USC offered Class of 2020 safety/corner Lathan Ransom (Tuscon, Ariz.) last night. I caught up with him and his high school coach today to learn more. They both had good insight, and Ransom noted that he does have a tie of sorts to the Trojans.

On a personal note, thank you guys for being patient on the recruiting front last week as we launched the site transition during a very busy time with the season starting. As promised, the recruiting content will be flowing moving forward.

Read the full story:

https://usc.rivals.com/news/class-of-20-db-lathan-ransom-has-usc-offer-and-family-ties-to-trojans

The kid looked good in his debut and boy do I miss him!

There's always next year. Next year, we'll be good next year......................it's always a year away.

well that wasn’t ideal

Seems like we have had that 1 super star on offense that we could depend on in the clutch. Some names in the recent past: Sam Darnold, Juju, Adoree Jackson, Ronald Jones.

Who is that 1 guy on offense who will step up and make that clutch play under pressure?

Who on this offense will refuse to lose and make that spectacular play when you must have it?

This is something I will be looking for against Texas.

His 8-4 expectation looks correct. My 10-2 expectation looks like sunshine pumping.

I expected us to lose vs. Stanford (Stanford 24, USC 20). I expected a low scoring game. I expected the defense to play well. I expected a True Freshman QB to struggle against Stanford, especially in the red zone. I expected our O-Line to have difficulty in pass protection.

BUT, I had no idea...

1. that our Wide Receivers are B level at best. (the exception is St. Brown, a True Freshman who has the potential to be great and will show flashes of greatness). I thought our wide receivers would be freaky good. Boy was I faked out. Unfortunately, the PAC-12 defensive backs will be able to box/double team St. Brown. Pittman & Vaughns are not great. Good but not great.
2. We have ZERO tight end threat
3. The crappy red-zone offense is here to stay - I don't think this will ever get fixed
4. The O-Line is the same O-Line we had in the Cotton Bowl - very average, very injury prone.
5. I expect pressure on the True Frosh QB all season long
6. Our Offensive Coaching is very average and will not be able to dig us out of this hole.

My expected remaining 3 losses (8-4 season):

1. @ Texas
2. @ Utah or @ Arizona
3. Notre Dame @ home

We finish the season 8-4.

that was ugly

I posted the main news from Clay Helton's weekly Sunday conference call with reporters -- the situation at safety and the update on JT Daniels. But here were the entirety of his comments for those interested:

Opening statements:
"Obviously a tough loss for our football team. Like I said last night, I thought our players competed extremely hard in the game. That was evident on the tape that we watched today. We said going into the game that we had to play great team football, and defensively I don't know that I could ask for anything more. Holding a very good Stanford offense with a lot of weapons to 17 points, I thought was huge in the game. They did a terrific job of consistently getting off the field on third down, 4 of 13 in the game, and that really kept us in the game all night.

"I thought special teams wise, our coverage teams did a terrific job of providing a long field for Stanford to have to go. I really wanted and knew going into that game we had to play a really clean game penalty-wise, and to show up with only four penalties in the game kept us in it also.

"Offensively, when you play Stanford you know you're going to have limited opportunities as far as the number of possessions, and you hope you can get some favorable starting positions. That was not the case in that game. Our average starting point was the 22-yard line and had a long way to go. You know, credit Stanford for not turning the ball over and really not giving us a pitch to hit in the return game.

"The first half, you look up and we had four opportunities and we had drives of 7, 13, 10 and 7 (plays). Moving the ball, 5 of 9 on third downs in that first half and three of the four drives end up in the plus territory. And we didn't execute well enough to put the ball in the end zone. The start of the second half was the same. A nine-play drive and an eight-play drive that finished on the plus-17 and plus-38 and only came away with three points. That's the difference in the game when you look at it. Six opportunities on the plus side of the field and only coming away with three points.

"What I can tell you is I believe this team can be an exceptional football team. It'll grow and get better with every game. I can tell you I believe we're very talented at quarterback and have a quarterback that is learning lessons with each game rep he gets. And we're learning (about) him as a staff, where his strengths are and where the areas of growth are. I can tell you, this is not the end of the world, the sky is not falling. It's one game early in the season against a top-10 team. All our goals are still attainable. We'll do what we've done in the past, stay consistent, stay stable, continuing to get better as a team each and every week. We'll add them all up at the end of the season and see where we are, and hopefully that's back in Santa Clara on Nov. 30 playing against Stanford again."

Injuries ...

"We have Isaiah Pola-Mao out with a shoulder. We're going to let that thing rest for a couple weeks and then reevaluate to see what's the best course of action for Isaiah. He will be out for this game.

"JT Daniels, after we x-rayed yesterday as well as did a preventative MRI today, he has a hand contusion and we'll reevaluate on Tuesday."

On concerns about the safety depth ...

"Right now we've got a constant player, a staple, a rock back there in Marvell Tell, and then got two good young players that played yesterday and showed up and made plays -- that was C.J. Pollard and Talanoa Hufanga. We'll also look at moving Chase Williams over -- a 190-plus-pound body, very smart, instinctive young man that when we signed [we] thought could play corner, nickel or safety. And we will look at him this week also."

On what he saw on tape from JT and how much he thought the hand injury affected him the rest of the game ...

"Anytime that you take a hand contusion, obviously it hurts. I thought he was spinning the ball well. We hit some throws, we just came short up on some throws. It's one of those things that he's such a competitor and went out there and gave it his absolute best shot. There's no question in my mind that he was trying to do everything possible to help us win a football game, and I can give credit to him. The kid went out there and competed his butt off and fought till the very end."

On issues with receivers getting separation ...

"We actually did get some separation. I thought Tyler (Vaughns) really came back and had a very strong game in this game. The ball didn't always find him, but when you go back and watch the tape you're going to see times that he did get past people -- and a number of times. And I thought Mike really came back also, Pittman. He created a great explosion play for us and did a nice job. We tried to find Amon-Ra (St. Brown) a couple times and just had the overthrow in the end zone that's about an inch from being a touchdown and then we had an underthrow on the corner toward the end of the game and then had an overthrow on the last play for the interception. I thought the kids did a good job of finding ways to get open. Sometimes coverage dictates you getting by then. Sometimes when you're getting cover-3 and corners are bailing deep and making you go the long way, you have to be able to take the hitches and the nine-yard stop routes. And a lot of times the coverage dictated getting by people. But when you go back and watch the tape there were times that those kids did win and won numerous times."

On whether the issue was that there wasn't enough time to see the guys get open ...

"I think it was a little bit of both. Sometimes JT looked the other direction, working the other side and just some misfortune there. And obviously we did have some sacks in the game where he had to pull the ball down and start to move. So a little bit of both."

(PART 1)

This game looked and felt like our 2009 Ohio State game. This difference here is that we were able to mold the entire game to our best playmaker Joe Mcknight. Against Stanford we inexplicably sit Carr who is easily the best player on the team. Also, the uncomfortable truth is that JT isnt anywhere close to ready. We have almost the exact same offense as last year minus Darnold and our output is completely different.

Barkley looked like he belonged in the Ohio State game. JT looks lost.

USC v Ohio State 2009
Matt Barkley 15/31 195 yards 1 INT

USC v Stanford 2018
JT Daniels 16/34 215 yards 2 INTS

Clay Helton said QB JT Daniels had an X-ray and an MRI to make sure he sustained no bone or ligament damage while taking a helmet to the hand on Saturday at Stanford. The tests revealed only a contusion.

Helton talks about the injury and his expectations for Daniels this week:

https://usc.rivals.com/news/tests-show-nothing-serious-with-usc-qb-jt-daniels-hand-injury

wow usc being dominated didn’t expect it

A look back at the key numbers and notes from USC's 17-3 loss at Stanford in the Pac-12 opener...

USC has lost four of its past five meetings at the Farm. That’s a first in the 98-game series.

The Trojans are 10-11 away from the Coliseum since Clay Helton became the coach in 2015. Ten of those defeats were to ranked opponents.

USC dropped to 1-7 in true road games vs. ranked teams under Helton.

***
QB JT Daniels completed just 16 of 34 passes for 215 yards. He was intercepted on his final two throws and sacked four times.

TB Aca’Cedric Ware had a team-high 59 rushing yards on 18 carries (3.3 ypc).

WR Tyler Vaughns had a game-high seven receptions for 84 yards.

USC had just 332 total yards of offense, its second lowest total in 28 games.

The Trojans punted on their first four drives in the second half before closing with two interceptions.

USC converted 8 of 17 third downs and reached the Stanford 40 six times, but made just two trips to the red zone.

The Trojans had a total of 50 completions plus rushing attempts. They’re now 0-7 when that number is 54 or less since the beginning of the 2016 season.

***
LB Cam Smith had a team-high nine tackles, including one for loss.

LB Porter Gustin had five tackles, including one for loss, and two QB hurries.

CB Isaiah Langley had two pass breakups.

USC had six tackles for loss and five pass breakups but did not register a sack.

The Trojans held Stanford to just 13 first downs, tied for the second lowest total since DC Clancy Pendergast returned.

USC held Stanford to 342 yards of total offense. It’s the third time in the past four games USC’s opponent failed to collect 350 yards.

Stanford completed just 4 of 13 third downs.

The Cardinal scored on all three of its trips to the red zone.

***
Stanford held a slight advantage in time of possession: 30:43-29:17.

The Trojans scored their fewest points since being shut out by Washington in 1997 and went without a touchdown for only the second time since that game. The other instance was the 2016 season opener vs. Alabama.

USC’s three points were its fewest against Stanford since 1941.

I want to contain the stupidity to one thread. Anyways, please post all your excuses why the status quo should be given a chance to continue. I will reiterate my belief that while Helton may be a good to great recruiting coordinator, he is not and will never be suitable as a head football coach.

when Clay Helton and Tee Martin explains wtf went wrong after the game ... please please stop saying how good the other team was and we have to get better ... Lets get some new coaching a play design stop recruiting pocket passers who stand in the pocket like what do I do now

Dear Helton,

Here are some things you’ve said. This is not an angry rant. It’s a surgical commentary that should allow pumpers to know I’m not emotional or off my rocker and am a fan. That’s the point: we should be winning more against the “good teams” even without Sam Darnold at QB.

I am a fan still. So, In your words from you to me as a fan and back to you as the source of these words.

“It was physical for both teams and we'll take practice this week and do it exactly like we did last week -- full pads on Tuesday, shells on Wednesday and situational mastery on Thursday.”

For such a “humble” guy, you sure are full of pride. You’re speaking to me and many others like me with that, “we’ll do it exactly the same” crap.

Helton, you are killing the spirit of competition and those who would push the starters out and also refining the starters. For such aan who alludes to religious texts, “iron sharpens iron” you just don’t practice what you preach.

Until that stubborn Sunday night line, I regret being genial most in most of this post. I’m going to keep adding to this thread and by season’s end, it’ll be clear you just aren’t the man for this program of all start athletes.

And the no replies doesn’t change how on point and unique this thread is. It’s literally your words condemning this program you think you’re doing good by.

We thank you for being a grown up in light of kiddie amd Sark, but now we need you to grow up as a coach and she’d your pride.

“Obviously there were some mistakes that we can clean up over the next week...This is an early game in the season against a top ten team, and all our hopes and aspirations and dreams are still out there."

No they’re not actually. Playoffs must not be your aspiration then. Thanks for revealing that.

Oh, and you’re the mistake thus far. And Stanford is not a top ten team. You’ll see how mediocre they are.

Clean up some things? Do you really think that’s the issue? The thing to clean up is how you run th program. You have players thinking “cleaning stuff up” is the way when the issue is lack being prepared due to no intensity during the week and no completion. Helton, you can’t just turn it on in a game. It has to flow out from a tough, int some week of practice where competition and survival of keeping your spot or losing it is an actual possibility and reality for these young men.

It’s how the world in business and all others industies succeed. Even football.

“I don’t know. We have to watch the tape.”

This is unacceptable to devoted fans and players. 1: why don’t you watch tape on your expression on the sideline. You can’t clearly see what we all can: your cluelessness?

Hint: the problem isn’t “in” the game. You brought your problem “to” the game. You lost before you’d even arrived: at practice or lack thereof.

“I want our guys to have fresh legs.”

This is a philosophy to you. You practice soft and this fresh leg mentality has guys underperforming and frankly disrespecting you. Any coach should be outraged that his players aren’t doing their job. Instead you excuse it. I’m sorry, but at usc with a bunch of talent, the next guy should be chomping at the bit ready to play if he other guy doesn’t do his job. Yank that guy and say “next!”

But you can’t because your philosophy is a system of shamefulness. If it were truly competitive, practice would be grueling and painful and games would be exciting and fun (a la PC days, Kelley at Oregon, etc.).

Helton, it’s a system of failure. You have to wear them out Tuesday and Wednesday, make them play and earn their spot and make them practice hard and through pain each week. That’s why football is played on a weekly basis, to follow this tried and true system. That’s why the NCAA is laughing at you: it still has you operating under the fear of sanctions. They want you to lose to and fear playing a mediocre Stanford team.

Helton the players will respect you and even have a healthy fear of you too if you show them “who their daddy is” a little bit through true tough practice and competition.

And when the players are winning and performing at higher levels as a result, they will know.

“Hats off to ___ (fill in blank with opponent).”

Don’t you want other teams tipping their hat to you? You actually idolize Stanford football?

“Ohio State’s rotation on defense—wow.”

You actually think that’s why you couldn’t score in the cotton bowl?

So you totally misconstrued that. All you heard was “fresh legs.” You missed the part that they have a two deep of competitors who beat each other up during the week. It’s not fresh, but rather it’s determined competitors they can’t keep off the field because they’re always going at it.

You think rotation is the answer. Have you studied what Urbie did in Florida and now in Ohio? Rotation is a result of hard practices where all these guys are proving to be competitors and needing to see the files not you wanting them to be out there. They are privileged to be on your roster, or at least that’s how you should think once they’re there. Make them prove it during the week not in games. Right McFly? Hello, McFly?!

You recruit them saying you’re the privileged one but when they’re there it’s, “Who’s your daddy?” That’s hyperbole, but you get my point. Don’t you know that basic “philosophy”? Even decent-at-best coaches at lesser universities know that.

They know your soft. They know they can “sit out” and rest during the week because of how you “need” them in games, s you’ve said.

Helton, newsflash: don’t act like you need them. Make them want you.

Helton, you know it works this way with women too right? It’s a sad fact but you have to treat women this way (even your wife) or they’ll run all over you and, yep, you guessed it: underperform. This doesn’t mean test badly. It means how you carry yourself and establish the systems. That’s all. You should treat the players and your women with care and love, but you don’t compromise certain things for that especially if it gets the achievement and performance necessarily. I mean hell, we do it south our own children too! We have to or they’ll be a regret to themselves!

This doesn’t mean you mistreat anyone. It’s just how you operate. You have to establish yourself as not needing them because you have another player ready to do what you want.

“It was so out of character.”

So frustrating Helton to see yesterday as, unfortunately, not an aberration. It’s a pattern now.

Martin is justifying himself. However, players won’t do their jobs in games if your program is not set up to be winners during the week. And I could (and a few others here) probably call a better game offensively than Tee. Yesterday I would have lived at the pass play between 8-15 yards. One they were selling out for the run and blitzing. Why bombs? If my OLine isn’t blocking, let’s get the ball out quick at 8-15 yards, In the middle, including TE and RB’s falling out of the backfield for some passes. That’ll keep the LB’s up close to open up the mid pass for TE and WR at 8-15 yards. Come on Helton and Tee! How do I know this and you don’t.

“We want to focus on ourselves.”

You said this last year.

Helton, then focus on tough, grueling, win-you-job-again during the week practice and philosophy. That is truly focusing on yourselves.

Instead you “prepare” for Arcega-Whiteside fades and Stanford during the week. That from our own practice reports there, buddy. I just touchéd you there.

But the posters will say, “you’re not a College Foorball Coach.”

Helton, once I knew the “other duties as Assigned” part of head coaching in college, I could get my team to Be prepared and play better than what you do. And I wouldn’t violate my players’ “person” or disparage them, etc. I would just truly focus on ourselves and do that by a philosophical and practice that instills a tough weekly regimen where players almost hate practice and can’t wait until games because they’re so much lighter than what “their daddy” Has take them through.

“They’re warriors.”

Helton, these are virile young men. Have you heard of navy seals? The reason they’re elite is because their “practices” are designed to weed out fluff and let the dross rise and be scooped off while the heavy hitters remain solid in the hot water. That’s why they fear nothing and execute under fire and in Threatening situations in combat: because practice long prepared them for any game that comes their way.

Young men and warriors want to belong to something great. No. They “need” to. Helton, they are actually begging you to do this for them, to, despite themselves, make them Warriors. They don’t want you to “call” them Warriors after a sappy performance. They want to see their results. They want the results to call them Warriors.

They want to feel like and know they are warriors themselves by results. Every so often on the rare occasion of a loss, sure, encourage them, but that loss won’t look like yesterday or ND or BAma or OSU or Wazzu or Utah. But most every other time, let their own tired bodies during the week and their dominant play on Saturdays tell them from within that they are warriors.

Stop calling them warriors. Make them warriors.

These are your own words Helton and You don’t get it. You’re not listening to yourself.

Be honest now please. You’re such a great guy. we all agree. So be a great guy and stop hiding behind your words. Admit you’re running the program of high elite players down and that now you’re going to change because it’s needed.

Some of the things I’ve mentioned are what many many know. Just admit it and do what I’ve said, which is what many, many are calling for. Promise: you’ll make us fans of you in a great way. Right now, we are loyal and frustrated fans of usc but not you. We could be both, and it’s not because you’re kowtowing to us but because you’d be demanding our respect.

Getting SC is getting old.

gonna go out on a limb and say another run into the teeth of the defense. I know call me crazy!!!

There is no excuse for this nonsense. Helton is a nice guy but he's obviously a terrible head coach. He looks like a deer in headlights every time they show him on the sidelines. Watching this staff is like watching amateur hour. SC has top 10 talent every single year that doesn't translate onto the field. It's time to for SC to get serious about football and go find an aggressive, tough, hungry coach who has an absolute will to win. Write the check and go get him. Possibly Ryan Day from OSU?

... I know you've been around the block so to speak, and as such I'd be interested to hear your perspective on how the USC head coaching job is viewed around the country. My sense is it is becoming less and less appealing to high caliber HC's.

We know USC can offer what most schools can't (beyond salary), but at the same time it appears commonly known that we have a selective few outside Heritage Hall (Admin, Donor and Trustee) that make USC' entire benefits package less appealing than others.

Personally, I don't see Helton going anywhere unless he implodes from a character standpoint, which will not happen. I'm just curious as to how we're viewed around the country both as a program and staff, and thought you may have insight on this.

Clay Helton said the Trojans will rest Pola-Mao's shoulder for a couple weeks before determining the best course of action. Meanwhile, they're moving freshman corner Chase Williams to safety in practice to see if he can help the depth there.

Full story:
https://usc.rivals.com/news/with-isaiah-pola-mao-out-usc-makes-move-to-boost-safety-depth

there hasn’t been any growth in the team in the way they play they’re not physical or nasty they’re not explosive ...

Not that anyone here was eager to check these out today, but here they are:

AP POLL
1. Alabama (2-0), 1,517 points (54 first-place votes)
2. Clemson (2-0), 1,430 (6)
3. Georgia (2-0), 1,407
4. Ohio State (2-0), 1,288
5. Oklahoma (2-0), 1,263
6. Wisconsin (2-0), 1,227
7. Auburn (2-0), 1,224
8. Notre Dame (2-0), 1,022
9. Stanford (2-0), 992
10. Washington (1-1), 884
11. Penn State (2-0), 836
12. LSU (2-0), 830
13. Virginia Tech (2-0), 794
14. West Virginia (2-0), 793
15. TCU (2-0), 678
16. Mississippi State (2-0), 654
17. Boise State (2-0), 494
18. UCF (2-0), 494
19. Michigan (1-1), 385
20. Oregon (2-0), 301
21. Miami (1-1), 299
22. USC (1-1), 250
23. Arizona State (2-0), 139
24. Oklahoma State (2-0), 119
25. Michigan State (1-1), 104

COACHES POLL
1. Alabama (2-0), 1,571 (59)
2. Clemson (2-0), 1,481 (3)
3. Georgia (2-0), 1,437
4. Ohio State (2-0), 1,391 (1)
5. Oklahoma (2-0), 1,319
6. Wisconsin (2-0), 1,252
7. Auburn (2-0), 1,221
8. Notre Dame (2-0), 1,029
9. Stanford (2-0), 1,010
10. Penn State (2-0), 930
11. Virginia Tech (2-0), 862
12. Washington (2-0), 852
13. LSU (2-0), 850
14. TCU (2-0), 743
15. West Virginia (2-0), 727
16. Mississippi State (2-0), 650
17. Boise State (2-0), 507
18. UCF (2-0), 438
19. Oklahoma State (2-0), 325
20. Miami (2-0), 296
21. USC (1-1), 295
22. Michigan (1-1), 270
23. Oregon (2-0), 255
24. Michigan State (1-1), 152
25. Arizona State (2-0), 92

If you've been following the site since the preseason, you've gotten to know the football insights of our Tajwar Khandaker. In the first edition of what will be a weekly staple, he delivers a thorough breakdown of the Trojans' ugly loss.

https://usc.rivals.com/news/tajwar-s-first-and-10-the-key-takeaways-from-an-ugly-usc-loss

neither is Pittman