Pyle of List

My wife and I were fortunate enough to attend the USC-Washington State game last night at the Coliseum, thanks to my wife’s best friend and Pyle of List reader Kim and her family. Their invitation included the tailgating portion of the day as well, which is just as important as the game itself. Chips, guacamole, burgers, salad, pasta salad and of course a bevy of alcoholic beverage options. But what sets their family apart from average tailgaters is the attention to detail. The food & drink is always of the highest quality, but what makes them special is the commitment to improving. This year’s addition: a flatscreen HD TV hooked up to DirecTV to catch the day’s other college football matchups. Basically, it’s the best possible football game experience. Only adding to our experience is the fact we were able to park for free thanks to the generosity of Mark Taylor, parking attendant extraordinaire. That’s right, free parking at a major sporting event. Needless to say, it was a good day.

But, bragging about my awesome Saturday wasn’t the initial design of the post… although it quickly descended into that, didn’t it? Every week I plan to analyze the Trojans’ performance and break it down from a homer’s perspective, in an attempt to deliver more insight than you’ll get elsewhere. That means it will be biased but also moderately knowledgable, since I’ve seen almost every snap since 1999. Anyway, on to my learnings:

1. USC’s defense is better with Thomas Williams at MLB, over Rey Maualuga

Everyone loves big hits and a guy flying around like a human missile, but he’s often out of position. In trying too hard to make a play, he forgets the simple things and leaves the defense exposed. On WSU’s two TD passes, he was supposed to be in coverage of the receiver that caught the pass. Both times he was behind the man because he got caught looking into the backfield. He over-runs draws and screen passes on regular basis trying to be the hero. Essentially, he plays football like Maverick flew a plane pre-spinout.  I imagine Pete Carroll yelling things at him like “You’re writing checks your body can’t cash, Rey!”

Conversely, Thomas Williams plays simple, disciplined football even though his abilities and talent pale in comparison to Maualuga’s. With such a talented defense, covering assignments is more important than being a playmaker. The D will win the individual match-ups sooner or later. Unless Maualuga can reign it in, he should only play in nickel situations and special teams.

2. The turnover deficit isn’t as big of a problem as it may appear.

Opponents preach ball security above all else when they play USC. The prevalent school of thought has been: “don’t turn it over and we have a shot”. Fumbles by the opposition have been pretty rare over the past 2-3 years, so interceptions make up most of the turnovers the Trojans have created.

The main reason for a decline in turnovers is that the defense is very different from defenses that led the nation in turnover margin. Gone are the incredibly aggressive schemes Pete Carroll has become known for (at least until a big game) in lieu of a much more vanilla, basic look. Almost all QB pressure has been applied by the Front 4 without blitz packages, which allows USC to drop 7 into coverage. They rarely go to the nickel or dime packages and rely on the base 4-3 even against spread, 4-5 WR sets. Why a less aggressive approach? To continue my earlier Top Gun reference, I think the coaching staff is implementing an “Iceman” approach to these early season games: don’t take any chances and let the opponent make a mistake. This philosophy applies to both sides of the ball but is most apparent on defense. To score on this team, it’s going to take 10-15 plays and a sustained drive. Carroll and Nick Holt, the coordinator, are willing to give up yards because they believe the opposing offense will make the first mistake. With superior talent in nearly every matchup with their opponents thus far, why wouldn’t you take that approach? You’ll have to wait for Cal and Oregon for the more complicated, aggressive game plans.

3. RB and WR depth is better than any USC team in the past, but the offense lacks a true superstar.

As the toasts of Los Angeles, the Trojans have become accustomed to having a marquee name to pimp for the Heisman and gain national celebrity status, much to the chagrin of everyone else in the nation. No matter what you think of John David Booty, he does not fill that role. Even if he put up Heisman-worthy numbers, he has a distinct lack of marketability which is directly related to the fact he doesn’t possess a shred of charisma and minimal leadership appeal. This team is more like an ensemble cast, with everyone contributing a portion and different players stepping up at different times. If Leinart/Bush/White’s 2005 team was “Unforgiven” with Eastwood, Freeman and Hackman, then this 2007 team is “Tombstone” with a competent but not standout performance from Kurt Russell supported by nearly a dozen solid actors (seriously, look at the cast sometime). Booty is going to facilitate the offense and successfully get the ball to his playmakers, who will vary from game to game. Frankly, that’s not enough to win a national title unless the offense can establish a go-to-guy down the stretch. Winning the Pac-10 is well within reach but any BCS title aspirations would fall short in the 2nd half of a tight game.