Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Beat the bRuins!



If it wasn't for the controversy produced by the UCLA timeout and the subsequent USC touchdown in the final minute of the game, this game would have been considered mediocre at best. Much ink has already been spilled on the controversy and I'm not about to add any more.

What I will say is that the SC team is still playing at a very mediocre level.
  • The play calling still puzzles me. For example, it's 1st and 35 (yes, 35 yards needed for a 1st down) and we decide to call a run play? Are you kidding me?
  • Matt Barkley is a TOM - turnover machine. That pass he threw for an interception was absurd...regardless of what Coach Carroll says about Damian Williams not running the route correctly. (Hmmm, maybe this explains why the coaches called a run play on 1st and 35?!?!)
  • USC receivers were open all night long and Barkley only threw to them a few times the entire game. We, the fans in the stands, saw the open receivers, but MB never checked down to them. Instead he forced more than a handful of passes into coverage.
  • The SC defense still has problems with running quarterbacks. Can we finally do something about that? This has been a problem since 2005 (remember Vince Young?) and we still have not solved it!?!?!
  • The SC kicker can't make any field goals beyond 40 yards. Can we stop attempting these long field goals already? Granted it was at the end of the first half, but let's stop kidding ourselves.
We have one game left against Arizona and I'm not sure how we're going to do against them. Does SC come out and play with heart/passion? Or does the TO/TD controversy this week distract the team in its preparation?

A win will probably put SC in a higher tier bowl game. With that comes an additional month's practice time which this team sorely needs....and a good headstart to next season!

Fight On!

Bonus - A pic from the near "brawl" at the end of the game.


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