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Carcast: USC vs. Iowa Postgame Reaction · Reign of Troy Radio on USC Football

0:01
[SPEAKER_05]: Rain a short hot line.
0:03
[SPEAKER_05]: At least you know Michael what's going on.
0:05
[SPEAKER_05]: We know you have takes, we have takes.
0:07
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm back to surprise that you're a rant line, rape line, whatever it is, it's completely full.
0:13
[SPEAKER_00]: What can't we just win a game?
0:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Can I blame Michael Cassfield for this?
0:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Can I blame Bob Connelly for this?
0:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Can I put on a zebra shirt and just go out there?
0:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Scratch, claw, up against the wall.
0:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Can I explain that one feeling right now, guys?
0:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't believe it.
0:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's open up that raised ball.
0:31
[SPEAKER_00]: or can't believe USC is undefeated in the SEC.
0:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Wait, we're in the big tent.
0:39
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the record?
0:40
[SPEAKER_05]: Oh no!
0:42
[SPEAKER_05]: Everybody welcome back to right if you're a radio.
0:44
[SPEAKER_05]: This is the car cast after U.S. C's big 2621 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Colosseum We're gonna give you our thoughts about the game and so much more as always you can follow some social media Rain and throw email us running for our fans at a commoner phone number 818 643 7227 second what's brewing show arm your host Michael Castillo journal of my car host here in the radio studio in Los Angeles
1:11
[SPEAKER_05]: Oh, he said there at all.
1:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Hello, everybody.
1:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Hello.
1:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Uh, what a interesting turn of events, huh?
1:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, I think that USC is want to know when you and I watch the game at 32,000 feet.
1:36
[SPEAKER_05]: This is true.
1:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, you and I watch the game in the air.
1:42
[SPEAKER_05]: I will say 90% of the game in the air.
1:46
[SPEAKER_05]: There was part of it.
1:47
[SPEAKER_05]: We had to track on our phone because we lost connection.
1:49
[SPEAKER_05]: Then we had to go back and watch part of it.
1:53
[SPEAKER_05]: But we have watched it.
1:55
[SPEAKER_05]: SC gets to the big win.
1:56
[SPEAKER_05]: At least he had taken away.
1:58
[SPEAKER_05]: Tell everybody your thoughts and how you're disappointed again.
2:02
[SPEAKER_05]: In another great second half performance from SC because you are, of course,
2:10
[SPEAKER_02]: You know the hateriest hater that ever hated yes, that's you Yeah, that's me apparently take it away When I was disappointed by that first half it was a really not fun first half performance from USC USC's defense looked about as bad as they've looked all season and then they went back to the locker room Got a little bit of that the space jam
2:36
[SPEAKER_02]: juice or whatever, and came out like a totally different team after the after half time.
2:44
[SPEAKER_02]: This is now a trend for for USC, you know, if it happens once it's, you know, whatever it can happen.
2:50
[SPEAKER_02]: If it happens twice, it's like, okay, you're just starting to build something, but when you do it this many times in a row now, USC's defense has proven that they are definitely a second half defense and that they come out out of the break.
3:06
[SPEAKER_02]: getting their heads right or settling in or whatever it is, whatever U.S.
3:13
[SPEAKER_02]: He's doing at the halftime, with the halftime break, with the between the coaches and the players, whatever it is, it's working.
3:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So, let's hope they can keep doing that.
3:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's hope that they can keep finding a way to replicate that kind of, that kind of second after Florence, because that kind of defense,
3:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I know it's Iowa and their offense isn't all that great, but like we saw what Iowa's offense could look like against a poor U.S.C.
3:42
[SPEAKER_02]: defense.
3:43
[SPEAKER_02]: The one that came out in the second half was so different, especially when you consider that by the second half, you know,
3:52
[SPEAKER_02]: There were a lot of guys down.
3:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Come on, Ramsey had gone down.
3:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Bishop Fitzgerald had gone down.
3:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Kennedy or Lackar is in there.
3:58
[SPEAKER_02]: They've got, Kendavius, forgetting his last name, but he's getting thrown in there in place of, Come on, Ramsey.
4:12
[SPEAKER_02]: that the DBs are getting hurt, it was just, it was such a weird, such a weird second half, especially because USC's defenders were dropping like flies and the next man up mentality was very much in play and guys were out there.
4:28
[SPEAKER_02]: guys were out there stepping up into the into the spotlight, put into a difficult position and making play.
4:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's Kennedy or Lacker who pushes the receiver out of bounds on that fourth down play.
4:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It essentially seals the game for USC, a guy who hasn't gotten a lot of playing time this year and was thrust in and, you know, one of the first sort of first interactions he does in this game is just laying the wood.
4:52
[SPEAKER_02]: absolute, just monster hitter out there on the flat.
4:57
[SPEAKER_02]: So, sort of good to see him respond to that opportunity.
5:02
[SPEAKER_02]: In a way that, you know, I think that part of my frustration this season has been, you know, against Illinois.
5:10
[SPEAKER_02]: It was like, oh, Khmer Ramsey was out, and so that explains why the defense was so, was so bad.
5:14
[SPEAKER_02]: But on the other side of things, we've seen Kaylon Miller and King Miller step up for the offense.
5:22
[SPEAKER_02]: We've seen Tobias Raymond have to come in and move move positions and take over at left tackle for Elijah Page again.
5:30
[SPEAKER_02]: We've seen you know guys go down injured and guys come up.
5:34
[SPEAKER_02]: and do just as as good of a job if not better of a job in some cases and we were seeing that on offense and not really replicating that on defense and I think that what we saw today was absolutely replication of that a proof of proof of concept that when USC has the right approach the right you know formations play calls set up a mentality that they can get
5:57
[SPEAKER_02]: as many stops as they want against, you know, an offense like I was, which is certainly not one of the best in college football, but they are a much improved offense this year, they are a formidable running team.
6:10
[SPEAKER_02]: And Gronowski is a capable veteran quarterback who knows how to make plays.
6:16
[SPEAKER_02]: So this was not going to be like an easy task for U.S. defense and we saw that in the beginning.
6:21
[SPEAKER_02]: We saw them sort of fail the test very early and then shake it all off.
6:28
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that that's the my big takeaway from this is sort of the mentality question, Lincoln Riley and a bunch of other of the players were calling it like a culture win.
6:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think they're right to to call that to call it that.
6:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I think this was a game that could have easily gotten out of hand.
6:46
[SPEAKER_02]: It could have easily turned into something where USC's defense goes, see we're going again the way that a lot of fans myself included were saying here we go again.
6:56
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... with the offense it could have could have been you know oh well the the where behind now the defense is going to get any stops uh... and just sort of you know
7:08
[SPEAKER_02]: laid out and die offensively and especially in that kind of weather and they didn't the offense stepped up, the defense stepped up, he didn't know Ryan Sayeri came out and took care of his piece of special teams and it was really a complete team win and you know we got picked up from the airport by my dad and we were talking to him about how this feels like
7:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you can make a strong argument that this is the best win of the Lincoln Rally era.
7:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And I say that mostly because, you know, obviously the Notre Dame win of 2022 was a huge one, you know, the UCLA was really fun one.
7:50
[SPEAKER_02]: in 2022, like there have been other good wins, but it feels to me like this was U.S.E's most complete win, where it wasn't an outsized contribution from one side or the other.
8:06
[SPEAKER_02]: It wasn't one side of the other scraping by and the other one sort of having to pick up the slack.
8:12
[SPEAKER_02]: It was all elements of the game, all aspects of the game, in the second half coming out
8:20
[SPEAKER_02]: and picking things up in the second half and and rolling with them.
8:25
[SPEAKER_02]: The quarterback played better in the second half.
8:28
[SPEAKER_02]: The running game was better in the second half.
8:31
[SPEAKER_02]: The wide receiver started making absolutely
8:35
[SPEAKER_02]: It insane plays in the second half to keep USC's drives alive, the defense started responding in the second half.
8:45
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I think that right before we came back on, we were watching the drives that we missed, obviously because of the internet being one it was on the plane.
8:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Which was pretty decent until we got to the last couple of drives, the last half of the fourth quarter.
9:00
[SPEAKER_02]: watching that last defensive drive for USC, it's like Anthony Lucas is all over the place.
9:06
[SPEAKER_02]: He follows up the force fumble with, you know, getting in there on a run stuff, getting in there with pressure to force the throw high on that fort down.
9:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I just, it was just nice to see these guys who we've been waiting for them to make their big impact.
9:25
[SPEAKER_02]: sort of come out and find a way to do that in a way that we haven't seen this season, you know, the last time that we saw US in half to get a stop.
9:36
[SPEAKER_02]: half to get a stop in order to to win the game arguably was Illinois and we saw what happened there we saw them not be able to get the stop and it was the complete reverse reverse outcome in this one where it didn't come down to u.s.s.
9:54
[SPEAKER_02]: offense having to go out there and score to end it
9:57
[SPEAKER_02]: The defense gave U.S. these offense, the opportunity to go out there and kill clock in a way that I don't think that the balance has been the same.
10:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Randy asked, do you think this was a better win than Michigan?
10:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I do, because I think I was a better team than Michigan.
10:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that Iowa is a more disciplined team, a more veteran team, a team that knows more about who they are and what they're about this year.
10:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And those kinds of teams are really difficult to beat.
10:30
[SPEAKER_02]: It's really hard to beat teams that know that know what they're about in a way that I think that Michigan is still figuring themselves out.
10:37
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I would say that this is the best one of the season, arguably the best one of Lincoln Riley's career and not career at USC.
10:47
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think it showed, like, we didn't get to see it live, but watching, watching back, uh, his reaction to that penalty that essentially ends the game, uh, was hyped as hyped as we've ever seen him.
11:02
[SPEAKER_02]: He was, he was pumped, and everybody on the sideline was pumped, and it was kind of cool to see everybody.
11:07
[SPEAKER_02]: look that you know thrilled knowing that that finally they'd finally they'd put in a really satisfying win in a way that you know I I don't know that they've they've been able to to show for this season in in a really tough situation against the
11:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, I, I thought this was a hell of a win for the dragons, um, I got to be honest, I, I don't think that I was ever truly concerned about S.E.s chances in this game.
11:47
[SPEAKER_02]: See, you were it.
11:49
[SPEAKER_05]: different person than me because down fourteen nothing down twenty one seven you weren't worried is no and your meds are working way better than mine I was I was saying one of our group chats like it's fine it's fine it's fine and part of it is just you know that you look at s c the last few weeks
12:13
[SPEAKER_05]: they've been so good in the second half and yes I understand why the Northwestern game why you could I don't agree but like I can understand why you were focused so much on the first quarter and not the last three quarters right and then the Nebraska game how a lot of people were frustrated that like it felt like the Nebraska
12:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Both of those games played out just like this one in so many different ways, right?
12:47
[SPEAKER_05]: Like this really goes back to the Illinois game and since the the first by week.
12:53
[SPEAKER_05]: SC on defense has not been consistent.
13:00
[SPEAKER_05]: But when they need to get stops, they get stops.
13:04
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, even going back to the Notre Dame game.
13:06
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, yes, they gave up 300 yards on the ground.
13:11
[SPEAKER_05]: That's atrocious.
13:13
[SPEAKER_05]: They got the stops in the second half when they needed them to get the stops for S C to get back in the game.
13:18
[SPEAKER_05]: And then the special teams lift them down, right?
13:21
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, in the second half at Notre Dame.
13:26
[SPEAKER_05]: I see how holds Notre Dame to 4.4 yards per carry after 8.9 yards, I'm sorry, 4.4 yards per play after 8.9 yards per play in the first half against Nebraska mind you obviously this is.
13:43
[SPEAKER_05]: affected by the Dillon Raleigh injury, but like first half, the brass is at 5.8 yards for play, second half, 3.4, north-western, I'm pulling it up here.
13:57
[SPEAKER_05]: Northwestern, first half, 6.1 yards per play, second half, four yards per play, Iowa today, first half, 6.8 yards per play, second half, 4.9 yards per play, and it's not just that the defense gets tighter in terms of yardage, 0 points from Iowa in the second half, 3 by Northwestern, 3 by Nebraska, Notre Dame ends up scoring 20 points in the second half, but like,
14:26
[SPEAKER_05]: 14 of that is against the defense seven is against the special teams like the last three games they've allowed zero touchdowns in the second half and you know Roman Merdy mentioned the chat that like
14:41
[SPEAKER_05]: not a lot of comp.
14:42
[SPEAKER_05]: I was surprised we didn't lay down when we were down 14.
14:44
[SPEAKER_05]: Nothing.
14:45
[SPEAKER_05]: I understand this and I understand like the pessimism of like, you know, SE struggling to come back from, not necessarily struggling to come back from games because this is the point I'm going to make.
14:58
[SPEAKER_05]: But like SE struggling to win games consistently, but you look back the last two seasons even when SE has been
15:09
[SPEAKER_05]: You know, the the the team that they have been and losing games on the road and all that kind of stuff, look at last year Um, Wisconsin, the the Wisconsin game they were down big in the first half and they roared back in the second half and one that game going away Uh, Washington they were down in that game by double digits and they came back to lead the game in the fourth quarter.
15:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, texting him.
15:33
[SPEAKER_05]: They were down big.
15:34
[SPEAKER_05]: and roared back in that game.
15:36
[SPEAKER_05]: This year, Illinois, they're down 14 and they take the lead in the fourth quarter.
15:42
[SPEAKER_05]: The brats go their down and they come back and they take the lead in the second half.
15:47
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, SC has that in them.
15:49
[SPEAKER_05]: I think that makes it all the more frustrating when you have games like and really got a point to last year because like we talked about the the PTSD effect and I understand it.
16:03
[SPEAKER_05]: But if it wasn't for like this year in and of itself, like the issues aren't completely there, like the Illinois game was that they just couldn't make a stop on on defense all game long outside of getting two sort of flookie fumbles.
16:25
[SPEAKER_05]: The Notre Dame game was that they couldn't stop the run in the first half, and that put them behind the April, right?
16:32
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, they couldn't really stop the run on the second half either, but but it wasn't it wasn't the quite the same They held them the 4.4 yards per play in the second half.
16:41
[SPEAKER_05]: You will take that against Notre Dame any day of the week What I'm saying is like the the issues that we talk about S.C.
16:49
[SPEAKER_05]: In the Lincoln Riley era, they really haven't done this year
16:53
[SPEAKER_05]: nearly in the same rate as they had the last two previous seasons.
16:58
[SPEAKER_05]: And I think the two seasons and twenty three and twenty four are so searing to everybody's brain that like I think it does add sort of the doubt there.
17:07
[SPEAKER_05]: And then when you know they they perform like this against Iowa, especially in the second half, which is essentially the way I see playing the second half against Iowa is how they played against Michigan.
17:18
[SPEAKER_05]: a game in which they, you know, that was sort of the 60-minute game if you want to talk about that.
17:23
[SPEAKER_05]: But like, it just proves I think a little bit further that, like, this team is better than I think a lot of fans give them credit for, is this a national championship team?
17:34
[SPEAKER_05]: No, but like, I think they're a pretty damn good team.
17:38
[SPEAKER_05]: And I think that this is a team that is proving themselves to play as the metrics say, which
17:49
[SPEAKER_05]: Every single year S.C. in the metrics is somewhere between
17:55
[SPEAKER_05]: 13 and 18 in the metrics, but Estee doesn't finish there in 2022.
18:01
[SPEAKER_05]: They outperform those because the defense was really bad, but the offense was incredible and they had Caleb Williams.
18:07
[SPEAKER_05]: This is the Heisman winner, right?
18:08
[SPEAKER_05]: 2023 the defense was real real bad and despite the offense being good, they just they probably performed more closely to what they should have been the year before given what the metrics were saying, right?
18:22
[SPEAKER_05]: Last year
18:23
[SPEAKER_05]: They just didn't win all the close games.
18:26
[SPEAKER_05]: They probably should have won or at least should have split, coin flips, all those close games.
18:33
[SPEAKER_05]: And they didn't win those.
18:35
[SPEAKER_05]: They didn't have the 93 record that the metrics said that they should have had.
18:39
[SPEAKER_05]: And this year, they're playing true to what the metrics say this team is, which is a top five at worst offense,
18:53
[SPEAKER_05]: Top 50 and on their day, they're a top 25 defense and when they're not they're a team that's like a hundredth and a hundredth rank defense and that will kill you But it averages out to be a top 50 defense and you put those things together You're going to win your games more than not especially when you play as well as at the home as the Trojans do which is
19:19
[SPEAKER_05]: pretty damn well and it's like to show the metal and to come back and all of that stuff and to dominate the game in the second half I think it says a lot and I think that like
19:30
[SPEAKER_05]: to go back to last week.
19:32
[SPEAKER_05]: Like this was the same game in so many different ways.
19:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes, as the North Western game, which to me just further proves the point, like this is one of the things that we talk about, like is this a blank, is this like the Nebraska game is did they just luck out or whatever?
19:50
[SPEAKER_05]: And we talk about how they have to pay it off.
19:52
[SPEAKER_05]: This is them paying off the Nebraska game as not just being a frustrating game, right?
19:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, yeah, yeah, I mean, and I think that this is one of the weird things about the reaction to my supposed negativity is like supposed No, I think people think I think this is a bad team.
20:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I was negative because did you hear yourself?
20:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I was negative because I
20:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I look at this roster and I don't see a reason why this team doesn't play up to this level more often.
20:26
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.
20:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I look at this roster and I don't see a reason why this team can't replicate this performance on the road.
20:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And maybe it's me holding USC to a higher standard than others do or that is fair or whatever whatever it is.
20:41
[SPEAKER_02]: I have looked at this team the whole time and my skepticism about them has not been
20:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and unfortunately what USC has put on the field this season and last season and just in the Lincoln, Riley era has been too often what we saw in the first half and that's why, you know, I think it's perfectly fair that people do the here we go again because how many times have we seen
21:06
[SPEAKER_02]: teams come out in that first drive and absolutely just cut through USC's defense like like a knife like a hot knife through butter Yeah, and that's really frustrating to see because then you turn around in the second half and it's like no there's the guys making plays like they're supposed to There's the guys who are who are being put in the position to succeed and then going out and doing that like that's
21:30
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's what I find frustrating about about all of this is that like, yeah, I think what you're what you saw today from USC is what you should expect to see from USC.
21:41
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's what you've been giving this is well, that's that's the thing is is this is what you've been getting over the last three weeks and it's been a great progression from this from this team to bounce back from the Notre Dame game to win on the road in
22:00
[SPEAKER_02]: take the blueprint of that Nebraska win and expand it out to a better win over Northwestern and then take the blueprint from both of those games and turn it into a win over an Iowa team that's better than either of them.
22:14
[SPEAKER_02]: The significantly better than Nebraska Northwestern.
22:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
22:17
[SPEAKER_02]: So like it's gratifying to see USC do those things.
22:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm also not going to sit here and say that like we can ignore the fact that USC's road performances have been
22:33
[SPEAKER_02]: not at this level and that there are still questions about this theme and i think that's perfectly uh that's a perfectly fair fair thing to ask but i think this game isn't this game this game is not about the road question this game was about the quality opponent question and u.s. he passed i mean they they they spotted i.o.a.
22:53
[SPEAKER_02]: lead and uh they won't be able to get away
23:02
[SPEAKER_02]: is again, sort of, sort of, set back up into the question of, okay, you beat Purdue.
23:12
[SPEAKER_02]: You got your road win.
23:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
23:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Then you go against the more quality of putting it on the road and you laid a neck.
23:19
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, you turn around and you beat Michigan, handily at home, good win, really quality win.
23:25
[SPEAKER_02]: And then next week, you go and play Notre Dame and sort of fall in the same traps that
23:31
[SPEAKER_05]: It's a top 10 today.
23:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
23:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not saying, but again, my problem with that game is that no one was goodable in that game.
23:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And you come back, you come back on the road and you get out of win over a Nebraska team that while not any elite team, not Nebraska team under Mount Rul.
23:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Certainly is, I think the three teams that USC has played Nebraska and Northwestern certainly, I was a tier above them, but Nebraska and Northwestern,
23:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Northwestern's the surprise here, but this is big facts considering what they did to Michigan today.
24:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Teams that play hard teams that are not like these are not cupcake wins.
24:09
[SPEAKER_02]: These are not every team in the big ten is going to come out against these teams and then come away with the win.
24:14
[SPEAKER_02]: These are these are difficult opponents and USC managed to go on the road against Nebraska and get one out and then come at home against Northwestern and put their foot on the on the throw in a way that we've
24:29
[SPEAKER_02]: two rarely seen them do.
24:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And then turn around and apply all of those all of those lessons to Iowa.
24:35
[SPEAKER_02]: The question now is can they take the quality opponent
24:42
[SPEAKER_02]: figuring it on defense, offense coming through against a really good defense and finding ways for their sort of superstar players to make the big plays that gets, you know, gets one over on a really good Iowa defense.
24:59
[SPEAKER_02]: These are the things that USC will have to be able to replicate if they want to go and beat Oregon, and they need to find a way to replicate
25:10
[SPEAKER_02]: environments where we have seen them play, you know, a step if not two steps below their level.
25:19
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's it's it continues to be a very interesting progression for this season as far as passing a test, passing a test, passing a test, passing a test, passing a test, you know,
25:38
[SPEAKER_02]: sort of keep climbing the mountain if you keep getting up and keep taking those steps forward and you know doing what you can to build in some some progress and I think that this was definitely progress.
25:57
[SPEAKER_02]: This is a game that USC loses last year for sure.
26:02
[SPEAKER_02]: I think last year probably plays I would just as tough with last year's team as they did this one they played Penn State tough But I think last year's team loses doesn't either doesn't get the stop defensively or doesn't
26:20
[SPEAKER_02]: isn't able to close out the game offensively and getting the first downs that they needed to run out that clock.
26:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I think last year's team definitely lags in that in that event.
26:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's one thing that, you know, USC is eight and two right now because they have they have learned how to win in these games that
26:43
[SPEAKER_02]: that they sort of were we're troubled with last year.
26:45
[SPEAKER_02]: The question now is can they learn how to win the games that put them into the colorful playoff?
26:52
[SPEAKER_05]: I guess, and this is more of a big picture thing.
26:55
[SPEAKER_05]: I want to talk more about the game specifically, but like, you predicted them to go seven and five.
27:02
[SPEAKER_05]: They're eight and two.
27:03
[SPEAKER_05]: They're not going to go seven and five.
27:05
[SPEAKER_02]: No, they are above.
27:06
[SPEAKER_05]: They are on pace to go nine and three.
27:08
[SPEAKER_02]: They are on pace to go nine and three.
27:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I think it would be a pretty acceptable.
27:14
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm I'm just struggling to sort of see here how like everything comes back to like even after a win like this Oh, yeah, but they suck on the road.
27:22
[SPEAKER_02]: So like what is it really matter like no, no, no, no, no, hold on.
27:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not leading with that.
27:30
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm responding to you Talking about how all they did so well against Notre Dame.
27:34
[SPEAKER_02]: They didn't do so well against Notre Dame.
27:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not
27:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You're not too, you know, they didn't get the stops against Illinois.
27:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it was really, really bad what happened against Illinois.
27:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I don't want to sugarcoat it.
27:44
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm not sugarcoat anything.
27:46
[SPEAKER_05]: What I'm saying is, this team is aiming to their two losses are in a by a field goal and a game that they trailed by 14 points didn't have their best player on defense in Camari Ramsey to a ranked team at the time at least on the road a good team.
28:03
[SPEAKER_05]: We all think the Illinois is a good team.
28:05
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
28:05
[SPEAKER_05]: On the road, it was horrendous performance defensively and they still nearly pulled it out of their ass coming off of two straight seasons in which they haven't done anything.
28:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just saying that's what I'm saying.
28:16
[SPEAKER_02]: And they've been significantly better this season.
28:18
[SPEAKER_05]: And the answer is the foul.
28:20
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes.
28:21
[SPEAKER_05]: Constantly this, like, I understand like doubt going into the Oregon game, we're going to talk more about this.
28:28
[SPEAKER_05]: Obviously, uh, the follow-up episode going into the previous episode
28:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I see sort of really good spot like things are just this was a really good win that puts USC in a really good spot and puts USC in in range to go 9 and 3.
28:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's that's really a solid position for USC to be in.
28:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think I said.
28:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, Trojan Dale and Chad says the least you're realist.
29:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Notre Dame played terribly and home when we still lost.
29:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I think that, and I'm going to get accused of being too negative.
29:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm trying, again, I wasn't, I wasn't coming into this episode, expecting to have this conversation.
29:13
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just saying, it's your four.
29:17
[SPEAKER_02]: USC should be going nine and three.
29:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not going to give them a cookie, you know?
29:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I will give individual players cookies all day long about this guy I have so many good things to say about so many players I'm just saying like from an expectations perspective like yeah, this is where u.s. he should be this is where u.s. he should expect to be we shouldn't use a prize for dmc I predicted them to go seven and five because I predicted them to disappoint me Michael Well, they're not disappointing me You are projecting
29:51
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
29:52
[SPEAKER_05]: Anyways, we got super tits.
29:54
[SPEAKER_05]: It's good to do super tits.
30:04
[SPEAKER_05]: Irvine Catalan says, touch Trojans.
30:06
[SPEAKER_05]: I think he means touchdown Trojans.
30:10
[SPEAKER_05]: He's coming through here and fixed it with a touchdown Trojans.
30:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's hit the drop.
30:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Touchdown Trojan.
30:18
[SPEAKER_05]: There it is, uh, and then, uh, Vince and San Diego says welcome back hope of you had a great trip fight on.
30:25
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you.
30:26
[SPEAKER_05]: We appreciate your events.
30:27
[SPEAKER_05]: We did it a good time and glad to be back.
30:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Glad to be able to watch the game on airplane Wi-Fi.
30:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Thankfully.
30:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I was honestly pleased with how stable the Wi-Fi was for most of the game, I expected to be worse.
30:45
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
30:45
[SPEAKER_05]: No, no, I absolutely thought it would be worse.
30:48
[SPEAKER_02]: So in that sense, I was, I'm glad we only missed like two and a half drives.
30:54
[SPEAKER_02]: We saw USC take the lead.
30:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
30:56
[SPEAKER_02]: It go up 26 and then it was after that that things got real.
31:00
[SPEAKER_05]: We'll fake you, but like the, the were on the Caden region catch.
31:06
[SPEAKER_05]: We got us, we got us a, at one point like it like glitch, like we got a little bit of a freeze frame of his foot on the white.
31:19
[SPEAKER_02]: And like that was after just like minutes of us, just like staring like, okay, is it going to update the thing?
31:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Is it going to update the thing like what's going on?
31:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And then Fugo finally loaded just the screen.
31:31
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like, okay, he's out.
31:35
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, it worked out it worked out I'll talk more about this game
31:42
[SPEAKER_05]: The first half, SC comes out in the game sort of not great on offense.
31:48
[SPEAKER_05]: They move the ball, they don't get a fourth down, they have to settle for a field goal before the half is scored 10 in the first half.
31:55
[SPEAKER_05]: I think this is what I expected SC to be an offense.
31:59
[SPEAKER_05]: I was very good defensively.
32:01
[SPEAKER_05]: I expected the SC was going to score in the 20s.
32:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think the low 20s like settling for those field goals is
32:10
[SPEAKER_02]: as much a reflection of the quality of I was I was defense as anything like this is what happens when you're really good offense playing a really good defense like you you're really good offense thus you get into the red zone but they're a really good defense they clamp down and you you might have to settle for a few field goals and USC's in a good position where you know Ryan Sayer has been so
32:34
[SPEAKER_02]: dependable, even in, you know, pouring rain, that that when USC has gotten into field core ranges, it's been fine, you know, like for once, I'm not, you know, having a heart attack waiting for USC to line up with the kicker.
32:50
[SPEAKER_02]: It's nice to just sort of like feel quite confident when Sirey goes out there, but obviously you want to, you want to convert those into
33:05
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, Missouri State or Purdue or whatever, this is, this is Iowa's defense being really damn good.
33:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, and really from jump, I think we saw that part of this offense was just, hey, we're going to trust our best players, and we're going to give them the ball and see what happens.
33:24
[SPEAKER_05]: And I think Lincoln Riley going with that and Jade and my avid frosting his receivers
33:33
[SPEAKER_05]: was huge.
33:34
[SPEAKER_05]: There's 18 catches in this game by USU wide receivers, only one of them, not named Lemon or Lane.
33:43
[SPEAKER_05]: This is truly 2011 or 2005 where it's two dudes catching all the passes.
33:52
[SPEAKER_05]: uh... and i feel bad for the neccians uh... yet two targets in this game but he's the mickfoy he's the bright spotler his time will come yes but he's the he's the guy who just sort of has to like you know wait for the moment in which the other two guys have been sort of taken out the picture and in a game like this i was draped all over but i'm in and jacobie lane all game
34:22
[SPEAKER_05]: And they were still making tremendous catches.
34:24
[SPEAKER_05]: Mackay Lemon, especially the one down field where his arms are just like extended.
34:32
[SPEAKER_05]: And the ball just lands in his hands.
34:36
[SPEAKER_02]: There were three Mackay Lemon catches that to me are just absolutely insane.
34:41
[SPEAKER_02]: There's the one that he's going to the rain.
34:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Going to the sideline and just like somehow gets his foot down and also manages to reel in the ball on the sideline.
34:50
[SPEAKER_02]: There's the one where he jumps up and gets undercut and flipped and then still holds on to the ball somehow.
34:57
[SPEAKER_02]: The touchdown and then the one that you were talking about where the it's like a finger tip reach out like Willie May's kind of kind of cat with a defender all over him.
35:07
[SPEAKER_05]: It sticks like a video game.
35:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
35:10
[SPEAKER_02]: It's crazy.
35:11
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, well, you seem like it divide physics to me.
35:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Great performance for the receivers, especially as the game went on.
35:19
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, defensively, we talk about the struggles in the first half.
35:23
[SPEAKER_05]: I want to get into this specifically because, yes, Iowa comes out.
35:27
[SPEAKER_05]: They score touchdowns on three of their first four drives.
35:31
[SPEAKER_05]: The one that they don't as a three and out, but seven play 69 yards, nine plays 45, nine plays 75.
35:36
[SPEAKER_05]: I
35:37
[SPEAKER_05]: they didn't looking fairly easy moving down the field.
35:42
[SPEAKER_05]: The first drive they did it by passing and very much caught USC off guard and this is the thing that I think is interesting because you you would point it out that you thought that the game plan from Denton Lynn was not a good one but the adjustments were good.
35:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Well I guess I have to assume that that's what was going on.
36:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I wish I had the explanation.
36:04
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah I think that's part of it.
36:05
[SPEAKER_05]: I think the other thing is.
36:07
[SPEAKER_05]: I think that I would did a very good job especially early on in coming out with an attack that was not what we expected at all.
36:19
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, you look at the, the like quarter by quarter statistics, nine pass attempts in the first quarter.
36:28
[SPEAKER_05]: That's more than S.C. had in the first quarter.
36:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Uh, six of nine was Granalski for 65 yards.
36:34
[SPEAKER_05]: Uh, Jade Maverick was six to seven for 32 yards in the first quarter.
36:38
[SPEAKER_05]: They threw the ball and in, and dudes were open.
36:41
[SPEAKER_05]: And I think it was very much something that we were talking about, where like it was a,
36:45
[SPEAKER_05]: The situation where Iowa was taking advantage of SC sort of not prioritizing the balldown field and I sort of like I'm I'm I'm like I say I'm okay with that, but like I would rather make Iowa throw the ball and beat you throw in the ball than anything else the
37:11
[SPEAKER_05]: went away from that as the game went on, in part because they were able to have success on the ground and their subsequent two touchdown drives.
37:21
[SPEAKER_05]: And then you really saw the adjustments in the second half and the tightening of the
37:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Bishop Fitzgerald goes out at one point I like frantically pointed the screen at one point to you like look DJ Harvey's in the game.
37:42
[SPEAKER_05]: It was one of those, but I'm like, wait, who's number 2227?
37:45
[SPEAKER_05]: Two, who's two?
37:46
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
37:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, you you saw dudes that hadn't been in there and you saw guys sort of have their moments defensively and
37:56
[SPEAKER_05]: all band together in the second half, and really quick, I think to, you know, talking about Kymari Moulton, the running back for Iowa, kind of has a very similar game, I think, to Emmett Sanders from from Nebraska, but also, um, come aloft a last week from
38:22
[SPEAKER_05]: Northwestern.
38:24
[SPEAKER_05]: And that's if you look at his numbers, it's not like he stops having success.
38:33
[SPEAKER_05]: But the offense stops having success because they end up getting behind the change.
38:39
[SPEAKER_05]: They struggle to throw the ball.
38:41
[SPEAKER_05]: They become more one-dimensional.
38:44
[SPEAKER_05]: And when you do that,
38:46
[SPEAKER_05]: you can give up 5 yards a carry and it won't hurt you nearly as bad.
38:51
[SPEAKER_05]: This is sort of the same thing that we saw in ways slightly with Notre Dame in the second half where they still average like 5 yards per carry, but CJ Car was struggling throughout the ball and so it made SC get stops more than they got in the first half.
39:08
[SPEAKER_05]: Or Michigan, right?
39:09
[SPEAKER_05]: Like Michigan's running backs were still averaging 5 yards a pop.
39:14
[SPEAKER_05]: But Rice Underwood was not consistent and they were able to get him on the ground and all that kind of stuff and that is what ultimately sort of doom strives and I think that's like that's the key because when you let the the run gay if if you're not going to be an excellent run stopping team you need to find a way to contain it.
39:37
[SPEAKER_05]: and get stops somehow and get them off schedules so they can't rely on the run.
39:43
[SPEAKER_05]: And when Ashsey does that, they have a lot of success and we've seen that in the last three games.
39:50
[SPEAKER_05]: We're like the running back is not stopped succeeding, but the often turns.
39:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and that's, and I think that is one of the things that you have to remember in college football is, I think USC has continued to be vulnerable against the run.
40:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the big difference is in the second half.
40:07
[SPEAKER_02]: like it's like in the first half vulnerable against the run equals 10 yards of pop.
40:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
40:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And vulnerable against the run in the second half equals like five yards of pop.
40:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
40:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Which still sounds bad.
40:19
[SPEAKER_02]: But if on first down you run and his first, you know, get five yards four yards, then you're in second and six or second and five.
40:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And
40:29
[SPEAKER_02]: the opposing team decides to throw the ball and they don't have a great quarterback or not like an exceptional quarterback like the last three quarterbacks that USC has played.
40:40
[SPEAKER_02]: They're going to miss some throws occasionally.
40:43
[SPEAKER_02]: You're going to get through with the blitz occasionally.
40:44
[SPEAKER_02]: You're going to have a receiver drop a pass occasionally.
40:48
[SPEAKER_02]: You're going to just have those things happen that a team that doesn't have an elite passing attack
40:58
[SPEAKER_02]: you end up in a third and five and, you know, you get, you get the stopper.
41:03
[SPEAKER_02]: You end up in a, I think you was even got like a third and a third and two stop where they just stopped the quarterback, um, um, like the, the keeper.
41:13
[SPEAKER_02]: and you you give yourself a chance if you're not giving up those ten yards of pop kind of thing if you can just force the opposing team to become less efficient on second down like if you can be a good mean you want to be a good first-end defense but if you can be a good second-end defense after
41:31
[SPEAKER_02]: limiting your losses on first down when the team's going to run.
41:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Then you, I mean, I think you can, you can sort of find a way to have success against most of these college teams.
41:44
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, like, I think that this, this is the, the game plan for Bryce Underwood, like you
41:56
[SPEAKER_02]: The quarterback last week, whose name I'm forgetting, who just personal best in stone.
42:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
42:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Certainly the game plan once still in Raiola goes out for for Nebraska, most college quarterbacks aren't.
42:07
[SPEAKER_02]: actually that good.
42:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's what we need to remember that USC has been very spoiled when it comes to quarterback play.
42:14
[SPEAKER_02]: And that like to appreciate the level that Jade Mayava is reaching because most teams don't have a quarterback who's as talented, capable or, you know, capable of producing the way that Jade Mayava does.
42:32
[SPEAKER_02]: You can't, if you beg USC to throw the ball,
42:37
[SPEAKER_02]: You're very screwed.
42:39
[SPEAKER_02]: If you're USC and you big Iowa to throw the ball they're going to hit some of those passes early on, but eventually they're going to miss it's you know what it is it's like gambling
42:50
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, we don't need to go.
42:51
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like gambling.
42:52
[SPEAKER_02]: You go in and you put your 20 bucks in the machine or whatever and you hit.
42:57
[SPEAKER_05]: I wouldn't know anything about it.
42:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And you hit like five in a row where you're just like, bam, I won, bam, I won, bam, I won, bam, eventually because of the way that gambling and statistics work, eventually you will return to the mean.
43:14
[SPEAKER_02]: This is why the house always wins.
43:16
[SPEAKER_02]: In college football, for defense, if you are playing a team like Iowa or Nebraska or Northwestern or Purdue or Michigan this year, or, you know, name any one of the million good, but not great teams that exist in college football, like,
43:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You almost just have to survive the wave where they execute well and give yourself an opportunity to let them sort of not execute well.
43:46
[SPEAKER_02]: The, obviously, the issue, then the difference between being just like a Middling college defense and like a really good college defenses that eventually you do need to play a really good quarterback and find a way to, you know.
44:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so to stop them that way, but like I just babysept for USC at this point.
44:06
[SPEAKER_05]: So so going to the numbers about the third down.
44:09
[SPEAKER_05]: So I think it's fascinating because like I almost feel like this contradicts a lot of sort of what I was saying about like.
44:18
[SPEAKER_05]: I would not rely on, but basically that, like, Martin Moulton could have its success, but it wouldn't be impactful in part because S.C. was stopping things other ways.
44:32
[SPEAKER_05]: And that's true.
44:34
[SPEAKER_05]: But I think the interesting thing is, Kmart Moulton had zero rushes on third-down.
44:41
[SPEAKER_05]: And you look at the distance, the down and distance for all the third-downs.
44:47
[SPEAKER_05]: In the first half, one, seven, five, five, two, two.
44:54
[SPEAKER_05]: And the second half, three, four, seven, two, nine.
44:57
[SPEAKER_05]: Like it's not very different.
44:59
[SPEAKER_05]: It was pretty much all the way down pretty similar.
45:02
[SPEAKER_05]: They ran the ball twice with running backs twice on third downs.
45:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Everything else was a design run for a greenhouse key or a pass and I think that like when you sort of take away a little bit of the balance there, I think it I think it helps.
45:24
[SPEAKER_05]: And then S.E.G.N.E.
45:26
[SPEAKER_05]: in three stops and a row on third down.
45:30
[SPEAKER_05]: The first three third downs that Iowa faces in the second half, they don't get and they go,
45:36
[SPEAKER_05]: one of five on third down in the second half all told like that's the game right there that's how you win like they weren't able to you know continue their drives and that's how you your stops and that's how everything sort of turns around especially when you're finally having success on offense on your side of the ball let's get through a super chat um it's this thing ever placed there goes uh from hokey pee
46:04
[SPEAKER_05]: Here's to a comeback win in the rain, fight on, yeah, big comeback win.
46:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Here's to all the USC fans who turned over the Colosseum and stood in that rain to watch that comeback.
46:19
[SPEAKER_05]: I have to say, I've got thoughts about this.
46:24
[SPEAKER_05]: A huge credit to everybody who was there.
46:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
46:28
[SPEAKER_05]: At the same time.
46:34
[SPEAKER_05]: I know that I tend to go on little rants about my frustration with SC fans in terms of, like, buying attendance, all that kind of stuff, but like, they were way too many freaking empty seats.
46:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And like, this is why I think you and I just need to give up on, like, I know that you and I have more or less given up on
47:01
[SPEAKER_02]: We, I don't feel the need to defend US defense at this point.
47:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, there, there's no defending US defense.
47:11
[SPEAKER_02]: The ones who show up get all the credit in the world.
47:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I absolutely.
47:16
[SPEAKER_05]: I was ready to be very upset that my dad didn't go to the game.
47:22
[SPEAKER_05]: And then he told me that he's, he has a cold.
47:25
[SPEAKER_05]: So we didn't want to sit on the right.
47:26
[SPEAKER_05]: That made sense.
47:27
[SPEAKER_05]: I, I, I, I,
47:30
[SPEAKER_05]: All clear all clear a senior citizen who as a cold should stay at home.
47:35
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm I'm with that, but I get it.
47:40
[SPEAKER_05]: Nobody wants to be out in the rain, but like
47:43
[SPEAKER_02]: but they were there in the rain yeah top twenty five opponent you like it you should have a full house at the call of c.m.
47:55
[SPEAKER_02]: and i get that uh... i get that the weather was terrible i don't really get it uh... but you know the fact is is that
48:04
[SPEAKER_02]: This is this is USC fans, uh, I don't think it's a, it's fair to use a blanket statement.
48:09
[SPEAKER_05]: I don't be honest, he fan, I think this is the West Coast.
48:11
[SPEAKER_02]: This is Los Angeles.
48:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
48:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
48:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't think it's fair to do like a blanket statement because we know so many passionate USC fans who were either at the game or would have loved to be at the game.
48:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
48:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And, you know, for geographical, financial,
48:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I just this is just Los Angeles sports.
48:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't feel the need to defend the the empty seats because there's no defending the empty seats.
48:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
48:44
[SPEAKER_05]: Tim and Alex is there were a lot of empty seats, but it was a good crowd and it was loud and the shirtless seats section got hyped for the last few drives.
48:51
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's the thing is like again, it's.
48:55
[SPEAKER_02]: where I will defend U.S. defense is the passion at once are just as passionate as any other sports fans that exist.
49:02
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes.
49:03
[SPEAKER_02]: The issue those they're not the issues the people who listen to this podcast are not the issues it's it's the people who are just more casual who don't feel like brave in the rain because it's not that important which sucks I wish it wasn't the case but that's that's what I like so you know
49:24
[SPEAKER_05]: this is true this is absolutely true if you and I could have been at the game we would have been at the game we would have been at the game we would we would have been at the game yeah um yeah um all right let's let's go through the box score a little bit more here um talking about USC's defense uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh without looking up the numbers I don't know if you have the numbers in front of you do you want to guess who SC's leading taklers were in this game oh i don't have the leading taklers up in this game
49:54
[SPEAKER_05]: take a guess.
49:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to go with someone like Christian Pierce.
50:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe the title for first.
50:06
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
50:06
[SPEAKER_05]: Seven.
50:07
[SPEAKER_05]: With Desmond Stevens, it's seven.
50:09
[SPEAKER_02]: I was going to guess Stevens as well.
50:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
50:13
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm just going to start from the top and work down.
50:16
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
50:17
[SPEAKER_05]: So these are the dudes with the most.
50:19
[SPEAKER_05]: Stephens Pierce, Lucas Nicholson Walker Urlacker, Abassiri, and then you get to Crawford gentry ramps.
50:32
[SPEAKER_05]: There are a lot of dudes on that list that you would not expect to be the leading tacklers.
50:38
[SPEAKER_05]: I think just for their emphasizes how much of a gritty when it was, you know, we talked about like, tomorrow Ramsey not being in there, but like bits of Fitzgerald's going out.
50:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, can any Erlokker?
50:50
[SPEAKER_05]: You get to pass break up five tackles.
50:54
[SPEAKER_05]: This also was a game in which S.E.
50:55
[SPEAKER_05]: did not record a single tackle for loss.
50:59
[SPEAKER_05]: There was no sack.
51:00
[SPEAKER_05]: There wasn't a single negative place.
51:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, that's rough though, because Anthony Lucas sacks does the strip thumball.
51:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, which is a bad way by a penalty on Anthony Beaver's who was not on the field.
51:14
[SPEAKER_02]: So.
51:16
[SPEAKER_02]: who knows what that was about.
51:17
[SPEAKER_02]: My guess is it was like, again, Special Pitch Gerald, and they said 15 and got 15 and 19 mixed up, but either way, that was funny.
51:25
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, it's just like all the dudes sort of pitch it in.
51:29
[SPEAKER_05]: It's kind of the opposite of the offense, which is the offense is,
51:33
[SPEAKER_05]: Your star dudes, your star, your star danger men, lane and lemon doing all the work.
51:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's talk about USC on the ground in this game, King Miller, 19 carries 83 yards, average 4.4 yards per carry, not a huge, great, incredible game that you're going to write home to your kids about, I guess.
51:55
[SPEAKER_02]: His best run got called back for a illegal man downfield, no, but no for a hold.
52:03
[SPEAKER_05]: But 19 carries 83 yards.
52:06
[SPEAKER_05]: You'll take that any day in the week.
52:08
[SPEAKER_02]: He just ride like a bat's or boring game.
52:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely sign me up for that.
52:13
[SPEAKER_02]: It's, I mean, he has the same boring game that like that molten has in the sense of like, you just see what an effective runner he is.
52:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, even if the, the productivity is somewhat limited, like I said, his best run gets wiped out for a penalty.
52:29
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, I think that's a little tough.
52:32
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's just you just it's the it's the it's the I test it's the way he passes the I test every time I watch him play I think to myself
52:41
[SPEAKER_02]: how was he a walk on like, how did everyone miss this?
52:47
[SPEAKER_02]: How did he not have scholarship offers flooding his mailbox like frickin Hogwarts letters and in the first Harry Potter book?
52:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I don't understand it because he just looks like such a naturally gifted runner, it is astounding.
53:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's it's it's just been awesome to see and I think he was he was at that level again Regardless of whether he's averaging four yards of carry are seven.
53:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Regardless of whether he's getting a three yards or 150 He looks like the same running back just that quality Awesome
53:24
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, absolutely.
53:26
[SPEAKER_05]: Brian Jackson, four carries 14 yards, two touchdowns.
53:30
[SPEAKER_05]: He's two dead fans were just aces at the goal.
53:33
[SPEAKER_05]: And one of them, a wild cat's.
53:37
[SPEAKER_02]: That was a power.
53:38
[SPEAKER_05]: That was a little bit wild cat quarterback power right up to the the wild.
53:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
53:42
[SPEAKER_02]: We have to discuss.
53:43
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think it matters because I don't, I don't know that USC did another one.
53:46
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think they need it.
53:47
[SPEAKER_02]: We needed to trick plays, right?
53:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Is the wild cat.
53:53
[SPEAKER_02]: We talked about that a wild cat where you're just running in the middle of the field is not a trick play No, but if you're a wild cat with my other out on the wing That's what wild cats are I know but like
54:05
[SPEAKER_05]: I think the element that would make it interesting is that they motioned out, they motioned into it.
54:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
54:12
[SPEAKER_05]: They moved into it.
54:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
54:15
[SPEAKER_05]: I think you could also make an argument that there was the non-trick play in the game where it was the fake reverse in the first half is a fake reverse the trick play?
54:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, certainly wasn't a fake pun, but, um, but I do want to call out the touchdown on the Wildcat, the way that Brian Jackson took that shotgun snap,
54:46
[SPEAKER_02]: On first look, I thought, wow, he looked really uncomfortable catching that and then on the replay like it's actually super satisfying because like he catches the shotgun snap like into his arm like immediately into a hold yeah like it was just like I don't know I just randomly mesmerize by it.
55:08
[SPEAKER_05]: So before the snap, before they sort of, you know, motioned into it, like, it was very interesting because his, like, body language is kind of weird.
55:18
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm like, he's, he's like, very upright, which they, which they do now with, with the running backs, but like, yeah.
55:24
[SPEAKER_05]: He's also like sort of twitchy.
55:26
[SPEAKER_05]: It was a weird thing.
55:27
[SPEAKER_05]: I need to go rewatch it and make sure that I'm not just misremembering this, but like he looked a little funny and then all was saying it's like, Oh, he's he's getting ready to go in the wildcat and then just took it right up the right up the shoot there and scored and then his touchdown
55:44
[SPEAKER_05]: That's a true running back was very similar.
55:47
[SPEAKER_05]: Just got the ball.
55:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Patient.
55:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Find the whole.
55:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, barrel down.
55:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
55:52
[SPEAKER_05]: Got into the end zone.
55:54
[SPEAKER_05]: Did his job to touch down for him on four carries.
55:57
[SPEAKER_05]: That's a good percentage.
55:59
[SPEAKER_05]: Jane, my obma as a runner.
56:01
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, very effective to the captain's were big.
56:05
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, he had a 20-yard keeper in the first, uh, in the first half, um, in the second quarter.
56:10
[SPEAKER_05]: That was huge, um, just ran down the sideline.
56:15
[SPEAKER_05]: Um,
56:16
[SPEAKER_05]: I do wish he would slide or he get a bounce at you can say it's almost like he's like the first down you don't need to pick up the last four yards and drop your shoulder into it just go out about it's almost like he's feeding into the the the the perception of like the quarterback who forced the thumb a lot back the ends on thing like now he's just got to go like
56:36
[SPEAKER_02]: full fricking, um, who was the Fresno State quarterback, uh, J. Caner like you just got to go full J. Caner is like, okay, J.
56:45
[SPEAKER_02]: We want you to run more often.
56:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Having said that.
56:49
[SPEAKER_02]: We also want you to not blow out your shoulder.
56:52
[SPEAKER_05]: Who is the UCLA quarterback that would take a million hits, uh, Cohen?
56:57
[SPEAKER_05]: All of them, but yes, he was the one that the Maluga pop that then he immediately True bad ass moment like it's an First of all, it's a crazy hit today in twenty twenty five that would have been like what's my look ahead Unnecessary roughness.
57:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, something they would have
57:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Decided yeah something that was wrong with that hit but the amount of malware hit incredible at the at the time with what we knew about sports, right?
57:25
[SPEAKER_05]: But like he pops up like nothing happened and it's like There's a little bit of that for my outfit like he's got that sort of
57:34
[SPEAKER_05]: Jake Plummer thing where he's just just going to do it.
57:39
[SPEAKER_05]: He had a couple other keepers just to keep the defense honest.
57:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, exactly.
57:45
[SPEAKER_05]: They kept the defense honest there.
57:47
[SPEAKER_05]: And yeah, that the offense looked especially good in the second half.
57:53
[SPEAKER_05]: Like we mentioned,
57:54
[SPEAKER_05]: Any other things you want to answer to touch on?
57:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, we touched on McCuy Lemon being insane.
58:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I think Jacobi Lane was, he had, he had his customary first quarter drop.
58:09
[SPEAKER_02]: drive me crazy one year but but from that point on dude was impeccable both with the catches that he made catches that he made and flags that he drew and even when he didn't draw the flags I thought that I just thought he was playing everything right giving himself a chance giving my other chance and putting in the ref's hands like that that fade into the end zone when
58:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I think he does ever just about everything right there in on another day.
58:40
[SPEAKER_02]: He gets a flag and, yeah, really outstanding game from Lane and Lemon.
58:46
[SPEAKER_02]: When they're, when they're on like that, like, I don't know how you stop U.S. C's deep, U.S. C's offense.
58:52
[SPEAKER_02]: I just, I don't know how you stop when they're making the catches that they made.
58:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Especially since, like, I feel like every catch they had in this game was a catch where I'm just,
59:03
[SPEAKER_05]: What?
59:03
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
59:04
[SPEAKER_05]: How that?
59:05
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
59:05
[SPEAKER_05]: Every single one of them.
59:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And it sucks for a lane because lemon has so many like, are you freaking kidding me catches?
59:13
[SPEAKER_02]: They both like Jacoby was making tough tough catch in this game.
59:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Just, you know, this is this, this is what having to elite receivers looks like.
59:26
[SPEAKER_02]: It, it, it, it, it, it, it.
59:27
[SPEAKER_02]: make such a difference in a rain game.
59:30
[SPEAKER_02]: It's how you put up 254 yards of a passing because your receivers are just on like otherworldly.
59:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It's crazy.
59:42
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, 100%.
59:44
[SPEAKER_02]: I also wanted to highlight, like I know already said it, but I thought this was one of Anthony Lucas's better games.
59:51
[SPEAKER_02]: And again, proof of
59:54
[SPEAKER_02]: My thing with USC's edges, I want them to get more sacks.
59:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't get me wrong.
59:58
[SPEAKER_02]: I absolutely do think they need to get more sacks.
1:00:00
[SPEAKER_02]: But I don't know that sacks are the end all be all of proof that you had a good game from a defensive perspective off of the edge.
1:00:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I think what we saw from Anthony Lucas today, creating pressure,
1:00:19
[SPEAKER_02]: getting into limiting the gains on the ground when he had the opportunity to like those are really really important contributions.
1:00:30
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's it's it's sort of mirrors I was what's this name lollin or lollin.
1:00:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I got you can make an impact without getting a doctor close to me to make an impact that's I think that's what you I would like to see continue to see from from a veteran like Anthony Lucas to keep making that impact Jane Walker deserves a shout out USC was running with that three linebacker look.
1:00:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah a lot.
1:00:58
[SPEAKER_02]: I thought he was you know, I think did a pretty good job out there.
1:01:02
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, I want to go back to the receivers really quick here.
1:01:05
[SPEAKER_05]: A couple of points that I meant to make said I risked in the chat says lemons atop, right?
1:01:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Your receiver not named Jeremiah Smith.
1:01:15
[SPEAKER_05]: I think he definitely made the point for that.
1:01:16
[SPEAKER_05]: I said a couple of weeks ago that I thought that his bullet neckoff chances were done and lasted after Leonard Moore just completely sort of locked him up in South Bend.
1:01:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Everyone's bullet neckoff chances are done and dusted down when you've got.
1:01:30
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes, but like.
1:01:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Lemon the last two weeks, 250 art games, absolutely back in it, especially in a game like this, which even though is on BTN, this was the game everybody was watching, so I think that helps majorly, but like,
1:01:47
[SPEAKER_05]: lettered more looks even better when when McCy lemon has games like this and that it's sort of jarring how much he was sort of shut down in south bend that way and the other thing I want to mention about the the wide receivers going up and getting those catches is how much it helps trading my hobby that this was a game in the rain this is a quarterback who we know is
1:02:14
[SPEAKER_05]: a gunslinger he's gonna take chances he's going to sometimes take too many chances sometimes make a decision that you might call bone headed if it doesn't go your way like but he's gonna like be aggressive I thought he had a fantastic game like didn't make the the crucial error at all but like having those two receivers that will catch anything in the radius
1:02:44
[SPEAKER_05]: makes it so much easier for my out like the number of times that like he attempted passes that were audacious and is not necessarily in the sense of like this is like the greatest past in the world that you've ever seen that he's like finding just like one little spot but more so like I'm just gonna trust that these dudes are gonna make the catch.
1:03:07
[SPEAKER_05]: And that makes it easier on him.
1:03:09
[SPEAKER_05]: Like he doesn't have to throw the perfect pass.
1:03:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Now, and like, and the times when he does, it just like makes it even even better for the receivers to be able to make a catch with dude strapped all over them, and it doesn't matter how many times.
1:03:25
[SPEAKER_05]: But Kyleman has been in triple coverage and still going to catch the ball over there.
1:03:30
[SPEAKER_02]: He, you know, I think that he gives his really good receivers the chance to make really good receiver plays.
1:03:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's kind of underrated.
1:03:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I think, you know, in Caleb Williams second year, I think that was a complaint we had about Caleb, is that he was almost trying to be too perfect and not just putting the ball up for freaking, um, uh, uh,
1:03:53
[SPEAKER_05]: Brennan Rice, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
1:04:17
[SPEAKER_05]: And as great as Michael Pippman, what is it that?
1:04:23
[SPEAKER_05]: And it's not 2019 that yellow game with Matt Fink, the greatest U.S. either Cvercore, ever Michael Pippman and Drake London.
1:04:33
[SPEAKER_05]: And I'm going to say brown and Tyler Vaughn's and all those guys like all those dudes could go up and catch a ball.
1:04:39
[SPEAKER_05]: Absolutely.
1:04:41
[SPEAKER_05]: This seems less about like these are less alley
1:04:48
[SPEAKER_05]: putting the ball in a spot that like, they can go up and make the play, but also is not just absolute desperation, like my other will make those desperation thrones.
1:05:00
[SPEAKER_05]: He had not every single play is that.
1:05:03
[SPEAKER_05]: You know what I mean?
1:05:03
[SPEAKER_05]: Like yeah, maybe this is splitting hairs here, but like it just feels different.
1:05:08
[SPEAKER_05]: It just feels way more high percentage.
1:05:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Even though some of these catches had no business being caught yeah, I mean my other might there were a couple moments in this game where my I was throwing off his back foot and just sort of lobbing it up and and I think that in those cases I think the receivers Not don't necessarily bail him out, but like make it look less
1:05:33
[SPEAKER_02]: insane for him to be you know chucking it like that yeah, but that doesn't happen that often I agree with you I think more often than not he's putting it somewhere where if you're gonna make a spectacular catch it's there for you Otherwise no one's catching that ball and he's got receivers who makes spectacular catches So that's pretty awesome.
1:05:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and there's a discussion in the chat about Makai versus Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State Makai I believe has passed
1:06:01
[SPEAKER_02]: He was already ahead of Jeremiah Smith in receiving yards with what he handed with a 153 today.
1:06:09
[SPEAKER_02]: So he's up over a thousand.
1:06:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Jeremiah Smith had 40 yards today.
1:06:14
[SPEAKER_02]: So he's still not, he's at like 900.
1:06:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And Mackay now has more receptions than him as well.
1:06:23
[SPEAKER_02]: But he, he think it trails and touchdowns.
1:06:28
[SPEAKER_05]: I think it's interesting like a higher state schedule is they haven't had a lot of marquee games.
1:06:37
[SPEAKER_05]: They played Texas early on, but it's like a weird team that almost feels like a different season.
1:06:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
1:06:41
[SPEAKER_05]: It was so long ago.
1:06:44
[SPEAKER_05]: The pens that game meant nothing.
1:06:46
[SPEAKER_05]: They're going to have the mission game obviously they're going to have the big ten championship game assuming that they win the mission game Okay, what's their toughest game?
1:06:55
[SPEAKER_02]: What there there are two two Potential games that we could talk about what what their toughest games were I guess what it's blue noise in Washington like that's it.
1:07:08
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, I guess where I'm going with this is like I think lemon is had a lot of
1:07:13
[SPEAKER_05]: big moments, and I don't know how much of this is just because we watch every game.
1:07:19
[SPEAKER_05]: But like I feel just like I haven't seen a lot of Jeremiah Smith this year in part because
1:07:25
[SPEAKER_05]: they haven't played a lot of games that is appointment television you know what I mean yeah that's fair and so like maybe that helps lemon in in in a case but also there's absolutely a world in which Jeremiah Smith wins a bullet in the cuff because of what he didn't pass his dinner you know what I mean like we all know how good he is
1:07:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I mean, I will, I will go out on a limb here and say that my, um, lemons performance today against Iowa's defense.
1:08:00
[SPEAKER_02]: is more impressive than anything we have seen from Jeremiah Smith this season.
1:08:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's no shade at Jeremiah Smith.
1:08:10
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just he hasn't played a lot of really great defenses.
1:08:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And he hasn't had like his big performances weren't against the better defenses on his schedule.
1:08:21
[SPEAKER_02]: So like in that sense, lemon almost makes up for the quote unquote dud against Notre Dame
1:08:29
[SPEAKER_05]: He still had 76 yards.
1:08:30
[SPEAKER_02]: And he still had 76 yards and that was still a game.
1:08:33
[SPEAKER_05]: He still had 76 yards a lot of that on the play right before the other play.
1:08:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
1:08:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Like I think that like if you're someone who didn't watch the the Notre Dame game, you could look at those stats and not think that he was necessarily held down by Leonard more the way that he was.
1:08:50
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes.
1:08:51
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's get to Superchets.
1:08:58
[SPEAKER_05]: All right, the most first one that we got there we haven't read yet was we got Toki P's and then the other one was Justin that says we believe fine on
1:09:13
[SPEAKER_02]: It, I believe, no, okay.
1:09:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I think with it, our group chat talking about how he's not worried.
1:09:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I was certainly worried.
1:09:22
[SPEAKER_05]: So I'm telling you, I was in this, there was one time that I got a little hippie jabies about S.E.
1:09:31
[SPEAKER_05]: chances, and that was the last drive that I would have.
1:09:36
[SPEAKER_05]: The catch from Kaden, we did was incredible.
1:09:40
[SPEAKER_05]: I feel bad for the kid that his toenail was at a mount.
1:09:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
1:09:43
[SPEAKER_05]: The hell of an effort.
1:09:44
[SPEAKER_05]: And I think that he's like a hell of a player.
1:09:47
[SPEAKER_05]: That was the only time I got a little nervous in part because that was the one drive we had to be subjected to.
1:09:55
[SPEAKER_05]: You know, the stat cast kind of thing and like not knowing what was going on was unnerving yes, but other than that, I felt good about SD chances to come back and they did, and then the other super chat we got was Tim and I that's as too tired for witty comment welcome back fight on and beat the ducks.
1:10:15
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, thank you guys.
1:10:17
[SPEAKER_05]: We appreciate you couldn't do this without you as always.
1:10:21
[SPEAKER_05]: To go back to Justin's thing about we believe, I was having this conversation with you.
1:10:30
[SPEAKER_05]: We're going to talk about this a lot in the next couple of podcasts, right?
1:10:33
[SPEAKER_05]: Going into the organ game.
1:10:36
[SPEAKER_05]: My head, my brain, my logical side, which I feel like I'm a logical person, says that I see's not waiting in Eugene next week.
1:10:49
[SPEAKER_05]: But the romantic side of me is like, you look back at some of the game, the iconic games in my lifetime where S.C. has won a huge November game to validate their season.
1:11:10
[SPEAKER_05]: or like prove how good they are or how good they can be.
1:11:15
[SPEAKER_05]: Some of those aren't even in November.
1:11:17
[SPEAKER_05]: Like I've always talked about 2002 against against Orkin.
1:11:21
[SPEAKER_05]: That's an October game.
1:11:23
[SPEAKER_05]: That validates that S.C. is legitimate to go into in Eugene and Carson Palmer throws her 448 passing yards.
1:11:31
[SPEAKER_05]: That's a USC passing record.
1:11:34
[SPEAKER_05]: That prove that like S.C. was really damn good.
1:11:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, 2007 was a season that everything has sort of gone to hell, um, S.C. loose to Stanford, S.C. then loses to Oregon on the road.
1:11:50
[SPEAKER_05]: I had a teacher, a professor, I was a freshman at El Camino.
1:12:00
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, for I transferred to SC and a professor who was a huge SC fan, and like we would talk about SC games like before and after class.
1:12:12
[SPEAKER_05]: She was so upset and like we're going to go to the, she told me we're going to go to the
1:12:22
[SPEAKER_05]: Thanksgiving comes around, S.C. goes to Tempy and jiggle bags are really, really good as you, too.
1:12:29
[SPEAKER_05]: I think Rudy Carpenter still has bruises from that night.
1:12:33
[SPEAKER_05]: That is a game that validates S.C. on the road and then you're feeling like, yeah, they can, they can beat anybody.
1:12:39
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, you know what I mean, it energizes you.
1:12:42
[SPEAKER_05]: Of course, you talk about
1:12:52
[SPEAKER_05]: 2016 we talked all second half of the season basically after the one and three start.
1:13:01
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah well you know S is only actually good if they be Washington but that's not going to happen.
1:13:08
[SPEAKER_05]: They did.
1:13:08
[SPEAKER_05]: They went into Husky Stadium in the beat him.
1:13:12
[SPEAKER_05]: You can even say, three years ago, 2022, there's like clips of the pod of us saying, you know what?
1:13:20
[SPEAKER_05]: I think SZ is actually overrated.
1:13:24
[SPEAKER_05]: We said this in like early November.
1:13:27
[SPEAKER_05]: In 2020, too.
1:13:28
[SPEAKER_05]: Part of that was because the way that polls work, if you keep winning, then you simply rise and if too many teams and nobody you lose, like, you will get- Well, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
1:13:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, they're gonna have to meet UCLA to sort of prove how good they are.
1:14:00
[SPEAKER_05]: They did.
1:14:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And so by the name.
1:14:03
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
1:14:04
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
1:14:04
[SPEAKER_05]: And another day.
1:14:04
[SPEAKER_05]: So like all the logic says that SC goes into Eugene next week, plays a really good Eugene, uh, Eugene ducks.
1:14:15
[SPEAKER_05]: A really good organ ducks team, um, and even if they play well, uh,
1:14:22
[SPEAKER_05]: the odds are against them and that maybe it ends up looking like the Notre Dame game in which they play well in areas they it's a game in which you could you could kick yourself and say that you you could have been in it you could have won it but it's also a game in which they just don't win like maybe it's one of those and then there's the other side
1:14:52
[SPEAKER_02]: I, I fear that a, uh, uh, no football reasons is, is, is coming.
1:14:58
[SPEAKER_05]: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
1:15:09
[SPEAKER_05]: So I don't think it's that.
1:15:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's like, well, I think the reasons I don't want to see offense will give most teams trouble.
1:15:16
[SPEAKER_02]: The reason that I'm not, I'm not going to put my faith in in USC to win this game is because USC's offense at home.
1:15:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I trust USC's offense on the road.
1:15:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I do not trust and so therefore I'm I'm going to assume that USC will not score the number of points that they would need to like USC needs to win a shoot out against Oregon Where they are capable of scoring 35 plus points and and you know, I just I don't they I don't see that you see on the road.
1:15:48
[SPEAKER_05]: I think as he's capable of even on the road.
1:15:51
[SPEAKER_02]: When have they done that.
1:15:54
[SPEAKER_05]: Square 33 at Purdue they scored 33 at Purdue Mike they scored 32 in Illinois Purdue and Illinois are your examples of New York and Illinois is a brimit they whatever we can catch this later Well we will discuss before we go to two things before we head out here Randy in the chat says a havoc confession I have it Mr. U.S.e.
1:16:18
[SPEAKER_05]: games since September 1965 but
1:16:22
[SPEAKER_05]: I've never been to a game in person.
1:16:24
[SPEAKER_05]: Does that make me a casual fan?
1:16:26
[SPEAKER_05]: No.
1:16:27
[SPEAKER_05]: No.
1:16:28
[SPEAKER_05]: I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
1:16:32
[SPEAKER_05]: When we say, we wish that the Colosseum was sold out, we wish that S.C. had the fervor that they have in Iowa City, or Salt Lake City, or like in C.C.
1:16:47
[SPEAKER_05]: Town here, Columbia, Missouri, I don't, wherever you want to say it, like where they, they show up every single week and all that kind of stuff.
1:16:55
[SPEAKER_05]: As much as I said that,
1:16:57
[SPEAKER_05]: Just because you are not as they would say in the UK, a match going fan doesn't make you any lesser.
1:17:06
[SPEAKER_05]: You know what I mean?
1:17:07
[SPEAKER_05]: If you live and die with every play and you have never been to a game, you are not any lesser.
1:17:18
[SPEAKER_05]: No, my issue with my frustration are the...
1:17:23
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a lot of folks with season tickets who opt out.
1:17:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
1:17:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Very often.
1:17:26
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes.
1:17:27
[SPEAKER_05]: That would be more of my frustration.
1:17:30
[SPEAKER_05]: Or, and this isn't my frustration necessarily with those fans specifically.
1:17:36
[SPEAKER_05]: But like...
1:17:37
[SPEAKER_05]: that the situations have gotten to allow people to choose other things in set of S.C. You know what I mean?
1:17:45
[SPEAKER_05]: Like S.C. is not given them enough reasons to pick S.C. over.
1:17:50
[SPEAKER_05]: rams tickets or whatever like yeah those are the things like like people who are already going you know what I mean like yeah if you're someone who watches every game and you know it's never been in the call seem like this doesn't make you any last of a fan no if you
1:18:10
[SPEAKER_02]: pick and choose when you're gonna use your season tickets like i might be a little frustrated with that you know what i mean that there's there's there's new on tier can i address an accusation in the chat that annoys the shit out of me half-breed seven two eight seven two eight says elisa you've been hitting on the trotians ever since Lincoln Riley got here now you smile when they win here and they're you're not a real family of troi michael you've always been a true man of troi
1:18:37
[SPEAKER_02]: You see how she's hating on the Trojans?
1:18:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I told you dude, I'm telling you this chick is way out.
1:18:41
[SPEAKER_02]: She's having personal issues, identity crisis of who she is.
1:18:44
[SPEAKER_02]: I am having an identity crisis, 90% of the time.
1:18:48
[SPEAKER_02]: This is big facts, but also like, can we not do revisionist history?
1:18:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Can we not, please, like the care of the shows everyone loves you and hates me?
1:19:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, yeah, I mean, that's true.
1:19:05
[SPEAKER_05]: I honestly like last week was the first time that has ever seen people be like Michael's making such great points.
1:19:12
[SPEAKER_05]: It was so cool.
1:19:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Like I love that.
1:19:14
[SPEAKER_05]: I loved it.
1:19:15
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
1:19:16
[SPEAKER_02]: No, I just think it's insane.
1:19:17
[SPEAKER_02]: The revisionist history that goes on when I went into the 2020 for a season.
1:19:24
[SPEAKER_02]: telling my co-workers going on podcasts with other teams, with neutrals, all of that kind of stuff telling them that USC was massively underrated and would be a potentially 11-win team.
1:19:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Like that was me going to the 2024 season.
1:19:42
[SPEAKER_02]: In 2022, I was not hating on Lincoln Riley.
1:19:46
[SPEAKER_02]: In 2023, I was not hating on Lincoln Riley.
1:19:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I was defending Lincoln Riley up through the Penn State game.
1:19:55
[SPEAKER_02]: If you want to pinpoint the point at which I gave up on Lincoln Riley, I will tell you it was October 19th, 2024, when USC lost to Maryland.
1:20:10
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the game that broke me.
1:20:12
[SPEAKER_05]: I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
1:20:24
[SPEAKER_05]: They haven't done that this year.
1:20:26
[SPEAKER_05]: They lost to a better team in their name.
1:20:27
[SPEAKER_02]: They shouldn't have lost.
1:20:28
[SPEAKER_05]: And they lost a game in which they had no defense that was an appeal go at the end in the game.
1:20:33
[SPEAKER_05]: And that they rode back to the lead.
1:20:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I take issue with the fact that they had no defense personally.
1:20:38
[SPEAKER_05]: But yes, but I'm saying that the Illinois game is not the Maryland game.
1:20:44
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, no, no, no, yes, because that's what I'm saying because the Maryland Purdue is the Maryland.
1:20:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, yes, this is one that did by 16 points.
1:20:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, yes, no, like I 100% USC has improved drastically from from last season.
1:21:00
[SPEAKER_02]: I would say that quarterback play has improved drastically from last season.
1:21:05
[SPEAKER_02]: I would say that running back, no, because the running back has always been good.
1:21:11
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think that USC's reliance on the run game has improved from like a Lincoln Riley perspective, because USC has always had capable backs.
1:21:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm in the big, big difference since the Illinois game.
1:21:25
[SPEAKER_02]: The reason that USC has gone three in one in these last four games is because USC's defense has turned a corner certainly a second half corner.
1:21:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I would like them to turn an overall corner.
1:21:46
[SPEAKER_02]: But the corner that they have turned in the second half has been so distinct that it has changed the sort of
1:21:59
[SPEAKER_02]: change the possibilities for what this season can be because we always knew USC's offense was going to be really damn good and they have been really damn good.
1:22:10
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's like USC's ability to compete at a higher level very much comes down to what does the defense do.
1:22:19
[SPEAKER_02]: And then the little, you know,
1:22:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Can U.S.s offense find a way to play more mistake free on the road question, which is going to be put to the test next week.
1:22:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
1:22:32
[SPEAKER_05]: Paul and Eli says, Rado meter.
1:22:34
[SPEAKER_05]: The link is in the chat folks.
1:22:36
[SPEAKER_05]: The link is in the chat.
1:22:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Go click on the very top of the chat or the description.
1:22:43
[SPEAKER_05]: We can just do a full Rado meter segment in the following episode.
1:22:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Alicia, without maybe putting your total influence and how people vote in the row, meter?
1:22:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Where was that last week?
1:22:56
[SPEAKER_05]: I don't know, but I feel like you're probably like a three now.
1:22:59
[SPEAKER_05]: Are you up from a two?
1:23:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I know, I'm pretty sure I was like a five or a five point five.
1:23:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I may have even gone six.
1:23:06
[SPEAKER_02]: I think I went five point five last week.
1:23:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I will put it up to a,
1:23:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll go seven.
1:23:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
1:23:20
[SPEAKER_02]: This was a really good win.
1:23:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, it like I said in all aspects, like it was a really good win to bounce back from what was a really not great start, but, um, it's how you, it's how you finish and how you start.
1:23:32
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I'll go up to a seven, um, I, I think that considering where, uh,
1:23:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I might have been going into the Oregon game as far as like my percentage chance thought that USC could potentially win that game, um, it has improved every week.
1:23:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, it's just slightly, but the most improvement came this week.
1:24:00
[SPEAKER_02]: So I still don't think USC is going to be
1:24:11
[SPEAKER_02]: that on Saturday night, we will be talking a lot about 2016.
1:24:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
1:24:19
[SPEAKER_05]: I think that's fair.
1:24:21
[SPEAKER_05]: I think that's fair.
1:24:22
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm feeling really good about this team.
1:24:25
[SPEAKER_05]: In part because obviously you want the team to win national championships and all that stuff, but like I'm not saying that I don't want that's that's not the overall
1:24:39
[SPEAKER_05]: ginormous, big picture thing, because yes, of course, that's what the standard is in general.
1:24:45
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes, but like the first ask I had going into the season was, show me you can be a chalk team.
1:24:57
[SPEAKER_05]: Show me you can win every game that you're supposed to win and in the games that you lose,
1:25:04
[SPEAKER_05]: They are they are understandable college football losses or they're against really good team whatever They're not a grieges like losing to Maryland Probably frustrating like losing to Washington and Dean.
1:25:17
[SPEAKER_05]: They should have beaten S. These two losses On the road to a field goal against the team that was ranked
1:25:25
[SPEAKER_05]: which is what college full teams do they lose the teams that were ranked on the road by late field goals that happened.
1:25:31
[SPEAKER_05]: And to a top five Notre Dame team.
1:25:34
[SPEAKER_02]: The Notre Dame teams at 10 a 10 point loss, but like that game was.
1:25:37
[SPEAKER_02]: The game was not a game was in the balance for most six.
1:25:40
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes, and like not that those games are okay in the in the like this is not what I'm saying, but like when you're coming off of a season when you went seven or five and six and six in the regular season, you have to prove to me,
1:25:56
[SPEAKER_05]: that you can cross the eyes and not the tease before you do anything out.
1:26:00
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, that's why I'm this season as show them the show that they can do that.
1:26:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Nine and three is nine and three sort of the standard for that where you're probably going to have like one or two games every season that unless you're an elite team, you're probably going to lose them, uh, so, you know, your Notre Dame's top five Notre Dame's are organs, whatever.
1:26:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And then nine and three sort of builds in the, you get one, you know, this was Pete Carroll's ML.
1:26:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Pete Carroll always got one that didn't meet like he was still in incredible head coach that had really great teams at USC.
1:26:33
[SPEAKER_02]: But he was always good for one because that's simply call it football.
1:26:37
[SPEAKER_02]: College football is there's always going to be one.
1:26:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, so like in that sense, yeah, I can forgive a one.
1:26:44
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just, it needs to stay at a one and not be, you know, a two or three or four.
1:26:52
[SPEAKER_02]: It was last year.
1:26:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I, we do need to wrap up because I don't want our neighbors to get woken up by, uh, or disturb by, I'm very frustrated by the dog who was currently howling in his crate.
1:27:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, um, but, uh, there was a question about the Oregon game.
1:27:09
[SPEAKER_02]: It the game time has been set for 1230 on CBS and there was a question about what the weather for the Oregon game is current 10 day forecast for Saturday 21 the 22nd is 55 considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers high 55 winds light and variable chance of rain 50%.
1:27:31
[SPEAKER_05]: It sounds like Eugene and November to me every single day of the of the 10 day forecast is literally showers 50% chance Yeah, yeah I think Rome already said earlier that the dogs are happy to see us.
1:27:48
[SPEAKER_05]: They were very happy to see them extremely happy to see us.
1:27:51
[SPEAKER_05]: I I am very happy to see them yeah Badger decided that's
1:27:59
[SPEAKER_05]: our little scheme to get us through episodes, the last couple of weeks wasn't going to work.
1:28:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, he's too excited.
1:28:08
[SPEAKER_01]: He used to want to go back in his crate.
1:28:10
[SPEAKER_05]: So if you've been hearing him bark in the other room, we apologize, but hey, he wasn't barking right here in front of the mic at least.
1:28:17
[SPEAKER_05]: This is true.
1:28:19
[SPEAKER_05]: We did all the things that were working before.
1:28:21
[SPEAKER_05]: We did the white noise.
1:28:24
[SPEAKER_05]: To be fair, I could be in the middle of the party.
1:28:28
[SPEAKER_05]: I went over and gave him a bully stick.
1:28:29
[SPEAKER_05]: He didn't want that.
1:28:30
[SPEAKER_02]: So the white noise, bully stick, et cetera, has worked on days where he's gotten a nice long walk.
1:28:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And because of our travel, and we just had friends pop into to take care of the pubs and everything like I don't think he got like a considerable walk.
1:28:51
[SPEAKER_05]: All right, we'll be back some Monday for PM Pacific.
1:28:55
[SPEAKER_05]: As always, normal schedule here on out fellas.
1:28:59
[SPEAKER_05]: And ladies, ladies, I'm not going to say what I almost said because caught myself, but there we go.
1:29:11
[SPEAKER_05]: Bernice says that's so nice, y'all are married.
1:29:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Not anymore, we were divorced actually.
1:29:16
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
1:29:18
[SPEAKER_02]: No.
1:29:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, what kind of do we have a border cally and a, um, let's call him a lab, but Thatcher is allegedly lab, people, Pyrenees and Australian Shepherd.
1:29:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, if you ask me, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
1:29:45
[SPEAKER_05]: What is,
1:29:47
[SPEAKER_05]: What is Badger?
1:29:48
[SPEAKER_05]: He's an Australian cheap dog mixed with the Pyrenees with elements of a PIT BUL.
1:29:57
[SPEAKER_05]: But I'm not going to call him that.
1:29:59
[SPEAKER_02]: He's got no no he's got the body of a lab.
1:30:03
[SPEAKER_02]: with the coloration of a of an Australian Shepherd and the protective instincts of a Pyrenees, hence the barking.
1:30:15
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes, but he looks like an Australian cheap dog or a blue killer or whatever you wanna come up with.
1:30:21
[SPEAKER_02]: This forehead is kind of broad like a people.
1:30:23
[SPEAKER_05]: And someone's gonna jump in here and say, actually they're living between an Australian and a cheap dog and a blue healer, you know what that means.
1:30:31
[SPEAKER_05]: All right, we will be back Monday 4 p.m. Pacific.
1:30:36
[SPEAKER_05]: We have been traveling since 4 a.m. Pacific.
1:30:40
[SPEAKER_05]: I need to go.
1:30:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm ready to go to sleep.
1:30:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Yes, so.
1:30:45
[SPEAKER_05]: All right, we will be back then until the, go, it the link, do the rudder meter.
1:30:49
[SPEAKER_05]: Do your rudder meter.
1:30:51
[SPEAKER_05]: Call them to the red line 8186437227.
1:30:55
[SPEAKER_05]: Finish your emails, all that kind of stuff.
1:30:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Until then, we will see you.
1:30:59
[SPEAKER_05]: See ya.