Answer Tuesday! (Part 2)

Q: scottrojan said:

Scott,
What do you think is going on? This team is obviously getting worse as this season goes on. The mantra of the program in the Pete Carroll era has always been 2nd Half adjustments, once we get to November we really get rolling. Well all season long the 2nd half has been awful and now they couldn't make it to Halloween.

A: Sometimes you get worse because you are playing better teams. USC's faced Notre Dame (a top 25 team, albeit an unimpressive one), Oregon State (well coached) and Oregon (top 10) the past three weeks. That said, USC is USC. One theory could be playing six of your first nine games on the road.
But I'll chalk it up to a couple other things. The offense is not dynamic and has a true freshman at quarterback. Perhaps the best true freshman, but still a true freshman.
And the defense developed some bad habits the past two games, playing all over the field, getting out of position without the coaching staff making the necessary adjustments. That needs to change this week or the Stanford game will be a real problem. Toby Gerhart will run wild if USC does not follow its assignments.

Q: bushwhite said:
scott
I am not going to ask a question like the delusional posters on www.wearesc.com who seem to be pretty sure
we are going to go 10-2 and beat Texas in the fiesta bowl and end up ranked #2 in the final poll...

My Q is..Stanford looks to be very good, and Arizona St. is no slouch either...what would be the result of
USC going 8-4 with a holiday bowl loss?

A: Oddly enough, an 8-4 might actually help recruiting because it would give prospects the impression they could come in immediately and get playing time. I wouldn't be turned off if I were a tailback by the current performances.
An 8-4 season would also cause more self-examination and I'm sure Pete Carroll would work harder than ever in the offseason to make sure it never happened again.

Q: TrojanChamp said:
Do you think USC should move Josh Pinkard to safety since he cannot handle fast receivers as a cornerback and move Taylor Mays to linebacker to add speed to the linebackers. Having Mays as linebacker gives him an opportunity to make plays since as a safety he is just tackling players in the secondary. Pinkard cannot control the deep passes and T.J. Bryant should be moved to second corner back spot. The linebackers cannot tackle small running backs and having Mays as a linebacker will scare quarterbacks from running. There was no close coverage by cornerbacks and Oregon used screen passes alot. Also, the linebackers never played close to line and force Jeromiah Masoli to pass. We need speed on defense. What chances do you think should be made on defense?

A: I'm not against this move at all. I like speed as the No. 1 factor in a defense. It was a trademark when Matt Grootegoed played linebacker. I also would like to see Jarvis Jones play an expanded role. If Manti Te'o can start at middle linebacker at Notre Dame, I think Jones can handle more playing time. He's athletic and physical, but needs experience.