With dreams unfulfilled, USC turns its attention to future against UCLA
Wide receiver Brenden Rice calls Saturday’s crosstown rivalry game a chance to ‘push forward for the next coming team,’ and it could provide a closer look at some potential young difference-makers
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — The year began with abject optimism, a reloaded USC roster taking up arms, building on a turnaround that revitalized tradition and presented the best opportunity in years to bring a championship back to Heritage Hall.
“I think everybody within our program, every player, senses that and wants to do a great job of taking advantage of this,” head coach Lincoln Riley said during July’s Pac-12 media day. “These windows are short. You only get so many shots at this.”
Four months later, the window has slammed shut, the possibilities of what could have been dancing behind an impenetrable pane of glass. Hopes of a national title turned into four increasingly demoralizing losses; hopes of an improved defense turned into the firing of coordinator Alex Grinch; hopes of a back-to-back Heisman Trophy for Caleb Williams turned into ceaseless chatter over when he would bounce for the NFL draft (he hasn’t decided yet, he said Wednesday).
Whatever happened, senior linebacker Mason Cobb said Wednesday, there was no changing it. There was only fixing it, for years to come.
In truth, on-field stakes – apart from Chip Kelly’s job status in Westwood, which might already be decided – are among the lowest they’ve been in decades for a timeless USC-UCLA rivalry game Saturday. Since 2007, there have been just three years when both teams entered the matchup unranked in the AP Top 25. There’s no Pac-12 title on the line, even; both programs are dragging in burning wreckage of unfounded hopes to the Coliseum on Saturday, there being no real reward for a win, there being only further disappointment after a loss.
For weeks, Riley has publicly galvanized his program with the message that there is still something to play for. That’s tougher to sell when a conference title is off the table. So the message, and mentality, for USC (7-4 overall, 5-3 Pac-12) this week seems clear: do something to take pride in for next year.
“Even though we couldn’t go on to conquer those dreams that we had,” receiver Brenden Rice said, “we got to go ahead and look at it as – this is a great opportunity to go ahead and push forward for the next coming team.”
That invites an intriguing possibility, then, for fans looking for silver linings on Saturday. Riley said the “focus” Saturday is utilizing any player possible to win, as USC has several lesser-used young pieces still eligible for redshirt seasons who could be trotted out against UCLA (6-4, 3-4).
“If we’ve got guys at any of the positions that aren’t playing at a high level or aren’t getting it done and we’ve got somebody we want to take a look at, we’re not going to hesitate,” Riley said.
Some potential young difference-makers to watch Saturday, in a game that will set the stage not for a postseason but for USC’s future:
WR/CB Makai Lemon: Yes, wide receiver-slash-cornerback, because the freshman entered USC as a wide receiver and Riley said “his future here is certainly at receiver.” But with a depleted secondary against Oregon last weekend, Lemon warmed up with the defensive backs – and then started the second half at cornerback.
Lemon (24) said he started training with the cornerbacks at midseason and previously played both ways in high school at Los Alamitos. The freshman has played too many games this year to be eligible for a redshirt, but he appeared sparingly enough that USC hasn’t had much of a look at him this year; Saturday will be an interesting judge if the position change sticks.
CBs Tre’Quon Fegans and Prophet Brown: Starting nickelback Jaylin Smith didn’t play against Oregon with an injury. Another starter, Domani Jackson, has been inconsistent this season, and former starter Ceyair Wright is away from the team for unknown reasons, so underclassmen Fegans and Brown should get their fair share of snaps against UCLA, regardless. Both impressed in a larger role against the Ducks; Fegans recorded five tackles and Brown allowed just one catch on three targets, according to PFF.
OL Alani Noa (77): A freshman so highly regarded that he started on the line for USC in its first game against San Jose State, Noa has played just two games since as offensive line coach Josh Henson said he’s had some “personal setbacks” this year. Riley, though, said the lineman had a chance to help USC down the stretch, and he could play against UCLA and still be eligible for a redshirt, as he’s appeared in just three games this year.
TrojanDailyBlog members— We always encourage you to add factual information, insight, divergent opinions, or new topics to the TDB that don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO RECEIVE NOTICE OF NEW COMMENTS OR REPLIES.
Recruiting is so strange. Daelyn Evans now might be a strong possibility for us. No DC hired, staff may be gone next year, but he’s considering us? I think Odom is recruiting him. Or maybe Riley. Not sure, but he’s not making it a secret that we are on his radar and he might flip.
Martin Jarmond is he ATHLETIC DIRECTOR at UCLA. …… A comment tonight from a fan of Boston College the school Mr. Jarmond was AT before UCLA hired him . Mr. Jarmond hired BC’s current Head Coach Jeff Hafley ….. BC was 6-3 but with the loss to 2-8 Pitt tonight BC has fallen to 6-5 with “The U ” (Miami ) next week . Boston College fan comment >>>>>( I DASHED OUT SOME CURSE WORDS) >>>>> by Dick Rosenthal on Thu Nov 16, 2023 10:39 pm Supahfan99 {l Wrote}: I know I harp on the absolute screwups of our coach but has… Read more »
The TV College Media guys I have watched will not come directly out and say it (Kelly being gone if he loses to SC) .But they definitely gave me the impression that they are kind of expecting it !!!!!
UCLA could be stuck with Choc Chip Kelly if he beats USC. I’d like to see him stay, win or lose because I don’t think he’ll ever be good at UCLA. He’s a .500 little gutty coach since 2018. Doesn’t like to recruit, always a negative feather in his cap.
ucla has the Pac12’s best rushing offense and it also has the best rushing defense. That is not a good sign for our defense for sure, but our pass offense is way better than their pass defense and that is where the difference will come from. Unless they gain 400 yards on the ground against us. They don’t tend to score quickly, if at all. This could be a close game. Everytime I say that it becomes a blow out though.
The Herd — NFL exec on Caleb Williams (92 TDs and 13 turnovers with a shaky O-line): “He’s the No. 1 draft prospect and nothing has changed.”
Cowherd again — “Nobody in the League cares about painting his fingernails or crying in the stands with his mom. Patrick Mahomes’s college record was 13-19. Jared Goff was 14-23.
“There’s only three quarterbacks I’ve ever said a year before they’re gonna leave college that they’ll be #1 in the Draft. Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams.”
“If we’ve got guys at any of the positions that aren’t playing at a high level or aren’t getting it done and we’ve got somebody we want to take a look at, we’re not going to hesitate,”
LR why are you waiting till the last game of the regular season to bench under performers?
2014 was fun because we had the short lived hope Cutty Sark was bringing USC back after sanctions. The other two were Helton disappointments, lets just get the season over games.
This gets a tiny tiny bit detailed but I will be as brief as possible .The guys on ESPN (Over the last few years) have tried to simplify …for the fans ….how teams get picked for bowls .The ESPN guys gave the impression that the Holiday bowl is higher ranked than the Alamo Bowl (and add this I copied-and-pasted from Wikipedia) >>>>> “With this agreement, the Holiday Bowl featured the #3 Pac-12 team” Which based on the current Pac-12 standings the # 3 team would be Arizona or Oregon ST .ALSO based on the Big-12 current standings OK has the… Read more »
While I would love to play in a New Year’s Day bowl and that’s not going to happen, I just want a bowl game that pays well and gives us a good matchup. Alamo or Holiday would be fine.
Do not want the Sun Bowl. 2012 was a nightmare for us.
USC used to be great in bowl games (35-21 all-time, with 25 RB wins) but has now lost four of its last five. Would be nice to get back on the winning side of the ledger, but might be difficult if Caleb sits out.
If it’s not a Rose (or big Orange) SC just goes through the motions in these toilet bowls (like everyone else except the Iowa’s and that crap) or when Gomer was here when the lazy F didn’t even practice for them.
What was Helton’s deal about not practicing for bowl games? I never quite picked up on his reasoning for that.
Hopefully, LR doesn’t pick up where Helton left off in that area.
I wonder how The Cat (he’s now 12-11 with the Eagles) feels about LR’s somewhat strained and turbulent USC situation with fans and winning lately? He probably needs to look at the film to give us an answer.
Discount the 25 RB wins and USC is 10-21 in bowls, 9 of the loses were RB including the NCG with Texas. So USC is 10-12 in non RBs. Bottom line, USC has gone to the RB 60% of their bowl games and has a 55% chance of losing in a non RB game.
Colin Cowherd Piling On Lincoln Riley “Lincoln Riley knows the X’s and O’s. He’s a great play caller and play designer. But their defensive staff is weak. They are completely and utterly reliant on their quarterback. His team lacks any balance, and can’t land great defensive players out of high school. Struggling USC is the opposite of a program like Michigan. “Lincoln Riley HAS to be on the field. The quarterback HAS to be the center of the offense. Jim Harbaugh doesn’t even have to be there. They can have controversy surrounding the program. Irrelevant. He’ll still pound Penn State… Read more »
Good morning TDB friends. I just want to remind everyone to be wary of what you read on the internet. Everything you see is not true. I SAW A MOCK DRAFT LISTING KOREY FORMEN AS A 3RD ROUND DRAFT PICK. I put that in all caps to make sure everyone saw it. Thanks for reading my TED Talk.
Two burning wreckages coming into the coliseum Saturday. The image is almost heartbreaking. In my youth (last week) I would have blamed the PAC 12 cabal for USC’s predicament. Untimely penalties as punishment for starting the realignment of football that has blossomed, can be construed as a parting gift from the league. I’m thinking of those five yard digs after a defensive stop, which allowed the other team a fresh set of downs, in turn making the shaky defense give up. I’m thinking about the offensive pass interference calls, which negated touchdowns. I’m thinking the countless uncalled penalties, which can… Read more »
Used to be a big Bears fan as I lived for some time in the Chicago area……..In 1999 we all were dreaming of this savior that would play like Jim McMahon
drafted 12th in the first round……Cade McNown.,..did not know much about him……he could’nt hit the broad side of a barn on a sunny day.
Hope that helps.He was gone in 4 tortuous years.
Cade was a brutal Trojan killer, unfortunately. He totally tormented the Trojans four straight years and often made spectacular plays in college that at the time looked like a late ’90s forerunner of what Caleb Williams won a Heiman with.
In ’98, Cade finished 3rd in the Heisman voting behind winner RB Ricky Williams from TEXAS, and QB Michael Bishop from KSU.
Lemon (24) said he started training with the cornerbacks at midseason and previously played both ways in high school at Los Alamitos. The freshman has played too many games this year to be eligible for a redshirt, but he appeared sparingly enough that USC hasn’t had much of a look at him this year; Saturday will be an interesting judge if the position change sticks.
OL Alani Noa (77): A freshman so highly regarded that he started on the line for USC in its first game against San Jose State, Noa has played just two games since as offensive line coach Josh Henson said he’s had some “personal setbacks” this year. Riley, though, said the lineman had a chance to help USC down the stretch, and he could play against UCLA and still be eligible for a redshirt, as he’s appeared in just three games this year.
Recruiting is so strange. Daelyn Evans now might be a strong possibility for us. No DC hired, staff may be gone next year, but he’s considering us? I think Odom is recruiting him. Or maybe Riley. Not sure, but he’s not making it a secret that we are on his radar and he might flip.
Martin Jarmond is he ATHLETIC DIRECTOR at UCLA. …… A comment tonight from a fan of Boston College the school Mr. Jarmond was AT before UCLA hired him . Mr. Jarmond hired BC’s current Head Coach Jeff Hafley ….. BC was 6-3 but with the loss to 2-8 Pitt tonight BC has fallen to 6-5 with “The U ” (Miami ) next week . Boston College fan comment >>>>>( I DASHED OUT SOME CURSE WORDS) >>>>> by Dick Rosenthal on Thu Nov 16, 2023 10:39 pm Supahfan99 {l Wrote}: I know I harp on the absolute screwups of our coach but has… Read more »
Do you think Chip Kelly is already a goner at UCLA, regardless of Saturday’s game?
Do you believe he can save himself with a win over SC?
The TV College Media guys I have watched will not come directly out and say it (Kelly being gone if he loses to SC) .But they definitely gave me the impression that they are kind of expecting it !!!!!
UCLA could be stuck with Choc Chip Kelly if he beats USC. I’d like to see him stay, win or lose because I don’t think he’ll ever be good at UCLA. He’s a .500 little gutty coach since 2018. Doesn’t like to recruit, always a negative feather in his cap.
But is Jarmond’s job safe ?
Why would UCLA want to get rid of Jarmond? What’s he done wrong?
Yea he is probably safe …For now ….. The NY and Boston Media have a kind of low opinion of Mr. Jarmond (So I guess he is happier out in LA).
ucla has the Pac12’s best rushing offense and it also has the best rushing defense. That is not a good sign for our defense for sure, but our pass offense is way better than their pass defense and that is where the difference will come from. Unless they gain 400 yards on the ground against us. They don’t tend to score quickly, if at all. This could be a close game. Everytime I say that it becomes a blow out though.
UCLA’s O-Line is awful at protecting the QB. So our Defense might be able to get a lot of sacks.
The Herd — NFL exec on Caleb Williams (92 TDs and 13 turnovers with a shaky O-line): “He’s the No. 1 draft prospect and nothing has changed.”
Cowherd again — “Nobody in the League cares about painting his fingernails or crying in the stands with his mom. Patrick Mahomes’s college record was 13-19. Jared Goff was 14-23.
“There’s only three quarterbacks I’ve ever said a year before they’re gonna leave college that they’ll be #1 in the Draft. Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams.”
“If we’ve got guys at any of the positions that aren’t playing at a high level or aren’t getting it done and we’ve got somebody we want to take a look at, we’re not going to hesitate,”
LR why are you waiting till the last game of the regular season to bench under performers?
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Scott Dochterman have USC pegged for the Dec. 27 Holiday Bowl vs DUKE.
This would be USC’s fourth Holiday Bowl appearance in the last 10 years (W-NEB, L-WIS and IOWA).
2014 was fun because we had the short lived hope Cutty Sark was bringing USC back after sanctions. The other two were Helton disappointments, lets just get the season over games.
I keep thinking Alamo Bowl (and NOT vs OK ).
Why not vs OU?
This gets a tiny tiny bit detailed but I will be as brief as possible .The guys on ESPN (Over the last few years) have tried to simplify …for the fans ….how teams get picked for bowls .The ESPN guys gave the impression that the Holiday bowl is higher ranked than the Alamo Bowl (and add this I copied-and-pasted from Wikipedia) >>>>> “With this agreement, the Holiday Bowl featured the #3 Pac-12 team” Which based on the current Pac-12 standings the # 3 team would be Arizona or Oregon ST .ALSO based on the Big-12 current standings OK has the… Read more »
While I would love to play in a New Year’s Day bowl and that’s not going to happen, I just want a bowl game that pays well and gives us a good matchup. Alamo or Holiday would be fine.
Do not want the Sun Bowl. 2012 was a nightmare for us.
USC used to be great in bowl games (35-21 all-time, with 25 RB wins) but has now lost four of its last five. Would be nice to get back on the winning side of the ledger, but might be difficult if Caleb sits out.
If it’s not a Rose (or big Orange) SC just goes through the motions in these toilet bowls (like everyone else except the Iowa’s and that crap) or when Gomer was here when the lazy F didn’t even practice for them.
What was Helton’s deal about not practicing for bowl games? I never quite picked up on his reasoning for that.
Hopefully, LR doesn’t pick up where Helton left off in that area.
I wonder how The Cat (he’s now 12-11 with the Eagles) feels about LR’s somewhat strained and turbulent USC situation with fans and winning lately? He probably needs to look at the film to give us an answer.
Discount the 25 RB wins and USC is 10-21 in bowls, 9 of the loses were RB including the NCG with Texas. So USC is 10-12 in non RBs. Bottom line, USC has gone to the RB 60% of their bowl games and has a 55% chance of losing in a non RB game.
Colin Cowherd Piling On Lincoln Riley “Lincoln Riley knows the X’s and O’s. He’s a great play caller and play designer. But their defensive staff is weak. They are completely and utterly reliant on their quarterback. His team lacks any balance, and can’t land great defensive players out of high school. Struggling USC is the opposite of a program like Michigan. “Lincoln Riley HAS to be on the field. The quarterback HAS to be the center of the offense. Jim Harbaugh doesn’t even have to be there. They can have controversy surrounding the program. Irrelevant. He’ll still pound Penn State… Read more »
Good morning TDB friends. I just want to remind everyone to be wary of what you read on the internet. Everything you see is not true. I SAW A MOCK DRAFT LISTING KOREY FORMEN AS A 3RD ROUND DRAFT PICK. I put that in all caps to make sure everyone saw it. Thanks for reading my TED Talk.
Two burning wreckages coming into the coliseum Saturday. The image is almost heartbreaking. In my youth (last week) I would have blamed the PAC 12 cabal for USC’s predicament. Untimely penalties as punishment for starting the realignment of football that has blossomed, can be construed as a parting gift from the league. I’m thinking of those five yard digs after a defensive stop, which allowed the other team a fresh set of downs, in turn making the shaky defense give up. I’m thinking about the offensive pass interference calls, which negated touchdowns. I’m thinking the countless uncalled penalties, which can… Read more »
Used to be a big Bears fan as I lived for some time in the Chicago area……..In 1999 we all were dreaming of this savior that would play like Jim McMahon
drafted 12th in the first round……Cade McNown.,..did not know much about him……he could’nt hit the broad side of a barn on a sunny day.
Hope that helps.He was gone in 4 tortuous years.
Cade was a brutal Trojan killer, unfortunately. He totally tormented the Trojans four straight years and often made spectacular plays in college that at the time looked like a late ’90s forerunner of what Caleb Williams won a Heiman with.
In ’98, Cade finished 3rd in the Heisman voting behind winner RB Ricky Williams from TEXAS, and QB Michael Bishop from KSU.
Fun qb to watch
Nothing like blowin’ chow pre-snap!