Here is some of what I have read from the past week(usctrojans,
latimes, ocregister, bleacherrport) and cut and paste here:
The Gold team, behind 3 touchdown passes from
quarterback Matt Barkley, beat the Cardinal team,
30-7, in the USC football team's final intrasquad scrimmage of 2010 fall camp
on Thursday (Aug. 26) in the Coliseum.
The Gold team was comprised of USC's starters and key
backups, while the Cardinal squad was primarily scout team players. There was
no tackling in the 98-play scrimmage.
It's tough to get a read on the Trojans. In a mock game
without tackling, running game is a mystery. Matt Barkley throws for three
touchdowns but has two passes intercepted. Barkley said the no-contact tempo
"kind of stinks" because it affects the energy on the field. "It
almost lowers the speed of the receivers in a sense and so everything is not
completely accurate," he said. "But come a week from today there's no
doubt that we'll be flying around."
With the opener less than a week away, the timing
still isn't right between USC quarterback Matt Barkley and his freshman
receivers. That plainly was evident Thursday, when Barkley threw a pair of
interceptions, both intended for freshmen, against the scout team in the
Trojans' final preseason scrimmage at the Coliseum.
Trojans are treading a fine line on offense - Offensive
line is finally able to practice together, three days before the season opener.
To stave off injuries, USC conducted full-contact tackling drills only once
early in training camp. So offensive linemen have not practiced cut blocking or
played at full speed. Coach Lane Kiffin said Monday that the unit would be
"a work in progress" and conceded that he was concerned with how the
limited-contact approach might affect the line and the running game.
"That's going to be a big question mark," he said. USC has only 12
scholarship offensive linemen on the roster. About half have little or no game
experience.
USC will practice today, but Kiffin continues to put his
stamp on the program with his plan to bypass the stadium walk-through that was
a staple the day before road games under former coach Pete Carroll.
Suddenly finding himself facing an NFL-size roster, Kiffin
has had to cut back on two-a-day practices and reduce the amount of tackling in
team drills and scrimmages. As a result, Kiffin and his staff really don’t have
a firm idea of just what kind of football team the Trojans will put on the
field this season. Yet, the soothsayers and prognosticators continue to shower
the most unrealistic expectations on this severely handicapped roster.
After reading all this and knowing the history of the Thursday Night Home Dog, the choice for me is
easy. Go against the team with the off-season distractions, the new coaching
staff and routines, an unsettled o-line, and freshmen on the road for their
first college game, While USC may have ended there NFL-like policy of paying
players, their new NFL-like policy of not tackling in practice will slow them
down in the opener. They’re not pros and they still need to practice and refine
one of the fundamental skills needed to effectively compete. This could go like
an NFL preseason game where the game plan is to keep it conservative and keep
your hand, or your lack of one, close to your vest. If the Trojans manage a 21
point lead, one can imagine the starters benched to protect them, and the
possibility of backdoor cover. Based on these factors I think the Hawaii starters
will keep it closer than the USC Cardinal.
Hawaii +21
I also think depth will be an issue for the Trojans this
year and couldn’t resist the +125 under 9.5 wins this season.
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