TrojanNYC.com

Aaron Corp Mic'd Up @ Practice

Nice little video of Aaron mic'd up at practice.  I thought Sarks comments in the video were more interesting than anything from Aaron.  Nevertheless, another great video from USCRipsIt.com. 

Prediction Time: Oregon State Edition

I was completely off on my prediction last week, although I did have a clear caveat stating that if we had any major turnovers the prediction would go out the window .  This week I'm predicting a total score under 50 and SC winning by 10-13 points.  With Oregon State's Yvenson Bernard questionable for the game, the Beavers lose their top running back AND receiver.  Even if Oregon State's rushing defense can shutdown SC's running game, which I don't think will happen, how are they going to score on the best overall defense in the Pac-10?  The only offenses that give SC trouble are those with either a mobile QB (e.g. Vince Young/Dennis Dixon) or an accurate one (e.g. Aaron Rodgers); Sean Canfield is neither of those. 

On the flip side, no one can expect Booty to come in from a 3 game break and start clicking with his receivers right off the bat.  I see Sark calling a lot of quick slants and receiver screens to let JDB establish some rhythm and also take pressure off the running game.  If SC wants to blow this game open, they need Booty to make the 20+ yard throws, but considering how Sark's been calling games this season, I don't think it will happen with any consistency.  My final score prediction?  USC 27 - OSU 16.

TNYC Washington Review

As usual, here are my thoughts:

• Positive - Winning the Game
  

• Honestly, the only positive I can take away from last night's game was actually winning the game.  It happens every season, we go into a game expecting to blow out the opponent and suddenly all hell breaks loose and your expectations drop to a point where you're just hoping for a W however ugly the means. 

As an optimist, I look back to last night's game and say it's an improvement over last year's Oregon State debacle.  The bottom line is we faced adversity in every possible way and came out victorious; that to me shows a fortitude that we lacked last season. 

• Negative - JDB's Play
  

• Now I'm sure you're asking, how can you single out JDB's play amongst the myriad of negatives we had in last night's game?  No, it's not because I'm on the "I hate JDB" bandwagon that seems to be full right now (I've been critical of JDB long before the bandwagon even existed), rather I see it being the most concerning negative simply because it can't be fixed immediately.  The penalties, fumbles, etc. will all go away starting this Saturday because the coaching staff will address it all week during practice, but can JDB change his tendencies by October 27th (@ Oregon)?  That I'm not so sure of. 

I've always said that JDB is a good but not elite QB because he can't create something from nothing.  He makes some jaw-dropping throws with his raw ability from time to time, but at the same time he breaks down when feeling pressured (i.e. curls up into a ball, hurries passes, etc.), locks onto  receivers, chooses to force a pass rather than check down, etc.  The criticism has NOTHING to do with being ungrateful or spoiled, it simply is what it is.

With that said, I still think Booty should be the starting QB and that we have a chance of winning a NC with him at the helm, we just have to achieve it in different ways (i.e. stellar defense play, maintaining running game, etc.).  JDB is not going to carry us on his back like Leinart/Bush did in '04, if this team wins a NC it will have to be done corporately. 

• Player of the Game - Chauncey Washington
  

• I'm very tempted to give the POG to Stafon since he carried for 16 more yards on 7 less carries, but Chauncey made all the pivotal runs like the 53 yarder before the half to set up the go ahead FG and key third downs in the 4th quarter.  Stafon was the more consistent back, but Chauncey ran tough when we needed him. 
  

• Play of the Game - Terrell Thomas Creating/Recovering Fumble
  

• With momentum on Washington's side, Terrell made up for his interference call by making one of the biggest plays of his career in stripping Anthony Russo of the ball on a punt return and then recovering it himself.  It quieted the crowd and set up what would be the winning FG. 
  

• Final Thoughts... - Moving Forward

• The injuries to Kristofer O'Dowd and Chilo Rachal are huge since it affects the only consistent offensive weapon in our arsenal, which is the running game.  I think this puts more pressure on Steve Sarkisian's shoulders to get creative and start using our raw talent to beat teams.  That to me means a lot more misdirection and isolation plays where our players are given a chance to do their thing one-on-one.  I think Steve has done a great job at this point, I just think he needs to make a few tweaks to help JDB and our receivers along. 

We can let out a big sigh that we have Stanford at home this Saturday.  The game comes at a perfect time in that we can let some of our key players heal and also work on our execution.  Bring on the obnoxious tree mascot. 

TNYC Nebraska Review

Here are my thoughts on last night's game:

• Positive - O-Line Play
  

• I think there's a consensus agreement that the biggest positive from last night's game was the play of the O-Line.  They were in sync the entire night and opened up giant holes.  I, like many, am wowed by Kristofer O'Dowd's play. 

• Negative - Special Teams
  

• As I mentioned back in my Fall Scrimmage report, I don't feel comfortable with Vincent Joseph returning kicks.  I'm not basing this entirely on his fumble, I personally think he makes bad decisions and always tries to break it instead of going with his blockers. 

Also, not having enough players on the extra point was flat out embarrassing and Joe McKnight nearly had the ball bounce off his leg after misjudging a punt.  Also, how in the world do you kick-off to start both halves?

• Player of the Game - Stafon Johnson

• For two games in a row, I'm giving the POG to Stafon.  Again, he showed great vision in picking the right holes and ran hard - plain and simple running.  The spin move off the broken play was outstanding.  If there's any knock against Stafon it's his lack of breakaway speed, but you really can't complain about his performance at this point. 
  

• Play of the Game - Sedrick Ellis Knocking Brett Byford on His Butt

• Watching Big Sed explode off the snap and knock Byford on his rear-end was easily the play of the game for me.  Sedrick was absolutely unstoppable and was held blatantly on a couple plays.  He's easily been the star of the defense IMO. 

• Game-ball - Steve Sarkisian

• The offensive calls last night were beautiful.  All the misdirection plays and decoys had Nebraska confused the entire night.  I think I remember letting out a nice sigh at the relief of knowing that Lane Kiffin is all but a distant memory. 
  

• Final Thoughts... - Gaining Momentum/Patrick Turner's Lackluster Game

• You can feel the momentum building.  With the first big test out of the way, I think the team will hit their stride this coming Saturday against Washington State at the Coliseum.  I fully expect a big win this week. 

• Don't give up on PT just yet; let's remember that this is his 1st game of the season.  With that said, my expectations for him this season aren't as high as some.  He's talented, but I don't think he'll ever live up to the hype he received as the #1 HS receiver in the nation.  You might say it's ludicrous to say such a thing based on scant proof, but there's just something missing in his game... 

So a very impressive game overall.  I'm looking forward to reading humorous pre-game/post-game quotes from Bill Doba this week...