The Good:
Big Play Mullings has separated himself from the other backs. The Don is still a factor, and his long run was a thing of beauty, but KM is big, fast, powerful, and has great vision and balance.
The O-line run game. The line played a little better last week, but today, it looked like they made a positive jump in the run game. They would look even better if they let Mullings have more carries.
Perimeter Blocking.
In the run game, it was outstanding all day long.
D-Line:
Today was the best we have seen this group play. The USC QB was punished all day. Aside from one long run, they kept the run game in check.
Punting:
It was better today. It was the best we've seen this year.
Wink:
Credit where credit is due. He called a good game. It's not perfect, but it's good enough against a good offense.
The Bad:
Pass Blocking:
USC was in the backfield on every pass play. As good as the O-line was in the run game it was that bad in the pass game.
Attacking the outside:
The inside run game worked, but we kept trying the outside with minimal benefit. We haven't had a pass behind the LOS that has worked all year.
Pass Game:
It was horrible. I know people are saying the quarterback didn't turn the ball over, but it's not that hard when all you are doing is handing the ball off.
The Ugly:
The passing game was not only bad but ugly. The few passes downfield were into coverage and not close to being completed. A couple of times, we had receivers wide open downfield, and they were either not seen or the quarterback was unable to get the ball downfield because USC was in his face.
The D backfield. While the D gets a good grade overall, there were blown calls that cost us big time.
Playcalling:
The second and goal call was about as bad as it gets. We have not had any success passing all day. If it's incomplete, it stops the clock, and if it's intercepted, we lose. In my opinion, it was a bonehead call.
Missed PAT:
It can't happen. It almost cost us.
Conclusion:
It was a great win and largely unexpected by most across the country. Many things improved, and these guys grew a little steel in their spines during the week.
The elephant in the room is the passing offense. If you are honest, you must know that Alex will not suddenly become a great passer. Clearly, he's not the dynamic rusher we hoped he would be, either. So what do we do here?
Are we playing Alex to hand the ball off and run five times a game? Is it less tempting to call a pass play because Orji is in the game? Alex will never have a turnover if all he does is hand the ball off, but we will never have a passing offense. I guess at this point, it's pick your poison. I would rather have Davis or Tuttle in and let them hand it off if it were me. At least with them in the game, there is a threat of a pass.
Finally, it was a great win against a team with outstanding talent. USC has a very good offense and an excellent quarterback. We won because we were more physical, didn't quit, and were in front of a great home crowd. We won in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Mullings is a difference maker, and while this game answered many questions, it also promoted many more.
We are 1-0 in the BIG and took care of one of the bigger challenges on our schedule. We have a completely different outlook with the win than what it would look like if we lost.
Keep the jug.
Go Blue!
Big Play Mullings has separated himself from the other backs. The Don is still a factor, and his long run was a thing of beauty, but KM is big, fast, powerful, and has great vision and balance.
The O-line run game. The line played a little better last week, but today, it looked like they made a positive jump in the run game. They would look even better if they let Mullings have more carries.
Perimeter Blocking.
In the run game, it was outstanding all day long.
D-Line:
Today was the best we have seen this group play. The USC QB was punished all day. Aside from one long run, they kept the run game in check.
Punting:
It was better today. It was the best we've seen this year.
Wink:
Credit where credit is due. He called a good game. It's not perfect, but it's good enough against a good offense.
The Bad:
Pass Blocking:
USC was in the backfield on every pass play. As good as the O-line was in the run game it was that bad in the pass game.
Attacking the outside:
The inside run game worked, but we kept trying the outside with minimal benefit. We haven't had a pass behind the LOS that has worked all year.
Pass Game:
It was horrible. I know people are saying the quarterback didn't turn the ball over, but it's not that hard when all you are doing is handing the ball off.
The Ugly:
The passing game was not only bad but ugly. The few passes downfield were into coverage and not close to being completed. A couple of times, we had receivers wide open downfield, and they were either not seen or the quarterback was unable to get the ball downfield because USC was in his face.
The D backfield. While the D gets a good grade overall, there were blown calls that cost us big time.
Playcalling:
The second and goal call was about as bad as it gets. We have not had any success passing all day. If it's incomplete, it stops the clock, and if it's intercepted, we lose. In my opinion, it was a bonehead call.
Missed PAT:
It can't happen. It almost cost us.
Conclusion:
It was a great win and largely unexpected by most across the country. Many things improved, and these guys grew a little steel in their spines during the week.
The elephant in the room is the passing offense. If you are honest, you must know that Alex will not suddenly become a great passer. Clearly, he's not the dynamic rusher we hoped he would be, either. So what do we do here?
Are we playing Alex to hand the ball off and run five times a game? Is it less tempting to call a pass play because Orji is in the game? Alex will never have a turnover if all he does is hand the ball off, but we will never have a passing offense. I guess at this point, it's pick your poison. I would rather have Davis or Tuttle in and let them hand it off if it were me. At least with them in the game, there is a threat of a pass.
Finally, it was a great win against a team with outstanding talent. USC has a very good offense and an excellent quarterback. We won because we were more physical, didn't quit, and were in front of a great home crowd. We won in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Mullings is a difference maker, and while this game answered many questions, it also promoted many more.
We are 1-0 in the BIG and took care of one of the bigger challenges on our schedule. We have a completely different outlook with the win than what it would look like if we lost.
Keep the jug.
Go Blue!
