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Thoughts On the Loss...

Here are some random thoughts:

• I can agree with Lane's decision not to call time-outs at the end of the game.  For one, our defense wasn't stopping anything so calling time-outs only gives UW more possessions to set-up for a chip-shot FG.  Better to play the odds by reducing the number of plays to set up for a longer field-goal where ST can possibly make a block or hope for a miss.
  
  
• Something has to change with our safeties.  I said before the Virginia game that we'd get into trouble in coverage with the T.J. and Jawanza; that was put into full display when we got burned for the long TD pass after Jawanza bit on the crossing route.  This has happened over and over all season.  We have two strong safeties as our last line of defense.
  
  
• Our linebackers are truly confused and it is scary.  I've seen countless plays where our linebackers will try to inexplicably fill gaps rather than contain the edges on outside plays.  Sark did a great job running a bunch of misdirection plays to exploit this.  This is a very disturbing trend.
  
  
• Sad to see Allen Bradford's game go to waste; AB ran the ball beautifully yesterday.  His combination of patience, power, and quickness was something to watch.   

To close, Stanford is going to be a tough game to watch.  Harbaugh's game-plan is simple: run the ball down our throats off-tackle and then call play-action when our defense tries to cheat the run game.  It's not going to be pretty.

Photo of the Day: Message to the Football Team at Heritage Hall

I like.

"Lane Fucking Kiffin"

Brilliant post: http://lostangelesblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/the-most-arrogant-shit-ever/

Coaching: Who is the Real Lane Kiffin?

Nice story on Lane from Arash Markazi at ESPNLA.com: 

"One of the things about Lane that is his absolute strength is he knows who he is and knows who he is not, and who he is not he doesn't pretend to be," Baxter said. "There are a lot of head coaches with a lot more years of experience who aren't that savvy. They can't relinquish control of certain things, but he's completely comfortable in doing so. He's hired people that he knows and knows will fix it.

I've grown to become a fan of CLK, not simply because he's the head coach at SC, but I began to respect his savviness while he was at Tennessee.  It took a lot for me to get to that point because I absolutely hated the man when he was a OC at SC but seeing him generate buzz and catch attention of recruits at UT made me wonder if he really did indeed know what he was doing.  I wrote the following back in June '09 about that lingering thought:

As much as I think Lane is undeserving of his title as head coach at UT and an absolute prick, at the end of the day I can't deny that he's doin' work at Tennessee.  It's easy to dismiss him as an idiot for his antics and minor infractions, but you simply can't deny that the man is producing results.

When Lane got hired at SC, I immediately liked the hire with a few contingencies: 1) that he maintains an excellent staff around him and 2) that he gets rid of his brash behavior.  I had very little doubt he'd do #2 but I wondered if he'd be able to maintain a top-notch staff when ego and pride eventually confront him. Reading Arash's article, it's somewhat comforting to know that Lane understands his strengths and weaknesses and is willing to relinquish control accordingly.

Another question that was answered was Lane's subdued and almost disinterested public persona - particularly with the press: 

Maybe you're buying into some false sense of hope. Maybe you just believe the guy will actually stick around long enough this time to see his plan through. Whatever it is, the energetic and inspired person talking to you in the privacy of his office isn't the person you thought you'd meet and certainly isn't the same subdued guy addressing the media after USC practices.

It brings me back to the savviness point - what is Lane exactly up to?  Why does he choose to take on two very different personas?  To me it points to a plan.  It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

"(Pete) Carroll Was Threatened By Pola's Strong Presence, Just As He Was Later Threatened By Norm Chow"...

Can't believe I'm linking to a Bill Plaschke column but this was too interesting to ignore:

Pola practiced what he preached when he left USC after the 2003 season, his fourth as a Trojans running backs and special teams coach. After USC won the AP national title in the Rose Bowl that season, he asked Carroll if he would ever have a chance at being an offensive coordinator, and he was told, no, that the job would go to the younger Kiffin.

Carroll was threatened by Pola's strong presence, just as he was later threatened by Norm Chow. So, like Chow, Pola left, honed his craft in the NFL, and proudly returned to USC's pro day two springs ago, where he was scouting for the Jaguars and asked for permission to compare notes with Trojans offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.

"Pete said no, he said he was always competing," Pola says. "I kind of went, 'Wow.' And I just moved on."

Good ole Pete.

Video: Matt Barkley on ESPN's Scott Van Pelt Show

Good interview.

Lane Kiffin On the Jeff Fisher & Titans Situation

Here you go:

"We reached out to Kennedy Pola yesterday to gauge whether he had any possible interest in returning to USC before we moved forward with the process," Kiffin explained.  "Kennedy said he would think about it and get back to us today.  Once Kennedy did call back earlier today, out of my great respect for Coach Fisher I immediately reached out to Coach to make him aware of the situation."

Kiffin went on to describe his recent conversation with Fisher. "I have spoken with Coach Fisher and he now has an accurate understanding of the timeline of events," Kiffin continued.  "We realize the timing of this isn't perfect for all parties, but this is a great opportunity and promotion for Kennedy."

Awaiting Jeff Fisher's response.

Coaching: Kennedy Pola Named New Offensive Coordinator for USC

Wow, this is a big-time pull considering we're only a few months away from the start of the NFL/CFB season.  Sounds like Lane screwed over another Trojan in the process.  Some crazy Tennessee fan is going to murder Lane Kiffin.

Coaching: Kennedy Pola Not Interested in Leaving Titans Job

Pola was one the top targets for the RB coaching job.  Hard for him to expect to leave at this point in the off-season: Link to Report

Transfer: Jordan Campbell Requests a Release; Boise State Likely His Next Destination

The rumors I posted yesterday ended up being confirmed.  Jordan has officially asked for his release and is looking to Boise State as his next destination.

Jordan had a tumultuous career at SC.  He's always had a lot of passion in being Trojan, so much so that he got a SC football tatted on his arm, but after a string of off-field incidents, he sorta was the forgotten man on the depth chart.  The issues continued again when Lane Kiffin came on board when he accumulated too many negative points and forced to sit out of work-outs while the coaching staff evaluated his future.  It makes sense that Jordan is the 1st to transfer since he has the biggest slate to wipe clean.

In terms of how this impacts SC, although you hate to say it out of respect for Jordan, it's actually beneficial for the team.  With limited scholarships, Jordan's departure opens up a slot that can be filled with higher priority positions like offensive linemen.  We should be fine at the linebacker spot with an experienced LB like Glen Stanley coming in and a very promising recruit in Tre Madden who plays beyond his years coming in 2011.

Best of luck to Jordan wherever he ends up.