USC vs. Cal: The Trojan Report Card

Like most everyone else, I predicted a close game—USC 24-Cal 21. Instead, it was a USC blowout, 30-3.  

That may sound like a very impressive victory, but much of that 27-point margin was the result of Cal’s incompetence—the same as last week’s Cal defeat up in Oregon.

That’s not to take anything away from either the Trojans or the Ducks, but for the second consecutive week Cal looked simply terrible. They could hardly do anything right.

So, while the score may indicate an A rating for USC, it was really a big fat F for Cal that produced that large a margin of victory. And that F rating falls not only on Jeff Tedford and the Cal coaching staff but also on the guys on the field.

This is a poorly coached team.  

Poor clock management and decision making on the sidelines did little to give the Bears any chance of winning.

The USC defense held Jahvid Best to just 47 yards as they decided to make Kevin Riley beat them.  But Riley was out of sync with his receivers all evening, and Tedford had no answer for it.

Here are the grades on other aspects of the USC team:

USC Defense—B

The USC defense gets a B rating overall. While they pitched a shutout for most of the game, the tackling needs to improve as well as the pass coverage.

Cal’s opening drive right down the field for 66 yards showed a lack in both areas until All-American Taylor Mays intercepted Riley in the end zone to turn the game around right then and there.

Tackling—B-

It was more than adequate against Cal, but what will happen against the likes of Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State with Jacquizz Rodgers (186 yards against USC in 2008) and Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, who leads the Pac-10 in rushing?

The Trojans should have had at least three or four more sacks. They need to wrap those arms around the ball carrier. Hopefully, they will use the bye week to work on the fundamentals.

Containment—B

It was good overall, but there’s still room for improvement.

Pass Coverage—B+

Good tight coverage overall, but Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate are lurking right around the corner. Taylor and the guys will need to bring their A game.  

The same when they go up against Standford’s hot young arm, Andrew Luck. And don’t forget Oregon’s Jermiah Masoli, who is improving every week. The Ducks are on a roll with a 52-6 win over Wazzou.

Pete Carroll and Rocky Seto Defensive Game Plan: A

Stop Best and Vereen and let Riley try to beat them worked to perfection.

USC OFFENSE—B

Why a B when they beat Cal by 27 points? Because out of seven red zone trips, they were 3-3-1. Three TDs, three field goals, and one strike out.

If the Trojans expect to run the table against the likes of Notre Dame, Oregon, Standford and Oregon State, they need to convert those field goals into TDs.

Quarterback—B+

Matt Barkley had a very good game. He set another career high of 283 yards with one INT but no TDs. Therein lies the problem—the four red zone trips that produced just three field goals.

The defenses are stacking the line of scrimmage to stop the run. The defensive backs with less ground to cover can play receivers much tighter. Barkley needs to work on pinpointing his red zone passes.

This may improve as Barkley’s shoulder improves.  

It looked as though the shoulder was still bothering him tonight. With a bye week ahead, Barkley, hopefully, will be a hundred percent for Notre Dame game.

Receivers—A

They caught just about everything that was within reach. There were only two drops of catchable passes: Blake Ayles and Stanley Havili.

Running Backs—A-

One hundred and seventy four yards on 42 carries for a 4.1 average. Not bad, considering Cal, like every other team USC has played, were determined to stop the run and let Barkley beat them. Also, no fumbles.

Offensive Line—B

They were great between the twenties, but lacked a strong effort inside the red zone. This has been the case for the last month. These guys are supposed to be the best in college football. Well, if they are, they have to do a better job in the red zone, especially with Stafon Johnson no longer pounding into the line.

Jeremy Bates and John Morton, Offensive Game Plan: B-

These two guys need to get more creative in the red zone. All these field goals just won’t do against the Irish, the Ducks, the Beavers and the Cardinal.

Penalties—A-

A big improvement over the last week. Only five flags for 55 yards. Still, they can do better, I hope.

Individual Grades

Taylor Mays: A+. What a beast! He turned the game around early single-handedly.

Chris Galippo: A+. He kept the defense on target all night.

Anthony McCoy and Stanley Havili: A+. Great blocking, no question about it.

Christian Tupou: A. Good effort all night.

Joe McKnight: A. Twenty carries for 119 yards and one highlight reel touchdown.

Allan Bradford: A-. Filling in for Stafon Johnson, followed his blocking and got some tough yardage on his own. He’s a load!

Next Week’s Opponent: The Trojans.  

This is the toughest opponent they will face all year—themselves. It’s a bye week and they need to correct the mistakes and re-dedicate themselves to playing error-free ball.  

That goes for Pete and his staff as well.