OK, got back from the game. They played it offense vs. defense, with defense getting points for stops and INTs, etc. I left after the 3rd, when the defense was KILLING the offense. Here are some thoughts (sorry, kinda long):
* Matt Barkley threw 2 picks, both off of bad reads. Now, he's missing almost his entire offensive line, and he was without superduperstar Robert Woods, Kyle Prater, and his starting TE, so in a sense, he's really handicapped. But I LOVE the fact that he keeps throwing them picks. It started his senior year in high school, plagued him the past 2 years, plagued him all spring, and plagued him today. I have th unpopular opinion that he's a very good QB, but he's his own worst enemy and I look forward to him throwing at least 2 picks on Oct. 22nd.
* If Barkley gets hurt, SC is in MAJOR trouble. He has 3 freshmen sitting behind him and they are simply not ready. It'll be like ND vs. Michigan last year (although Scorggins will be more ready than Rees was for that game) And Kiffy isn't as good of a coach to get his QB ready like BK eventually did with Rees. They HAVE to keep Barkley healthy.
* All SC did was throw short!!! I mean, EVERYTHING was short. When Kiffy finally call for a bomb, Scroggins (their back-up) threw a wounded duck and was picked. And when Barkley threw an out and up to his TE, the TE was blanketed and it was picked by a back-up DB. Kiffy did the same thing vs ND last year and we easily kept almost everything in front of us. Even the SC fans were getting pissed and saying what a long year it was going to be if they didn't open it up.
* Kiffin was in the huddle on every play!!! WTF is up with that? I mean, he's calling the plays, and then as Barkley's in his cadence, Kiffin is pointing to where the fullback (freshman) is supposed to block. It was quite comical. And there were still 3 busted plays in 3 quarters! Hey Kiffy, let your boys play like it's a game!
* Their field goal kicking was atrocious. Their EE freshman 'superstar' missed a 40 yarder and I believe it was he who missed an extra point. His main competition, who some say was winning the job this spring, tried a 39 yarder, and I sh!t you not - it was the single worst field goal I've ever seen. It went straight to the right (at least 15 yards), and it was about 5 yards short (at least), and there was very little wind. I mean, it was pathetic. I took all might to keep from laughing out loud.
* Kiffy didn't even let his punters punt, so I can't even report on that.
* Their receivers, even though they were a bit depleted, dropped at least 6 passes. Not impressive at all.
* Nick Perry is nasty. He's going to get double digit sacks this year if he stays healthy, no doubt. In fact, their d-line is really nice, but they don't have a lot of depth there either.
* I think their secondary will be improved. Nickell Robey is a player, and TJ McDonald is a specimen. If we have a healthy Floyd, they'll still have no answer for him, but they'll be much better.
* They played nothing but back-ups at LB, as all 3 starters were hurt. Can't take away much from that group.
* USC's rb numbers looked good, but it was all against their 2nd team defense. They simply could NOT run against their 1st team defense. I wasn't impressed by any of the running backs, although DJ Morgan has 4 years of eligibility left and if he gets back to 100% after his knee injury, he could be a real problem down the line.
* USC Song Girls = unreal. Every dance just oooooozed sex. I now have 2 goals if I ever have a daughter: Keep her off the stripper pole, and never let her be a Song Girl. Oh, and get her into BYU.
* Sat behind Matt Bakley's uncle, cousin, and grandma. His cousin told me he's pretty sure Matt will be gone after this year. He's graduating, so in his cousin's words, no sense in risking injury when he already has his degree in hand. I agree.
That's all folks. I honestly think ND SHOULD win this game next year. USC prob still has the overall edge in pure talent, but unit by unit, I like ND's better and our head coach is miles better. SC better get healthy and they better gel quickly next year, or ND will win by 2 TDs...
