Rose Bowl: USC 38, Penn St. 24 (Final)

[MaxBuck]

Stop drinking the kool-aid that all the sportswriter say about USC.

If I never again have to read the oddly smug yet fatuous phrase, "stop drinking the kool-aid," that will be just fine by me.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

SC's true weakness for this season and for the last couple of seasons is their lack of pursuit speed at LB, which puts them at a disadvantage against teams with speedy backs. You saw that last night with Stephon Johnson running away from their big MLB on a few occasions.

But that's really it. When you compare this deficiency vs. Florida's or OU's deficiencies, there is really no comparison. SC should have played in the title game this year and arguably the last two years as well.

 

[Boilers Fan]

I would love to see the Rose Bowl start getting alternated between Pac-10 and Big 10 country. One year in LA at the Rose Bowl, the next year at Soldier Field in Chicago. Or what about Lambeau field on Jan 1? :) Let's see how well USC/any other Pac-10 team does against the Big 10 when they have to come to our house in the dead of winter.

 

[methomps]

I would love to see the Rose Bowl start getting alternated between Pac-10 and Big 10 country. One year in LA at the Rose Bowl, the next year at Soldier Field in Chicago. Or what about Lambeau field on Jan 1? :) Let's see how well USC/any other Pac-10 team does against the Big 10 when they have to come to our house in the dead of winter.

you assume the big ten team would want any part of that. I don't think it's any accident that your league ends its season much earlier than anyone else

 

[reagdog]

Great post. I agree.

Seriously, it's a valid point. We can't discount the whole season when evaluating a conference. My post was just about bowl season. Pac 10 has stepped up in those games. Plain and simple.

You guys do realize the Pac-10 man handled the Big-10 this year so I wouldn't talk trash about the Pac-10 losing to the MWC. They had some good teams this year. The Pac-10 always schedules the MWC and they are the best non-BCS conference in the nation.

 

[matcar]

the big ten's problem is that every single team thinks SC has never been punched in the mouth and wouldn't know how to respond. Coach Carlisle put it best: everyone thought these big meat-eaters from Michigan would come in and beat our sushi-eating asses. That didn't happen

I disagree. I think the B10s problem is that we haven't fielded a team as strong as USCs. It's not that a B10 team thinks they can gain a mental edge by being nasty...rather it's about USC having enormous talent, and a coach/staff that motivates well, especially in the spotlight. USC beat PSU, Illinois, because they were considerably better. They beat tOSU because they were better, and to make matters worse, our best player was injured.

After graduation and early NFL defects, we'll have to see if the talent on the field evens out before the showdown in C'bus. Hopefully the talent levels will be even, everyone will be healthy, and we can even the home/home series.

 

[Dryden]

How do u know what they were thinking. If u have ever played football u would know that lining up off sides happens sometimes during a game. Stop drinking the kool-aid that all the sportswriter say about USC. They are good but not unstoppable. The problem was Penn ST. was not aggressive enough on defensive or offensive. A big portion of that in the first half.

Did we watch the same game? Penn State was absolutely overmatched at every single position on the field. Sanchez & Damian Williams could have shattered a few bowl records if they had really wanted to.

It was 31-7 at halftime when USC took their foot off PSU's throat. When Penn State finally scored again at the beginning of the 4th Q, USC responded by going 82 yards on three plays! After that, what PSU did was irrelevant. From that point on, USC ran nine more plays that weren't punts: 1 pass and 8 rushes. Clock bleeding time!

Sure, it was a great job by PSU to make the final score a little bit more respectable and only lose by two TDs, rather than lose by five TDs, which is where the game was headed if Southern Cal hadn't lost interest once the game was well in hand.

 

[reagdog]

I would love to see the Rose Bowl start getting alternated between Pac-10 and Big 10 country. One year in LA at the Rose Bowl, the next year at Soldier Field in Chicago. Or what about Lambeau field on Jan 1? :) Let's see how well USC/any other Pac-10 team does against the Big 10 when they have to come to our house in the dead of winter.

What fan wants to travel to 0 degrees to watch a game? Like it has been said many times, it's about money. Just like the Super Bowl being played in Detrioit a couple of years ago - no one wanted to go. People want to enjoy themselves when they spend big $ to go to a bowl game. Not freeze their butt off and be miserable.

 

[Mike80]

How do u know what they were thinking. If u have ever played football u would know that lining up off sides happens sometimes during a game. Stop drinking the kool-aid that all the sportswriter say about USC. They are good but not unstoppable. The problem was Penn ST. was not aggressive enough on defensive or offensive. A big portion of that in the first half.

Holy crap did you text this one in or what? Damn that was nearly unreadable.

 

[IronBuckI]

SC's true weakness for this season and for the last couple of seasons is their lack of pursuit speed at LB, which puts them at a disadvantage against teams with speedy backs. You saw that last night with Stephon Johnson running away from their big MLB on a few occasions.

Trying to pursue your own runningback, while playing another team, truly is a weakness.

 

[IronBuckI]

I would love to see the Rose Bowl start getting alternated between Pac-10 and Big 10 country. One year in LA at the Rose Bowl, the next year at Soldier Field in Chicago. Or what about Lambeau field on Jan 1? :) Let's see how well USC/any other Pac-10 team does against the Big 10 when they have to come to our house in the dead of winter.

I'd settle for playing at the dome in Indianapolis.

 

[Dryden]

What fan wants to travel to 0 degrees to watch a game? Like it has been said many times, it's about money. Just like the Super Bowl being played in Detrioit a couple of years ago - no one wanted to go. People want to enjoy themselves when they spend big $ to go to a bowl game. Not freeze their butt off and be miserable.

Apples and oranges. It's one thing to not want to travel to a cold-weather city, it's quite another to not want to travel to Detroit.

 

[reagdog]

Apples and oranges. It's one thing to not want to travel to a cold-weather city, it's quite another to not want to travel to Detroit.

That's true. No one wants to go to Detoit for anything. However, the weather would be a huge factor in people traveling to watch a bowl game.

Just like tOSU coming here for the Fiesta Bowl. It's 72 degrees here today and it's a great vacation for anyone from the midwest. Money well spent. It would be a horrible vacation for someone from CA or AZ to go to Wisconsin, Ohio or Pennsylvania this time of year.

 

[jwinslow]

Just like tOSU coming here for the Fiesta Bowl. It's 72 degrees here today and it's a great vacation for anyone from the midwest. Money well spent. It would be a horrible vacation for someone from CA or AZ to go to Wisconsin, Ohio or Pennsylvania this time of year.

I don't think we're suggesting that they go to wisconsin, ohio or pennsylvania. Those states don't have great cities for hosting the event (as in the extra attractions outside of the game). Host it in Chicago or New York.

Indianapolis just wasted a whole lot of money for 2012's superbowl if no one is coming.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Trying to pursue your own runningback, while playing another team, truly is a weakness.

Stephon Greene. Sorry about the error.

I would love to see the Rose Bowl start getting alternated between Pac-10 and Big 10 country. One year in LA at the Rose Bowl, the next year at Soldier Field in Chicago. Or what about Lambeau field on Jan 1? :) Let's see how well USC/any other Pac-10 team does against the Big 10 when they have to come to our house in the dead of winter.

We don't have to the guns to stick around with SC's athletes so let's change the venue where field conditions would neutralize SC's athletic superiority. Genius.