Answer Monday! Part 2
Wonder how linebacker Man'ti Teo enjoyed that snowfall in Notre Dame over the weekend on his visit?
Q: Statistically, what constitutes a "team pass" or a "team rush"?
In looking at the official site's Stat Page (http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/teamcume.html), it shows these two under "Overall Individual Statistics." From poking around, the "team pass" occurred in the Cal game (one attempt, not completed), not sure about the "team rushes" though.
A: A team rush could be a quarterback kneels down in order to run out the clock. A team pass attempt should be charged when a quarterback throws a pass into the ground in order to stop the clock.
Q: Is Cen. Conn St. closer to Arkansas than SC? Guess it was playing time...duh. What about the alumni tickets (1 or 2) for Notre Dame...huh?
A: Broderick Green said he is considering a lot of schools but I suspect Arkansas is the frontrunner. I've also heard Penn State is a possibility, which is also a strange choice given the official reason for transfer.
Q: USC will lose many key players. UCLA just got a commit from 2010 wide receiver Paul Richardson and California got a commit from 2009 former Sooner commit Shawn Williams. How do you see the 2009 football recruiting class finishing off? Will there be any big name guys that will surprise and choose USC? Also, how is the 2010 recruiting class shaping up? Thank you.
A: I don't anticipate many surprises for 2009. USC wants to get guys like Man'ti Teo that are well known and if they got a surprise, it would be someone like Andre Debose of Florida.
I wonder what Teo thought about the Notre Dame student section throwing snowballs at their own football players!
Scott,
You never fully answered the last part of the last question.
Also, how is the 2010 recruiting class shaping up?
All Notre Dame's recruit's should be up for grabs.
Honestly who would really want to go play for a school that throws anything at their own players for losing?
(Of course they throw things at the opposing players at every game, but recruits are OK with that! Notre Dame has more problems than a tarnished dome.)
The snowball throwing reminds me of Tollner's last season. It was Senior Day against the Irish in the Coliseum. USC had a double-digit lead in the 4th qtr. However, toward the end of the game, USC was up by a few points, and had to punt. Instead of angling the punt, the punter kicked it right to Tim Brown, the soon-to-be Heisman Trophy winner. Well, Brown made a long return to set up ND's game-winning FG as time expired.
Following tradition, Tollner brought his seniors to be saluted by the fans after the game. He was shown on the "Jumbotron," and the fans began to boo him mercilessly (by then he was 1-7 vs. UCLA and ND...how times change, eh?). Anyway, perhaps thinking that the fans were booing the seniors, Tollner immediately took them away from the stands and ran back toward the tunnel with them. It was unfortunate that the seniors did not get the appreciation they deserved.
The press was critical toward the fans for booing the seniors, when, in fact, they were booing Tollner, who could not measure up to his predecessors, McKay and Robinson. It was a black eye for USC at the time.
In defense of the USC fans (I was one of them that day with my "Tollner Sucks" button), a boo is impossible to specifically target at one individual in a crowd.
But, the snowballs at ND were thrown at their own players...and there is NO EXCUSE if they claim they were aiming for Charlie Weis, and supposedly missed!
It is amazing how well USC has done since Carroll arrived. Sure, there have been missed opportunities, but at least he has kept USC at a very high level, while similar programs (ND, Nebraska, Fla St, Miami, Michigan, Tenn, Wash) have fallen on hard times recently.