USC: Pete Carroll Report Card: Notre Dame Edition

Every week, Pete Carroll preaches three things: turnovers, penalties, and “It’s not how you start but how you finish.”

So, this report card is going to be short and to the point.  Or rather to those three points.

Two Trojan players get an A: Matt Barkley and Anthony McCoy.

Barkley had another career day, passing for 380 yards and two TD.  His direction of the offense was nearly flawless.  His only mistake was an interception that was the result of a pass tipped by Ronald Johnson.

I can’t really blame Barkley for that one.  Johnson, just returning from a broken collarbone, would have normally caught that pass.  Also, the pass may have been intended for Damian Williams who was a few yards further downfield when Johnson tipped it.

McCoy also had a career day for a wide receiver even though he is a tight end.  His five catches for 153 yards and a 30.6 yard were numbers that most wide receivers only dream of.  His determined running after the catch, carrying Irish defenders on his back, was truly a sight to behold.

Barkley is now second in the nation in yards/passing attempt at 9.8.  McCoy is second in the nation in yards/catch at 25.

The offense overall gets a B.  To those fans who disagree, remember that I’m basing this on one of Pete Carroll’s three major criteria: “It not about how you start but about how you finish.”

And the offense simply did not finish that fourth quarter very well.  They failed to control the ball.  On one occasion two successive tackles for losses on Joe McKnight brought up a third-and-14.  The pass blocking broke down on the next play, and Barkley’s hurried pass was tipped by Ronald Johnson and intercepted by Gary Gray.

Also the offense did not react quickly to the interception and allowed Gray to rumble 30 yards down to the USC 15.

On their next possession, the Trojan pass blocking, which had been perfect for three quarters, broke down once again, and Barkley was sacked bringing up a second-and-18.  The offensive line did not account for John Ryan, who lined up outside and blitzed Barkley unabated.  Shame! 

Coaches, why didn’t you call a timeout?  Or did Ryan blend into the background just like Robbie Parris on that fake field goal attempt? 

The USC Defense played a strong three-quarters but only rates a C-/D+.  The reason: they failed at all three of Pete Carroll’s criteria.  

Turnovers: Notre Dame fumbled the ball four times, but USC failed to come up with any of them. 

Penalties: Four critical personal fouls that extended Irish drives.  The last two came close to giving the Irish a victory.

Finish: The defense simply did not finish well.  In the fourth quarter, they failed to maintain a strong pass rush.  They gave up too many yards on Irish runs.  Their tackling was sloppy.  Their pass coverage was way too loose.

Here are some quotes from defensive players that should never be uttered if they are following Pete Carroll’s dictum to “Finish!”

Middle linebacker, Chris Galippo: "The comfort level went up with everybody.  Maybe guys got a little lax."

Maybe?  A little lax?  Maybe almost as lax as your drop backs in the final quarter.  

You need to drop back further in coverage to protect the middle in a prevent defense.  But you did play outstanding ball for the first three quarters, Chris.  I’ll give you that.

Cornerback Kevin Thomas: "It felt like '05, but this time the pressure was on us,"  

You put the pressure on yourselves, Kevin.

Safety Taylor Mays: "We've got work to do.”

For sure.  And, Taylor, you can start by looking for the ball sometimes instead of looking to make a hit.  That was an INT waiting to happen on that 45-yard TD to Golden Tate.  All you had to do was look up for the ball.

Chris Galippo again: "Little things.  Doing stuff right. We've got so close to losing games."

But this one should not have been close, Chris.  Finish, that’s the point.

Defensive end Everson Griffen: "Play smart.  Penalties kept them in the game."

Try practicing what you preach, Everson.  By the way, nice biceps.

Defensive genius Pete Carroll: "Stuff happened . . . Unfortunately, we made it real dramatic and fun."

Great fun, Coach.  Let’s do it again the next two weeks against Oregon State and then up at Autzen.  Maybe this time, you can have the guys let the game slip into overtime.  

We haven’t done an OT game in years.  That would be really dramatic, not to mention awesome.