onward. I’m looking forward to some good news.

    • having a roster full of Sark recruits and whatever garbage Gomer’s brought in … isn’t winning u anything
      Darnold’s heroics won 20 games past 2 years Nothing more

  2. OU would score 60 vs SC , after all a two play PennSt team put up 7 straight TDs last year in the Rose Bowl
    7 straight !

  3. After watching the first half, where there were no turnovers by two well coached teams, my biggest takeaway is that there is no reason, with our skill players, that our offense can’t be as dynamic as Oklahoma . I know our o line isn’t as talented, but it’s scheme and execution and coaching. So sad

    • Oh, and nice second half adjustments and coached up motivation by Georgia. Something we didn’t see much. Look, I like clay and want him to do well, but this is the level of play and coaching that has to be reached to move forward

  4. Well I seem to have seen same thing a lot like what USC has been accused of – a lot of celebration on plays that went their way – trouble is it is graphic our coaching staff is no where as focused and committed as both these coaching staffs are – that’s what makes the real difference – OK and GA coaching staffs identical in effort and focus

    OH St. staff and USC night and day

  5. Every game looks different, but there’s one thing in common in all of them. The winners look like geniuses, and the losers look like idiots.

    • RT —notice how, when they’re on the sidelines, each quarterback is watching the game with their offense —yelling, screaming and pumping them up?! No standing off in a corner by themselves.

      • Yeah, what a contrast, MG. They do look like college football teams, whereas our team acts like it’s a highly professional and aloof NFL team.

        #IsHeltonRunningAnNFLTeam?

        • It’d be wonderful to see that kind of emotion from Sam! It’s not like he can say, “being aloof is what prevents turnovers.”

          • Sam Fumble Darnold? Yeah, but I don’t think it’s all on him, MG. The problem is deep within the team from the top to bottom. In other words, it’s a culture and expertise issue.

          • Right at this moment —-watching these two teams churn it up—–I have to totally agree with you, RT. Right at this moment, I feel like saying it’s fine if Sam takes his diffidence to the NFL and we clean house and start over with our coaching staff. Let’s get some emotion and pride back into USC football!

          • Bro, we’ll eventually need a new coach to get there, but unfortunately, we’ll probably have to wait another year to see it.

          • Well, to add insult to injury, Georgia just stole our “biggest Rose Bowl comeback” record and our most Rose Bowl combined points record. It’s been that kind of weekend.

          • Yeah, bro. This one one-upped it. Amazing! But the Dogs reached the NC game in the second year with the new HC. And we can do it too with the right new coach. Helton? Nope. He’ll never take us there.

          • You’re right. I FINALLY see it: Helton will never take us there. [So let’s tread some more water in 2018 —-then move on]!

          • MG, that RB game clearly showed us we’re simply outclassed by the elite teams in the country right at the moment. We’ll need to start over with an almost wholesale coaching change and more big men in the trenches to be able to compete with big boys.

          • Georgia played their butts off to do it. What a game that was. Who would have expected the score to be that high.

          • It was great to see the effort, emotion and skill that both teams put on display. That’s what analysts expected from the Cotton Bowl.

          • There were a lot of people let down with the game. I have discussed the reasons till I am sick of thinking about it. It’s a new day, we need to move on. Some won’t, some will. Kind of out of our hands now, lets see what the great minds at USC come up with if anything.

          • Come to Hawaii, steveg! Here we say “it’s a cold one!” when it’s 76 degrees.

          • I know Mike, wish I could. Doing this to see grandkids we don’t get to see much.

            AL/Clem game reminds me of the CB. Clemson doesn’t look like they have an O line that can block. Their QB is pathetic. How they got this far is amazing. Wonder if the Clemson fans will be calling for Dabo to be fired on the tarmac. Even saw their O line standing around after the play watching the qb pick himself up. Poor coaching.

          • Good point, steveg. I guess all losing teams look the same cuz they’ve all had the wind knocked outta them . It has to be hard to see your dreams go down the toilet.

          • CLEM was only behind 10-6 with 8 min to go in the 3rd and they were driving confidently for the lead. Literally anybodies game. Totally a tough matchup.

            Suddenly the world tilted on its axis and ALA caught that strange fumble/pick. ALA became a new team, like their old, brutal selves and that was that with a quick pick-six to follow.

            Reminds me of when Darnold threw his pick-six to OHIO ST. SC folded after that just like CLEM folded tonight.

          • Instead we were out of the game by half time. After all the anticipation, what a stinker of a game it was.

          • USC/ Penn State total scoring record at the Rose Bowl —-it’s gone. ALL GONE!
            #AtLeastWeOwnOhioStateInTheRoseBowl

          • sam is intense and focused. not the problem. no quarterback can win with an offensive line that melts away. no running attack to take the pressure off sam. he simply needs to practice when to eat the ball when the pocket collapses on him, instead of forcing the play. i hope he goes to the NFL and gets proper coaching.

          • Agreed. I still see him as a potential superstar in the NFL. But he has been diluted by poor coaching and the soft culture of his team. I’m sure he’ll go pretty far with proper coaching at pro level.

          • To paraphrase Billy Crystal in “The Princess Bride”, “Sam is only Mostly Intense & Focused.” There were some stretches in big games where Sam seemed to be a different person than the guy who played in the Rose Bowl. [As a matter of fact, if THIS had been Sam’s FIRST year, people wouldn’t be even mentioning the NFL].

          • Not so fast!! You’re not saying fumbling is a culture issue are you? USC gives ball handling lessons on the sideline.

          • Ha! Wonderful, steveg. [No, the fumbling in big game after big game is just an unfortunate coincidence].

          • Now we need to move on, see who is leaving and what commits we still have left. Hopefully we get a couple of wide bodies and St. Brown.

          • got to say that sam is not the problem. he is a leader and has the respect of his team. this is all on the coaching staff. they need to focus on discipline and intense desire to win. break them down to build them back up. like the marines.

          • Uh huh. Marine discipline. And what are the chances of Clay & Company adopting that approach??

        • highly professional and aloof? NFL? No – ‘maybe’ XFL or Arena but I get your inference.

          Seems a real lack of ‘feeling’ for the entire 4 weeks leading up to the game and the game itself – flows from a squad’s leader – its’ quarterback – singularly missing in 2017….time for a change.

          • Or LFL. LOL!

            Fully agree with your assessment, Alv, and we need some major alterations for our team. But we may have to wait a while for them. Fight On!

        • Did you see Lincoln Riley celebrating that last touchdown? That will definitely be on of the ten things to fix in order to beat Alabama/Clemson, if they win this game.

          • Yep! The dudes are big, fast, and physical. Just the way we should be in the near future, bro.

          • I think we have the talent at line, just need the right coach. Fire in the belly is a whole different issue.

          • SC spent most of 2017 trying to overcome 100+ yards in penalties every game. They cut down on those penalties v. OSU. Only reason we finished 10-3, in retrospect, is that the PAC-12 was way down this year. For me, penalties are a coaching issue.

          • I don’t know how we can still be calling Sam #1. His # of passing touchdowns is down and his # of turnovers is up. He regressed.

          • He would be a great project but if someone put him in to play in the nfl it would destroy him. A diamond in the rough still.

          • Yes, he sure did, MG. He changed from a sharp killer to a happy-go-lucky, jolly teammate hanging out with jokers like Yogi Roth and getting warm loving hugs from his head coach often.

          • He changed from a Killer Shark to gloomy Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh. He looks morose before, during and after the games. He sucks oxygen outta the room.

          • MG, even our beloved sucla cutie JackOv must have noticed the change in Darnold to call him the Piglet. Would he have called him that last year? I don’t think so. Anyhow, I don’t think Sam has issues that can’t be fixed, and I’m sure they will be in the NFL.

          • I think Sam is always going to be a mixed blessing, RT —-he’ll do some great stuff and, then, he’ll throw in some head scratchers.

          • Can’t say you’re wrong, bro, after watching him play this season. But he sure looked invincible last year, didn’t he?

          • He did, RT. That last TD pass in the Rose Bowl was thrown by a guy who completely trusted his instincts! That last throw to Deontay in the Cotton Bowl was thrown by a guy who had his instincts completely drilled outta him.
            #That’sSomeCoaching
            P.S.
            You could almost see him thinking on that last floater to Deontay, “I FEEL like shooting him a dart —but coach said to put lots of air under the ball.”

          • Whatever physical and mental changes he had applied to himself during the off-season shouldn’t be duplicated or imitated by any future SC QBs because we all thought he was going to be this super football throwing machine that would take over college football by a hurricane but quite shockingly, he wasn’t even the guy he was a season ago. In fact, I really can’t think of any other recent SC QBs who followed the same path, can you?

            #StrangeStrangeStrange…MustBeCoaching

          • You’re right, RT. I’ve see players fail to get better from year one to year two —-but I’ve never seen a player regress the way Sam has. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was just biding time waiting to get out of USC and go pro. That’s the way it looked, anyway. When you watched the sidelines, it almost looked like he didn’t consider himself part of the team. If people on this blog saw Rosen acting that way, they would have been all over him.

          • A very keen observation, MG. And who would truly know even if he was actually doing it, right? But I also felt that he appeared quite detached from the rest of the team a number of times on the sidelines. So he’s gone, right? Yeah, I think so.

          • Yeah —I guess we should read the writing on the wall, RT. I guess, in a way, he really left us after the Rose Bowl —he just needed to put another year in before get could get drafted.

          • I think Sam is getting a TON of bad advice —-and it’s been going on every day since his Rose Bowl performance. It’s tough for a kid not to believe he’s ready for the NFL when so many people are whispering in his ear that he should take the money & run. I hope –not for the team’s sake alone —that he listens to Leinart and stays in school. There is no way he’s ready to throw against a good NFL defense. You see good NFL quarterbacks getting eaten alive by the Patriots or the Eagles or, even, Seattle on a good day. Sam would get killed against that caliber defense. And his confidence ain’t that great to start with these days.

          • MG, the truth is we probably won’t have to worry about Darnold’s shortcomings now that he will probably declare himself for the NFL in a matter of days. But let me be honest here, bro. Even with all the TO and fumble issue, I’d be really surprised if the new guy replacing him will be quite as good next year. Oh yeah, Darnold was a big factor for our ugly losses this season, but he also won some games almost all by himself with clutch performance the clock winding down. The bottom line is that Helton might have peaked already as the HC of SC, and I really don’t see much upside in him as a coach. I think we’ve seen enough of him already to know what he’s made of. On that note, my gut feeling tells me that the next season will be another wasted one for us in terms of progressing. But on the same token, it’ll be pretty interesting to see how far we can go with many new dudes in the team.

            Happy New Year, bro!

          • Yes —Happy New Year, RT!
            In some ways, it’s gonna be easy to replace Sam’s productivity. I’m sure we’ll find a QB who can throw 24 TD passes a season. And I know we’ll find a QB who doesn’t turn the ball over 22 times a season. But —you’re right —-we’re not likely to find one who has his ability to lead that last minute drive [but, hopefully, we’ll be playing the kind of ball where we don’t NEED the last minute heroics to win].
            As far as Helton, though, I’m afraid you’re right —we’re not gonna see growth. We’ve seen what there is to see —a status quo manager rather than an innovator.

          • MG, my Trojan bro, I’ve got a dilemma for our next season. I know it’d be wrong for me to wish for a losing season for my team, but I also know that Helton needs to go for us to be where we want to be, like being in the PO and winning natties. But like I told you numerous times already, I really don’t see Helton putting up another 11 wins or more next season. If the past is any indication on coaches, Helton’s fortunes will clearly diminish beginning next year because I’m convinced that he has already peaked out this and last season. So I know you’ll call me a genius around this time next year if I’m right, or you’ll be all over me with fighting words if I’m wrong. Just kidding, bro. LOL!

          • Bro’s never fight. I couldn’t sympathize more with your plight….
            #It’sMineToo!

          • MG, whatever happens, it won’t happen until next season, so I’m not gonna grind my teeth over it daily. Whatever will happen will happen, and I think things will eventually work themselves out. But I’m not expecting much from our 2018 season. Like I said before, I’d like to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.

          • Sam’s gone, RT —time for Helton to get himself the best damn quarterback coach money can buy….
            #….OrKissHisHeadCoachingJobGoodbye

          • Sacked 6 times in the last 10 games last year. Rarely touched as I recall. Sacked 8 times in the Cotton Bowl alone. Not sure that Sam actually has regressed (or improved), just dealing with a tougher circumstance in 2017.

          • I would like to offer a dissenting opinion on this one. I’m obviously guessing but I think Sam played this year as though he were doing USC a big favor. I think he was just biding time until the “big announcement.” I think he’ll go the NFL and—in 4 or 5 years—be just another name people toss around when discussing players that weren’t prepared for the transition.

          • Barkley definitely regressed as a SR. He started throwing picks to the defense like he was aiming them their way.

            He meant well, and held USC together during a real rough time, but did himself no favors by coming back.

          • True. And I don’t think Leinart’s return for his final year did any favors to himself, either. I still recall him being on Jimmy Kimmel Show after winning his second NC. The host said he was going to the NFL like it was already a foregone conclusion, and he just grinned. Then he came back to taste the poison-like agony of the defeat in that dreaded NC game against Texas. Yikes! Still hate that game. Makes me sick to my stomach.

          • We couldn’t stop Vince and one of the Ting bros dropped a sure pick on the final drive. I don’t think there will EVER be a worse USC loss.

            And to think we didn’t have Reggie Bush in the game on our failed final 4th down attempt is not even remotely believable to me. We tempted the football gods and they crapped all over us. The brilliant 30 for 30 special on the game has actually helped me come to terms with it. ]

            So much terrific back story. If only Frostee Rucker didn’t get sucked in – Young would have still found a way in.

          • Yeah, Young was an absolute beast in that game, JB. Guess the dude was extremely angry about losing the Heisman to Leinart that year, and he must’ve channeled it to his physical aggression in the game. What an eternally agonizing game that was!

      • USC perfected Winning Ugly. Then we perfected Losing Ugly. One of the strangest Trojan teams I have ever seen. So weak in some ways. Hard to believe we won 11 games, more than ucla has in its entire, disappointing history.

        • Sure, 11 wins are not too shabby. But under the microscope, only a few of them were sound and convincing with winning against Stanford twice the most surprising. But as the RB game today clearly showed us, we’ve got ways to go in terms of coaching an development of the players to be able to compete at the true national elite level. And unfortunately, I don’t see it happening with our current coach.

          • What’s amazing today is that CLEM looked just as bad against ALA as USC did against OHIO ST. I love Dabo as a coach, but you’d never know he was king of the hill just a year ago based on how his team looked today.

            You may as well start putting your USC head coach list together for 2019. Please, just don’t pick an NFL retread with Trojan ties. There has to be somebody better than Del Rio. Should be interesting.

          • Dabo totally overachieved compared to my expectations on his team last year, JB. He’s one of the few coaches who rocked the established the football world, if you will. However, I never believed he could sustain it for many seasons in a row, and now this.

            I’m not sure if it’d be even worth making my wishlist for our next HC at this point because hiring coaches is like a marriage. It takes two to tango, and they must be available at the time of the search. But I have a feeling that we’ll get somebody pretty good next time around.

          • I still like Dabo and don’t see CLEM retreating any under his regime. That’s one coach I’d enjoy playing for. His post game interviews show a classy guy who knows how to win and will be back. I think this year’s CLEM team overachieved and no way could Kelly Bryant replace the arm and playmaking of Deshaun Watson.

          • Agreed. He’s a pretty exciting guy to follow, and he’s good for the game. And he’s a quintessential overachiever. We need more guys like him in the league.

    • Rt —isn’t it wonderful? Clemson ate it in their bowl game by one more point than USC ate it in theirs!
      #Redemption
      #We’reOnePointMorePotent

      • Oh? So is Helton getting an extension to his contract? Even a life contract?

        #SayItAin’tSoBro

        • I had a snappy reply —-but I mentioned at least three “no-no words” —-and now it will never be seen….
          Basically, I wanted to tell you that, as soon as the Sugar Bowl ended, folks at Heritage Hall hoisted Helton in the air and began shouting, “One point less crappy than Dabo!” Helton was crying tears of happiness.

  7. So now it is wrong to use timeouts. Meyer used all of his too. But he is a quality coach.

    • to remind his team he has 3 titles … Gomer calls his because he has 7 players on the field

      • At least 2 of meyers were to prevent delay penalty. Lousy coach, they should fire him.

        • Losing to K-State 35-17 in the cactus bowl is indeed an accomplishment worthy of celebration. Your interim coach said “I couldn’t be prouder of the team.” Let’s all raise a glass to such a remarkable performance.

          • Hard to believe that bruin Trolls are actually braying here about their total demolition at the hands of the lowly KSU Wildcats, but it’s true.

          • Prothro is rolling over in his grave. Bill Snyder takes them to the woodshed and the coach’s response is “couldn’t be prouder of the ucla team.”

          • The ruin culture is not about male patriarchal oppression like football. It’s about being useful idiots in the New 2018 Sanctuary State Alta Kalifornia.

  10. Here is something I think we can all agree on. Watching all of the bowl games confirms that the PAC12 refs are the worst in the country.

  11. OMG!!! I just realized PAC 12 refs are calling the AL-CL game. God helps us all. Guaranteed they will embarrass the Conference even more than they have been this bowl season.

      • Also possible they are intimidated by the reputation of Saban .There awas already one pass play in the end zone where PI could (should?)have been called . If it was a PAC 12 game it would have.

  13. UCF went from 0-12 to winning their bowl game in 2 seasons. all about coaching.

    • ….and by extension watch the slide next year esp. in September – those two road games @ Stanford (8th) and @ TX (15th). – as stated the balance of the schedule is ‘winnable’ with the Irish the only remaining match-up that is concerning – none of us would be posting so much animus towards Helton if we’d witnessed a sea change in 2nd half closures of games and control of the players antics on the field and on the sidelines.

      We did not see that

  14. Flow, I said this to you in the live chat: I saw some OU players and reserves jumping up and down and waving towels on the sidelines to get the crowd and team pumped. This happens all over college football, and sports in general (you wouldn’t know). Why aren’t you mentioning this as well, Flow? You harp on it for USC all season long. Agendas?

    • Does that mean they have to get coached by Helton for the Championship game?
      #ItDoesn’tSeemFairToTheTeam

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