One Man's Opinion: Idaho review

Of course, one can't help but suppose that the Idaho Vandals got quite a jolt from the fact that the University of Michigan was upset today by Division 1AA opponent Appalachian State and to make it even worse, the Wolverines lost that game at home. In the end, The Southern California Trojans won the game 38-10 and were never in danger of losing. However, as the television commentators were quick to point out, the Trojans looked a little flat and a little sloppy at many times during this game and SC’s overall performance was less than awe inspiring. And that folks is one of the big problems that can occur when a powerhouse plays a relatively weak opponent. It can turn into a can't win situation. If a team like SC blows out Idaho, it was merely business as usual and what else would anyone expect. And if, as tonight, the performance is not quite that terrific, the naysayer show up, criticisms are leveled and many people will say there are obviously question marks here and there. Personally, I have been a fan long enough to never question a victory. However, I do feel that some real points of potential concern did surface and those problems will more than likely receive lots of emphasis over the next two weeks and hopefully, there will be some definite improvement before USC meets Nebraska in Lincoln in a couple of weeks.

To my way of thinking, it is never a good idea to forget the "good stuff" that comes out of a game. And despite the fact that this was not the totally dominating performance that even the betting experts predicted, there were some very positive aspects of this game. We got to see that the first string defense can be suffocating when necessary. Sure, Idaho did manage to score a very late touchdown, but for the entire third quarter, the Vandals managed all of one yard and the SC defense definitely got it cranking. As Coach Carroll described himself, it was a very workman like game, but some of the youngsters got a tremendous amount of playing time and that is very important. How unusual is it to see a true freshman, Kris O'Dowd, start at center and to play the entire game. (Well, considering that Kris was the first true freshman center in USC History to ever start the first game of the season, it is VERY UNUSUAL). He was definitely solid and considering that the youngster was the quarterback out there, the offensive line was definitely in sync and there were not a bunch of dumb penalties as we have seen early on in prior years. And even though Joe McKnight did not have an overly dominating performance, he did manage to give us all a hint of what is to come. On one play he went right, cut back in a very Reggie Bush like manner and turned a nothing into a very positive, somewhat unstoppable play. It was also very nice to see the emergence of David Ausberry as a type of go to receiver, especially considering that the anticipated workhorse, Patrick Turner was not suited up for this game. And lest I forget to mention, once again a USC receiver made another of the now famous one handed grabs. The incredible touchdown catch by Vidal Hazelton is sure to make the highlight reels for much of this season and it demonstrates something that he is capable of doing.

Coming into this game, the hype surrounding this USC team was considerable. The Trojans are rated number one in just about every major poll and the defensive unit was being labeled as a unit that is potentially as good, if not better than the unit that included the now infamous inside dline tandem of Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody. It is obviously far too early to draw any conclusions about this unit, but there was definitely some intense play and good defense in this game. The Vandals were limited to 265 total yards and a considerable number of those yards came against the SC defensive reserves. One point of concern that did surprise me was the inability of the Trojan dline to get to the Idaho quarterback. USC did not manage to sack this relatively immobile quarterback even once, and there were several attempts to get to him. Even when SC brought heat, Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle was able to unload the ball and avoid the sack. Of course, he did fumble the ball once, but still, he was not sacked. I suspect that the SC coaching staff will be under whelmed by that fact and if there is a way to rectify that situation, it will be done. Based on what I saw from some of the other Pac-10 quarterbacks in their first games this season, it is safe to say that getting to the guy who throws the rock will be crucial to this team's success. I was also a bit surprised that Idaho ran the ball better at times, even against the SC first stringers, than I thought they could. Perhaps the problem is that I am simply not giving the opponents enough credit. I guess each person will have to decide that one for himself.

As for the overall defense, the pass coverage also appeared a bit lax at times. Considering that Idaho did not appear to have any real burners catching the ball and that SC seemed to have the definite edge in talent and athleticism, it did appear that Vandal receivers were running open more than one would like to see. In the end, it is points scored that count, but I still wonder how those guys got so open. On the play that Enderle fumbled the ball, there was an Idaho receiver running downfield wide open and a nice pass would have lead to a very big gainer for the Vandals. Perhaps spoiled fans such as yours truly simply have unrealistic expectations, but when I see very average athletes getting open like they did at times tonight, I can' t help but wonder what teams like Oregon, Cal and UCLA, among others will do. But, to be fair, I suppose the SC guys will also be more "focused" for those games and likewise, the coverage will hopefully reflect that different level of intensity. Nonetheless, I was personally disappointed that not one pass was intercepted by a Trojan. Considering that Pete is emphasizing takeaways now, as much as ever, it won't please him that USC actually lost the battle of turnovers, 3 to 1. Idaho picked off Booty once, picked of McDonald once and recovered one fumble. On the other hand, USC was able to manage only one fumble recovery.

At the start of the game, SC's offense was quite business like and efficient. The Trojans scored on its first three possessions and I really did not think we would see any punting, at least not in the first half. However, as had been the case for parts of last year, SC did not maintain its intensity and efficiency and the overall offensive performance in the second quarter was simply abysmal. Nothing seemed to go right and I wondered if the early scores just encouraged the guys to lose their focus and concentration. No matter how hard Pete and the staff work, it seems to be human nature for the better team to let up slightly when in the lead by a large margin and then have to struggle to get that darned momentum back. Was I the only fan who mumbled some not so nice unpleasantries for almost the entire second and fourth quarters and wondered out loud why this was not as enjoyable a game to watch as I had hoped. It may not be very sportsman like, but I just wanted this to be a 60 or so to nothing game, one in which the SC dominance was complete and total. Instead, what we saw was a somewhat erratic offensive display with some terrific display of skills and some obvious examples of BAD EXECUTION. Yeah, I know, that sure sounds like something a spoiled fan would say. I am guilty of that without a doubt.

Coming into this season and into this game in particular, there were lots of questions about who would play, especially at the tailback position. Well, lots of tailbacks got to carry the ball and CJ Gable and Stafon Johnson both had very nice games in their own ways. Perhaps CJ quieted some of the internet critics who surfaced when Pete announced that it would be Gable who would get the start. It turns out that it was actually Stafon who had the most carries and CJ ended up as SC's leading ground gainer. At the receiver position, I can't help but wonder how much John David Booty missed Patrick. After all, Turner had been the go to guy for much of practice and he was the only guy that Booty had actually thrown to on any regular basis in real games that was returning to the team. I was also stunned to see what a relatively big roll Brad Walker played. He was in the game for many plays and he actually made two grabs. On the oline, there was lots of substituting going on. Thomas Herring saw considerable action at right tackle and Charles Brown got quite an indoctrination. He played most of the game, sharing time at both right and left tackle. Considering that he had rarely played before tonight, that was impressive. And on the defensive side of the ball, it was nice to see Griffen get some real action and Shareece Wright got in on quite a few series and he made a big statement with some vicious hits.

As for special teams, I can say the kicking game got off to a very nice start. David Buehler demonstrated some kind of leg by getting several of his kicks into the end zone. He was the only kicker all day that I saw who managed to get that done. With the kickoffs now coming from the 30, having a guy like David who can still get the ball deep enough to cause a touchback is a real weapon. He also made his only field goal. As for the punter, Woidneck punted well for a 43.5 average. USC played a relatively penalty free game giving up only 20 yards on penalties. As for the kick returns, they were adequate but nothing out of the ordinary. Punt coverage was aggressive and overall, special teams looked solid, especially for this early stage of the season.

As for the offense what can one say? It got the job done and it sure appeared that nothing fancy was going to be displayed or tried if it could be avoided. Booty played a reasonable game, but he certainly did not put up incredible numbers. Overall, going 22 for 33 and throwing 3 touchdown passes, is a very nice night. In fact, a normal guy might consider that to be a "career night". However, when somebody is the quarterback of the USC Trojans and is being touted as another leading Heisman Candidate, it is hard to satisfy everyone or even most everyone--or so it seems. I think the play calling was a bit vanilla and I also believe it will take some time for Booty to develop an in game rapport with some of the kids. It was nice to see Fred Davis involved and even though Ron Johnson and Joe McKnight had limited rolls, it was a start and that will serve the Trojans well, sooner than later. It can never be a bad thing to get one's young stars to be broken into the major college game slowly and under somewhat less strenuous circumstances if possible, though come to think of it, there were 90,000 or so fans there, so it was not all that "calm" either. Hopefully, the inconsistencies that cropped up in offense, especially in the second half, can be rectified. On the other hand, I also hope that the powerful running game, (SC ran for 215 yards) continues and the increased roll of the fullback also becomes a trademark of this offense. Surely, Stanley Havili has everything needed to be a superstar as a fullback.

As for the coaching and philosophy, I actually liked most of what I saw. It was obvious that getting a team up and keeping them focused against a lesser opponent can be a major challenge. It is also going take some interesting substitutions to keep all the stars and potential stars on this team happy. The talent is abundant and utilizing it all figuring out who to play and when is on the coaches. I knew there had to be a reason that they are well paid because that is going to be an especially difficult task this year. At running back the yards came very nicely and the starter, Chauncey Washington was not even available. When he returns, hopefully against Nebraska, that particular running back rotation should be more interesting than ever.

Now, the team has two weeks to heal, learn from the films and get ready for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They want to make a real statement on the national level by beating USC, that's for sure. Guys like Josh Pinkard, Brian Cushing and Patrick Turner are needed to give USC its best shot at leaving Lincoln Nebraska with a win. I don't know how serious Brian's ankle injury really is, but as well all know, ankles can be a real pain in the--ankle, I suppose, so here is wishing him the best. To beat the Cornhuskers, USC will have to execute much better and more consistently than they did tonight against an inferior, albeit motivated, opponent.( Personally, I would also like to know that Mark Sanchez is healed and ready to go if needed against Nebraska, as well—it just never hurts to have a guy who might be one of the better backup quarterbacks in America ready and waiting if needed) As I have stated so many times in the past, if any coach and staff can prepare his team for an upcoming game, it is Pete Carroll. I am optimistic that SC will perform well and beat Nebraska for a second consecutive time.