Morning Takeaways

Kiffin Haters - move along, this isn't the post for you.  My takeaways from the game last night have been far more optimistic than from even my closest circle of USC-loving friends.  LFK treated this game like an NFL preseason game.  That may have rubbed some people the wrong way, but please just take a step back.  Say Kiffin had named Kessler the starter two weeks ago, wouldn't you have wanted to see Wittek take a few snaps after that very mediocre first half?  Lee had a few drops remember.

The Defense looked greatly improved to me (how could they not), especially up front.  Kennard looked angry (see above), and Dion Bailey reminded me of a mixture between Will Poole and a poor-man's Troy Polamalu.  Norm Chow's creativity was no match for even our depleted secondary, which still had 4 INTs.  Ballhawk Sua Cravens had an interception on his 2nd series on defense.  He already looks better than Taylor Mays does currently.  Kevon Seymour looked like he would be okay, but Anthony Brown's injury looked much worse to me as he was carted off.  Another CB or two goes down, and Lee's bid for Heisman might get that much easier going both ways.

The O-line looked mediocre to awful, but it's hard to say the line was terrible with 185 yards rushing by Tre Madden & Justin Davis.  I thought Madden looked slippery, and I really liked Davis' hurdle on the touchdown.  He could be special.  Both Wheeler & Graf looked slow all night, and I thought significantly better on run-blocking.  Maybe they should run-block all of the time.  It'd be easier for the RBs to see and pick up their slack.

Kessler should've been pulled for hanging on to that ball for the safety, but it was too early I guess.  I never like passing laterally or backwards, so I guess it's a good thing Kessler is horrendous at all of them.  I didn't expect this, and that short screen he jump-pass launched for an INT was especially atrocious.  Wittek was told not to turn the ball over or else, so I think he held back a little.  I real head-scratcher is why the tight ends are so underutilized.  We have the best two in the Pac-12 conference.  Our QBs must throw a bunch of picks over the middle in practice, because the TEs aren't even being looked at unless they are near the sideline.  A skinny post to either one of them is tough for any linebacker to guard, but we still don't do it.  It's mind-bottling.

Overall, it was what I expected.  I didn't think we would cover.  We didn't.  I thought the defense would be light-years ahead of the offense like every other year.  It was.  I thought our play-calling would leave me scratching my head.  It did.  USC just embarked on its easiest schedule out of the next 6 years, so I believe I saw a 9-win team out there last night.  Stanford is going to have their way with us, but I think the Pac-12 South is ours to lose.  Let's hope the defense can keep it up against a better spread offense in Washington State and Mike Leach next week.

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