Matthew Melon
Staff Writer
Game Day Analysis:
My buddy who is an alumni student of USC has never been to Homecoming at USC. But since I’m here and we are going to the game we headed over to campus 3 hours before the game kicked off. The previous day we went to the USC bookstore because I wanted a jersey for the game and goodies for my friends back home. People you would not believe, the amount of students decked out in jerseys, beads, face paint, and numerous tailgate parties in parking lots and on grassy areas on campus .I even caught a band member getting herself lush with a swig of beer. The steps of the bookstore and any other building were swamped with people hanging out and talking about the game and celebrating. Within a sea of cardinal and gold, I saw a couple of brave Oregon State fans that made the trip. They seemed protected because they had friends who were Trojan fans. Being on the USC campus during a home game had the excitement of a super rock act at the Tweeter Center.
After partaking in this immense fun and powerful stimulus of a College Football party atmosphere, we headed to the Coliseum. We had end zone seats, which I at first purchasing was hoping that they weren’t going to be too high up. However, the way the stadium was constructed we here high enough to see the entire field and how the plays develop, very good seats indeed. When we made it to our seats there were these three women to my left who were in their sixties. The one in the middle of the other two was the most knowledgeable about the USC team and college football in general. It seemed like she dragged the other two to the game with her. It was cool sitting next to these hip old ladies, pretty rad how anyone can fall in love with College Football: it’s the passion and excitement, its got to be, right?!!!
After enjoying an hour of warm-ups by the Trojan players and the Oregon Beavers the game kicked off. The excitement and anticipation in the stadium was contagious and electrifying. The USC offense did not look good or in-sync in the first couple drives. John David Booty who returned from a broken middle finger did his best in the first half, but there were some dropped balls by his tight end and receivers. The problem was that John David Booty was not looking off his receivers and was staring them down which made it easy for the Oregon State Beavers defense to defend. In the first quarter, the offense was sputtering and both teams seemed evenly matched. But as the second quarter came around, the USC defense played stellar with an outstanding game from freshman Everson Griffen on the D-line. He had 3 ½ sacks of the nine total on Sean Canfield of Oregon State. It seemed like Everson was apart of those nine sacks; he was always around the ball. What a phenomenal performance by him and the defense. In the second quarter USC ran away with this game amassing 21 points on two passes and one run play. We left with 7 minutes to go as Oregon State was all but deflated, and the backup quarterback was handling duties now for Sean Canfield.
What was evident from the game was USC’s defense and how they played with aggression. I’m worried about the offense though, which at times seems predictable and boring. There really isn’t any time for John David Booty to get into a rhythm with his receivers because next week they are playing Cal. So Pete Carroll better get his offensive squad ready to go because this might turn into a shootout in which USC will have a hard time keeping up. What’s most important for USC is to play out the rest of their games of their schedule without thinking about the postseason. They already have lost any hope for the National Title picture or any Rose Bowl bid. This is time for the team to show cohesiveness and get ready for what ever bowl they will be eligible for. I strongly believe when C.J. Gable comes back next season, and Joe McKnight gets comfortable with the running game and the o-line blocking you might have that thunder and lighting combo that is evident with James Davis and CJ Spiller at Clemson. With Booty leaving due to graduation this quarterback situation will be Sanchez’s to lose, but he will be battling Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain who is highly touted. We will see next year, if the Trojans run out the gate or sputter to a slow finish.
Being at USC this past weekend was a blast, but I imagine it is no different than going to Georgia, Florida, or Texas to name a few. The major football colleges live, breathe, and eat football. It is a part of them, their community, their school spirit, their identity. And surely Trojan football resides in the hearts and souls of the students at USC.
