A different thread got me thinking about something. Why are so many USC fans down in the dumps about their team’s season so far? Sure, they’ve not looked good in some games and have yet to put four quarters of good football together, in one game, yet this season but I believe they are exactly what their record says they are and to be honest, I don’t know that that is a bad thing. I understand some had high expectations going into the season but there’s a fine line between high expectations and unrealistic expectations.
The way I see it, USC has beaten three teams they were supposed to beat and they lost to three teams that were ranked higher than them. Georgia was/is simply heads and shoulders better than USC, USC (as a team) played their worst game of the season against Kentucky and they had a chance to beat (probably should’ve beaten) Texas A&M. In all three of those games, the higher ranked team won. I don’t see why some USC fans are all doom and gloom and calling this season a “failure.” USC is 3-3 (probably would’ve bneen 4-3 if the Marshall game hadn’t been cancelled) so I’d say they’re right on schedule. Sure it would’ve been nice to beat Georgia…but that was never going to happen. It would’ve been nice to not lose to Kentucky for the fifth time in a row but they’re better than people thought they were going to be AND Carolina decided to play its worst game of the season. Not a winning combination. The A&M game, yeah USC probably should’ve won this one but when the talent is even, the team that makes the least amount of mistakes typically wins and in this case, it was A&M.
USC will more than likely be favored in three (Tennessee, Ole Miss and Chattanooga) of their last five (not counting the make-up game and if that happens they’ll be favored in that one too) and I believe they are the better football team in three games and should win. Florida will be favored but I think the game should be competitive and I wouldn’t be blown away if USC were to find a way to win that game. Clemson, well we can go
I for one am not down. I agree with you. they are about what they should be. Honestly, last year was a fluke. the ball just bounced right for USC. This year we are not getting those bounces.
The most frustrating for me is Bentley. I’m not so high on him. I think he is over thinking the game. I say let Scar play. and give Jorner some time, he has 4 games to play in with out losing the red shirt. Bentley is not getting it done. I know WR are dropping passes, but it seems he does not have the team on his side like last year.
The funny thing about Bentley is he leads the SEC in QB accuracy but he also leads the SEC in interceptions. That said, the receiving corps has not lived up to the hype. Many of the talking heads said USC’s receiving corps was going to be the best or at least one of the best in the country. Again, they have not lived up to that hype. In fact, I’d say they have under-performed even the most mundane expectations. They can’t get open and they drop way too many balls. Aaron Rogers doesn’t always throw a perfect ball but if he gets it in the vicinity of his receivers, they catch it. USC’s receivers have not done that for Bentley. Given the athletic talents both Samuel and Edwards are (and Edwards’ size), if I see them in man-to-man coverage, I should be able to throw a 50/50 to them and expect them to make a play. Not only have they not won those battles but Bentley gets criticized for throwing 50/50 balls. Yes, Bentley has thrown some “WTF” passes but he’s also thrown some balls that his receivers could’ve bailed him out on and should’ve caught.
I have confidence in coaching staffs. They see far more of their team and the team’s talent than we could ever see. I believe a player is on the field because he’s the best player at that position and he gives the team the best chance to win, injuries aside. If a player is not a starter and on the sideline, that tells me he’s not the best player at his position and doesn’t give the team the best chance to win. Scarnecchia is a 5th year Senior. If he was the best QB on the team, he would’ve already been a starting QB. Yes, he had a solid game against a not so good Missouri secondary. It’s not like he went out there and had that game against Clemson’s defense or Bama’s defense. Same thing for Joyner. If he was the better QB and was showing the necessary progressions in practice, I believe he would be starting, or at least getting some playing time but he’s not. We should take that for what it means…he’s not ready.
I’ve heard plenty of fans not having Bentley’s back but
I agree. The difference for me is not just talent. i believe bentley is the most talented QB. but like you said the WR are not helping. It seems that leadership breeds good play. and makes WR want to do good foe the QB and team. I do not see that from bentley.
I agree. The difference for me is not just talent. i believe bentley is the most talented QB. but like you said the WR are not helping. It seems that leadership breeds good play. and makes WR want to do good foe the QB and team. I do not see that from bentley.
I get what you’re saying but it would be sad if the receivers aren’t giving 100% just because they don’t feel Bentley is a good enough leader. That tells me more about the character and lack of work ethic of the receivers than the quality of team leadership. The receivers are good enough that they’ll get the attention of NFL scouts. If they’re not putting forth 100% effort for whatever reason, that will come back to bite them. That’s why I don’t believe that’s the case. If they’re selfish enough to put their thoughts/feelings about leadership above the success of the team, then they’re too selfish to sacrifice a potential NFL career (by dropping balls and not giving 100%) just because they don’t think their QB is a good leader.
Personally, I believe the receiving corps bought into their own hype and when things weren’t going well, they started to press and haven’t been able to deal with the pressure ever since. It’s like that young kid standing in right field saying to himself, “please don’t hit it to me.” I think the receivers are pressing so bad that they don’t want the ball thrown to them. The QB isn’t always the one that has to be the leader of a team. Steve Largent was a leader on the Seahawks, Chris Carter was a leader on the Vikings, Jerry Rice was a leader on the 49’ers, Michael Irving was a leader on the Cowboys, Larry Fitzgerald is a leader on the Cardinals…
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
I am not doom and gloom, but I do think many had unrealistic expectations in year 3 of a major rebuilding project. Many of them thought we could hang with GA only to find out that the gap is still pretty large. Add that to the “have to have everything now” mentality that permeates our culture today and that is where you get the doom and gloom from many fans. I do think there are some like myself that are disappointed in the loses to KY and A&M as those were very winnable games, but were lost by too many mistakes. It takes several years to build quality depth along the lines and in my opinion that is where tough games are won and lost. I’m not talking about one or two stars, but actually having back up players that can come in and give your starters rest in a game or fill in for injured players. To expect this to happen in this short time frame is not realistic. You can see that this year with Wonnum being out for most of the season there has been a struggle to fill that void because the depth is not there. Very rarely does a lineman come in and make an immediate impact. They normally need a year in a college level strength and conditioning program before they can make an impact. As far as the receivers go. I think Jake throws some bad balls early in games and the receivers start pressing to make something happen and that is where the drops come in. Most of the time when receivers drop passes in their hands it is because they don’t look the ball all the way in and have diverted their eyes to where they are going next instead. I don’t know for sure if Muschamp is the answer, but think he needs at least 5 years to find out. I will say the talent level and speed on the field has gotten much better in the last 2 years. Just my 2 cents.
It reminded me when you mentioned “year 3.” I heard something on the radio and then saw it on one of the college football shows on the SEC network that I found interesting. They were discussing how year 3 for a new coach almost always results in a decline from year two. Obviously, this is Muschamp’s 3rd year and while they still have a lot of football to play, all indications are showing this season will not be as “successful” as last year. Coaches like Saban, Meyer, Spurrier, Swinney, Miles, Carroll…all coaches that were considered among the best college coaches…all experienced “declines” in year number 3 at their respective school. There were many examples given as to why this happened but I found it interesting that this is a fairly common occurrence.
Depth at certain positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball, is a big issue for USC. To that, the gap between the starters and the second and third stringers at those positions is a big issue. I don’t believe this team has a bunch of upper classmen either.
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
that is interesting.
Lets be honest Muschamp was not hired to win championships. He was hired to help correct the spurrier recruiting deficit. He has made great strides at that but still needs more top recruits to put anything together.
that is interesting. Lets be honest Muschamp was not hired to win championships. He was hired to help correct the spurrier recruiting deficit. He has made great strides at that but still needs more top recruits to put anything together.
that is interesting.
Lets be honest Muschamp was not hired to win championships. He was hired to help correct the spurrier recruiting deficit. He has made great strides at that but still needs more top recruits to put anything together.
I agree with every part of that statement. “Recruiting deficit” is a great choice of words too because it truly illustrates a major hurdle USC has to get over.
That’s not to say “winning championships” isn’t a goal because it is. Tanner knew the deficiencies facing this team and the first priority was to boost recruiting and like him or not, you can’t argue that Muschamp isn’t a great recruiter.
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
I think many coot fans are pissed for 2 reasons. They were promised a good offense with 10 wins over the off season. Clemson fans told them they were delusional and were very very lucky to win 9 last year but they didn’t believe it. The games start and the offense isn’t any better and bowl eligibility isn’t guaranteed. They also knew that the schedule got much harder next year and if it didn’t turn out well this year than things were going to be bleak from here on out. Well USCjr has under-performed with their experienced QB, UF is over-performing in year 1 of Mullen, Kentucky got a 5-peat, TA&M got a 5-peat, UT is actually starting to show signs of life, and the UGA team that murdered them got reamed by an LSU team that still has no offense. UGA is still recruiting like crazy so gaining no ground there and Clemson is poised for a 4th straight CFP with a freshman QB. Things aint looking great.
And no, you don’t hire Muschamp to win Championships. USCjr just flat out isn’t a NCG caliber program and Champ won’t take them there and while Saban is at Bama USC will have ZERO shot at the SEC crown.
