The Receivers:
Where to start?
Once again the receivers came up short as a whole in keeping drives going and it happened early with both Havili and Turner dropping passes on the opening drive.
Here are the numbers:
I realize there is a lot of blame with Booty and all but not in the early going.
Davis was the bright spot here with some great catches, though his fumble was costly. I know I have said it before but why Booty isn't in these guys faces is beyond me. Patrick Turner has not stepped up like we hoped he would have by now. The loss of Jarrett couldn't be more critical than it is now. Turner cannot be a mentor to the younger guys if he can't make the plays needed to sustain drives and move the ball down field. He is not where Jarrett was in this stage of his collegiate career.
Hazelton is in the same the same boat, as he needs to be a playmaker in order to take the pressure off of Turner. If both players make plays then opposing defenses will have a double threat to worry about.
Ausberry was a non-entity in this game and that needs to change, his height advantage is too valuable not to tap into more often and he can beat some of these guys so Booty needs to get the ball to him more.
RoJo was great in limited duty and that catch and run for a TD really was a bright spot. I can't wait to see more of him and if the upper classmen can't get it done we may just see more of him.
BTW, just to make you feel better it has been reported that Jarrett is riding the pine in Carolina because of his attitude, he should have stayed another year but that is in the past.
The Running Backs:
Once again SC clearly was not up to its best game.
Here are the numbers:
Chauncey got the majority of the carries with Stafon out and Gable out for the year. The plan to get McKnight into the game clearly didn't happen and was because of the O line. I will ask it again, why wasn't Bradford in the game? I rarely if ever question play calling, the only other time was the 4th and 2 against Texas. He was the one that I would have had on that fourth and goal situation.
From what I heard it was clear that line was stacked so why not use Bradford to get a little air and into the end zone. That one play was the game changer as the momentum shifted in Stanford's direction. Bradford has done and said all the right things at least in public so if the flavor of the day is rotate players why not get him in the game. We have used different running backs in the past so why not against Stanford?
Havili was hardly used and that one dropped pass early was a drive killer. He was dragging players on that one play to get the first down. His effectiveness at fullback is still critical and very much needed but his lack of use last night was puzzling and this is the second game in a row where he dropped critical passes, that can't continue to happen if SC is going to get back on track.
Hershel Dennis also did some effective running but was it too little too late?
The Offensive Line:
I understand that we have some injuries here but Booty getting sacked 4 times is unacceptable. Maybe there needs to be a little more work here because they clearly were not getting it done. The O line really needs some work on their communication and blocking otherwise it won't matter who the QB is.
The Quarterback:
Where to begin? The calls are already coming for Booty to be benched.
Here are the numbers:
I want to know why Booty was still in the game if he was injured? We have been supportive of Booty and his play and we realize that not all of this is his fault but the bigger question now is should he be benched? I question his leadership skills for NOT getting in the face of Turner for dropping those passes. Booty lost two top receivers from last season and his play and leadership have not grown enough to offset those losses. Six INT's in the last 2 games clearly shows that he is not moving forward.
Some have said that it isn't all of his fault with some of the receivers but then I would say get in their faces to make sure they know they damn plays. Receivers running routes wrong falls on the QB to correct. Yes, the throws to RoJo and Davis for their scores were picture perfect but that is not enough. It's easy to say that Booty isn't any good and I don't think that is fair. We were all singing his praises after the Rose Bowl as that helped put the ugly ucla loss behind us. But make no mistake he is not going anywhere unless he is injured, Pete carroll will stick with him and that opens up a whole other can of worms.
If Booty is not ready to go then its Sanchez time and he needs to get his head in the game real quick.
Tomorrow we will look at the Defense.