USC, Vikings

Great win for the Trojans yesterday. I was a little nervous at first, when Oregon marched down the field and we helped out with a few stupid personal foul penalties. Once USC got going though, there was no stopping them. Unlike last Thursday, I thought the play calling on offense was brilliant. There was a great mix of run and pass, and we finally took some shots deep down the field. I think Ronald Johnson should have a few deep passes thrown his way every game. Also, Mark Sanchez got everyone involved, throwing touchdown passes to three different receivers. After a rough start, the defense really put the pressure on the Oregon QB in the second half and tackled much better. I said the Trojans needed to make a statement, and that's exactly what they did against a pretty good Oregon team. On a side note, I was very happy to see David Ausburry get into the end zone on the final drive. He's a big, tall, physical receiver with a lot of talent that has become forgotten in the passing game because of injuries and so many other great players stepping up. Good for him.

Huge game for the Vikings tomorrow on Monday Night Football. Hard to call a game a must win this early in the season, but this one pretty much is for the Purple. Dropping to 1-4 would be hard hole to climb out of, even in a weak division. I look for the game to be a shootout. Drew Brees might be the best quarterback in the NFL right now, even without Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston playing. This is a potential 200 yard game for Adrian Peterson against the 27th ranked defense in the league. The key for the Vikings defense will be shutting down Reggie Bush and the Saints running game to make them one dimensional. If they can do that and limit the really big passing plays from Brees, they should be in good shape. Much easier said than done. Also, Gus Frerotte needs to take advantage of a weak Saints secondary and make them at least respect the passing game. If Gus is on his game, look for big holes to open up for Adrian. I hope we can get Adrian involved in the passing game too, kind of like how the Saints do with Bush. Another thing to watch for is the return of Bryant McKinnie. In typical Brad Childress fashion, he hasn't said weather he'll start over Artis Hicks. Regardless, look for both to get significant playing time, as Hicks has done a nice job filling in for McKinnie so far. Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice are both questionable, but should play. The big injury loss for the Vikes in this game is linebacker E.J. Henderson, who may miss a few weeks. He has been outstanding this season and last season. Ray Edwards returns this week along with Vinny Circiu. My prediction: Adrian runs wild and Brees has a big day through the air, but the Vikings defense comes up with enough big plays in this big game to win it 31-28. Skol.