USC Is Vulnerable On Defense

After a few more injuries last week, one would think that wise commentators would refrain from boasting too loudly about USC's improved defense. Read after me: Cal sucks this year. Their quarterback sucks. And, even though their quarterback sucks, Cal ran for something like 160 yards against USC, in a game Cal was largely behind, and Marshawn Lynch averaged about 8 yards a carry. The national commentary on how great USC's defense is comedy at best.

Reality bites, and so may the Dogs on Saturday. Cal is no comparison to our offensive crew at this point. Pinegar is at the top of his game, so we have no concerns at quarterback. We have two hard-hitting running backs, and a crew of hard working receivers. If we game plan right, we will go right after the inexperienced and hurting linebacker crew of USC. Confuse them with lots of routes in their area, so they can't focus too much on the run. If future NFLers like Bing start creeping up too frequently to help out the linebackers, we need to be ready to pop the deep ball without hesitation.

It is not outside the realm of possibility for us to control the clock with a combination of effective running, a plethora of crossing routes in the mid-range area, a few reverses, and some deep post corners to keep them honest. The key will be sound execution, as we need to make the pass, catch the ball, and protect the quarterback effectively for the game plan to work. We have the tools and talent.