Scrimmage Time
Welcome to the closed USC scrimmage, which means only a few hundred people are in attendance.
Fred Davis drops the first pass, John David Booty trips afte taking the snap on second down and Booty overthrows Vidal Hazelton deep. Next series.
Broderick Green gains eight yards but the Trojans gain nothing on next two plays with Allen Bradford stopped on 3rd down.
Chauncey Washington rips off a run of about 75 yards, Stafon Johnson gains nine and Booty throws a 2-yard TD pass to Davis.
Sanchez throws incomplete to David Ausberry, completes a 4-yard pass to Joe McKnight then Sanchez fumbles and Fili Moala returns it 20 yards.
Booty throws a 4-yard TD to Patrick Turner. So far, it looks like a first scrimmage in August and our NFL scout seems to be accurate.
McKnight and Ronald Johnson have long returns on the scout kickoff team, which happens every scrimmage.
Josh Pinkard is playing corner with the first team. McKnight gains 12, Johnson gains 1 on reverse and McKnight two more before Hazelton drops Booty's pass.
Sanchez sacked, then incomplete to Johnson and McKnight six. Next.
Mike McDonald finds Cooper Stephenson on about a 45-yard TD play.
Booty finds Ausberry for 18, gets sacked, finds Jimmy Miller for 8, throws an incomplete pass and completes a 7-yard pass to Davis, to set up David Buehler's 48-yard FG.
It looks like halftime and Booty is 5 of 11 for 39 yards while Sanchez is 1 for 2 for 4 yards.
What does it mean? When does Mitch Mustain play? Other than the long run, the offense has not had any breakaway plays.
Sanchez sacked on opening play after two Greg Woidneck punts blocked in punt drills. He then completes 5-yard pass to Jody Adewale and a 14-yarder to Brad Walker.
The shotgun is being used frequently, by the way.
Brandon Carswell catches a 3-yard pass from Sanchez, then they miss connecting on a 30-yard pass play. Broderick Green gains 2 on 4th and 1.
Oh oh. Sanchez forces one over the middle to double coverage and it's intercepted by freshman Marshall Jones. Booty returns and throws a 4-yard pass to Turner, is sacked, then gets pressured and is incomplete to Dale Thompson. The QBs are getting plenty of pressure. Again, our scout seems right.
Aaron Corp in! He drops back and falls down on first pass but completes his second to Brad Walker short of first down.
McKnight returns a punt for a TD against the black shirts (scout team), again a scrimmage staple.
Booty throws an 8-yard pass to McKnight, C.J. Gable gains no yards in two carries and a false start ends the drive.
Allen Bradford reverses course and gains 11, Corp drops back and scrambles for no gain and Stafon Johnson rambles for 36 yards before the calm Corp finds Walker for 19 yards.
Corp rolls out and finds Walker for 9 yards, down to the 1. Green loses 2, there's another no gain and a penalty before calmly finds Ronald Johnson for a TD to end the scrimmage!
How Do You Do?
Wolfie,
We seem to have an inordinate number of center snap snafus, trips, fumbles.....it happened a few years ago when Byers in at center, and is it happening now with Spanos or what? Same center exchange problems with freshman O'Dowd, too? Or isn't he playing that much yet?
Thanks Scott for the excellently detailed run down. I trust that Cooper Stephenson is a walk on. Correct ? It's great to hear that Buehler can hit kicks from distance (like last year against Cal). In reading the comments of the NFL scout at practice, I would hope we correct our Q.B. being pressured issue by the time the Vandals (really, the Huskers) line up opposite us... Fight On !
Let's see. It sure seems like the only adequate d-line is getting quite a bit of pressure on the QBs. Oh yeah! How many QBs do well under pressure?
One more question. Are these NFL scout's comments relative to other College football teams or to the NFL?
Last question. Are these weaknesses weaknesses or not strengths?
Sanchez continues to have major problems. Sacks, interceptions, fumbles, incompletes, etc. He is simply too slow and overweight, and has not adapted to the college game after three years. He was simply high school hype who has never been able to make the adjustment to the college game. Thank goodness for Corp coming in this year. Yes, Corp is young, but he appears to have made the transition to college in a very short period of time. After Sanchez's debacle at the spring scrimmage and now yet another debacle on Sunday, I've had it with him. He has shown me nothing since arriving at USC and he's had more than enough time. Practices, scrimmages, game situations, you name it, I have never seen anything good from him. This scrimmage was just more proof of how much Sanchez is out of his depth at the college level. Bring on Corp to #2 this year.
HEY YOU TOP THREE---SCOTT DOESN'T READ COMMENTS POSTED HERE!!!!!!!!!!1
TB1:
I copy!
Thnx