Thoughts After a Crazy Weekend

I had a great time up north this past weekend watching USC get some revenge on Stanford. Here are my thoughts about that and a whole lot more:

-USC played probably their best second half this season, and definitely their best fourth quarter of the the season. In the first half, it didn't seem like the Trojans had a game plan. They probably scripted the first 15-20 plays, but the script wasn't working and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian refused to change what he was doing. Sanchez was a little off of his rhythm, yet Sark stuck with the pass first approach. In the second half, we came out with a plan to run it down their throats and impose our will on Stanford. C.J. Gable was absolutely phenomenal. He showed the combination of quickness, agility, and power that he possesses when healthy. Great game for the kid. Gable also had the momentum changing play of the game to close the first half. After Stanford scored with 4:29 remaining in the half to make it 17-10, Gable returned the ensuing kickoff down the sideline for a touchdown, tying the score going into the locker room. I can't emphasize enough how huge that play was for the Trojans. Their defense wasn't playing great, they had nothing going on offense, and Gable gives them a big time lift with the kickoff return TD. It's important to have momentum going into the locker room and the Trojans clearly did. They carried it over into the second half and put the game away. Good win.

-I really want Oregon State to win out so the Trojans can play in a BCS game other than the Rose Bowl. I know it sounds crazy, but there are a number of reasons why. First, we would still share the Pac-10 title, so technically the streak of 6 straight wouldn't end. Second, the Trojans have played in the Rose Bowl 4 out of the past 5 years, and I would love to take a trip to Glendale, New Orleans, or Miami. Most importantly, I want the Trojans to play a Big 12 or SEC team in their bowl game. While Penn State is certainly improved from the Michigan and Illinois squads USC beat up on the past two years, they still are from the Big 10. The Trojans haven't gotten to see how they stack up against a solid Big 12 or SEC team yet, and I am very intrigued to possibly see how they do. Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Florida, and Alabama would all be very exciting match ups. The one downside is that the Rose Bowl would feature Penn State and Oregon State and will probably be the least watched Rose Bowl of all-time. However, a Fiesta Bowl or Sugar Bowl match up with someone like Texas or Alabama is too intriguing to pass up. In summary, go Trojans and Beavers.

-USC basketball got a solid win (78-55) in their season opener over UC Irvine. Congrats to Tim Floyd on winning his first opener with the Trojans. Didn't get to see the game live, but watched the entire thing when I got back and was quite impressed, especially with the Trojans defense. Defense has been the key for UCLA in their Pac-10 dominance and Final Four runs over the past few years, and USC is quickly approaching their level. I really like the Trojans size at the guard position because it causes huge match up problems for the opposing squad. Daniel Hackett is 6'5'', Dwight Lewis is 6'7'', and DeMar DeRozan is 6'7'' as well. All three are quick and very good defenders. Taj Gibson is a tremendous defensive presence down low. He picked up 5 blocks in the opener. If Alex Stepheson is eligible, the Trojans might become the best defensive team in the conference. We should know about Stepheson's eligibility this week. Other than the defense, I was impressed by DeMar DeRozan's unselfishness. 14 points doesn't look like much compared to O.J. Mayo's 32 in last year's opener, but DeRozan played a better overall game. Mayo took 27 shots in last year's opener, while DeRozan went 6-11 from the field on Saturday. Mayo had 8 turnovers, while DeRozan had only 2. The most important thing I saw from him was his willingness to give up the basketball when he didn't have an open look. Sometimes, Mayo would force shots that weren't there, but DeRozan looks like he doesn't care about his personal stats as much as working within the flow of the offense and helping the team win. Mayo had the ball in his hands so often last year that sometimes his teammates would stand around and watch, and the offense would break down. That doesn't seem like it will be the case this year with DeRozan. He also showed a variety of different ways he can score, hitting a couple outside jumpers, and driving to the hole as well. He will definitely get to the foul line more than Mayo because of his aggressiveness driving the basketball to the rim. That being said, he definitely won't be as good of an outside shooter and his game won't be as polished because he is two years younger than O.J. They are two different players, but both will go down as Trojan greats. Leonard Washington had a nice game off the bench for USC, and Dwight Lewis and Taj Gibson led the way (18 and 17 points respectively). Hoping to hear that Stepheson is eligible sometime this week. I'll have my thoughts right here after tomorrow's game at home against New Mexico State.

-Terrible loss for the Vikings Sunday. Didn't see any of it because I was en route back to L.A. from San Fran, but from what I heard I'm glad I didn't. How can you go through two drives at the end of a game when you need a TD to tie and not have Adrian touch the ball once? Are you kidding me? That is just yet another example of flat out terrible coaching by Brad Childress. Get the ball in the hands of your best player! Don't throw the ball four straight times when you still have your timeouts and the two minute warning! Also, Chilly went for it again on 4th and 1 from midfield and missed it for a second straight week. You have to punt the ball at that point in the game, considering the way our defense was playing. If you do go for it, run it up the gut with Adrian! It just shows a childish coaching mentality to not run it just because running it failed last week against Green Bay. Don't put the ball in Gus Frerrotte's hands; put it in Adrian's hands! I heard it was probably pass interference on the play and it wasn't called, but that play call is still inexcusable and the decision to go for it is bad as well. I'm sick and tired of us coming out as a completely different team on the road. We have one road win and it came in very lucky fashion in New Orleans. Until we prove we can win on the road, we will be a mediocre team in the NFC. The game at Jacksonville is pretty much a must-win with the Bears coming to town the following week. I still think the Vikings will win this division, but they have the toughest schedule of the three teams and again, must start playing better on the road.

-How does Randy Wittman still have his job? I was no fan of him coming into the season, but was willing to give him a fair chance with our supposedly new and improved squad. The only thing new and improved from last year so far is our position in the NBA Draft Lottery. After a 1-8 start on top of his god awful career coaching record, I think it's time we pull the trigger on him. It's not just that we're losing, but it's the way we've been losing close games down the stretch that kills me. You can't expect to win every close game with a young team, but this should definitely be a 5-4 or 4-5 team right now. I watched the entire Golden State game last week and was disgusted with Wittman's ability to manage the rotation. Kevin Love was nowhere to be found down the stretch even though he was having a good game, and Rashad McCants was still in the game even though he was jacking up wild shots at will. In addition, Al Jefferson didn't touch the ball in the final 5 minutes of the game. The offense should run through Al Jefferson almost every time, yet at crunch time, Wittman showed no urgency to get him the ball. It's just disastrous right now, and until they prove me differently, I will continue to think that the Wolves are playing for the #1 pick in next year's draft. It's sickening.

Thanks for reading. Fight On.