Let me know if there's anyone you would elevate into "Dude" status! Great opportunity for growth during the rest of the season. I think the '25 Trojans are going to be a very talented team, what we do this year is going to pay dividends for that team ✌
YA, i say besides what was mentioned,Jaylin Smith is already there ,not just on brink..Shelby, Lucas -close or there. Gonna miss dude EG but at least we have him redshirtng til next year. And if we keep current dudes on D and Coach Lynn,should be solidddd. IDK what the odds are on all of them andcoach returning but ya.These days even coaches jumping into "portal " ha 🤌🏼✌️
Jayden is much more than just a runner-he passed for over 3,000 yards as a redshirt freshman. While he did throw 10 interceptions, Moss has already thrown 5 picks in just 6 games as a junior. Jayden would add a dynamic element to the offense that defenses would have to account for. He should be given some packages to help break up the offense’s predictability. Miller is solid, but he needs a lot of things to go right in order to succeed. As for Gentry, I’m not sure he’s a “dude” yet. The best ability is availability, and he’s missed too many games.
USC could be 6 -0 , if they didn't keep the game close. CLR has NOT proven that he is a GAME CLOSER. we all assumed that he was when he came to SC. MM or JAYDEN won't be that different unless he establishes a consistent run game [250 yards or more] and uses the 2 QBs for specific sets of plays. CLR is a stubborn guy PLAY to your player's strengths, not to a predefined system. Work the system around the players, not visa versa .
@@charlesmiller2341 Disagree. But I also disagree with Gabe in saying that Juju will start as a Freshman. Nope, I don't see it, but Moss will probably move on, Jayden will get his chance.
I truly think LR hasn't found his go to QB yet. Remember Moss is the last remaining survivor from the Clay Helton era, Moss was NOT recruited by LR. Maiava was recruited by LR. Moss got the smarts, but he's not the athletic like Maiava.
No, what we have is a WR core of possession type receivers and a QB with an accuracy problem. The problem is that we only have 11 TD passes in 6 games despite running a pass heavy offense which is terrible.
There could definitely be better talent on the field but there’s more than enough talent to beat the teams we’ve lost too. Don’t forget we had the lead with minutes to go in each of the 3 losses and then folded. Bad game management along with awful situational football has been a worse problem for this team this year. What sucks for us fans is we are already looking at the potential for 2025…. We do this every year because we are already out of title contention or anything meaningful. It’s been like this every year since Carroll left.
In all 3 of our losses, LR had the opportunity to take control of them via our run game & he chose not to. This is my biggest concern about LR as a play caller. We're like #12 in yards per carry & like 100+ in run usage. Lastly, he has linemen who have been better at run blocking from day one. And that gets better with usage. You know Gabe, you played line.
I feel seen 😅 This 💯 ‼️ We are three rushing first downs from being 6-0, with many fewer questions about the defense, which would’ve been watching the offense put away the games, from the sideline. Things began to go south vs. Penn State on USC’s first offensive play from scrimmage. 0 run plays on the first two drives and very little time run off the clock. Extremely frustrating. 😣
Michigan is up 24-20 Usc had one good time They ran it got blown up. They ran 2 screens the line blown up Vs Penn up 7, the defense didn't get A stop All 3 losses the defense could have had stops Penn Moss misses a wide-open WR and gets picked
Yeah, I remember LR making that statement. The context he used roster in was referring to the team. If he wanted to emphasize the incoming recruiting class, he would've said the 2022 class.
We have talent but we dont use it, we dont put our best players on the field, Joyner breaks for 75 yard run then ends up with 3 rushes UNACCEPTABLE; Desman Stephens has interception then after that we barely see him in game, Kameryn Fountain absolutely dominates against Utah state & since then??"has not even been in the game smh; Zion Branch shows he can help against run numerous times but we just now seen him against Penn state
There is a talent issue on the lines, but that’s about it. If we fix that, we are fine, even with moss as qb. And I’m a fan of moss. He didn’t play a good game this last week, but he is way down the list of problems.
No, depth is an issue look at LB with gentry out. And we are clearly 1 db short of bing elite. I agree re miller, but lets be honest he wasnt just “not good” last week, he sucked. But so did Riley and Mille isnt paid 10 million per year.
We will get the measure of this team for sure theirs weekend -Maryland sucks- if we can’t beat them by 30 points, even traveling cross country and with so many key injuries, we are NOT a good program, we just arent. Time for everyone from cohen on down to each player to reasses.
@@johnwhite2576 yes I am curious how we play against them. If we play badly, the we are looking at a 6-6 season. We have to have focus, discipline, heart and pride this weekend
@@johnwhite2576Moss is good but I think some people are too loyal to him because he is a good Trojan and he wait his turn. He lacks a dimension needed and that’s the ability to scramble to get crucial yards when plays breaks down. Teams know they can drop several players into coverage because Moss isn’t a threat to run and that’s why you see so many 1st down passing and 3rd and 9 plus yard plays fail.
You fully missed Jaylin Smith and Emanual Pregnon as dudes. I think there are a bunch of guys who can be dudes with some development for next year - Stephens and Newbie, along with Gentry will be elite, Marcelles Williams will be a lockdown CB, Fountain on the edge, maybe Shelby can get there, Lucas on the line. Zion Branch as safety, along with Kamari. Isnt Jaylin a senior and leaving? The secondary needs some more dudes and so does the defensive line. As far as the offense, if some of those receivers are not dudes, then they are not being developed (Duce, Jakobi, Lemon) and Joyner should be a dude. I also think some of the line players will be dudes by next year - Noa, Paige and maybe Talale and Banuelos. And I think the right tackle will be Hayden Treter, a future dude. My major concern now is with Riley's schematics. Getting tired. We saw Penn State with an inventive OC in the 2nd half. They didnt want to show that stuff in this game, they wanted to be able to run their generic game script and we forced them to put stuff on tape, but that is way beyond what Riley is doing. Riley needs to look in the mirror and realize that he is the main problem here.
Blame the USC fan base, we are one of the worst in the nation. No more die hards in socal, just a bunch of posers flipping their season tickets for extra cash. I’ve never seen my section outnumbered by Penn State fans. Unbelievable how much of a cry baby fan base we are. I wouldn’t play for SC if I were a five star either. Might as well be playing away games the whole year.
Let's face it, we're soft, very soft. We have been for 10 years now. In the Pac-12, we weren't so exposed. But now, we are in the 2nd most physical conference and it shows how soft we really are. We're getting pushed around at both our lines and i don't care how sensational your skillled positions are, if you can't win in the trenches, you're gonna get beat....
I don’t agree with that really. We just shut down an elite running game at Penn State. I for sure question the talent on this team, but I don’t think we’re even close to soft personally
Word- SO many great platters were misused under helton and grinch. Note also there are NO linebackers in the list you present Gabe. Entz is charging that as we speak. But as you say we have a considerable talent and depth problem and a decade is simply not beign competative with the big national contender for games….and it persists. We need to be patient, harbaugh took time at Michigan, Carroll and McKay at USC, and myer johnson had to recruit convicts to jump start at Florida and Miami. BUT we need more NIL, we need better talent assessment form our staff (seriously ? Hansen and Riley thoguht this Oline was gonna get su to the palyofffs even without injuries ?) and we need much smarter clock management and separate the OC and head coach positions. Franklin’s nd fleet had entire quarters to think about their adjustments and how to mange the inevitable end game in games these close. They’re were ready. Riley hd his buried in this pass happy seven o seven flag football clipboard . And even with that he was totally outcoached by the PSU OC. Go back and look at the film- they had very creative ways to scheme their TE open, and it took Lynn too long to spy with Kamari.Thsi season is such a shame because moss IS a very good pocket passer, woody and Joyner are as good a pat of HB as any team has, gentry and Lucas and russell will start on Sundays (maybe even bear if he gets his head straight) but even coach Henry needs two unblockble DL players who need double teams for us to get pressure. And he Needs another relaibl DB-smith and russell are as good as anyone, but Covington, prophet and humor heys are never gonna start at TX, GA, ALA,OSU oregon .
The i think Lucas when healthy is a difference maker. What we CAN do moving on is 1) calling a moss run once each quarter to keep DEs from crashing down 2) become ru centric 35 carries balanced between woody and Joyner. Put Entz in charge of clock management -hes been there as a championsi. Head coach-he knows how o pay attention to the GAME and tie remaining, not the play lock nd the play book like Riley. Three si no way he woudl have left two timeouts on the table in last two minutes last weekend . MOST of all it requires Riley to accurately assess where we are and why we are here- we cannot pass pro-dotn even try- we are one db short- more zone please to cover this up. Acknowledge you attention and clock managemnt suck because you are too focused don beign a game day QB coach and OC, you just are.
I just wanted to see progress this year, and we have seen progress. We are moving in the right direction. Our offense is young, although there is no excuse for being this weak at OT in year three.
They Should Fire Lincoln Riley Bro, What Are You Talking About. That’s Why USC Has A Talent Problem. How can you say the 2022 USC football team is your favorite USC team of all time . Mahon if you weren’t there during the Pete Carrol USC days you missed out big time bro. That’s my favorite USC days of all time
There all on the bench, what are they supposed to do tackle the water girl. Riley is weird, I didn't like what he did to Gentry last year and this year Byrd and Davis redshirt, so nah, team is great but Riley lacks inspiring the heart. He's a businessman and good one and I'll give him his flowers for that.
We all knew depth and top tier talent was an issue but still a lot is on Lincoln. There is no accountability. I played for Gary Patterson early on in his coaching and if you drop a pass you’re out. If you blow your assignment you’re out. You have to earn your time on the field and you are desperate to make a play, compete and dominate to stay on the field. Your stars don’t matter. Your production does. We need a coach who is fired up, pissed off, and coaches to win!!!
Yes, we have a roster problem. We also have a head coach making bad decisions problem. These two things Do Not make for winning football games. I’m just hopeful that we are able to win enough games in the remaining part of the season, **so we do not lose our recruits** and end up with another middle-of-the-pack recruiting class.
I am finding with most of these USC RUclips streams , the one thing you can’t be in here is to Be Honest. Everybody has to be phony when Discussing anything USC , so thank you for being that Guy that will be Honest !
@@ppm_310 USC fans told me moss was the next Heisman winner , it was his team after he torched Louisville. Now he's the issue and it's maiava who's the answer. We never really know what's the answer we can all agree on this right ?
If you go look at 247 talent composite, this is the least USC talented team since they started tracking it. This roster is ranked #15. So yeah, this is Rileys least talented roster, and it's year 3. Pathetic
I was always under the impression that this was a transitional year whereby we were replacing a lot of offensive talent and building a defense that was competitive in the Big Ten. I think many fans expected more and are now over reacting. I hope this beat down of the team by the fans does not deter the teams growth or negatively impact recruiting. We lost two games because of poor coaching decisions at the end of the games and that is not the fault of the players.
So we don't have a talent problem we have a Lincoln Riley problem. With the talent we have now we should still be undefeated. But piss poor coaching, game management, play calling, and inability to make adjustments, or noymale them soon enough is the issue. Being at the LSU And Michigan game, I've been able to see this all transpire in person, and it's been constant every week. Now, from an offensive line perspective, we are TERRIBLE, and there is a talent gap there, but experience also plays a role. As far as the defensive front, I mean of course more talent wouldn't hurt, but I think the biggest issue is depth. Even though the pass rush has been poor, Lynn as a coach can dial up different pressures to alleviate that. I think Riley is the problem, and we might need to look at making a change.
Simply put, USC is in rebuilding mode. I believe it is a testament to the quality of our coaching staff that we are as competitive as we are with our current roster. With coach Henny, the D-line is going to improve by leaps year-to-year. The question is how long is it going to take to fill our O-line with "dudes?"
That defense was horrible and it literally ruined the entire season. I’m glad someone has common sense about Caleb Williams as an Oklahoma fan he is the most talented college player I ever saw. He just did not have the defense and help in the trenches to support him. Imagine what Caleb Williams would have done on Alabama or Goegia. He’d be arrested for murder.
So, my gawd Gabe! Everything here is Speculation at Best! If we don’t have Elite Players now, at least The Staff thought they were Potential Future Elites - and that’s where Coaching and Development comes into the picture! Hopefully, they move from 3’s to 4’s and 4’s to 5’s in a year. Hopefully that 3rd Ranked National Class turns into a 1st Rank! And finally, to say that Maiava may only be a Faster Runner and that’s Not Enough to put him in, is just so much Speculation of the Highest Order! The Team is no longer playing for Anything Worthwhile! Put Maiava in and Let’s Find Out Without All the Guesswork! He was Good Enough for Riley to go after, After All! If you say that in 2025, Julian Lewis will be The Starter - then we’ve (Riley) just Wasted Time and Maybe a Groundbreaking Decision by Not Making a Decision Whatsoever!! And what if Julian bolts after USC’s 7-5 2024 season??? How does all of that make sense??!! Answer: It Doesn’t! Get Maiava in there to negate the Defensive Rush and let’s find out what we do have to make up for the Shortfall in Talent and Injuries (and maybe juice up the team somewhat) and get this season respectable and still attractive to recruits! Lincoln is getting so much Bad Press now, it has to have an impact on the future! Nevertheless, a Very Good Show you bring to all of us! 👊🍻 Fight On‼️ ✌️✌️✌️
If we are now a developmental program, the majority of new dudes will have to come from the current roster. Recruiting needs to improve in certain areas, but a blue chip freshman is unlikely to be a dude immediately, especially at any line position. We could use a dude or two from the portal, but we need the likes of Shelby, Newby, Paige, Noa, Green, Joyner, Jackson, Zion Branch, the sophomore receivers, and Raymond to become dudes and that’s what the remainder of the season is about. I think Smith and Covington, along with other players you mentioned, are certainly close. At other times, I think I’ve heard you speak highly about the redshirt freshman OL class, most of whom we we’ve very little of. Compared to 2022, this overall roster is short on experience, so hopefully the remainder of this season and the coming offseason (especially the defense, with a year with the new coaches under its belt) will help to make up for any talent deficit.✌🏽
originally I though you were off base with your "dude" analysis, however after thinking about it , I have to admit it. makes sense. Riley has said we haven't had players step up in key situations and that is why we lose. The reason they haven't stepped up is because they are not dudes yet and therefore cannot be relied on play after play.
Absolutely, USC is losing out on the big time recruits and that’s been going on prior to LR. Why not admit it folks it doesn’t make them bad people just not championship caliber.
IMHO, we are still dealing with the effects of two years of not being able to recruit followed by 8 years of very bad recruiting. That is being remedied, but you don't overcome 10 years plus of no recruiting, or terrible recruiting, in three seasons. Progress is being made, but it does take time, and two years of no recruiting and no post season is a lifetime in this very competitive field. People gripe that LRs record over three years is identical to Clay Helton's over the equivalent period. However there is a big difference. Helton took over a program filled with Pete Carroll recruits and had a good couple of seasons, and don't forget Coach O's big win in the Rose Bowl over Penn State. Remember that Helton's team was scorched by Abalama in a season opener; that should have been an indicator of things to come. LR said when he came in that he didn't realize how bad things were in the locker room, and that they were much worse than he thought. So far he has used the Transfer Portal to shore up holes and weaknesses where he could. The underlying thing that's happening though is that good to great recruiting is happening and setting us up for future domination again. I believe that he knew when he came in that SC would be leaving the PAC 12 for the Big Ten when he came. If that was withheld from him he would have a big time law suit against SC for non disclosure. These are not dumb people. I would ask the folks that are griping because we are not going to be in the National Championship conversation this year to exercise some self control and bit their critical lip. We are heading that direction, but it does take some time.
Coach O did not win the Rose Bowl against Penn State. Helton was the coach of that team. Coach O quit on SC when he wasn’t hired and they hired Sarkisian instead. Remember that UCLA disaster in 2013? Awful game. The recruits for that Rose Bowl team were basically Kiffin and Sark recruits. There weren’t any Carroll recruits on that team. We had some recruiting classes and then it just dropped off the table after Helton’s third year. He got some decent recruits but he couldn’t develop them. We are digging ourselves out of that hole.
Usc has a talent problem and a depth problem and that problem was created by Lincoln Riley when he got here 3 years ago. He should have been recruiting recruiting recruiting stacking USC with talent but he didn't. He went to the transfer portal for 1-year players now 3 years later. USC is suffering from a lack of depth that's on Lincoln Riley
We have the talent, but they have little experience and we have no depth. Everyone forgets the recruiting prior to LR. What were we ranked in recruiting, 55 or something near there. The good news is we are recruiting better and we are finally developing our players again. These losses hurt more because they have been so close. That’s what happens when you have no depth. As our guys get more experienced they’ll be elite in my opinion. We have to trust the process. Fight On!!!
Talent wise we are lacking on the 300 pounds Big Boys on OL and DL. Currently between both lines we only have Five 4* Big Boys and none is a consensus 4*, and Three are only rated 4* in 1 of the 4 recruiting agencies. Most teams in top 10 have Twelve plus 4* 300 between both lines ie. Oregon has 12, Penn St 11, Ohio St 15, Texas 16, Clemson 16 even Nebraska has 7, Maryland 5. Elite talent on both lines needs a big boost for competition.
Right now we have some good players that don't have a lot of experience. I dont know if we have Elite players. We also don't have enough quality depth to push players in practice
It is clear that this team is young BUT… Riley has cost this years team some victories. The worst one was the Minnesota game when we were averaging 6.8 yards a carry rushing and leading in the 4th quarter at the Minnesota 35!! Just run the damn ball and win the game and the narrative of this year and the team is entirely different.
You are correct Gabe about the 2025 defense. Right now we have a a total of 6 sacks. This the first season under Lynn. If we had these same guys next year they would be much better under Lynn’s system. We will be losing a lot next season so we will still have growing pains. 2026 is the year we will make some noise….Fight On!
On the DL. Six sacks is pretty low. Defense has some talent but no pass rushers and not very many have been a Trojan for more than a year. I always thought that 2026 was the year they would make some noise…..Fight On!
Beating a dead horse by saying this but We’ve recruited extremely well besides guys in the trenches basically since the end of Pete’s tenure and within the last few season the end of Helton’s tenure extremely poor to the point of how was it allowed in the 1st place. If you looked at the rankings of high schoolers we were bringing in at the end of Helton’s career here, it was below or on par with teams like Oregon State and WKU.
Lincoln Riley when he was at Oklahoma had decent offensive lines and superior talent to the rest of the big 12 and that masked his coaching short comings that were exposed once he made the playoffs.
Based on what you are saying, in 2022, they should have won the National Championship, but they didn't because of Grinch and Riley's shortcomings to make adjustments. I could not disagree more with your analysis, USC talent pool is off the hook. A freakin 6-4 ft mobile QB that moves like Caleb would have us undefeated. The defense is clearly more effective than 2022 and 2023. Very simple, put Maiava in and let the truth come out. What is Lincoln afraid of? What are you Miller Moss staunch supporters afraid of? We lost to Minnesota for crying out loud, not much Maiava can do to cause more harm to our record.
Lincoln is a major issue. Why did stick with Alex Grinch at Oklahoma? No where has a small, speed defense worked at a high level. I think Lincoln hired him because his mentored hired him a WSU but Leach didn’t care about defense. Lincoln’s mistake to Grinch at Oklahoma cost USC in 2022. We have a very good team but not a DC who could’ve got the most out of the players we had.
Please see my post subsequent to yours. LR is not the problem, although that could develop. Recent history is the problem. You can't overcome ten years of bad history in two, or even three. It takes time and a lot of work in this very competitive environment.
I have 2 challenges with your premise, first this roster lacking dudes is completely on Riley and staff not recruiting, pulling in from the portal or more importantly developing them. The fact that you are comparing '22 (several Helton recruits) to this season just demonstrates how woeful the above is true. Secondly, I am not in the 'fire Riley' camp but I do not believe/trust him or much of the staff at this point and the label of 'genius' for Riley just does not apply
Basically Lincoln won with Heltons players besides Caleb. We Have the two best backs in the big 10 , the best receivers in the big 10 BUT we’re missing that fast 6’3 receiver branch is fast but not big enough. The OL Dint start wheh was the last time sc had a 5* OL. We are lacking at OL and DL depth that’s the focus
You’re better than your record. You have a lot of talent, but no Caleb so I get that. Schedule gets easier so just focus on winning out and build from there. Last thing is you need Lincoln, your AD and the USC president all on the same page, aligned with the NIL collective(s), boosters, etc., because it’s now a pay-to-play world, and those who can’t pay will not attract the new top talent.
USC has enough talent, to have gone undefeated this year. It's Riley's schemes, getting away from the run, and most importantly bad clock management on his part.
I agree with you. His play calling is very pedestrian, like he is stuck five years in the past. Penn State showed us what an OC should do when the team is struggling.
They would have needed an awful lot of things go the right way to go undefeated. Too many close games tells me we are not yet among the elite. Minnesota tells me that. We should have won that game pretty easily. We have talent, we have “dude” talent that is not yet “dude” talent as he was saying. There are few others who next year I think could be dudes including Zion Branch, Desman Stephens, Kameryn Fountain, Elijah Newby, the four wide receivers mentioned, Elijah Paige and Alani Noa could be approaching that status, whoever our QB is (not conceding it to Lewis yet), Lake McRee, and Quinten Joyner. Anybody I miss? We will be better positioned to win and make the CFP next season without so many games coming down to the wire.
Gopher fan checking in. 247Sports says that usc has had a couple of very good, top10, recent recruiting classes. What has happened to these players? Did they leave?
We need to hit the portal hard this offseason. O line, d line depth, maybe an elite Wide out if none of ours get to that level. Dave Emrick needs to not be a stingy little shit bc that’s why we whiffed on so many dudes last go around.
PSU fan. USC lost 3 winnable games and beat LSU...No lack of talent IMHO. Also...thought we would dominate in the trenches. Didn't really happen. I think USC will run the table the rest of the season. USC is missing some depth after the starters though. Good luck moving forward.
I totally believe that we have great football dudes on this team. If we prevent less sacks on Moss that will give him tons of more time in his pocket to see the field. I think against Maryland we need to move on from last week and look to wha tis coming up on Saturday! Fight on!
More like depth issue. Next man up doesn’t fly in the portal age. D is good but gassed in 4th quarter last game . I’m ok as a few tackles here, penalties there we’re 5-1 or 6-0
Because we have nothing to lose but to play Jayden. Especially against Maryland- why not if you already committed to JuJu starting ? Sometimes you’re spot on then others you’re too emotional. FYI if a “dude” is a punter then we have more problems than you think. FYI Woody is the best player on the team with Deuce honorable mention. IMO
Bad play calling by CLR w weaker teams he can get away w it, but HIGHER RANK TEAMS and / or when the game is close PLAY CALLING N GAME MANAGEMENT WEAKNESS really apparent w CLR
With this roster, better coaching from Riley makes it 5-1 or 6-0. Losing to Minnesota and a down Michigan team is not talent. Its scheme and coaching. But yes, we need to satttr winning recruiting wars. We are theee star U Utah right now.
USC doesn’t have a good HS recruiting foundation specially on defense. It’s a combination of some good HS players and some good transfers. Dline and Oline really there’s not one single quality 5 ⭐️ guy. Lots of 3 stars and lots of unranked players. I actually believe we are asking for a lot of these players. Linebackers is another, a few good pieces but nothing out of the ordinary.
Watch the mass exodus of players leaving after the season entering the transfer portal Lincoln Riley will never have a nucleus of players on his team to build a great program. He’s always going to be filling in spots and recycling and his recruiting sucks so USC will never be an elite football program under Lincoln Riley.
Gabe I usually agree with you but I have different thoughts. Yes 22 was a great year. But think about the last ten years or so. USC has been terrible compared to the glory days. They have been out recruited by a lot of schools. They use to own California. They have not been physical since Pete’s teams. Remember No Pads November?? Gomer Helton. The worst coach that USC ever had and they made him a very wealthy man. What a TURD he was. I see very limited motivation to win. They got those stupid players in uniform cheering and waving towels looking like Ken Dolls. Get them the Hell off the field. They do not wear the uniforms like they should. One guy is in yellow tights and another in white. Bullshit. It is called Team and you don’t see a I in that spelling. A lot of these clowns are more interested in show boating than playing the game it was supposed to be played. You make a tackle you go right back to the huddle. Don’t bring attention to yourself. That is called INSECURITY. Look at Colorado. They got a bunch of Punks on their team and the biggest punk is their coach. What a circus that is. My opinion is USC is far far away from being a national champion. I love USC. I have been watching them since 62. My favorite player was Charles White. The toughest player ever!!!!!! This generation is so soft both physically and mentally. Iam a former Marine and I would not want some of these softies in my bunker at all.
Wow! Firstly I agree with you about how soft USC has been since Pete left. But I do find it interesting how Sark & Lane Kiffin have coached so much better since they got fired from SC. Whether it’s through recruiting or coaching neither has been up to snuff to be relevant in college football nowadays. The Colorado dig is interesting cause they’re 4-2 and look way better than we do this year
We lost a ton of 4 and 5 star talent to graduation & the portal. 13 of the 17 guys we got are 3 star. We have an enormous talent deficit. You can't look at the O-line and say yeah we're top 10. And as I have said for 10 months, we are headed for 7-5, 6-6, that neighborhood. Sure loss to ND = 3-4, & UW, Rut& Neb are all coin flips making us 6-4, 5-5, 4-6, or worse. That leaves ucla and Mary. Mary: They only give up 100 YPG rushing, throw for twice as many 1st downs as rushing, have 8 INT takeaways and are good on 3rd down to extend ToP. They score 30 and allow low 20s, just like we do. Let's see what creative way we find to lose to THESE guys, burying us at the bottom of the B1G 18. Those thinking we win out are huffing paint behind a 7-11 dumpster. Oh and my gastro physician buddy says the big donors are already exploring buying out LR and sending him packing. Let's go, Matt Entz!
@thetrojanblade Elevate Entz to Headcoach not Lynn he’s a DC, Entz proven Headcoach. Since SC cannot afford to buy him out Demote Riley to waterboy! still have to pay him but at least we stop losing games and recruits. and hopefully he quits and SC doesn’t have to pay him. Not even joking i’m totally serious. 😎✌🏼
Funny how you made no mention of Jayden in your last video. Two things it’s time to play him and if it does not work Lincoln has to go. Tooo much talent - you can’t say in the same breath that Lincoln is the guy but can’t recognize “dudes” - that’s his problem and don’t be surprised If Branch hits the transfer portal 🤦🏻♂️
Look. Here's the truth. Don't hate me for it. But even if you have to pay 2-3× more, U MUST get the best trench players in the country possible through the Portal and HS recruiting. END OF STORY. PS. It would be cheaper than a LR buyout. If that doesn't happen this off-season, the jig is up and it time to raise the Red Flag.
Let me know if there's anyone you would elevate into "Dude" status! Great opportunity for growth during the rest of the season. I think the '25 Trojans are going to be a very talented team, what we do this year is going to pay dividends for that team ✌
Also forgot to say that Pregnon is getting close to dude status as well
YA, i say besides what was mentioned,Jaylin Smith is already there ,not just on brink..Shelby, Lucas -close or there.
Gonna miss dude EG but at least we have him redshirtng til next year.
And if we keep current dudes on D and Coach Lynn,should be solidddd. IDK what the odds are on all of them andcoach returning but ya.These days even coaches jumping into "portal " ha
🤌🏼✌️
Jaylin won’t be back next year, will he. He is a senior.
Lake McRee, Emmanuel Pregnon, Ja'Kobi Lane, Jaylin Smith, and Nate Clifton.
Ja’kobi and Deuce, maybe Quinten too if they’d give him the ball more!
Jayden is much more than just a runner-he passed for over 3,000 yards as a redshirt freshman. While he did throw 10 interceptions, Moss has already thrown 5 picks in just 6 games as a junior. Jayden would add a dynamic element to the offense that defenses would have to account for. He should be given some packages to help break up the offense’s predictability. Miller is solid, but he needs a lot of things to go right in order to succeed. As for Gentry, I’m not sure he’s a “dude” yet. The best ability is availability, and he’s missed too many games.
USC could be 6 -0 , if they didn't keep the game close. CLR has NOT proven that he is a GAME CLOSER. we all assumed that he was when he came to SC. MM or JAYDEN won't be that different unless he establishes a consistent run game [250 yards or more] and uses the 2 QBs for specific sets of plays. CLR is a stubborn guy PLAY to your player's strengths, not to a predefined system. Work the system around the players, not visa versa .
@@charlesmiller2341 Disagree. But I also disagree with Gabe in saying that Juju will start as a Freshman. Nope, I don't see it, but Moss will probably move on, Jayden will get his chance.
I truly think LR hasn't found his go to QB yet. Remember Moss is the last remaining survivor from the Clay Helton era, Moss was NOT recruited by LR. Maiava was recruited by LR. Moss got the smarts, but he's not the athletic like Maiava.
No, but moss was recruited by Nick Saben
You guys already reached peak with Caleb Williams. Look how far you got with that. You can have the best QB but Lincoln Riley isn't that dude.
No, what we have is a WR core of possession type receivers and a QB with an accuracy problem. The problem is that we only have 11 TD passes in 6 games despite running a pass heavy offense which is terrible.
There could definitely be better talent on the field but there’s more than enough talent to beat the teams we’ve lost too. Don’t forget we had the lead with minutes to go in each of the 3 losses and then folded. Bad game management along with awful situational football has been a worse problem for this team this year. What sucks for us fans is we are already looking at the potential for 2025…. We do this every year because we are already out of title contention or anything meaningful. It’s been like this every year since Carroll left.
Agreed. I'm so tired of the, "looking to next year" mantra. It's old & worn out.
In all 3 of our losses, LR had the opportunity to take control of them via our run game & he chose not to. This is my biggest concern about LR as a play caller. We're like #12 in yards per carry & like 100+ in run usage. Lastly, he has linemen who have been better at run blocking from day one. And that gets better with usage. You know Gabe, you played line.
It also gives the D time to rest & talk things over.
I feel seen 😅
This 💯 ‼️
We are three rushing first downs from being 6-0, with many fewer questions about the defense, which would’ve been watching the offense put away the games, from the sideline.
Things began to go south vs. Penn State on USC’s first offensive play from scrimmage. 0 run plays on the first two drives and very little time run off the clock. Extremely frustrating. 😣
Michigan is up 24-20
Usc had one good time
They ran it got blown up. They ran 2 screens the line blown up
Vs Penn up 7, the defense didn't get A stop
All 3 losses the defense could have had stops
Penn Moss misses a wide-open WR and gets picked
" this will be the least talented roster we ever have here "
- Lincoln Riley "2022"
Incorrect, he was referring to the recruiting class in that statement
@@youthxx47If he said “roster,” he was talking about the entire team.
Yeah, I remember LR making that statement. The context he used roster in was referring to the team. If he wanted to emphasize the incoming recruiting class, he would've said the 2022 class.
@@youthxx47 no he wasn't.
We have talent but we dont use it, we dont put our best players on the field, Joyner breaks for 75 yard run then ends up with 3 rushes UNACCEPTABLE; Desman Stephens has interception then after that we barely see him in game, Kameryn Fountain absolutely dominates against Utah state & since then??"has not even been in the game smh; Zion Branch shows he can help against run numerous times but we just now seen him against Penn state
There is a talent issue on the lines, but that’s about it. If we fix that, we are fine, even with moss as qb. And I’m a fan of moss. He didn’t play a good game this last week, but he is way down the list of problems.
No, depth is an issue look at LB with gentry out. And we are clearly 1 db short of bing elite. I agree re miller, but lets be honest he wasnt just “not good” last week, he sucked. But so did Riley and Mille isnt paid 10 million per year.
We will get the measure of this team for sure theirs weekend -Maryland sucks- if we can’t beat them by 30 points, even traveling cross country and with so many key injuries, we are NOT a good program, we just arent. Time for everyone from cohen on down to each player to reasses.
@@johnwhite2576 yes I am curious how we play against them. If we play badly, the we are looking at a 6-6 season. We have to have focus, discipline, heart and pride this weekend
We a WR1, right now we have a lot of 2s. Also, we need a run stuff tackle and an elite pass rusher.
@@johnwhite2576Moss is good but I think some people are too loyal to him because he is a good Trojan and he wait his turn. He lacks a dimension needed and that’s the ability to scramble to get crucial yards when plays breaks down. Teams know they can drop several players into coverage because Moss isn’t a threat to run and that’s why you see so many 1st down passing and 3rd and 9 plus yard plays fail.
You fully missed Jaylin Smith and Emanual Pregnon as dudes.
I think there are a bunch of guys who can be dudes with some development for next year - Stephens and Newbie, along with Gentry will be elite, Marcelles Williams will be a lockdown CB, Fountain on the edge, maybe Shelby can get there, Lucas on the line. Zion Branch as safety, along with Kamari. Isnt Jaylin a senior and leaving? The secondary needs some more dudes and so does the defensive line.
As far as the offense, if some of those receivers are not dudes, then they are not being developed (Duce, Jakobi, Lemon) and Joyner should be a dude. I also think some of the line players will be dudes by next year - Noa, Paige and maybe Talale and Banuelos. And I think the right tackle will be Hayden Treter, a future dude.
My major concern now is with Riley's schematics. Getting tired. We saw Penn State with an inventive OC in the 2nd half. They didnt want to show that stuff in this game, they wanted to be able to run their generic game script and we forced them to put stuff on tape, but that is way beyond what Riley is doing. Riley needs to look in the mirror and realize that he is the main problem here.
Tahj and Brenden were not necessarily dudes in 2022. They got better toward the end of that season, but they were very inconsistent catching the ball.
They were dudes in 23'
They weren't dudes period. They were quality WRs, but when haven't we had quality WRs at USC?
Blame the USC fan base, we are one of the worst in the nation. No more die hards in socal, just a bunch of posers flipping their season tickets for extra cash. I’ve never seen my section outnumbered by Penn State fans. Unbelievable how much of a cry baby fan base we are. I wouldn’t play for SC if I were a five star either. Might as well be playing away games the whole year.
Most of those dudes came from the portal
So it’s not that easy to just throw a guy like Maiava in to see what he can do but you feel Juju can come in and save the program. Got it
Let's face it, we're soft, very soft. We have been for 10 years now. In the Pac-12, we weren't so exposed. But now, we are in the 2nd most physical conference and it shows how soft we really are. We're getting pushed around at both our lines and i don't care how sensational your skillled positions are, if you can't win in the trenches, you're gonna get beat....
I don’t agree with that really. We just shut down an elite running game at Penn State. I for sure question the talent on this team, but I don’t think we’re even close to soft personally
USC is Maryland with better talent. Skill players, but depth and interior player deficient. It takes years to stop being Maryland not games.
Word- SO many great platters were misused under helton and grinch. Note also there are NO linebackers in the list you present Gabe. Entz is charging that as we speak. But as you say we have a considerable talent and depth problem and a decade is simply not beign competative with the big national contender for games….and it persists. We need to be patient, harbaugh took time at Michigan, Carroll and McKay at USC, and myer johnson had to recruit convicts to jump start at Florida and Miami. BUT we need more NIL, we need better talent assessment form our staff (seriously ? Hansen and Riley thoguht this Oline was gonna get su to the palyofffs even without injuries ?) and we need much smarter clock management and separate the OC and head coach positions. Franklin’s nd fleet had entire quarters to think about their adjustments and how to mange the inevitable end game in games these close. They’re were ready. Riley hd his buried in this pass happy seven o seven flag football clipboard . And even with that he was totally outcoached by the PSU OC. Go back and look at the film- they had very creative ways to scheme their TE open, and it took Lynn too long to spy with Kamari.Thsi season is such a shame because moss IS a very good pocket passer, woody and Joyner are as good a pat of HB as any team has, gentry and Lucas and russell will start on Sundays (maybe even bear if he gets his head straight) but even coach Henry needs two unblockble DL players who need double teams for us to get pressure. And he Needs another relaibl DB-smith and russell are as good as anyone, but Covington, prophet and humor heys are never gonna start at TX, GA, ALA,OSU oregon .
The i think Lucas when healthy is a difference maker. What we CAN do moving on is 1) calling a moss run once each quarter to keep DEs from crashing down 2) become ru centric 35 carries balanced between woody and Joyner. Put Entz in charge of clock management -hes been there as a championsi. Head coach-he knows how o pay attention to the GAME and tie remaining, not the play lock nd the play book like Riley. Three si no way he woudl have left two timeouts on the table in last two minutes last weekend . MOST of all it requires Riley to accurately assess where we are and why we are here- we cannot pass pro-dotn even try- we are one db short- more zone please to cover this up. Acknowledge you attention and clock managemnt suck because you are too focused don beign a game day QB coach and OC, you just are.
I just wanted to see progress this year, and we have seen progress. We are moving in the right direction. Our offense is young, although there is no excuse for being this weak at OT in year three.
They Should Fire Lincoln Riley Bro, What Are You Talking About. That’s Why USC Has A Talent Problem. How can you say the 2022 USC football team is your favorite USC team of all time . Mahon if you weren’t there during the Pete Carrol USC days you missed out big time bro. That’s my favorite USC days of all time
I said one of my favorite teams if you actually listen. 08 is my favorite team. Details man, details
Definitely, we won't have any different makers on the defensive line and offensive line.
There all on the bench, what are they supposed to do tackle the water girl. Riley is weird, I didn't like what he did to Gentry last year and this year
Byrd and Davis redshirt, so nah, team is great but Riley lacks inspiring the heart. He's a businessman and good one and I'll give him his flowers for that.
Man, I really appreciate that short. Pure 🔥 Rise your ass up and fight!!!
Spot on assessment. Especially on the OL and front 7 on defense.
We all knew depth and top tier talent was an issue but still a lot is on Lincoln. There is no accountability. I played for Gary Patterson early on in his coaching and if you drop a pass you’re out. If you blow your assignment you’re out. You have to earn your time on the field and you are desperate to make a play, compete and dominate to stay on the field. Your stars don’t matter. Your production does. We need a coach who is fired up, pissed off, and coaches to win!!!
You’re 100 percent right that’s why this was never a championship contending year. It’s a young team
Yes they absolutely have a talent problem. There aren’t enough elite difference makers on this team like Oregon, Ohio State, and Texas
Couching cough cough...
LR has to figure out how to get Branch more touches at least 10 a game. 6 games and no TDs. That is unacceptable.
Yes, we have a roster problem. We also have a head coach making bad decisions problem. These two things Do Not make for winning football games. I’m just hopeful that we are able to win enough games in the remaining part of the season, **so we do not lose our recruits** and end up with another middle-of-the-pack recruiting class.
I am finding with most of these USC RUclips streams , the one thing you can’t be in here is to Be Honest. Everybody has to be phony when Discussing anything USC , so thank you for being that Guy that will be Honest !
Way too many sunshine pumpers have platforms. Blade keeps it 💯 and inside the Trojan huddle.
He’s not keeping it real with Moss. He’s pumping sunshine making it seem like Moss is the answer when Maiava really is
@@ppm_310 USC fans told me moss was the next Heisman winner , it was his team after he torched Louisville. Now he's the issue and it's maiava who's the answer. We never really know what's the answer we can all agree on this right ?
@@Talkinsports91 Blade seems like leader of the Sunshine Pumpers Parade after watching this vid though,.
@@thesavagedonut698 nah that's definitely USC J lol
If you go look at 247 talent composite, this is the least USC talented team since they started tracking it. This roster is ranked #15. So yeah, this is Rileys least talented roster, and it's year 3. Pathetic
I was always under the impression that this was a transitional year whereby we were replacing a lot of offensive talent and building a defense that was competitive in the Big Ten. I think many fans expected more and are now over reacting. I hope this beat down of the team by the fans does not deter the teams growth or negatively impact recruiting. We lost two games because of poor coaching decisions at the end of the games and that is not the fault of the players.
So we don't have a talent problem we have a Lincoln Riley problem. With the talent we have now we should still be undefeated. But piss poor coaching, game management, play calling, and inability to make adjustments, or noymale them soon enough is the issue. Being at the LSU And Michigan game, I've been able to see this all transpire in person, and it's been constant every week.
Now, from an offensive line perspective, we are TERRIBLE, and there is a talent gap there, but experience also plays a role.
As far as the defensive front, I mean of course more talent wouldn't hurt, but I think the biggest issue is depth. Even though the pass rush has been poor, Lynn as a coach can dial up different pressures to alleviate that.
I think Riley is the problem, and we might need to look at making a change.
Simply put, USC is in rebuilding mode. I believe it is a testament to the quality of our coaching staff that we are as competitive as we are with our current roster. With coach Henny, the D-line is going to improve by leaps year-to-year. The question is how long is it going to take to fill our O-line with "dudes?"
That defense was horrible and it literally ruined the entire season. I’m glad someone has common sense about Caleb Williams as an Oklahoma fan he is the most talented college player I ever saw. He just did not have the defense and help in the trenches to support him. Imagine what Caleb Williams would have done on Alabama or Goegia. He’d be arrested for murder.
So, my gawd Gabe! Everything here is Speculation at Best! If we don’t have Elite Players now, at least The Staff thought they were Potential Future Elites - and that’s where Coaching and Development comes into the picture! Hopefully, they move from 3’s to 4’s and 4’s to 5’s in a year. Hopefully that 3rd Ranked National Class turns into a 1st Rank! And finally, to say that Maiava may only be a Faster Runner and that’s Not Enough to put him in, is just so much Speculation of the Highest Order! The Team is no longer playing for Anything Worthwhile! Put Maiava in and Let’s Find Out Without All the Guesswork! He was Good Enough for Riley to go after, After All! If you say that in 2025, Julian Lewis will be The Starter - then we’ve (Riley) just Wasted Time and Maybe a Groundbreaking Decision by Not Making a Decision Whatsoever!! And what if Julian bolts after USC’s 7-5 2024 season??? How does all of that make sense??!!
Answer: It Doesn’t! Get Maiava in there to negate the Defensive Rush and let’s find out what we do have to make up for the Shortfall in Talent and Injuries (and maybe juice up the team somewhat) and get this season respectable and still attractive to recruits!
Lincoln is getting so much Bad Press now, it has to have an impact on the future!
Nevertheless, a Very Good Show you bring to all of us!
👊🍻 Fight On‼️ ✌️✌️✌️
We are a young team. Patience is what's needed from the fanbase.
If we are now a developmental program, the majority of new dudes will have to come from the current roster. Recruiting needs to improve in certain areas, but a blue chip freshman is unlikely to be a dude immediately, especially at any line position. We could use a dude or two from the portal, but we need the likes of Shelby, Newby, Paige, Noa, Green, Joyner, Jackson, Zion Branch, the sophomore receivers, and Raymond to become dudes and that’s what the remainder of the season is about. I think Smith and Covington, along with other players you mentioned, are certainly close. At other times, I think I’ve heard you speak highly about the redshirt freshman OL class, most of whom we we’ve very little of. Compared to 2022, this overall roster is short on experience, so hopefully the remainder of this season and the coming offseason (especially the defense, with a year with the new coaches under its belt) will help to make up for any talent deficit.✌🏽
originally I though you were off base with your "dude" analysis, however after thinking about it , I have to admit it. makes sense. Riley has said we haven't had players step up in key situations and that is why we lose. The reason they haven't stepped up is because they are not dudes yet and therefore cannot be relied on play after play.
We're young and inexperienced at key positions, it's CLR 2nd full yr. When he and Lynn get their guys in. We'll be fine next yr.
Absolutely, USC is losing out on the big time recruits and that’s been going on prior to LR. Why not admit it folks it doesn’t make them bad people just not championship caliber.
Definitely worth the discussion! I forget how many dudes we had in 2022. This current team is young, but will continue to get better!
IMHO, we are still dealing with the effects of two years of not being able to recruit followed by 8 years of very bad recruiting. That is being remedied, but you don't overcome 10 years plus of no recruiting, or terrible recruiting, in three seasons. Progress is being made, but it does take time, and two years of no recruiting and no post season is a lifetime in this very competitive field. People gripe that LRs record over three years is identical to Clay Helton's over the equivalent period. However there is a big difference. Helton took over a program filled with Pete Carroll recruits and had a good couple of seasons, and don't forget Coach O's big win in the Rose Bowl over Penn State. Remember that Helton's team was scorched by Abalama in a season opener; that should have been an indicator of things to come. LR said when he came in that he didn't realize how bad things were in the locker room, and that they were much worse than he thought. So far he has used the Transfer Portal to shore up holes and weaknesses where he could. The underlying thing that's happening though is that good to great recruiting is happening and setting us up for future domination again. I believe that he knew when he came in that SC would be leaving the PAC 12 for the Big Ten when he came. If that was withheld from him he would have a big time law suit against SC for non disclosure. These are not dumb people. I would ask the folks that are griping because we are not going to be in the National Championship conversation this year to exercise some self control and bit their critical lip. We are heading that direction, but it does take some time.
Coach O did not win the Rose Bowl against Penn State. Helton was the coach of that team. Coach O quit on SC when he wasn’t hired and they hired Sarkisian instead. Remember that UCLA disaster in 2013? Awful game. The recruits for that Rose Bowl team were basically Kiffin and Sark recruits. There weren’t any Carroll recruits on that team. We had some recruiting classes and then it just dropped off the table after Helton’s third year. He got some decent recruits but he couldn’t develop them. We are digging ourselves out of that hole.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH USC FOOTBALL HOLMES 😮😮😮
Usc has a talent problem and a depth problem and that problem was created by Lincoln Riley when he got here 3 years ago. He should have been recruiting recruiting recruiting stacking USC with talent but he didn't. He went to the transfer portal for 1-year players now 3 years later. USC is suffering from a lack of depth that's on Lincoln Riley
Rest of the season should be about development. In recruiting we dont get back to elite status until we build up the lines.
Yall told me Miller was going to run The Big Ten 😂😂😂😂😂
What about the left guard
We have the talent, but they have little experience and we have no depth. Everyone forgets the recruiting prior to LR. What were we ranked in recruiting, 55 or something near there. The good news is we are recruiting better and we are finally developing our players again. These losses hurt more because they have been so close. That’s what happens when you have no depth. As our guys get more experienced they’ll be elite in my opinion. We have to trust the process. Fight On!!!
Talent wise we are lacking on the 300 pounds Big Boys on OL and DL. Currently between both lines we only have Five 4* Big Boys and none is a consensus 4*, and Three are only rated 4* in 1 of the 4 recruiting agencies. Most teams in top 10 have Twelve plus 4* 300 between both lines ie. Oregon has 12, Penn St 11, Ohio St 15, Texas 16, Clemson 16 even Nebraska has 7, Maryland 5. Elite talent on both lines needs a big boost for competition.
Agreed, we have a lack of depth on our lines and we lack experience.
Right now we have some good players that don't have a lot of experience. I dont know if we have Elite players. We also don't have enough quality depth to push players in practice
It is clear that this team is young
BUT… Riley has cost this years team some victories. The worst one was the Minnesota game when we were averaging 6.8 yards a carry rushing and leading in the 4th quarter at the Minnesota 35!! Just run the damn ball and win the game and the narrative of this year and the team is entirely different.
USC has a Texas Tech Air raid mentality problem. As far as Lincoln Riley he could not finish vs UTah, 2024 same deal even vs inferior teams
You are correct Gabe about the 2025 defense. Right now we have a a total of 6 sacks. This the first season under Lynn. If we had these same guys next year they would be much better under Lynn’s system. We will be losing a lot next season so we will still have growing pains. 2026 is the year we will make some noise….Fight On!
Lynn is overrated and it’s quietly being exposed
On the DL. Six sacks is pretty low. Defense has some talent but no pass rushers and not very many have been a Trojan for more than a year. I always thought that 2026 was the year they would make some noise…..Fight On!
Beating a dead horse by saying this but We’ve recruited extremely well besides guys in the trenches basically since the end of Pete’s tenure and within the last few season the end of Helton’s tenure extremely poor to the point of how was it allowed in the 1st place. If you looked at the rankings of high schoolers we were bringing in at the end of Helton’s career here, it was below or on par with teams like Oregon State and WKU.
Lincoln Riley when he was at Oklahoma had decent offensive lines and superior talent to the rest of the big 12 and that masked his coaching short comings that were exposed once he made the playoffs.
Based on what you are saying, in 2022, they should have won the National Championship, but they didn't because of Grinch and Riley's shortcomings to make adjustments. I could not disagree more with your analysis, USC talent pool is off the hook. A freakin 6-4 ft mobile QB that moves like Caleb would have us undefeated. The defense is clearly more effective than 2022 and 2023. Very simple, put Maiava in and let the truth come out. What is Lincoln afraid of? What are you Miller Moss staunch supporters afraid of? We lost to Minnesota for crying out loud, not much Maiava can do to cause more harm to our record.
USC has coaching problem.
Lincoln is a major issue. Why did stick with Alex Grinch at Oklahoma? No where has a small, speed defense worked at a high level. I think Lincoln hired him because his mentored hired him a WSU but Leach didn’t care about defense. Lincoln’s mistake to Grinch at Oklahoma cost USC in 2022. We have a very good team but not a DC who could’ve got the most out of the players we had.
@@RJ_Focusedgrinch was a big name and he hired him away from Ohio state at the time
Please see my post subsequent to yours. LR is not the problem, although that could develop. Recent history is the problem. You can't overcome ten years of bad history in two, or even three. It takes time and a lot of work in this very competitive environment.
I think Emmanuel Pregnon will get a good look at the next level too.
Branch doesn't emerge to me as approaching dude status. Too many errors that he shouldn't be committing.
I have 2 challenges with your premise, first this roster lacking dudes is completely on Riley and staff not recruiting, pulling in from the portal or more importantly developing them. The fact that you are comparing '22 (several Helton recruits) to this season just demonstrates how woeful the above is true. Secondly, I am not in the 'fire Riley' camp but I do not believe/trust him or much of the staff at this point and the label of 'genius' for Riley just does not apply
Basically Lincoln won with Heltons players besides Caleb. We Have the two best backs in the big 10 , the best receivers in the big 10 BUT we’re missing that fast 6’3 receiver branch is fast but not big enough. The OL Dint start wheh was the last time sc had a 5* OL. We are lacking at OL and DL depth that’s the focus
You’re better than your record. You have a lot of talent, but no Caleb so I get that. Schedule gets easier so just focus on winning out and build from there. Last thing is you need Lincoln, your AD and the USC president all on the same page, aligned with the NIL collective(s), boosters, etc., because it’s now a pay-to-play world, and those who can’t pay will not attract the new top talent.
What happened to the blazing speed Zach Branch had last year?
No idea. He’s clearly a step slower. It’s bizarre to watch
USC has enough talent, to have gone undefeated this year. It's Riley's schemes, getting away from the run, and most importantly bad clock management on his part.
I agree with you. His play calling is very pedestrian, like he is stuck five years in the past. Penn State showed us what an OC should do when the team is struggling.
They would have needed an awful lot of things go the right way to go undefeated. Too many close games tells me we are not yet among the elite. Minnesota tells me that. We should have won that game pretty easily. We have talent, we have “dude” talent that is not yet “dude” talent as he was saying.
There are few others who next year I think could be dudes including Zion Branch, Desman Stephens, Kameryn Fountain, Elijah Newby, the four wide receivers mentioned, Elijah Paige and Alani Noa could be approaching that status, whoever our QB is (not conceding it to Lewis yet), Lake McRee, and Quinten Joyner. Anybody I miss? We will be better positioned to win and make the CFP next season without so many games coming down to the wire.
USC does poorly when there is a pro team in town, Today, there are TWO!
USC will do fine if they win. People support winner and have supported USC when pro teams were here in the past
Disrespectful to not have J Rock on the dude list…
If you don’t think so, you’re kidding yourself
Gopher fan checking in. 247Sports says that usc has had a couple of very good, top10, recent recruiting classes. What has happened to these players? Did they leave?
We need to hit the portal hard this offseason. O line, d line depth, maybe an elite Wide out if none of ours get to that level. Dave Emrick needs to not be a stingy little shit bc that’s why we whiffed on so many dudes last go around.
PSU fan. USC lost 3 winnable games and beat LSU...No lack of talent IMHO. Also...thought we would dominate in the trenches. Didn't really happen. I think USC will run the table the rest of the season. USC is missing some depth after the starters though. Good luck moving forward.
I totally believe that we have great football dudes on this team. If we prevent less sacks on Moss that will give him tons of more time in his pocket to see the field. I think against Maryland we need to move on from last week and look to wha tis coming up on Saturday! Fight on!
More like depth issue. Next man up doesn’t fly in the portal age. D is good but gassed in 4th quarter last game . I’m ok as a few tackles here, penalties there we’re 5-1 or 6-0
Of course! Can’t depend on the 3 stars talent.😤😤✌🏽✌🏽✌🏼
Awesome analysis. Fight On!
Because we have nothing to lose but to play Jayden. Especially against Maryland- why not if you already committed to JuJu starting ? Sometimes you’re spot on then others you’re too emotional. FYI if a “dude” is a punter then we have more problems than you think. FYI Woody is the best player on the team with Deuce honorable mention. IMO
You can't win championships with 3* star talent on both sides of the ball.
Because it's not being developed. I can't be the only who see the d line has no plan when their rushing the QB,
I dont know what to think about this team anymore. Lol
No. They don't have a talent problem......They have a Lincoln Riley problem.... Remember Lincoln Riley=Clay Helton.
Bad play calling by CLR w weaker teams he can get away w it, but HIGHER RANK TEAMS and / or when the game is close PLAY CALLING N GAME MANAGEMENT WEAKNESS really apparent w CLR
With this roster, better coaching from Riley makes it 5-1 or 6-0. Losing to Minnesota and a down Michigan team is not talent. Its scheme and coaching. But yes, we need to satttr winning recruiting wars. We are theee star U Utah right now.
It’s a youth problem!
USC doesn’t have a good HS recruiting foundation specially on defense. It’s a combination of some good HS players and some good transfers. Dline and Oline really there’s not one single quality 5 ⭐️ guy. Lots of 3 stars and lots of unranked players. I actually believe we are asking for a lot of these players. Linebackers is another, a few good pieces but nothing out of the ordinary.
Watch the mass exodus of players leaving after the season entering the transfer portal Lincoln Riley will never have a nucleus of players on his team to build a great program. He’s always going to be filling in spots and recycling and his recruiting sucks so USC will never be an elite football program under Lincoln Riley.
SC will never win anything until they start winning recruiting
if those 3 plays go differently we're basically just penn state but with tougher wins. we'd be a fraud top 5 team
Gabe I usually agree with you but I have different thoughts. Yes 22 was a great year. But think about the last ten years or so. USC has been terrible compared to the glory days. They have been out recruited by a lot of schools. They use to own California. They have not been physical since Pete’s teams. Remember No Pads November?? Gomer Helton. The worst coach that USC ever had and they made him a very wealthy man. What a TURD he was. I see very limited motivation to win. They got those stupid players in uniform cheering and waving towels looking like Ken Dolls. Get them the Hell off the field. They do not wear the uniforms like they should. One guy is in yellow tights and another in white. Bullshit. It is called Team and you don’t see a I in that spelling. A lot of these clowns are more interested in show boating than playing the game it was supposed to be played. You make a tackle you go right back to the huddle. Don’t bring attention to yourself. That is called INSECURITY. Look at Colorado. They got a bunch of Punks on their team and the biggest punk is their coach. What a circus that is. My opinion is USC is far far away from being a national champion. I love USC. I have been watching them since 62. My favorite player was Charles White. The toughest player ever!!!!!! This generation is so soft both physically and mentally. Iam a former Marine and I would not want some of these softies in my bunker at all.
Wow! Firstly I agree with you about how soft USC has been since Pete left. But I do find it interesting how Sark & Lane Kiffin have coached so much better since they got fired from SC. Whether it’s through recruiting or coaching neither has been up to snuff to be relevant in college football nowadays. The Colorado dig is interesting cause they’re 4-2 and look way better than we do this year
We lost a ton of 4 and 5 star talent to graduation & the portal. 13 of the 17 guys we got are 3 star. We have an enormous talent deficit. You can't look at the O-line and say yeah we're top 10.
And as I have said for 10 months, we are headed for 7-5, 6-6, that neighborhood. Sure loss to ND = 3-4, & UW, Rut& Neb are all coin flips making us 6-4, 5-5, 4-6, or worse. That leaves ucla and Mary.
Mary: They only give up 100 YPG rushing, throw for twice as many 1st downs as rushing, have 8 INT takeaways and are good on 3rd down to extend ToP. They score 30 and allow low 20s, just like we do. Let's see what creative way we find to lose to THESE guys, burying us at the bottom of the B1G 18. Those thinking we win out are huffing paint behind a 7-11 dumpster. Oh and my gastro physician buddy says the big donors are already exploring buying out LR and sending him packing. Let's go, Matt Entz!
@thetrojanblade Elevate Entz to Headcoach not Lynn he’s a DC, Entz proven Headcoach. Since SC cannot afford to buy him out Demote Riley to waterboy! still have to pay him but at least we stop losing games and recruits. and hopefully he quits and SC doesn’t have to pay him. Not even joking i’m totally serious. 😎✌🏼
The zeros hero beating us for the 5*. They have uncle nike$.
Nah. Not feeling this assessment. We have elite talent...there are 6 more games - the season is not over.
No, coach problem, time to move on from LR & OL coach.
It’s a 6-6 team
Funny how you made no mention of Jayden in your last video. Two things it’s time to play him and if it does not work Lincoln has to go. Tooo much talent - you can’t say in the same breath that Lincoln is the guy but can’t recognize “dudes” - that’s his problem and don’t be surprised If Branch hits the transfer portal 🤦🏻♂️
Bad play calling by CLR
Been trying to tell you guys you have a LR problem. You won’t win a natty with him as your HC
Look. Here's the truth. Don't hate me for it. But even if you have to pay 2-3× more, U MUST get the best trench players in the country possible through the Portal and HS recruiting. END OF STORY.
PS. It would be cheaper than a LR buyout.
If that doesn't happen this off-season, the jig is up and it time to raise the Red Flag.
Good analysis
Again talking about everything but the problem. It's always the machines fault but never the operator lol
Obviously.
Good post. I agree with everything said.
We haven’t been paying anyone NIL in 2023 thus this is are team. That’s not the case anymore and won’t be going forward.
NO! They have a coaching problem.