Maybe it's because he's always had a big-play threat to use - but I've always seen Coach Carroll as the "shock and awe" type of coach (see: Arkansas). My uneducated guess is that he'll come out of the gate swinging to keep oposing teams scared.

..but maybe the shotgun is a sign of what's to come. Is it considered conventional?

On a side note: It's interesting that 'SC assistants still talk to other coaches after Jim Harbaugh might have sold one of them out.

Obviously the loss of Jarrett and Smith is huge, but SC still has big receivers. Sark needs to call some 15-20 yard strikes in between the hashes that take advantage of our size.

Last year was conventional. Every 2nd down Kiffin called a run to set up a short 3rd... although it often ended up a loss of a couple.

The only times some solid pass plays were called was 2nd half of OSU, ND, and Michigan. Against OSU, there was a string of 4 plays to 3 different receivers that moved the ball downfield. And these weren't low percentage fades. Again, between the hashed, players like Turner can use their size, height, and jumping ability to separate from corners. They don't have the speed to outrun corners on fades and Booty wasn't exactly on target for most of them. 15-20 yard plays will be successful and will open up the run.

If he means "conventional" in that the offense will be less vertical, less homerun-oriented, then of course.

No one will every accuse Kiffin of creative playcalling. He was very predictable. My friends invented a drinking game around his predictable playcalling, and no one made it past the thrid quarter.

That is why Pete signed Joe McKnight and ROnald Johnson aka ROJO. These 2 guys were the most exciting players in Highschool Football last year.

Yeah, I'm sure if you polled coaches nationally and asked them to characterize an offense with Ausberry, Hazelton, Turner, Holland, McKnight, Moody, and Booty, the first word coming out of their mouths would be "conventional", or maybe "conservative." Sure.

Well...I was going to post some stuff but the posts above me have said it all already...haha

First of all, what do you make of this Jim Harbaugh stuff Scott? I don't believe it. I think he is trying to stir up some trouble and make a name for himself as a young up and coming stud coach. If PC wanted to leave USC, he would of gone to the Dolphins, his "perfect environment with total control."

Second, like Desmo said, I can't imagine our offense getting any more "conventional" than last year. The 2006 offense was like a bad high school team. Run, short pass to set up a 3rd and short, run again. A blind man could see it coming. I think some of that was due to the entire coaching staff just basically not trusting JDB and the new guys to open it up. And Some due to LK's bad play calling. So we are going to be more plodding and predictable than that?? Can someone get a cattle prod and shock the coaches into openning it up a little? This isn't 1969 Texas Darryl Royal coached team.

Our last "big play threat" left with Reggie Bush. We haven't had one since then, except maybe at the end of year with DJ. They better dust off some of those Bush plays and run them with McKnight, or we will have another 10-2 year.

aww just another 10-2 season. Giorgio do you know if usc is going to offer Dejuan Miller a bigger fast version of dj,I heard linebackers beal and sweet are recieving offers within the next week.

OK, what I love here is the "we haven't had a big threat/gamebreaker etc. etc. since Reggie and/or LenDale and Matt went pro." on various threads.
It's been a rough 13 games hasn't it?

That and the disappointment a 10-2 year brings.

On a side note: Desmo, did your drinking game include the obvious running play each time Vidal stepped on the field?

It's good to be a Trojan - most teams in the country would kill to be 10-2; for us it's mediocre.