Who's No. 1?
Not that we expect any coaches to say who is leading the current quarterback race.
``It's a neck-and-neck race,'' offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. ``They're both doing good things and making mistakes. We could play a game with either one. We'd take care of them.''
That last comment sounds like we'd see some running plays on third-and-long, which were so popular against Arizona and Oregon last year.
Corp! I never saw the kid play in HS, but descriptions of his athletic ability as the white Vince Young have piqued my interest big-time. His scrimmage passing #s are solid. Corp, Corp, Corp!
Go Aaron!
VY has some meat on his bones. AC is just the opposite!
Wolf you missed it again!
In the Arizona game it wasn't an issue of running the ball too much on 3rd and long as it was giving up sacks and simply not executing.
Out of 12 plays on 3rd down that the distance to go was 5 or greater, USC ran the ball 4 times. Only four. One was a four down situation with 3 and 9 at the UA29 that led to getting the first down on 4th. Another was 3rd and Goal from outside the UA 10 that set up a FG that made it a two score game inside of a minute to go. The other two were early draws to Desmond Reed (part of the game plan with the tendency for Stoops to blitz on 3rd and long).
Sanchez also got sacked twice. Although defined as rushing plays in NCAA, it was pass play that was dialed up.
Were some calls conservative? Yes. But after the completely bonehead call right before half time to throw on 2nd and long from their own 3, where Cason picked it off setting up the FG that tied it up going into halftime, they had to manage the game. They didn't manage the game vs. Stanford (read: Pound the rock against the silly little trees. POUND THE ROCK!) and it cost them...huge!
This season, especially if they start Corp or Mustain, you will see more "long hand offs" with bubble screens to the wideouts, flat routes by Havili, Gable, and McKnight. They will miss Freddie D on 3rd down this year, that's for sure. His constant threat between the hashes made the offense work that last part of the season.
go Air Corp