Best halftime adjustments ever?

[RuntheBall]

I love BK and staff and agree with a lot of the stuff they do (3rd and short excluded). I don't think it was a "coaching" change. Now I wasn't paying that close of attention, and even if I was I may not be able to tell, but I think it was an emotional change on the part of the defense. Tommy, a guy who is well liked but very soft spoken, comes in at the end of the first FIRED UP. Not sure about your guyzezez experiences, but when that quiet guy who everyone likes comes in and it F'in jacked... WOW. Then Tommy goes down... the D was not going to lose that game. They would not let him down. But impressively they played emotion, but smart. They didn't take any dumb passion penalties. Great performance!

 

[ulukinatme]

I love BK and staff and agree with a lot of the stuff they do (3rd and short excluded). I don't think it was a "coaching" change. Now I wasn't paying that close of attention, and even if I was I may not be able to tell, but I think it was an emotional change on the part of the defense. Tommy, a guy who is well liked but very soft spoken, comes in at the first FIRED UP. Not sure about your guyzezez experiences, but when that quiet guy who everone likes comes in and it F'in jacked... WOW. Then Tommy goes down... the D was not going to lose that game. They would not let him down. But impressively they played emotion, but smart. They didn't take any dumb passion penalties. Great performance!

I think you're on to something. It may have had to do with the speech Rees delivered at the half, and then him getting injured shortly into the 3rd quarter. From ESPN:

But when the teams had gone to their locker rooms for halftime Saturday, Rees had taken it upon himself to deliver a speech that proved to be prescient in a game that featured no scoring during the final 30 minutes.

"It was a passionate speech, one of the more passionate things I've ever heard Tommy say," captain TJ Jones said. "It was really, 'Just keep your head in the game, don't give up. We've got this, 30 minutes wasn't enough. We need another 30 to win this game.' He had a lot of the guys almost in tears. It's the first time Tommy spoke out like that, and it was definitely emotional."

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

No question the defense was lights out in the second half, but USC has been a horrible second half team all year. It's like they just run out of gas and ideas.

 

[RuntheBall]

No question the defense was lights out in the second half, but USC has been a horrible second half team all year. It's like they just run out of gas and ideas.

This would really make sense along the O-Line. It would explain some of the holding calls and false starts. Whenever you are tired you get lazy and hold. Or you get beat and hold to avoid a sack, etc.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

All of the penalties were because we were beating them. Tuitt was being held because he was dominating their line. Those were forced errors by our defense, and USC was too poorly coached to realize not to make those errors.

 

[Cackalacky]

True, but would you rather barely lose to your biggest rival?

Or

Kick them while they're down?

Pretty easy choice, I think

I am a pacifist but when it comes to UsC you kick then while they are down. And then you kick them some more.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Great OP, love the basis for this thread. Our D hasn't been what it was last year which is understandable with all we lost. But the second half performance last night was arguably better than any half last year. But that leads to a question by me. Why does our first half D every week seem to not be able to stop anyone. We have great second half adjustments weekly, but to the eye test we struggle the first half of every game.