USC

USC football: Carroll-Barkley “battling”

SCOTT M. REID, OCREGISTER.COM — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:36:45 +0000

An otherwise upbeat bye-week for USC limped to a close Friday morning.

Joe McKnight fumbled a punt. Cornerback Josh Pinkard channeled Stanford’s Richard Sherman and ran back an interception of a Matt Barkley pass for a touchdown.

There are still a few pot holes on the Trojans’ road to recovery.

The interception wasn’t the only mistake for Barkley. In a practice that mirrored his recent game performances, the freshman out of Mater Dei High School overthrew several receivers, threw behind others and was nearly picked a second time later in the practice.

Trojan coach Pete Carroll, however, insisted after practice that Barkley hasn’t hit a wall.

“I think he’s just battling, he went against the first defense the whole time,” Carroll said. “I think he’s working really hard to get stuff done. I don’t think anything more than that.”

USC football: Cameron’s time could be coming

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:34 +0000

Damian Williams is still a question mark for the UCLA game because of his high ankle sprain. David Ausberry is out indefinitely. Brice Butler has fluid buildup in his back that shouldn’t keep him out but could hinder him. Freshman De’Von Flournoy isn’t ready.

So who’s going to step up at wide receiver for USC besides Ronald Johnson?

The candidates include Brandon Carswell and Travon Patterson. But by far the most intriguing prospect is Jordan Cameron.

With a terrific combination of size (6-5, 220) and athleticism, Cameron — who played basketball at BYU and was a walk-on for USC this past season — has shown flashes of greatness in practice but never has been consistent enough to get meaningful snaps in games.

The junior has had a strong week during the Trojans’ bye, and if the receiver numbers stay down, he could get his shot.

“We’re trying to instill the confidence in him that he knows what he’s doing and can play fast and be aggressive,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s a really talented kid. It’s just been a big transition with (so) little football in his background. It’s just taken him much longer than it would a normal guy.

“He’s made a good impression, he really has. It’s really mostly about him being consistent and doing things right – alignments and splits and takeoffs, all of the things he has to do. Sometimes the details get lost in it, and he still plays like a young player. We’re trying to get him through that and make him available to us.”

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USC football: Run defense finally gets physical

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Jeff Byers could sense a difference.

In the most physical of football drills — the full-contact running drill known as the “nine-on-seven” — the USC defense was bringing it. Even though Byers is an offensive lineman by trade, it felt like the good old days.

“This is the first time I’ve really seen our defense consistently pound guys,” Byers said Thursday. “Nine-on-seven a couple days ago kind of felt like nine-on-seven with Rey and Cush. Which is good.”

“Rey” and “Cush,” of course, are Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing, the big and big-time linebackers who spearheaded the Trojans’ second-ranked defense last season.

They’re playing in the NFL now, along with several of their 2008 defensive teammates. The young front seven left in their wake has struggled mightily of late, surrendering 716 rushing yards in a pair of blowout losses that shook the foundation of the USC program. To put that figure in perspective, it’s 76 more yards than the defense has allowed in the other eight games combined.

So run defense has been an obvious point of emphasis during the Trojans’ bye week as they prepare for next Saturday’s game against UCLA. The defense got about 40 extra plays against the offensive line in hopes of improving its execution and boosting its confidence.

“We’re working really hard at it,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “We have to get back on track.

“We were a mess at Oregon. We came back and played real sharp at Arizona State. And then we were off totally against Stanford. The inconsistency is obviously the part that is most disconcerting.”

Besides the defense being more physical, there are other causes for encouragement. Carroll likes what he has seen from freshman Devon Kennard at strong-side linebacker. Kennard shifted from defensive end last week and, at 255 pounds, has size that’s reminiscent of Maualuga and Cushing.

“The thing I like best about him is he’s really physical,” Carroll said. “You can tell. He’s a hitter. All of that has brought a good presence that we need.”

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USC football: McKnight returns to practice

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:48:27 +0000

Quick hitters from USC’s Thursday practice:

** Tailback Joe McKnight returned to action after sitting out Wednesday because of migraines.

** Defensive end Everson Griffen and linebacker Chris Galippo were among several banged-up veterans receiving extra rest.

** Freshman Devon Kennard is in line to start for the second consecutive game at strong-side linebacker. Michael Morgan is limited because of a broken wrist and sore shoulder.

** Armond Armstead has been working at strong-side end, the position he originally was slated to play before breaking his foot in August. Armstead primarily has played defensive tackle since returning because of injuries at that spot.

** Center Kristofer O’Dowd will have a chance to compete for a starting spot next week, USC coach Pete Carroll said. O’Dowd lost his job in midseason because of injuries and ineffective play.

** Carroll said safety Jawanza Starling is among the freshmen who have stood out during the team’s bye week.

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USC football: What Bates said about Colorado

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:48:42 +0000

USC quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates‘ name appeared on a list of possible candidates to take over the coaching job at Colorado. Pure rumor, basically, but we asked Bates about it anyway. (That’s our job, after all.)

Here’s what the former Denver Broncos assistant said (or didn’t say):

(on whether he’s interested in the Colorado job)

“I’m working day by day. We’re trying to get better offensively and keep grinding.”

(on if he’d one day like to be a college head coach)

“I’ve learned, being a coach’s son, you can’t look ahead. There’s no telling what happens in this profession. I’ve moved a lot of different places. Just (taking it) day by day.”

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USC football: Still hope for the BCS?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:30:31 +0000

Not for USC, obviously; that ship has sunk, er, sailed.

I’m referring to the advocates of the BCS seeing the light — which hopefully would lead to its eventual destruction and the creation of a playoff.

Why am I suddenly optimistic about this? Because the BCS launched a Facebook page, and on its wall, BCS executive director Bill Hancock wrote something shockingly open-minded.

Full text after the jump:

“First, we welcome and respect everyone’s views, whether for or against the BCS, so long as they are expressed appropriately. In that light, let me ask those who prefer a playoff these questions: Using today’s standings, which 8 teams would be in a playoff, how are they selected & seeded, where are games played, and when? This should be fun, and that’s what this page is supposed to be.”

Here are some ideas:

The six champions of the “BCS” conferences would earn berths.
One bid would go to the best team from all the other conferences — e.g., Mountain West, WAC.
The final bid would go to a “wild card,” as selected by a committee similar to the one that cobbles together the NCAA Tournament field for basketball. The committee also would seed the teams.
The top four seeds would get home games for the first round, thus giving all teams incentive to win all games during the regular season.
The semifinals and final would rotate among the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl (sorry, Orange Bowl, I’m just not a Miami guy).
The playoffs would start sometime around Christmas and end about a week after Jan. 1. The whole thing would take three weeks, and only two teams would play three additional games.

Was that so hard?

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USC football: Is Stanford best of the Pac?

Adam Maya, staff writer since 2006 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:00:25 +0000

Click here for this week’s Pac-10 power poll and predictions on the top college football games.

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USC football: The bowl poll

Michael Lev, staff writer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:39 +0000

Hey, look at the bright side: At least USC won’t be getting screwed out of the BCS title game this year.

Other than that game (i.e., Rose Bowl II) and an at-large BCS berth, the postseason possibilities are endless for the Trojans now that they have three losses (and counting?).

With two games to go, they aren’t mathematically eliminated from the Rose Bowl yet — or assured of earning one of the Pac-10 Conference’s six automatic bowl bids. Crazy, huh?

Here’s your chance to predict USC’s uncertain future:

**********

Which bowl is USC most likely to play in?

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USC football: Digging deeper into Barkley’s flaws

Michael Lev, staff writer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:36 +0000

Cutting down on turnovers isn’t the only way USC quarterback Matt Barkley can get better.

Position coach Jeremy Bates pointed to two other areas — one pretty basic, the other pretty subtle.

We’ll start with the basic one:

“He still has to find checkdowns,” Bates said. “He’s so used to hitting the big plays in high school, hitting the seams. He still has to find (the) No. 3 (receiver). He’s still young. He’s still a process.”

The subtle area is something Bates described as “flipping sides.”

“We’re still dealing with not working on both sides (of the field),” he said. “You’ve got to pick a side, and you’ve got to believe in that side. If it’s there, it’s there. We can’t flip sides late.

“We’ve just got to believe in the progression. If guys aren’t open, if guys don’t win one-on-one routes, we’ve got to throw the ball away.”

Bates said the most important thing is that Barkley learns from his mistakes and emerges as a better player because of them. The teacher is confident his pupil will do just that.

“There’s peaks and valleys for every quarterback,” Bates said. “Everyone has that rough game that you don’t want to have. You’ve got to look at it like a man, learn from your mistakes and grow.

“Some of the best growth is from a negative performance, or not your best game. He’s really mature. He’s a smart football player. He’s going to grow from this experience and move on.”

POLL: WHICH BOWL IS USC MOST LIKELY TO PLAY IN?

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USC football: How Barkley can get better

Michael Lev, staff writer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:15:32 +0000

While emphatically reiterating his support for Matt Barkley, USC quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates revealed some of the areas in which the touted freshman can improve.

The biggest one is turnovers, which were as significant a problem as run defense in last week’s 55-21 loss to Stanford. Barkley lost a fumble and threw an interception on the Trojans’ first two possessions, leading to a 14-0 deficit. Barkley threw three interceptions in all, giving him seven in the past four games.

“We’ve just got to take what they give us,” Bates said Wednesday. “We can’t try to win the (game) on one play, we can’t try to make a play when it’s not there. We’ve got to throw it away. We’ve got to take care of the football and live to see the next down. We can’t make plays that aren’t there, and that’s the biggest issue we’ve got going right now.”

That assessment is about the closest any USC coach has come to criticizing Barkley in public. Bates and Pete Carroll generally have tried to protect the Mater Dei High product whenever he and/or the offense have struggled.

Despite Barkley’s recent interceptions and the team losing two of its past three games, Bates said no consideration was given to opening the quarterback competition during the Trojans’ bye this week.

“Matt’s our starting quarterback, and I believe in him,” Bates said. “He gives us our best chance to win. There’s no question.”

POLL: WHICH BOWL IS USC MOST LIKELY TO PLAY IN?

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