If you want the sugar-coated version, here it is. The Trojans mock game at the Coliseum this afternoon was "nice." Both the offense and defense looked terrific.
Now for the real deal. (Uh-oh!)
Unless the first-teams at Virginia, Ohio State, and Oregon are worse than USC’s scout team, the Trojans could be in for a tougher time than Pete Carroll lets on. "All in all, it was a terrific day for us," coach Carroll was quoted as saying after the game.
But the Trojan (white team) offense appeared to me to be anything but terrific, at least until Mitch Mustain got in the game with about seven minutes to go in the second quarter.
When the coaches go back and review the game film, they will see that Mustain finally separated himself from Aaron Corp. Is he on par with Mark Sanchez? Maybe not. But it isn’t apparent yet just how well Sanchez will do if and when he returns from rehabbing his dislocated knee.
Sanchez is expected to be back running the first-team offense on Monday or Tuesday in order to be part of the game plan for the opener at Virginia on Saturday. But the training staff had better be absolutely certain that knee is good to go. If not, Sanchez could incur further damage that would put him out for a good part of the season.
Mustain may be one of those players who looks so-so in practice, but put him in a game and he shines. And that’s just what happened this afternoon as coach Carroll’s staff did a splendid job of creating a mock game to mimic the atmosphere of a real one, including the Trojan Marching Band, the Trojan Song Girls, Pac-10 officials, and 8,000 fans in attendance.
The other quarterback that had some incredible moments when he looked like he could out-Tebow Tim Tebow was Garrett Green. In fact, he took more snaps than either Mustain or Corp, giving way to Chris McCaffery, a true freshman, for only one short series.
Green started the game off with a nice sideline pass to Jordan Cameron for a first down then scampered to another first down on a quarterback roll out. The drive stalled and the first-unit took over with Corp at the helm. They went three-and-out.
After a punt, the scout team took over on its own 11. On the second play, Garrett went back to pass, Kyle Moore broke through and batted Green’s pass straight up, and Everson Griffen pulled it down in the end zone for the first score of the game.
Undaunted by the interception, Green went to the air again and drove the scout team in for its only score of the game. It started with a pass interference call on Kevin Thomas. Then with a truly remarkable now-they-have-him, now-they-don’t scramble, Green threw a 48-yard strike to Cameron down the middle of the field. Then he hit Brice Butler for a seven-yard score to knot the game at 7-7.
Corp again took over the Trojan first unit and again failed to move the sticks. On a 3rd-and-2, he misread the coverage and threw into the flat. The receiver came up short, but Corp missed a wide-open Patrick Turner well beyond the sticks.
After a touchback, Green hit Butler for a short gain. Marc Tyler ran for another Cardinal (scout team) first down. Then DJ Shoemate gained seven yards. But on a 3rd-and-3, Kyle Moore came up big and stopped Tyler for a two-yard loss.
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3 months ago
Excellent analysis. If Sanchez can't go 100% this week, I feel confident that Mustain can help us WIN. And make no mistake about it, we MUST WIN our opener. Mustain really shined in the scrimmage last night. He is cool under fire. Nothing rattles him. I think fr USC, with all the pressure leading up to the opener, having a QB like Mustain, with REAL GAME experience, is a great thing to have, escpecially if Sanchez is still out with the injury. USC needs to WIN and Mustain will get the job done.
from 3 months ago
Mustain has experience on the road from his days with the Razorbacks. I agree. The Virginia road show won't rattle him, and Corp's slow start yesterday could put a lot more pressure on the defense.
3 months ago
Great rundown on SC. I'm curious to see how Mustain will do. I don't think you can afford to start Sanchez if there is any chance he's not ready. Mustain sounds like he's a good back up guy, he rocked it at Arkansas before leaving.
This year the Pac-10 could be very interesting.
from 3 months ago
Very true, Travis. Even with Sanchez in good health, Oregon will not be a cake walk. And Cal is always a dangerous rival.
3 months ago
I think by giving Mustain the opportunity to play, he will make USC what they really are..... one of the best teams in the nation. Mitch won ten games for Arkansas before he was side-lined.
A.A. Rozell
from 3 months ago
I think it was 8 games before he was benched. But the important thing now is that he has that road game experience if Sanchez can't make it back. And even if he does, Mustain needs to be ready. One hard hit on that knee and Sanchez could be out for some time.
3 months ago
Hey Paul,
You rock! Awesome recap of the simulated game, including your personal insights. Outstanding read.
I don't put much stock in the overall impression left by the first unit in such practices. Keep in mind that this mock game was simply that, a practice session. The only surprise to me was your evaluation of the offensive line. They will be the key to the Trojan's success this season, having to protect an untested quarterback and open holes for the horses in the backfield. When it comes to defense, USC will be able to play with anyone in the country. Anyone.
Lew
from 3 months ago
I agree, Lew, the defense looks pretty good against the scout team, but they may have some trouble against a really good spread offense like Oregon. I may have been a little too hard on the O-line. They're still a work in progress. Jeff Byers and Zack Herberer have only been practicing for a week. With another week under their belts, hopefully, they will look a lot better against Virginia.
3 months ago
I was wrong ,It was eight. Never the less he proved he is a winner. He needs to be able to prove that he can do the job. A.A.
from 3 months ago
10 or 8 or 100 games, doesn't matter, Mustain didn't win those games, Darren McFadden And Felix Jones did. Look at Mustains stats for those games, please drop the 8-0 thing, it doesn't hold water.
3 months ago
nice recap, did campbell move over the d this year or during spring?
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