PAC 12 Thread v6.0

[socaljim242]

Having another new QB play his first road game and it's top defender out put USC behind the 8ball. Washington has a much better QB at this point and that made the difference. Fink made at least three ill advised throws and that doomed the trojans.

 

[socaljim242]

Good article. Pretty accurate, imo.

It would be nice if we could have a road game with a starting qb who has actually started a road game before. At this rate, we'll probably end up starting our 4th string qb (who's actually listed as a db) at Notre Dame. lol

I thought that overall, USC played fairly well, but you can't have 3 picks and dumb penalties against a good team like UW. And you especially can't have 2 of the picks happen when you have a chance to score.

Fortunately, if USC can get our collective shit together, have a qb start more than 2 games, and take care of business against ASU, UA and that team across town, we can get a rematch in the CCG.

Good luck the rest of the way Huskies. Now that this game is in the books, I can go back to pulling for you guys to win the North.

I agree. Slovis made his first start on the road at BYU and Fink his first at Washington. Not surprised it was too much for him. Gotta be encouraged by the young D line. Gonna be some monsters when they get some experience.

 

[WizardHawk]

USC is better than 7th in the conference. Especially when their other QB clears concussion protocols. That's a team riddled with injuries, not unlike Stanford, but every bit in that game yesterday. The final score might indicate UW was farther ahead than they were. The reality is a 3rd string QB played well at times on the road, and also threw 3 interceptions that were ultimately the difference in the game.

Ahmed had a breakaway 89y TD run. Outside of that they managed 104y on the ground and were stuffed on key plays several times.

When I think power rankings I think of which team would I least want to face on a neutral field today. There is no way I'd put 5 other teams ahead of USC right now. Oregon and Utah sure, but that's probably about it.

Helton and his staff haven't proven to be competent at using the high level of talent they have on a consistent basis, but they are playing at a higher level than they have in recent years.

 

[trojanfan12]

I agree. Slovis made his first start on the road at BYU and Fink his first at Washington. Not surprised it was too much for him. Gotta be encouraged by the young D line. Gonna be some monsters when they get some experience.

Yeah, I think this team is definitely better than last years team. Unfortunately because of the schedule and injuries at qb, the final record may not reflect enough improvement for Helton to keep his job. Especially since there seems to be so much momentum for hiring Urban Meyer. I haven't read it yet, but I saw an article that suggested that Meyer's working with Fox Sports was supposedly the first step towards him coming to USC.

Because of the win over Utah, we still control our own destiny re: the PAC South.

Interesting question...If we finish say...8-4, but win the South, perform well in the PACCG and considering the youth and qb injuries... does Helton keep his job?

 

[trojanfan12]

USC is better than 7th in the conference. Especially when their other QB clears concussion protocols. That's a team riddled with injuries, not unlike Stanford, but every bit in that game yesterday. The final score might indicate UW was farther ahead than they were. The reality is a 3rd string QB played well at times on the road, and also threw 3 interceptions that were ultimately the difference in the game.

Ahmed had a breakaway 89y TD run. Outside of that they managed 104y on the ground and were stuffed on key plays several times.

When I think power rankings I think of which team would I least want to face on a neutral field today. There is no way I'd put 5 other teams ahead of USC right now. Oregon and Utah sure, but that's probably about it.

Helton and his staff haven't proven to be competent at using the high level of talent they have on a consistent basis, but they are playing at a higher level than they have in recent years.

Agree. I think Washington is the better team, even if we were healthy. But, as the points you made show, it's not a huge difference.

To be fair to Helton, he and his previous staff weren't competent at getting the best out of the talent they have, but this staff is doing a much better job.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

LOLS…were losing better.

 

[WhiteMamba]

Yeah, I think this team is definitely better than last years team. Unfortunately because of the schedule and injuries at qb, the final record may not reflect enough improvement for Helton to keep his job. Especially since there seems to be so much momentum for hiring Urban Meyer. I haven't read it yet, but I saw an article that suggested that Meyer's working with Fox Sports was supposedly the first step towards him coming to USC.

Because of the win over Utah, we still control our own destiny re: the PAC South.

Interesting question...If we finish say...8-4, but win the South, perform well in the PACCG and considering the youth and qb injuries... does Helton keep his job?

If I had to answer your question, my best answer would be no, he wouldn’t keep his job. Fair or not.

How do you honestly feel about hiring Urb? I don’t know how I would feel about it. As an Oregon fan, I might be a little more eager to say “heck yes, let’s do this”. But how do SC fans feel, as a program that’s accomplished cfb success at the highest level over decades?

 

[WhiteMamba]

LOLS…were losing better.

Have to start somewhere.

 

[WizardHawk]

Agree. I think Washington is the better team, even if we were healthy. But, as the points you made show, it's not a huge difference.

To be fair to Helton, he and his previous staff weren't competent at getting the best out of the talent they have, but this staff is doing a much better job.

For sure they have so far been doing better, but consistency is a measure of time and it is too early to give a blanket clearance of their prior season issues.

You would give a new staff the benefit of the doubt, but a staff prone to bad coaching decisions in key games needs to prove it over a longer period.

I'll ask you since I didn't really see it, but was the staff at all at fault for the OT loss to BYU? BYU is not a good team and despite having a green QB on the road in that game, USC should be well strong enough on both sides of the ball to beat a team of their caliber.

 

[trojanfan12]

If I had to answer your question, my best answer would be no, he wouldn’t keep his job. Fair or not.

How do you honestly feel about hiring Urb? I don’t know how I would feel about it. As an Oregon fan, I might be a little more eager to say “heck yes, let’s do this”. But how do SC fans feel, as a program that’s accomplished cfb success at the highest level over decades?

Yeah, you are probably right re: Helton. I don't think it would be fair, but I think it will happen. There just seems to be too much against him as far as boosters.

I think some of the more delusional boosters and fans don't realize or maybe refuse to realize the mess he took over (and honestly, their own roles in it).

His biggest problem, imo, was that he was too loyal to assistants who weren't getting the job done.

As for Urb...I'm on the fence about him. He has won and won quickly everywhere he's been. So, in that sense, I think it would be great.

However, even though I don't think he's ever gotten a program sanctioned, there have also been rumors of shady shit happening everywhere he's been and his handling of the domestic violence situation with one of his coaches isn't a good look.

In the end, I guess I'd probably hire him. But I'd also be waking up every morning hoping not to see his or USC's name in the news. lol

 

[WhiteMamba]

Yeah, you are probably right re: Helton. I don't think it would be fair, but I think it will happen. There just seems to be too much against him as far as boosters.

I think some of the more delusional boosters and fans don't realize or maybe refuse to realize the mess he took over (and honestly, their own roles in it).

His biggest problem, imo, was that he was too loyal to assistants who weren't getting the job done.

As for Urb...I'm on the fence about him. He has won and won quickly everywhere he's been. So, in that sense, I think it would be great.

However, even though I don't think he's ever gotten a program sanctioned, there have also been rumors of shady shit happening everywhere he's been and his handling of the domestic violence situation with one of his coaches isn't a good look.

In the end, I guess I'd probably hire him. But I'd also be waking up every morning hoping not to see his or USC's name in the news. lol

You’d think think he’d have learned by now. However, he is a confident guy bordering on arrogant. He will fit in Los Angeles perfectly, and I don’t say that as a slam. It seems to me that if you don’t have that LA may chew you up. Pete Carrol is a great example of how to handle everything that comes with being a HC in LA.

 

[trojanfan12]

For sure they have so far been doing better, but consistency is a measure of time and it is too early to give a blanket clearance of their prior season issues.

You would give a new staff the benefit of the doubt, but a staff prone to bad coaching decisions in key games needs to prove it over a longer period.

I'll ask you since I didn't really see it, but was the staff at all at fault for the OT loss to BYU? BYU is not a good team and despite having a green QB on the road in that game, USC should be well strong enough on both sides of the ball to beat a team of their caliber.

I didn't really think the staff was at fault. Basically, it was a very similar game to the game against your Huskies.

Overall, they played well enough to win, but had a couple of picks at a bad time in the game (including in ot) and it cost them. So, in each case, a winnable game that they lost because of turnovers on reads that a more experienced qb probably doesn't make.

They have the exact record that I thought they would at this point (3-2). I just thought the losses would have been to either UW and Utah, or UW and Stanford. Instead, the beat both Stanford and Utah, but lose to BYU.

 

[WizardHawk]

Helton is almost certainly out no matter the outcome of the rest of the season. New AD coming in that won't want to be tied and responsible for giving a stamp of approval for a staff that isn't in high regard to the boosters and supporters of the team that has underperformed given the talent level they have.

Fair? USC is one of the pillars of college football. They aren't simply one of many blue bloods. There is no excuse for that program to be down outside of staff incompetence. Period. Stop. Helton may be a good coach, but is he a USC expectation level coach? I think the answer is pretty clear to most.

For those of you still supporting him I have one question: Had Urban taken that program over at the same point Helton did, do you believe they would still be sputtering along at the same pace they are now at? Come on, the answer is no. They would have recruited better and be at a much higher level.

So the question then is how many USC level coaches exist and are they in the position to get one. If you believe there are better coaches out there you can't possibly support keeping him.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

 

[AlaskaGuy]

College Football Week 5 Awards

Freshmen of the Week (Defense): Trent McDuffie/Cameron Williams, DB, Washington
This freshman duo played a key role in Washington’s defensive effort in the win over USC. McDuffie paced the defense with nine tackles, while Williams recorded five tackles and picked off two passes.


Coordinator of the Week (Offense): Andy Ludwig, Utah
The Utes didn’t have running back Zack Moss or receiver Britain Covey, but the offense still posted 526 yards (7.4 a play) and 38 points in a win over Washington State. Utah converted 6 of 12 third-down attempts, had zero three-and-outs and dominated time of possession (34:28 to 25:32). With Moss and Covey out, Ludwig put the ball and control of the offense in the hands of quarterback Tyler Huntley (365 total yards and four touchdowns). But the Utes also recorded 192 yards on the ground, with Devonta’e Henry-Cole rushing for 79 yards over 15 attempts.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Keyshawn Johnson suggests USC fire Clay Helton — a la Lane Kiffin — with 'tarmac' tweet

 

[AlaskaGuy]

 

[AlaskaGuy]

 

[WizardHawk]

-14 feels a bit too high for a road game against a decent defense. Stanford isn't a good football team right now, but UW hasn't proven they can dominate on the road either. Like UW to win, but not cover.

 

[WhiteMamba]

-14 feels a bit too high for a road game against a decent defense. Stanford isn't a good football team right now, but UW hasn't proven they can dominate on the road either. Like UW to win, but not cover.

They’ll crush Stanford and cover.