Game Thread Southern Cal 18, at tOSU 15 (Sept 12th, 8 pm, ESPN)

[USCStephen]

I'll go look now

 

[Jaxbuck]

I'm not ready to concede defeat like so many tOSU fans are after today. Can't say I blame the casual fan after today and last years massacre, but it's not so superficial.

Oddly enough I think we may have a punchers chance. It's not much but its something. My hope is our defense can affect their QB more than theirs can affect ours.

The Bucks were one mind boggling play call from breezing into next week. Yes, there are still issues along the OL, but I think a less buttoned up offense is let go next week and TP is given his opportunity to shine. Predictable playcalling can make an OL look worse than it really is. A good gameplan can neutralize that. The running game wasn't great, but Boom was serviceable and I was really impressed with Saine. I think the WR and TE's played good games. So there were some goods, quite a few actually, in there.

I stopped buying the "buttoned up" vs "wide open" stuff a long time ago. What you see is what you get. Even if the Navy score looked better anyone could watch and see the OL struggles. If people want to still try and debate the minutia of it being the play calling, the execution or whatever they can have at it. Bottom line is the OC and HC are responsible for the finished product on the field and its sub par, again.

Barkley is still coming into a very hostile environment in just his second college game. Yeah, he looked good...but against San Jose State. He should look good against San Jose State. I am nervous about the defensive backfield though. While I think Coleman is one of the best safeties in the country and maybe the best football player on the Bucks, the corners are still unproven and Russell is a liability just waiting to be exploited. I really, really, really hope Hines is on the field more. He's a major upgrade over Russell. I hate to make the kid out to be the whipping boy, but lets face facts...he's just not a very good safety in coverage. I'm gonna see him chasing USC recievers from behind in my nightmares. I think the DL and LBers held their own. The CB's looked good for what they had to work with.

Thoughts of our defense pressuring Barkley during his first start in a hostile environment give me hope. Then I think of his very good OL just giving him enough time to find wide open WR's and how that could very well silence the crowd noise everyone is banking on.

On offense, I want to see a lot of play action and rollouts. If the line can't get any push, we're in trouble, but I think TP taking over a game could still salvage it. He looked very sharp except for a couple of passes and I really liked what I saw from him on the move. Get the TE's involved. Ballard AND Stoney. A short-intermediate passing game could open up some running lanes for Boom and Zoom if the line isn't doing that well.

Rolling Pryor out and letting him try and take over that way is about the only thing I can think of on offense. We won't be able to run any other way. I'm not as excited about his passing from the first game as some. He still makes wide open receivers jump to catch the ball instead of hitting them in stride and overall I don't know if he gets away with some of the throws he made Saturday against better athletes like USC will have on defense.

Right now, I'm not nearly as confident as I was 24 hours ago, but more confident than last year. JT and the staff and the players know how big a game this is and they'll show up ready to play...at least I hope so. If I had to lay real money on this game right now, I'm putting it on USC, but, I have hope that they can prove me wrong.

Pretty much sums it up for me. The hope that sometimes when it looks this bad on paper it goes the opposite way is about all I've got right now. As far as betting I'd have to be getting OSU +10 or more to lay down any money right now.

bold is mine.

 

[muffler dragon]

I stopped buying the "buttoned up" vs "wide open" stuff a long time ago. What you see is what you get. Even if the Navy score looked better anyone could watch and see the OL struggles. If people want to still try and debate the minutia of it being the play calling, the execution or whatever they can have at it. Bottom line is the OC and HC are responsible for the finished product on the field and its sub par, again.

Jax:

This may be better served in the 2009 Offense discussion, but since you brought it up I thought I would ask what I wanted to here. I've often wondered about this whole "unveiling" of parts of the offense as the year or opponents come on. The part I've really started to wonder about is "why"? The majority of offense comes down to execution. Thus, my two questions to you: 1) Why do you not buy the whole concept? 2) What do you think about execution v. surprise?

 

[MANofTROY]

Just got done watching the USC/SJSU and I am felling better about our chances. SJSU played with USC for 1.5 quarters and it only started getting ugly when SJSU went with their backup QB and stopped moving the ball at all. They were not doing great with their 1st string QB, but at least he made a few first downs and keep the SJSU defense off the field for a little while. When USC started to roll it was againist a gassed defense and most times on a short field.

Barkley very rarely went down field with his throws. He mostly dropped it off underneath to wide open recievers who then use their athletic ability (and a gassed defense) to turn them into big plays. After the first quarter there was no pressure on him from SJSU. On the few times when he did go downfield he was accurate and found the wide open reciever but that didn't happen till the game was well in hand. It could be the PC instructed him only to throw if he is 100% sure. If USC uses the same plan we will need to tackle well in space and get pressure of the edges, but since we usually have done that well in the past I am somewhat hopeful there. Of course it also could be PC not wanting to show us anything as well.

The running game was impressive, but again most impressive when SJSU was gassed.

The USC defense was very good but I just don't know how good the SJSU offense in comparsion.

1st let me start by saying i have nothing but respect for Ohio state and i truly hope if we fall to you guys in ohio that you guys come back to SoCAL for some unfinished buisness early 2010. But in regards to sflbuck you have shown no respect and or give no credit to usc. We played extremely conservative against a very agressive defense and pulled off a huge victory and all you can say is "there defense was gassed". I can ask you why wasnt Navys defense gassed? They are known only for the tripple offense, san jose has a far better defense then they do. I made sure i watched the ohio state game and i loved how TP looked i truly believe Ohio state can beat anyone this year but i dont dare take credit away from your victory i watched it i seen how everything played out and i wasnt the least bit unimpressed by the close game, Tressel showed Pryor some respect and trusted him to get it done on fourth and short and he didnt, i think it was the best call of the game im sure it gave pryor even more motivation for this year he truly has improved much. But back to the reason i posted sflbuck for you to sit there and make excuse after excuse for sc's success is pitiful but with all do respect id also be angry if we had nothing to take to the film room and work with thats fully being honest we did everything we wanted to do and im sure you guys have realized we seen what ohio state has, but all ohio state has seen is the nations best running back stable this is going to be a very dangerous game for both teams even with a victory we both have a very difficult schedule ahead of us. With michigan, penn state, cal, and oregon state playing the way they did i think its really about time for the big10 and pac10 to return to glory i was the least bit impressed with Oklahoma state,choklahoma,Lsu,georgia,virginia tech and Bama i think we both would light any of these schools up easily as for texas and florida after what we seen yesterday they have a cakewalk to the national championship there confrences are puke.

 

[kinch]

1st let me start by saying i have nothing but respect for Ohio state and i truly hope if we fall to you guys in ohio that you guys come back to SoCAL for some unfinished buisness early 2010. But in regards to sflbuck you have shown no respect and or give no credit to usc. We played extremely conservative against a very agressive defense and pulled off a huge victory and all you can say is "there defense was gassed". I can ask you why wasnt Navys defense gassed? They are known only for the tripple offense, san jose has a far better defense then they do. I made sure i watched the ohio state game and i loved how TP looked i truly believe Ohio state can beat anyone this year but i dont dare take credit away from your victory i watched it i seen how everything played out and i wasnt the least bit unimpressed by the close game, Tressel showed Pryor some respect and trusted him to get it done on fourth and short and he didnt, i think it was the best call of the game im sure it gave pryor even more motivation for this year he truly has improved much. But back to the reason i posted sflbuck for you to sit there and make excuse after excuse for sc's success is pitiful but with all do respect id also be angry if we had nothing to take to the film room and work with thats fully being honest we did everything we wanted to do and im sure you guys have realized we seen what ohio state has, but all ohio state has seen is the nations best running back stable this is going to be a very dangerous game for both teams even with a victory we both have a very difficult schedule ahead of us. With michigan, penn state, cal, and oregon state playing the way they did i think its really about time for the big10 and pac10 to return to glory i was the least bit impressed with Oklahoma state,choklahoma,Lsu,georgia,virginia tech and Bama i think we both would light any of these schools up easily as for texas and florida after what we seen yesterday they have a cakewalk to the national championship there confrences are puke.

GPA?

 

[muffler dragon]

san jose has a far better defense then they do.

FWIW, MoT, I understand your overall sentiment in your post, but how exactly do you come to the conclusion above? The SJSU defense lost their two main playmakers from last year. They should be solid, but no one knows just how good they are. I'm not saying that Navy is great nor even good. I'm just saying that I doubt either of us know until the year progresses more. Thus, may want to avoid the same pitfalls of sfl, and not use opinions as fact.

 

[USCStephen]

Sorry there was 1 sack given up by the OL.
It was 3rd and 5, Barkley was in the pocket, he was looking downfield, held onto it a bit too long.
The defensive lineman was being blocked by Parsons until he spun away free and sacked Barkley, no big deal.

 

[BUCKYLE]

GPA?

Do we really want to reward that kind of sentence structure?

Next thing you know, jimotis will be getting GPA's.

 

[muffler dragon]

Sorry there was 1 sack given up by the OL.
It was 3rd and 5, Barkley was in the pocket, he was looking downfield, held onto it a bit too long.
The defensive lineman was being blocked by Parsons until he spun away free and sacked Barkley, no big deal.

Thanks for the information.

It's evident that you're not grasping the point I was trying to make; therefore, consider it dropped.

 

[CHU]

If the offensive line (and/or offensive line coaches) need any motivation, it's funny that Mark May called for at least five sacks by the USC defense next weekend (on College Football Final).

 

[MANofTROY]

FWIW, Thus, may want to avoid the same pitfalls of sfl, and not use opinions as fact.

Agreed.

 

[kinch]

1st let me start by saying i have nothing but respect for Ohio state

I wish you had the same respect for paragraphs

and i truly hope if we fall to you guys in ohio that you guys come back to SoCAL for some unfinished buisness early 2010.

That is not going to happen.

But in regards to sflbuck you have shown no respect and or give no credit to usc. We played extremely conservative against a very agressive defense and pulled off a huge victory and all you can say is "there defense was gassed". I can ask you why wasnt Navys defense gassed?

Because they weren't forced to be on the field the entire game and because they are in peak condition.

They are known only for the tripple offense, san jose has a far better defense then they do.

I disagree with your bare assertion.

I made sure i watched the ohio state game and i loved how TP looked i truly believe Ohio state can beat anyone this year but i dont dare take credit away from your victory i watched it i seen how everything played out and i wasnt the least bit unimpressed by the close game, Tressel showed Pryor some respect and trusted him to get it done on fourth and short and he didnt, i think it was the best call of the game im sure it gave pryor even more motivation for this year he truly has improved much.

I disagree that it was the best call of the game. As others have said, when you have a chance to go up by 3 scores you take it.

But back to the reason i posted sflbuck for you to sit there and make excuse after excuse for sc's success is pitiful but with all do respect id also be angry if we had nothing to take to the film room and work with thats fully being honest we did everything we wanted to do and im sure you guys have realized we seen what ohio state has, but all ohio state has seen is the nations best running back stable this is going to be a very dangerous game for both teams even with a victory we both have a very difficult schedule ahead of us.

I don't believe we are angry about film room opportunities. I also do not agree that you have seen what Ohio State has, as you put it. I am sure you will see something new next week, as was the case last year, even if it was unsuccessful.

With michigan, penn state, cal, and oregon state playing the way they did i think its really about time for the big10 and pac10 to return to glory i was the least bit impressed with Oklahoma state,choklahoma,Lsu,georgia,virginia tech and Bama i think we both would light any of these schools up easily as for texas and florida after what we seen yesterday they have a cakewalk to the national championship there confrences are puke.

I don't think the Big 12 and the SEC are "puke," but I would like to see a new ascendancy of the Pac 10 and Big 10.

My comments are in bold.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Jax:

This may be better served in the 2009 Offense discussion, but since you brought it up I thought I would ask what I wanted to here. I've often wondered about this whole "unveiling" of parts of the offense as the year or opponents come on. The part I've really started to wonder about is "why"? The majority of offense comes down to execution. Thus, my two questions to you: 1) Why do you not buy the whole concept? 2) What do you think about execution v. surprise?

1) My point was that I don't listen anymore when people try and tell me a bad offensive performance from OSU was due to vanilla play calling, not wanting to show too much, not wanting to run up the score etc etc etc. Much more often than not a bad offensive showing from OSU under this coaching staff simply means they aren't capable of any better and more poor performance is on the way.

2) I think the need for surprise and deception are a given when your are evenly matched but if I had to pick give me execution. In my mind you should be able to line up against a physically outmatched opponent, say a Navy, and impose your will for the simple stuff like having 2 plays to gain 1 yard.

I really don't want to get into anymore debates with people about the offensive struggles being a strategy or execution problem. Its a chicken and egg debate that just goes on forever. Bottom line is results and while the overall winning percentage is obviously very good there is just no need to consistently struggle on offense like we do. None.

 

[ysubuck]

If the offensive line (and/or offensive line coaches) need any motivation, it's funny that Mark May called for at least five sacks by the USC defense next weekend (on College Football Final).

It certainly isn't out of the question.

EDIT If they NEED any fucking motivation at this point then all is lost, IMO.

 

[muffler dragon]

1) My point was that I don't listen anymore when people try and tell me a bad offensive performance from OSU was due to vanilla play calling, not wanting to show too much, not wanting to run up the score etc etc etc. Much more often than not a bad offensive showing from OSU under this coaching staff simply means they aren't capable of any better and more poor performance is on the way.

2) I think the need for surprise and deception are a given when your are evenly matched but if I had to pick give me execution. In my mind you should be able to line up against a physically outmatched opponent, say a Navy, and impose your will for the simple stuff like having 2 plays to gain 1 yard.

I really don't want to get into anymore debates with people about the offensive struggles being a strategy or execution problem. Its a chicken and egg debate that just goes on forever. Bottom line is results and while the overall winning percentage is obviously very good there is just no need to consistently struggle on offense like we do. None.

FWIW, I wasn't arguing, disagreeing, debating your thought. I find myself very much in agreement; whereas, I had disagreed last year.
I have hopeful optimism that the same won't occur this year, but it's difficult to feel certain in that.

I understand your apprehension to discussing it again, and I truly have no interest in you taking another hiatus.