TrojanNYC.com

Recruiting: George Uko Commits to USC

  

First off, Happy Holidays to everyone.  Haven't been around a computer for the past week, so I'll have to use the late pass on this one.

George was a big lean to SC after the off-season camps but began to waver around the Fall when opposing coaches started using the "you'll never get any playing-time" card; SC was always kept high on the list, but at one point, it felt like Oregon, Cal, or UCLA could sway George their way.  In the end, the battle between getting a free-pass to a starting position versus playing at the school he loved (and family also loved), tilted towards the latter.

Biases aside, I think this is a good move for George.  He's a tall DT (6'4 300lb) which differentiates him from the current set of tackles at SC.  People say he's raw, which is true, but his size/agility will give him a chance to contribute early.

Expect UCLA to continue to recruit George, especially if Brian Price leaves for the NFL.  I wouldn't be too worried since George seems adamant about his commitment, plus Jethro Franklin is a tough coach to recruit against.

Video: Coach Pat Ruel & Jethro Franklin Slip-and-Slide After Practice

Coach Franklin's slide at the end is vicious.

TNYC: Random Thoughts From Week 1

USC Thoughts:

- Passing game looked horrid in the 1st quarter, but the running game was solid from the start.  Joe deserves to be the feature-back despite his inability to hold onto the ball.  He's too big of a gamebreaker to take off the field and Coach Carroll knows it.

- Continuing on the topic of running backs, you know I had a big smile on my face when Allen Bradford came into the game.  I felt vindicated for all those posts questioning his lack of PT.  He looked great on the toss-sweeps.

- Stafon continues to be my favorite back with his overlooked ability to create holes out of nothing.  His run in the red-zone in the 2nd quarter where he spun off two defenders in the backfield then juked another two to pick up 6 yards was one of the best plays of the day.  He is the most complete back on this team.

- I didn't see enough from Barkley to really judge his performance.  It's no knock on him, but the fact is, you could have put any above-average QB in the same position and gotten the same results.  Bates called a nice conservative game; I don't think there was a bootleg or play-action play where Barkley didn't have a clear underneath option.  Until Matt starts throwing between the hash-marks (i.e. Ohio State), it's hard to really say anything about his performance.

- Defense looked great.  The D-Line looks entirely different from last year; Coach Jethro Franklin has these guys playing on a whole different level.  Last year, you often saw our d-line popping up at the point of attack; this game the D-line was cutting through the gaps with ease.  The players have been talking about Coach Franklin's emphasis on technique and so far it shows.

- Chris Galippo had a great debut.  He really seemed to be around the ball on every play in the backfield. As for the other linebackers, Michael Morgan took some bad angles, which he needs to fix before he lines up against Terrelle Pryor. Malcolm Smith looked great sideline-to-sideline.

- It seems like TE play is going to be a BIG part of the offense this year.  I really like our current group of Anthony McCoy, Blake Ayles, and Rhett Ellison, they all bring a different style to the table.

- Jarvis Jones and Devon Kennard had great games.  Kennard played very disciplined for a freshman.  I love the fact that he doesn't over-pursue on the ball and understands his assignments.  There was one play in particular where the SJ State RB took a normal hand-off, but Devon read the potential fake and contained the outside for a moment before pursuing the ball-carrier for a TFL.  Might not have seemed like much, but it shows his level of maturity.

- Hit of the day goes to D.J. Shoemate (not Jarvis Jones!) on his special teams de-cleater.

General CFB Thoughts:

- Washington and Tennessee look like entirely different programs with Sark and Kiffin.  The Huskies kept it real close with LSU down to the end and Tennessee ran all over Western Kentucky.  Both teams had a clear swagger about them that is radically different from anything seen last year.

- On the topic of the Washington game, Patrick Peterson of LSU is flat out the best corner in the land.  If you recruiting freaks remember, he went by a different name, Patrick Johnson, during his recruitment.  He came out to SC during the Rising Stars camp and tore up the competition.  SC was in it for a while, but in the end it came down to Miami and LSU.

- Tennessee has a real impressive running game.  I said earlier in the year that Bryce Brown is the #1 player in the 2009 class and he lived up to the hype on Saturday looking quick and tough on his runs. Behind Bryce, David Oku also looks like another star.  As for their game against UCLA on Saturday, it should come down to whether the Bruins can control the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball.  UT's line was opening holes for Hardesty, Brown, and Oku against WKU, which completely opened the passing the game for Crompton, who is usually terrible.  If UCLA can force UT to pass, the game should be competitive otherwise it'll get real ugly fast. 

- Mark Ingram of Alabama is the best RB in the country IMO.  He reminds me a lot of Knowshon Moreno as a RS-Freshman, the way he runs tough between the tackles and can break it outside.  He looked great last year as a freshman behind Glen Coffee and looks even better this year as the feature back.

- Jacory Harris has turned me into a believer.  Kid is just cool and collected and really seems to understand how to manage the game.  His clutch throw late in the game last night on a corner route was a thing of beauty.

- I hate to admit it, since I'm a big fan of A.J. Green, but Perrish Cox did one hell of a job locking him down on Saturday. Of course the other Cox (Joe Cox) had a big part in that as well, but Perrish played like a potential NFL 1st rounder on Saturday.

- Staying on the Georgia/Oklahoma State game, Dez Bryant continues to amaze me with his ability to find a way to the end-zone.  He was getting double-covered all night yet managed to score 2 TDs off 3 catches. Easily the most dangerous receiver in the nation.