CjAllen180 No. 1 Share Posted October 23, 2023 The USC Trojans have been, erm, not good against stiffer competition, and that's putting it mildly. Their lack of a competent defense has REALLY caught up to them, and there's a strong chance that by the time our Ducks get a crack at them, that game will have lost a lot of it's luster, especially given the information presented in the below picture. Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonDucks No. 2 Share Posted October 23, 2023 I hope that the NFL scouts with top draft picks look at these stats. I always look to see how college players do against top competition because that is what they’ll be playing against every week at the next level. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennsylvania Duck Moderator No. 3 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Jon Gold: Charmin-soft Trojans take after their coach, and it's well past time Lincoln Riley toughens up In college football, the No. 1 commodity is not size nor speed. It is not playmaking ability nor poise in the pocket. It is not a rocket arm nor thick thighs, not sticky hands nor lightning cuts. The most important trait is simple, no-nonsense toughness, intestinal fortitude, true grit. It is the ability to weather a storm and come out the better for it, even if it hurts. Even in a loss. You can see it in teams. Hell, you can smell it. It’s all over their faces when things fall apart, and in their shoulders and their chins and in their eyes. And you can see it when teams don’t have it. Even worse, when their coaches don’t hold them to that standard. This is not an indictment of Lincoln Riley as a person. I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, and he probably treats his friends and family well. He certainly treats his players well. Too well. As a coach, Riley is Charmin soft. Ultra. Eight ply. No need to fold when the Trojans’ defense will do it for you... Gold: Charmin-soft Trojans take after their coach, and it’s well past time Lincoln Riley toughens up SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM USC's latest loss to Utah could have been a great learning experience for the Trojans. Unfortunately, Lincoln Riley decided... 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBayDuckDad Moderator No. 4 Share Posted October 24, 2023 On 10/24/2023 at 8:51 AM, Pennsylvania Duck said: Jon Gold: Charmin-soft Trojans take after their coach, and it's well past time Lincoln Riley toughens up As a coach, Riley is Charmin soft. Ultra. Eight ply. No need to fold when the Trojans’ defense will do it for you... Gold: Charmin-soft Trojans take after their coach, and it’s well past time Lincoln Riley toughens up SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM USC's latest loss to Utah could have been a great learning experience for the Trojans. Unfortunately, Lincoln Riley decided... Witness the difference in how Riley shielded his players, particularly Williams, from accountability after that Utah game with how Bo Nix carried himself after the UW loss. Night and day. Losses happen and failure is nearly inevitable. Only one team ends up standing at the end of every season, and most of them failed once at some point. Taking responsibility, facing the music and finding a way forward is what builds character and makes you better. Lanning and Oregon understands that. Riley and U$C do not. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 5 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Riley, Grinch, and Caleb should all be doing ads for Charmin like Prime and Saint Nick do for Aflack. Quack! Riley was gifted an already sound program at Oklahoma courtesy of Bob Stoops. He produced quality QBs but the D at OK steadily declined under his watch. The nadir? Playoff semifinal in 2019 vs LSU. LSU was up 49-14 at halftime and won 63-28. Last week Arkansas, after a 13-7 loss to MS. St. fired OC Dan Enos. Why is Riley waiting to pull the trigger on The Grinch Who Stole Defense? It's not like the situation at Iowa where Ferentz refuses to fire his son. In the second half vs. Minnesota last week, Iowa averaged .5 yards a play. Oregon - At 13. Utah, vs. 24. USC, and 11. Oregon State. And the B1G will supposedly be a tougher row to hoe than the Pac-12? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirklandduck Moderator No. 6 Share Posted October 24, 2023 On 10/24/2023 at 9:41 AM, EastBayDuckDad said: Witness the difference in how Riley shielded his players, particularly Williams, from accountability after that Utah game with how Bo Nix carried himself after the UW loss. Night and day. Losses happen and failure is nearly inevitable. Only one team ends up standing at the end of every season, and most of them failed once at some point. Taking responsibility, facing the music and finding a way forward is what builds character and makes you better. Lanning and Oregon understands that. Riley and U$C do not. You can bet NFL GMs and HCs notice this kind of stuff. It's shows a huge difference in maturity and character, particularly between Bo and Caleb. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake Moderator No. 7 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Not surprised by their losses. More surprised about the unrealistic expectations that the media and their fans had before the season started. Any team with a good QB can pull off some upsets if the ball bounces their way. However, to win at the highest levels you need a defense that can carry the QB when they are having an off day. Trojan boys don’t have that, and obviously the media and now their fans are blaming the coach. It is enjoyable to watch the meltdown in smog town. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven A Moderator No. 8 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Good thing Riley has his big bucks, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to refuse NIL deals from Pampers (for his team) and Depends (for himself). 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck No. 9 Share Posted October 24, 2023 They haven't been relevant since 2008. Of course they are always relevant preseason, and with their hiring decisions. They also seem important in recruiting, but don't do much with the talent they get. The trojans are relevant, until they are proven irrelevant, again, and again! I worry about the trojans like I worry about the mullet coming back in style. Never liked the mullet, and not going to change the way I do things if it does come back in style. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJacksPlaidPants Moderator No. 10 Share Posted October 24, 2023 I remember thinking their defense was horrible back in 2011. Then, before I knew it, they had something like a 38-10 lead that the Ducks couldn’t recover from. They’re going to very motivated when they visit Autzen. This one is more worrisome than Utah. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
