I get that corner is a high ego position, but there's just something that rubs me the wrong way about undeserved swagger. If you're a lockdown corner, go ahead and talk trash to the receiver for testing you. If you "won" because the receiver got plenty of separation from you but the QB made a bad throw, or you're frequently getting beaten on routes to the point you only have the opportunity to talk trash when your teammate makes a nice play, etc., then perhaps you should rethink your smack talk and take a lesson in humility.
USC acts like they're as good as the Pete Carroll-era Trojans while turning in 5-7, 8-5, etc records. If there were a stat called "unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that extended opponents' drives", USC would have like tenfold the amount as the next team because of all the cheap shots and excessive celebrations on menial plays. Their attitude has literally cost them games before. If I were--I don't know-- an ACC fan that happened to tune into a USC game, I would think "Wow, didn't know USC had a rivalry with WSU," or "Wow, didn't know USC had a rivalry with Colorado," or "Wow, didn't know USC had a rivalry with Arizona," and so on-- I might expect this level of chippy play and excessive celebrations in a rivalry game, but this is literally every game for USC. And you can tell each of their opponents hates them too-- Talanoa Hufanga offered a hand to help up Travell Harris after the play (after standing over him), and Harris slapped his hand away. Later, Hufanga "accidentally" stepped on Jayden de Laura after a sack. A fight nearly broke out in the Arizona game. If you can pick this up from just TV broadcasts, I can't even imagine how much worse it much be on the field (like if you had to listen to Griffin all game long). While USC might forget about these routine plays, I guarantee you that e.g. de Laura won't forget the way USC acted towards him. I'm sure the narrative next year will be "Jayden de Laura is looking for revenge after a bad game last year," but if I were him, I'd be looking for revenge because of all the dumb extracurricular activities, regardless of whether we won or lost last year's game. There's a reason every opponent is always fired up to play USC, and it's not because they just happen to be "the team to beat" like an Alabama or Ohio State (USC had a losing record just 2 seasons ago), it's because every team remembers the way USC acted towards them the year before.
Are you sure this is the right article? This is referring to Borghi being out for USC. Nick Rolovich is kind of like Wilcox regarding injury news, I'd be shocked if we heard anything until shortly before kickoff.
Thanks for the thorough analysis. I don't recall exactly but I think we bottled up Borghi pretty well last season. I guess the question for me is the degree of difference between the run and shoot and the Air raid of Mike Leach. Our scheme against the WSU Air raid was highly effective, but that was dialed up by Alexander, not Yates. Like you say, probably the best approach will be a strong pass rush with blitz packages, resulting in errant throws that can be picked off by our D.
The Run and Shoot offense was really prominent in the 90s, so there's actually a ton of material out there on both the offense and defending it. The conventional wisdom is that the zone blitz killed the Run and Shoot offense of the 90s-- the offense uses the RB to block, but he also can block and release, and would thus be unaccounted for against a cover-0 blitz, and would thus end up in the open field with a big gain. So if a team used a safety or someone to spy the RB, the Run and Shoot offense would still have enough men to block (with the RB) and still get their traditional routes off with their receivers. But the zone blitz came along, and it would throw a wrench in this because it creates bad matchups for the offense. If a good OLB (like Cameron Goode) blitzes, that's a tough matchup for an RB who now has to stay and block, defensive linemen or inside linebackers drop back into zone, and plus an unblocked rusher from the zone blitz. So the unblocked rusher forces the hot reads, which wouldn't be open because the defense had enough defenders in zone. Of course, the Run and Shoot has still evolved since then, changing their protections, etc., and there are still good concepts that even other offenses like to borrow (like switch routes mentioned in the article).
USC typically brings a lot of pressure because they have good pass rushers, so I didn't think too much of it at the time, but they also had an INT from a play like this. It looked something like a cover-0 blitz, and while safety Talanoa Hufanga initially blitzed, he then dropped back into the zone where QB Jayden de Laura was looking, managed to tip the pass to himself, and get the interception. So it's not as simple as just "zone blitz", but hopefully that gives you more of an idea.
While I know this is a WSU preview, I just want to take this opportunity to state how little I care for Olaijah Griffin and his antics.
Shoutout to Vic Wharton III for this happy memory:
https://i.imgur.com/YVAUYv4.mp4
I get that corner is a high ego position, but there's just something that rubs me the wrong way about undeserved swagger. If you're a lockdown corner, go ahead and talk trash to the receiver for testing you. If you "won" because the receiver got plenty of separation from you but the QB made a bad throw, or you're frequently getting beaten on routes to the point you only have the opportunity to talk trash when your teammate makes a nice play, etc., then perhaps you should rethink your smack talk and take a lesson in humility.
USC acts like they're as good as the Pete Carroll-era Trojans while turning in 5-7, 8-5, etc records. If there were a stat called "unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that extended opponents' drives", USC would have like tenfold the amount as the next team because of all the cheap shots and excessive celebrations on menial plays. Their attitude has literally cost them games before. If I were--I don't know-- an ACC fan that happened to tune into a USC game, I would think "Wow, didn't know USC had a rivalry with WSU," or "Wow, didn't know USC had a rivalry with Colorado," or "Wow, didn't know USC had a rivalry with Arizona," and so on-- I might expect this level of chippy play and excessive celebrations in a rivalry game, but this is literally every game for USC. And you can tell each of their opponents hates them too-- Talanoa Hufanga offered a hand to help up Travell Harris after the play (after standing over him), and Harris slapped his hand away. Later, Hufanga "accidentally" stepped on Jayden de Laura after a sack. A fight nearly broke out in the Arizona game. If you can pick this up from just TV broadcasts, I can't even imagine how much worse it much be on the field (like if you had to listen to Griffin all game long). While USC might forget about these routine plays, I guarantee you that e.g. de Laura won't forget the way USC acted towards him. I'm sure the narrative next year will be "Jayden de Laura is looking for revenge after a bad game last year," but if I were him, I'd be looking for revenge because of all the dumb extracurricular activities, regardless of whether we won or lost last year's game. There's a reason every opponent is always fired up to play USC, and it's not because they just happen to be "the team to beat" like an Alabama or Ohio State (USC had a losing record just 2 seasons ago), it's because every team remembers the way USC acted towards them the year before.
/USC rant
You hit the nail on the head. Griffin might be the poster child for it but it's a long-standing thing with USC.
Cougin' It... a preview of all the ways everything can go wrong.
Spokeman-Review: WSU RB Max Borghi out vs. Cal (paywall)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/dec/06/running-back-max-borghi-set-to-miss-third-consecut/
Are you sure this is the right article? This is referring to Borghi being out for USC. Nick Rolovich is kind of like Wilcox regarding injury news, I'd be shocked if we heard anything until shortly before kickoff.
Thanks for the thorough analysis. I don't recall exactly but I think we bottled up Borghi pretty well last season. I guess the question for me is the degree of difference between the run and shoot and the Air raid of Mike Leach. Our scheme against the WSU Air raid was highly effective, but that was dialed up by Alexander, not Yates. Like you say, probably the best approach will be a strong pass rush with blitz packages, resulting in errant throws that can be picked off by our D.
The Run and Shoot offense was really prominent in the 90s, so there's actually a ton of material out there on both the offense and defending it. The conventional wisdom is that the zone blitz killed the Run and Shoot offense of the 90s-- the offense uses the RB to block, but he also can block and release, and would thus be unaccounted for against a cover-0 blitz, and would thus end up in the open field with a big gain. So if a team used a safety or someone to spy the RB, the Run and Shoot offense would still have enough men to block (with the RB) and still get their traditional routes off with their receivers. But the zone blitz came along, and it would throw a wrench in this because it creates bad matchups for the offense. If a good OLB (like Cameron Goode) blitzes, that's a tough matchup for an RB who now has to stay and block, defensive linemen or inside linebackers drop back into zone, and plus an unblocked rusher from the zone blitz. So the unblocked rusher forces the hot reads, which wouldn't be open because the defense had enough defenders in zone. Of course, the Run and Shoot has still evolved since then, changing their protections, etc., and there are still good concepts that even other offenses like to borrow (like switch routes mentioned in the article).
USC typically brings a lot of pressure because they have good pass rushers, so I didn't think too much of it at the time, but they also had an INT from a play like this. It looked something like a cover-0 blitz, and while safety Talanoa Hufanga initially blitzed, he then dropped back into the zone where QB Jayden de Laura was looking, managed to tip the pass to himself, and get the interception. So it's not as simple as just "zone blitz", but hopefully that gives you more of an idea.