USC News, Notes and Mid-Season Reviews
by Paragon SC on Oct 22, 2009 7:07 AM PDT
in USC Football
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PrintLets start with Anthony McCoy!
We all saw how great he played against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and he is now showing us that he is a legitimate contender for the Mackey Award and the he could be a great pick-up in the NFL. He is one of the better blocking TE's in the game and his performance on Saturday simply increased his exposure to those who don't folloow USC on a regular basis.
From the LA Times
McCoy looked like the best tight end in college football against the Fighting Irish, catching five passes for 153 yards and setting up two touchdowns and a field goal in the Trojans' 34-27 win at Notre Dame.
After waiting two seasons behind Mackey Award winner Fred Davis, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound McCoy has developed into an upper-round NFL prospect in his second season as a starter.
"He's got the whole package," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "Few guys are that flashy and effective as receivers that can also block.
"He's going to be a tremendous prospect at the next level."
McCoy enters Saturday's game against Oregon State averaging a team-best 25 yards a reception. He has caught 14 passes, second on the team to wideout Damian Williams, and overcome a few early drops to become a short, mid-range and deep threat.
"He can stretch the field," freshman quarterback Matt Barkley said. "It's been such an advantage to have that. . . . The way he can run vertically and just have a knack for catching the ball and finding that open window is huge."
I still laugh at the scene of McCoy dragging those ND defenders downfield before thy brought him down short of the goal line. That was a sight! McCoy was honored for his performance against ND by being named the Mackey Award player of the week.
He will continue to play an important role as SC goes down the stretch.
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We are about to enter the second half of the season and now the fun begins. SC has the meat of the schedule in front of them. After this weekends game against Oregon St. SC goes on the road against the Duck's in Eugene then on to Tempe to face ASU. It has been an interesting ride so far, SC has not left us bored that is for sure with huge road wins against Ohio St. and Notre Dame. Yes there was the slip up against the Huskies but with what we have seen from them I think it was clear that the loss of Barkley and Mays along with Sarkisian and Holt knowing the strengths and weaknesses of this team backward and forward combined for a perfect storm for the upset...Hats off to them for the win but lets not get carried away.
The mid-season reviews and award lists are out and SC has some good representation...
Lets start with Ted Miller's Second-half outlook of USC...
Will Washington prove to be the only bump in the road for USC? And if USC rolls to an 11-1 record, will it play its way into the national title game? Or will we see the Trojans matched up again (sigh) with a Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl? It might be more fun if the Trojans lost to Oregon on Oct. 31 and then won out and earned an at-large invitation to another BCS bowl game. It seems like a massive long shot, given the selection procedure, but just picture USC vs. Florida/Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Yummy!
I am not even worrying about the post season, there is way too much football left to play and a couple of tough games still on the schedule...not just Oregon.
If anything the Notre Dame game showed me that we still have some work to do on finishing. The defense took their foot off the gas and let ND back in it, the dumb penalties sooner or later will come back to haunt us and cost us a game and for as great as Matt Barkley played he still is susceptible to making rookie mistakes.
SC needs to tighten a few things up...
Decreasing dumb penalties,3rd down conversions, the running game and the red zone offense still need to improve.
Michael Lev of the OCR has a quick take...
MIDSEASON MVP
MLB Chris Galippo
Taking over at the heart of an almost all-new front seven, the redshirt sophomore from Servite High has become an instant leader and among the top playmakers for the ninth-ranked defense in the nation. Galippo leads USC in tackles (41), is tied for first in pass breakups (four) and also has five tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
RB Allen Bradford
Even though he didn't play much last season because of injuries, Bradford has made the most tangible gains. The redshirt junior entered this season with 123 career rushing yards and a 2.9-yard average. In six games, he has 228 yards and a 6.3-yard average. Also considered: RB Joe McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, OT Tyron Smith, DT Jurrell Casey, DE Nick Perry and LB Michael Morgan.
Any one of those players listed above could be seen as most improved. Especially Nick Perry. You have to love what PC is doing with him...he is an absolute beast and he will only get better.
- - -
Here are a few links to some mid-season awards.
Phil Steele's 2009 Mid Season All-Pac-10 team
SN's midseason All-Americans: Offense
SN's midseason All-Americans: Defense
- - -
Here is an interesting take on the BCS from the WSJ...
Quantitatively and qualitatively, USC looks like the top option should any member of the Alabama-Florida-Texas triumverate falter. The Trojans top Boise, Cincinnati and Iowa in total defense. Of that group, they trail only the Bearcats in total offense. With the nation's ninth-rated defense by yards, the Trojans appeared to have one weakness heading into the season: quarterback play. But Matt Barkley continues to disprove that notion, along with the now-foolish idea that Aaron Corp should've started over him to begin the season. Mr. Barkley threw for 380 yards in the victory over Notre Dame.
If Mr. Barkley hadn't missed the Washington game, the Trojans might already occupy one of the top two spots. But with the way Florida and Texas are playing, who knows – maybe they will again.
It is going to get interesting as we go down the stretch.
- - -
Here is Pete Carroll on PMS
All Pac-10 has their USC/OSU preview up.
Ted Miller has a little more in his "What to watch for in the Pac-10"
As expected, Mark Tyler is done for the season, with Stanley Havili expected to be a game time decision because of his shoulder injury.
Here is a good read by the Trojan Empire on the BCS
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I couldn't find the rule, nor "the memo"
Before going on my morning run, I tried- unsuccessfully, to find any mention in the PAC 10 football rulebook regarding “using substitutions to deceive”. The reason for my search of futility was because I read in the morning paper that the coordinator of football officials for the Pac-10 said the Pac-10 crew that worked last week’s game at Notre Dame erred by not calling a penalty against the Fighting Irish on a fake field goal play that set up it’s (ND) first touchdown.
Lo and behold, when I got back- I was reading about Coach Carroll at the USC Media Conference on 10/20/2009 and this is what followed from the line of questioning involving questions about Anthony McCoy and the subsequent/immediate questions regarding the “using substitutions to deceive” issue.
Here’s the written transcripts from the Q&A between Coach Carroll and the questioneer(s):
Q. What about Anthony? He seems to be emerging. How does he compare?
COACH CARROLL: I think they’re a little different. Anthony’s a more complete blocker. He’s been consistently a guy that we’ve counted on to get movement and be able to scheme block. If you notice we do a lot of things with him on the move as well. He can handle all of that stuff. He’s ahead of Freddy in that regard.
At the time when Freddy had that big year our young receivers weren’t a equipped as much at the time, so we relied a lot more on having to go to Freddy. They’re both about the same speed, a little better catching range for Anthony. And all that, a couple inches taller.
So both are very effective players. Anthony’s a little more spectacular looking because he’s so tall and so long. But Freddy had an extraordinary year when he was a senior. Do you guys like that in between time, the little pause? After I finish everybody goes hmm?
Q. Takes time to absorb your wisdom.
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, that’s probably it. Where’s he going with this one?
Q. Can you talk about the goal, and your thoughts on that kind of play?
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, well, we’ve used the play before. Do you remember who that was against? It was Washington a few years ago. And on the same weekend Oregon used the same play. We both picked it up from the NFL. Somebody had run it a couple of weeks earlier, and we both scored touchdowns on it.
And we had memos from the league office that said we could no longer run that play because it was intent to deceive. So the play went on the shelf. The Pac 10 wasn’t going to allow that. Our Pac 10 officials allowed that, so I don’t know what to tell you.
It was an intersectional game as somebody pointed out. I don’t know if the Pac 10 officials jurisdiction, I don’t even know what to tell you. I don’t know what the answer is to this.
Personally, when the play was deemed not acceptable in our conference, I questioned that. You know, why not? We do a lot of things to deceive our opponents. We’re trying all the time. We throw out and ups. We run reverses, and we run screenplays and draw plays. We disguise blitzes and all that kind of stuff.
But it is based on the substitution issue, and that is the part where they got sensitive to it. When you substitute in a fashion that looks like the guys are coming off the field and they don’t, and that is how they did it. And that’s how we did it as well when we ran the play.
It’s not on any film to see how well they he disguised it, but the kid was on the field for the play before, so all he had to do was drag his way off. You have to be within a certain proximity of the huddle to be considered a part of the on the field group.
So it’s very gray right there because there are a bunch of kids running on for the field goal protection team. So it’s an easy play. It’s really an easy play to call and to pull off. And when the player stands on the sidelines, they always have players stand right along the sidelines so he mixes in.
Q. It was illegal?
COACH CARROLL: It was legal. It was legal unless it isn’t (laughing). And I can’t tell you. I haven’t heard back from the conference yet. I’d like to fill you in on that, but I don’t know yet.
Q. You can’t tell on the TV, your film could show you?
COACH CARROLL: No, our film does not show it. No, the film started too late. And they rushed too get on, so the film started. He’s standing on the field of play. You know, they did a good job.
Cal did a hideout play a few weeks ago, they just threw it out of bounds. But that was not in a kicking play, that was in a scrimmage play. And that was a deception play based on substitutions, and they let that one go. So I don’t know. I can’t tell you. I don’t have an answer for you. I’m kind of waiting with bated breath as you are.
Q. Your film doesn’t indicate? You can’t tell?
COACH CARROLL: No, I can’t tell. Because the film starts when they’re lining up. So we have no record of it. Somebody out there in the land of having telephones and stuff captured it, you can send it to us. We’d love to see the play.
Q. Was that before you ran it in the game?
COACH CARROLL: You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance. I did ask them. Did they report any trick plays that they want you to know about? And the referees said, no. They didn’t tell me. [end of relevant transcript comments]
So. . . . .tall grass, signal villainy, and deceiving substitutions eh? My, this Charlie guy! What a rapscallion?
"As for being a Raiders fan, I wouldn't wish that fucking shit on anybody." [the venerable OTS at Roll Bama Roll}
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