USC chopped the Stanford tree, but the game itself felt more like USC struggled to make a statement. USC was in total control, no doubt, and Stanford had some things going for them, but in general, I think there were a lot of times in the game where USC had to put away the drive or create a turnover and they did not.
But of course, I am happy that they shut out a team, does not matter that it was lowly Stanford with a 10.4 points average so far (last in NCAA). It was good to see some long passes actually being caught and it was also good to see some turnovers.
What seems to be the problem (or at least one of them!) is that JDB is a little too mellow. I know it is good to be calm and collected but I think JDB is just too calm. There seems to be a lack of killer instinct in him which I think Leinart had a lot of. And the calmness sort of turns into complacency and carelessness. Which in turn could explain the high number of turnovers.
In any case, it is now on to the final stretch. First up is Oregon. Oregon has shown some weakness in the last two games which of course they have been able to cover up quickly in the second halves of those games and win well. USC has its work cut out big time and I think the game should start out as evens, without a clear favorite.
USC’s multiple streaks ended. And sadly, in a loss that I can only term as bullshit. There were so many chances that the Beavers gave the Trojans to stay in the game, and so many (plus more) chances that the Trojans gave up. Forget about blowing away opponents in the recent past after a bye week, forget about having a great October/November under Pete Carroll, this team plain sucked today.
I feel so bad that the loss did not come against a worthy opponent, no offense Beavers. Losing to Cal or to Oregon or even ND would have been sort of digestible. This loss against a “gimme” opponent is just pathetic.
How about those bloody turnovers! Chauncey was supposed to have a breakout game here but he was one of the culprits. And forget about the final stats for JDB, but his unfortunate INT at the top of the first quarter after a quick strike by the Beavers was probably a very costly turnover. If USC had made the scores even, it would have made OSU slight overwhelmed but instead the INT gave them more confidence and they just did not let up.
Anyway, I hope USC is not the answer to Stanford’s winless season so far, next week!
3rd game in a row where USC won by touchdown or less. And this one did not look close at the beginning. The first quarter or so, USC seemed to be on track like the last season and much better overall compared to earlier games from this season.
Then what happened? I don’t know, because I stopped watching because we went to someone’s house after the end of the first half. All I saw was the bloody interception which was returned for a touchdown to even the score at 21.
After seeing 21 points in just over a quarter I thought it was going to be a nice win like one of the big ones last year. But looks like the offense just went to sleep and the defense also started slipping against the ASU offense. Rudy Carpenter stepped it up and some of the dropped catches and stuff from the first quarter disappeared.
Whatever the case, this USC team is not going to get any style points. Maybe there is a case to make for USC that they do end up on the winning side rather than on the losing side, but at the same time, the closeness of these last few games gives the opposition some confidence and makes them believe they have a chance. It was not the case last year and it made a few opponents wilt before they should have, and handed the victory to USC.
But for the wins, I would be tempted to say that USC is loving to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Thankfully, I don’t have to say that. Not yet, at least :-)
Another escape from the jaws of a loss this weekend. This time it was Washington. After today’s performance, and the upset loss at Auburn by Arkansas, the polls are going to undergo some shakeup. Unfortunately, with the missing style points (where are the 40+ points days??) and some SEC wins by Florida means that USC may still be #3. Who cares? As long as USC is on track to win the Pac-10, it is good.
Now that Oregon lost to Cal, and that too badly, it clearly shows that Cal and not USC is the team to beat in the Pac-10. It is better to reset expectations at this point in the season - USC is not only rebuilding from the loss of Leinart, Bush, White but also banged up at a lot of places. The fact that they are surviving some close games just goes to show that they are lucky as well as resilient (in that order, if you ask me).
As for the game itself, it was great offense in the first quarter and some. It seemed like USC was finally getting to where it was last year - throwing at will, running long plays at will, and generally dictating the pace. The defense was suspect because Washington was also able to march down the field quite easily.
Of course, the trickulation for the field goal attempt was good and welcome at the point.
The second half was quite the opposite. The offense started sputtering and the defense stepped up. The defense should have had at least 4 INT’s, which went abegging. As a result, USC has been dropping in the turnover margin numbers. JDB had an INT and there were no turnovers forced by USC.
More injury news from USC - Steve Smith the superstar from the Wazzu game hurt himself and did not play much of the second half (if at all). What’s the deal with the USC athletes??? Man, I really hope USC is at full strength soon because the bigger games are coming up soon!
USC survived another Saturday away from home. It was quite a night for Steve Smith, who seemed like finally the #1 receiver on the team! He is one of the most underrated receivers USC has had, if not the country, and it was the perfect time for him to prove that he is legit.
Forget the final stats, his catches up the middle knowing a crunching hit is coming up, some of them for 3rd downs and 4th downs to keep drives alive, were fantastic.
I think the reason it was so close was because of the lack of penetration on 1st down runs. Last year, the first down runs (either by Reggie or by Lendale) gave USC 5 yards or so, if not more. That made 2nd downs short and 3rd downs rare. Last night, and pretty much all season so far, the breaks on 1st downs have been missing. The running backs have been rotated quite frequently, and they have not yet gotten the rhythm.
Chauncey Washington seems to have enough to replace the power running of Lendale White. He does have the capability to muscle through the middle. But unlike Lendale, Chauncey has fumbled the ball a few times, and that could get costly.
Even if there is no Reggie-like breakthroughs, USC does need a running game which can consistently break runs of 4-6 yards on 1st or 2nd downs. What that does, is open up the passing game and the play action game. Then, the long passes can burn the opposition. Once the long passes make up significant ground, and points are put on the board fast, the opposition is forced to be one dimensional. Then, they start making mistakes and then USC’s defense contributes some points.
The way they are playing today, with the run game essentially useless (except the one or two long runs, which tend to skew post-game stats), USC is in fact becoming one dimensional as opposed to forcing the opposition to be that way.
With Oregon and Cal destroying their Pac-10 opposition in the last couple of weeks, USC has its work cut out for going to the Rose Bowl. I don’t think USC the way it is playing today, has a chance of competing in the National Championship, even if the make it there. But Pete Carroll’s goal has always been winning the Pac-10 and that is not going to be possible if Oregon and Cal play like they are today, and USC does not improve.
Once again, I think the USC offense sputtered through a grinding win. Thanks to the defense, the win overshadowed some critical mistakes and lack of rhythm on the offensive side of the ball.
Dwayne Jarrett dropped at least 3 balls which he would routinely have caught and run for at least 5 yards after the catch. One was a sure TD, and the other two were first down gains. I hope it was because of his shoulder or something, because it was just not his typical day. I don’t know the latest on his injury but we sure need him to be healthy quickly.
The running backs rotation EVERY PLAY is probably causing more loss of rhythm than anything else. Yes, they are getting good, fresh legs every play, and yes, the coaches are able to evaluate the guys more and more, but in that effort there ends up being one or two simple but costly mistakes which against a better team could be game-ending mistakes.
Hopefully the freshmen running backs are enthusiastic enough to learn from all the small (and big) mistakes made and rectify them and become stronger for the next game.
And what’s up with the full back position this year? Seems like it is jinxed … Brandon Hancock and Ryan Powdrell are both out for the season. Last night, Stanley Havili walked off - and I don’t have the latest update on his situation, but I sure hope he is healthy enough to come back next week.
USC managed to somehow win the game against Nebraska. Yes, the score was 28-10 but at least early on, it was much closer than the score suggests. Chauncey’s miracle pickup of the big fumble by JDB was one good example of how fortunate USC was that day.
Of course, the defense was solid, but my concern was with the offense. We lost Powdrell right off the bat, and without a good FB, it could get a bit difficult for power running. JDB’s passes were not as accurate as I thought they could/should be, but I would give him this game as it was his first home game as a starter and the nerves could get to him.
DJ bounced back big time after a lackluster game against Arkansas and after being pulled up by his offensive coordinators.
In general a ‘W’ is good, but this was the game to make a statement, but I guess it is even more important to hold the serve and wait for the big ones that will be coming up soon.
Meanwhile, what a surprise Michigan threw against ND! Wow!
Welcome back, Carson Palmer. Some other folks from USC are taking the spotlight nowadays, but I do believe he is a stud and if his knee holds up, this Bengals team can go deep into the playoffs.
It was great to see him playing well and tossing TD’s at will. Very very heartening to see him get up in a blink after getting thrown down on the field.
I watched pretty much the entire game (except for a little bit of the 1st quarter) today - Dallas was kicking butt big time, and San Antonio, the champions that they are, came back fighting and got it to the last possession in regulation.
So many things I think could have been done just slightly differently to send the Mavs packing - worst of all was the foul on Dirk at the end to give him a 3-point play. If not for that, there was a good chance the 1-point differential would have sealed the deal for the Spurs.
Oh well, all the coulda-woulda-shoulda just reminds me of not too long ago in the Rose Bowl where we Trojan fans keep thinking … if not for x, if we could just do y, etc. Ultimately, we had to accept that it was over.
Similarly, the NBA season is over for me. I do not care much about the Eastern Conference, and I know now that Detroit has a clear path to the finals and will beat whoever remains from the Western Conference. Dallas has a chance to finally make it to the Finals, and most likely will.
A Detroit-Dallas finals matchup is the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on some reading - Da Vinci Code, some work-related books, etc.
I forgot to post about our weekend last weekend in Los Angeles. We had so much fun .. Friday night we went to The Standard hotel after dinner and it was quite a nice place to just hang out. We sat at one of the lounges there - the music was great, the drinks were great and we generally had a great time. We were absolutely the last people to get out of the place. And that too, we were in no mood to leave - apparently it is the law to get everyone out of the place by 2am and we were out of the place by 2am. Came home and chatted some more before finally sleeping at about 4am! When was the last time we did that? Not sure. Not in a long long time!
Anyway, Saturday was lunch at one of the Thali places in Cerritos. Oh my goodness - we had so much to eat! We were bloody full by the end of lunch. I met with a few USC friends for dinner and then went to this party, but did not get a chance to get in. So the rest of the people were going to hang out with, came out and we ended up going to be a British pub in Santa Monica. Once again, it was almost the end of the night when we left from there. Another fun-filled (except for the waiting in the biting cold) night.
Sunday brunch was at The Grove Farmer’s Market. It was a beautiful day to be there - sunny, warm and pleasant. It was Mardi Gras celebration pretty much everywhere there, and it was just a happy feeling all over. Good to be there to soak all that happiness.
And Sunday evening, the wife and some cousins flew out and I stayed back and drove back to work on Monday morning.
The biggest part of this trip was the non-visit to the USC Bookstore.
The USC alum received a letter from the PRIVATE company …
As you are aware, we have been bombarded with threats of vandalism if this board goes up in the Baton Rouge Market. Emails have even referenced burning the structure. Other emails have discussed climbing the structure and ripping the copy down.
This campaign has switched gears from a college rivalry to a public safety issue. With this in mind, I am making a decision to not accept this contract.
Thanks, Garth Roberts Vice President & General Manager Lamar Advertising - Baton Rouge
So there you go. Pieces of crap from LSU have decided to burn the place down but not let the state get $10K added to the economy. Ever wonder why those idiots stay poor?
I will not say much … I guess everyone knows why. One example seen above.
I was shocked to hear the news. Its not like he has been a superstar and a legend that he can retire. Its not like his body cannot take it anymore. He has to prove that he is capable of a long career and set some records before he can retire.
And the saddest part about it for Miami at least, is that he announced this right before training camp. Not two weeks back, when Eddie George was still available. Not before the draft, where several good running backs were available. He did it now.
I am listening to some sports talk shows on the radio and they claim that he may be running from some drugs issues. If that is the case, and if he comes back after a year or two, it would be completely unacceptable in my books. He has let the team down. He has let the fans down. He is quitting on everyone, for apparently no reason.
And that means we have to just beat Sri Lanka. Not necessarily with a bonus point.
But the way the Indians played today, it does not seem like they are going to be able to win against SL.
A lot has been said about this team of late. The consistency being the main point of conversation. But in this tournament, they are hardly consistent. Hopefully this is the first tournament and hopefully they will only improve.
If I have to use one word to describe ARY Digital’s coverage of the Asia Cup, I would use the word ‘sucks’.
It seems like they are re-telecasting someone else’s coverage. So the commentators seem to be in a studio (or maybe an apartment in New York ;-) ), and there is hardly any stadium noise. It feels quite dead.
And of course, the camera work, which I don’t suppose is ARY’s, is pathetic. It took me back to those old Doordarshan days where the camera and the ball would hardly ever be in the same place!
India won its game, as predicted. Sehwag scored a 0 instead of a double hundred, as I expected.
Sachin was comfortable and confident and got out to a soft dismissal. As usual.
Ganguly was clueless and he should have gone on 0 (easy slip catch dropped) and 4 (a tough catch in the gully dropped). But in the end, what he puts up on the board is more important. And in the end, time spent in the middle has not substitute. Good for him.
I slept off after the first 45 minutes or so. Later found out that Dravid scored a century.
This guy, I am telling you. Don’t know what he eats and what he does, but he is redefining consistency. No wonder he is The Wall or Mr. Dependable.
Hats off to you, sir.
I saw some of the initial bowling and man, Irfan Pathan is awesome. The way he is able to swing the ball is amazing to watch. He is a good prospect for India in the long term and hopefully he keeps fit and keeps bowling for India for a long time.
Of course, the rest of the innings was nothing much to shout about, except the fact that Sachin pocketed 3 wickets. Did not see how he took them (but I have the innings taped, so I will watch it later today ;-) ), but 3 wickets is quite a handful.
India has started the season 1-0. Let’s hope for more in the win column.
Yahoo News reports that the BCS has changed its formula and is going to give AP writers and the coaches polls more weightage.
Does this solve our problems? No.
Will this solve our problems? Who knows.
One way or the other, we need a playoff structure so that all the fans see for themselves what could’ve been. Like USC/LSU meeting for a true national championship last year.
If Mike Williams comes back to USC, I would say that they will be ranked #1 in pre-season. How they play their games will determine if BCS formula is going to be important or not.
First game is against Virginia Tech, which is no puppy. So let’s get the momentum going!
Not that it was not a forgone conclusion after Phil Jackson went and Shaq was traded, but now it is official - Kobe Bryant is going to stay with the Lakers.
I know a lot of people fall under the ‘anti Kobe’ and ‘pro Shaq’ category, but hey, as a Lakers fan, it is nice that at least one of the two superstars is going to stay.
Now, Kobe will feel what he had and what he took for granted - those easy passes to Shaq for dunks are not going to exist anymore. Do the Lakers have a center?
I did not want to have to subscribe to this channel - ARY Digitial. Apparently, based in Dubai and having predominantly Middle Eastern content. But they are the only ones televising it in North America, as far as I know.
So I did what I was resisting for so long. Signed up for that channel, just to see the boys play some cricket for the first time this season.
Let’s hope the rain Gods don’t dance around the time India plays :-)
