milesl
9/15/2008, 07:33 PM
God do I ever hate The New York Times. When they take Obama's member out of their mouths they replace it with Pete Carroll's. It will be so satisfying to me when they both lose in November
September 15, 2008
There’s U.S.C., and After That, Everybody Else
By PETE THAMEL
LOS ANGELES — As the volatile 2007 season showed, there are few certainties in this era of parity in college football. The potential for upsets, letdowns and surprises looms every week.
But when No. 1 Southern California eviscerated Ohio State on Saturday night, 35-3, the Trojans sent an ominous message to the rest of the college football world: let the race for No. 2 begin.
Showing the big-play potential missing since Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush left campus two years ago, the Trojans re-established themselves as college football’s clear-cut cardinal-and-gold standard. They blasted Ohio State in the trenches, dominated special teams and showcased the next generation of U.S.C. superstars in quarterback Mark Sanchez and tailback Joe McKnight.
“We feel the explosiveness and the opportunities for explosive plays more than we have in the past two years,” Trojans Coach Pete Carroll said. “Flat out, that’s just the facts. We feel like we have more opportunities to make big things happen.”
Few from Ohio State, which dropped to No. 13 from No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, would disagree. The Trojans left the Buckeyes embarrassed on college football’s biggest stage for the third consecutive time. Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel now finds himself mired in a quarterback controversy after U.S.C.’s pass rush exposed Todd Boeckman as immobile and ineffective, especially without the presence of the injured running back Chris Wells. The performance of the star freshman Terrelle Pryor will be the talk of Columbus.
And while Tressel was quick to remind everyone that there is a whole lot of football after mid-September, the Trojans certainly seem to have punted Ohio State out of the national title race before the first fall breeze.
“We fought hard,” Tressel said. “We have to roll up our sleeves and go back to work.”
What made U.S.C.’s victory so impressive was its numbing efficiency on both sides of the ball. Ohio State had breakdowns everywhere, from a porous offensive line to 10 penalties to blown coverages and dropped balls. But U.S.C. just kept steamrolling.
Last season, the Trojans lost at home to Stanford in a stunning upset. They also fell at Oregon, a game that ultimately kept them out of the national title game. Things appear different.
“We’re so much more effective and consistent than we were a year ago,” Carroll said. “That’s really the biggest difference.”
One play that highlighted the difference between these Trojans and last year’s came in the third quarter, on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Damian Williams. Ohio State brought an all-out blitz, which Sanchez recognized and reacted to in time to find Williams, who was so open that Sanchez said Williams looked as if he were fielding a punt.
Sanchez is much more mobile than his predecessor John David Booty, which Carroll said was a reason this Trojans offense was more dangerous.
“That’s a big part of it,” Carroll said. “He finds a little something there that gives him another look. That touchdown pass he threw to Damian was a classic of that.”
The mere presence of Williams is another reason the Trojans are more dangerous. His transfer from Arkansas has been a boon to a receiving corps that Carroll calls “the best it’s ever been here, clearly.”
Williams caught two of Sanchez’s four touchdown passes Saturday night, his first two career touchdown catches at U.S.C.
“He’s an absolute stud,” Sanchez said. “He was away from football for a year, so he’s hungry.”
The other player on U.S.C.’s offense that Carroll and Sanchez could not stop raving about was McKnight. The country’s top recruit two years ago, McKnight had a spotty freshman season last year until be broke out in the Rose Bowl with 206 all-purpose yards.
McKnight did a little bit of everything Saturday, lining up at quarterback, tailback and receiver. He finished with 105 rushing yards on 12 carries.
“We’re doing everything that you can think of,” Carroll said. “Anything you can think of with Joe, he’s able to do it.”
That was not the case last season, when Carroll said his staff made a mistake by piling too much on him. Now that McKnight is settled in, Carroll said he was not afraid to make comparisons to Bush.
“He is similar,” Carroll said. “Reggie would be mad at me for saying this, but he runs routes better as an outside guy. He’s a better route runner. Reggie just sped through everything, and he was very dangerous doing it. Joe is very intricate and he can really do a lot of stuff. As he continues to grow, we’ll continue to use him.”
The defense, which forced three turnovers, also appears to be one of the best in the Carroll era. Linebackers Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews made big plays and pressured Boeckman incessantly. Ohio State mustered 207 total yards, 69 of which came on the first-quarter drive that gave it a 3-0 lead.
“I feel like maybe we’re a little bit quicker,” Cushing said. “The turnovers have been good, too. That’s the stuff we need to keep up for the rest of the season if we want to be the dominant defense that we can be.”
As clearly as U.S.C. has established itself as the country’s best team, the Trojans will have a stranglehold on No. 1 until college football’s next great upset comes along.
September 15, 2008
There’s U.S.C., and After That, Everybody Else
By PETE THAMEL
LOS ANGELES — As the volatile 2007 season showed, there are few certainties in this era of parity in college football. The potential for upsets, letdowns and surprises looms every week.
But when No. 1 Southern California eviscerated Ohio State on Saturday night, 35-3, the Trojans sent an ominous message to the rest of the college football world: let the race for No. 2 begin.
Showing the big-play potential missing since Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush left campus two years ago, the Trojans re-established themselves as college football’s clear-cut cardinal-and-gold standard. They blasted Ohio State in the trenches, dominated special teams and showcased the next generation of U.S.C. superstars in quarterback Mark Sanchez and tailback Joe McKnight.
“We feel the explosiveness and the opportunities for explosive plays more than we have in the past two years,” Trojans Coach Pete Carroll said. “Flat out, that’s just the facts. We feel like we have more opportunities to make big things happen.”
Few from Ohio State, which dropped to No. 13 from No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, would disagree. The Trojans left the Buckeyes embarrassed on college football’s biggest stage for the third consecutive time. Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel now finds himself mired in a quarterback controversy after U.S.C.’s pass rush exposed Todd Boeckman as immobile and ineffective, especially without the presence of the injured running back Chris Wells. The performance of the star freshman Terrelle Pryor will be the talk of Columbus.
And while Tressel was quick to remind everyone that there is a whole lot of football after mid-September, the Trojans certainly seem to have punted Ohio State out of the national title race before the first fall breeze.
“We fought hard,” Tressel said. “We have to roll up our sleeves and go back to work.”
What made U.S.C.’s victory so impressive was its numbing efficiency on both sides of the ball. Ohio State had breakdowns everywhere, from a porous offensive line to 10 penalties to blown coverages and dropped balls. But U.S.C. just kept steamrolling.
Last season, the Trojans lost at home to Stanford in a stunning upset. They also fell at Oregon, a game that ultimately kept them out of the national title game. Things appear different.
“We’re so much more effective and consistent than we were a year ago,” Carroll said. “That’s really the biggest difference.”
One play that highlighted the difference between these Trojans and last year’s came in the third quarter, on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Damian Williams. Ohio State brought an all-out blitz, which Sanchez recognized and reacted to in time to find Williams, who was so open that Sanchez said Williams looked as if he were fielding a punt.
Sanchez is much more mobile than his predecessor John David Booty, which Carroll said was a reason this Trojans offense was more dangerous.
“That’s a big part of it,” Carroll said. “He finds a little something there that gives him another look. That touchdown pass he threw to Damian was a classic of that.”
The mere presence of Williams is another reason the Trojans are more dangerous. His transfer from Arkansas has been a boon to a receiving corps that Carroll calls “the best it’s ever been here, clearly.”
Williams caught two of Sanchez’s four touchdown passes Saturday night, his first two career touchdown catches at U.S.C.
“He’s an absolute stud,” Sanchez said. “He was away from football for a year, so he’s hungry.”
The other player on U.S.C.’s offense that Carroll and Sanchez could not stop raving about was McKnight. The country’s top recruit two years ago, McKnight had a spotty freshman season last year until be broke out in the Rose Bowl with 206 all-purpose yards.
McKnight did a little bit of everything Saturday, lining up at quarterback, tailback and receiver. He finished with 105 rushing yards on 12 carries.
“We’re doing everything that you can think of,” Carroll said. “Anything you can think of with Joe, he’s able to do it.”
That was not the case last season, when Carroll said his staff made a mistake by piling too much on him. Now that McKnight is settled in, Carroll said he was not afraid to make comparisons to Bush.
“He is similar,” Carroll said. “Reggie would be mad at me for saying this, but he runs routes better as an outside guy. He’s a better route runner. Reggie just sped through everything, and he was very dangerous doing it. Joe is very intricate and he can really do a lot of stuff. As he continues to grow, we’ll continue to use him.”
The defense, which forced three turnovers, also appears to be one of the best in the Carroll era. Linebackers Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews made big plays and pressured Boeckman incessantly. Ohio State mustered 207 total yards, 69 of which came on the first-quarter drive that gave it a 3-0 lead.
“I feel like maybe we’re a little bit quicker,” Cushing said. “The turnovers have been good, too. That’s the stuff we need to keep up for the rest of the season if we want to be the dominant defense that we can be.”
As clearly as U.S.C. has established itself as the country’s best team, the Trojans will have a stranglehold on No. 1 until college football’s next great upset comes along.