What happened to USC being a defensive team?

[DoubleDeuce]

Notre Dame- 367 Total Yards (285 Passing, 82 Rushing)
Oregon State- 482 Total Yards (329 Passing, 153 Rushing)
Oregon- 613 Totals Yards (222 Passing, 391 Rushing)

I don't want to hear ANYTHING about how great their defense is anymore.

[SHOGUN]

Losing three first round picks will do that to you.

[Woy]

They got beat by a better team and one of the best teams in the country.

[Sharkweather]

Lost 10 defensive starters, no?

Not just those sick LBs.

They are very young right now... but they'll be back.

[ralaw]

I hate to say it, but USC will be really good next year. I predict they'll be in the championship game.

Yep, and Barkley will more than likely be the Heisman frontrunner.

[NAHSTE]

Pete Carroll's defense has always been overhyped IMO. His inability to contain Vince Young on 3rd and 4th downs was atrocious. Repeatedly, USC would line up in dime packages and spy Young with one of the two asian brothers they had at the time, both of those guys went about up to VY's thigh, and he kept breaking tackles. Why Carroll didn't stay in more base stuff and spy with ends and LBs I'll never know....But back on topic, USC's defense is very young this year, but very very undisciplined as well. It's the risk you run when you go the route of being a "player's coach"

[Sportsbuck]

I'm no expert, but it may have something to do with how USC lost 9 defensive starters off of last year's squad.

Sidenote - Notre Dame is #5 in the nation in total offense, Oregon State is #35, and Oregon is #8 in the nation in rushing offense. It's not like they are giving up all of these yards to scrub offenses.

[Sharkweather]

In threads like this it's easy to spot the SEC homers.

Not me this time.

Our defense is fucking terrible. I'd glady take So. Cal's.

(oh shit I am a homer, didnt call them USC ;) )

[Tailback U]

They lost 8 defensive players to the NFL draft last year. That's what happened.

This is the lowest that USC is going to be for the next 4 years. I thought most people knew this?

I expected them to lose to Oregon. The defense is too young and inexperienced to stop an offense like Oregon's that requires great discipline and experience to contain.

Enjoy it while it lasts, because if you are sick of Tebow like I am then you are going to be really sick of Matt Barkley 3 or 4 years from now.

Hell, they've already labeled him "The Golden Boy," and I'd be lying if I said I haven't developed a bit of a man crush on him.

[1ke]

I love questions with easy answers. Everyone is right though, when you lose talent like that to the league you had to figure a down year. Its USC's first down year in who knows how long. And a down year for them is 2 losses.

Blitz is right too, all the hatred Tebow gets, its going to be even worse with Matt. The kid is a stud, nothing ground breaking there, but he easily looked like their best player vs Oregon. Not to mention he is in a major market.

And could it be true, no more Taylor Mays man crush...are you cheating on him with the new young blonde kid?????

[Warner2BruceTD]

Notre Dame- 367 Total Yards (285 Passing, 82 Rushing)
Oregon State- 482 Total Yards (329 Passing, 153 Rushing)
Oregon- 613 Totals Yards (222 Passing, 391 Rushing)

I don't want to hear ANYTHING about how great their defense is anymore.

I have no retort, you cant really argue with this.

I doubt you will be hearing anything about how great their defense is.

[Tailback U]

I love questions with easy answers. Everyone is right though, when you lose talent like that to the league you had to figure a down year. Its USC's first down year in who knows how long. And a down year for them is 2 losses.

Blitz is right too, all the hatred Tebow gets, its going to be even worse with Matt. The kid is a stud, nothing ground breaking there, but he easily looked like their best player vs Oregon. Not to mention he is in a major market.

And could it be true, no more Taylor Mays man crush...are you cheating on him with the new young blonde kid?????

Taylor Mays has been so bad this year that he should not even be drafted in the 1st round. He's still a physical specimen and I still wish I was him but his play in the secondary this season has been downright awful.

USC's D is young and talented, they'll get better each year after this and will eventually be one of the top D's in the country again - just too young and inexperienced to even be surprised by their performance this season.

Doesn't matter how many 5 star high school players they have starting on their team now, defense is all about assignment football especially when you face a spread option attack like Oregon's.

[Ca$ino]

young, undisciplined, rocky seto's first year calling the shots, mays not playing well, but i think its because he is trying to make up for the missed assignments everywhere else. I think Carroll needs to take full control of the defense again.

[NAHSTE]

Taylor Mays has been so bad this year that he should not even be drafted in the 1st round. He's still a physical specimen and I still wish I was him but his play in the secondary this season has been downright awful.

Sounds like he's played the exact same as always. I tried telling dudes before the year this guy wasn't a good football player, just a good body builder.

Eric Berry>>>>>>>

[Sportsbuck]

Mays wasn't that great last year either... he's the reason Penn State was able to mount a passing attack in the second half by taking advantage of him, and the same reason for Ohio State's rare big passing plays in the game in September.

He's a liability back there... better off to move him to linebacker now, I mean he's going to be playing it in the league anyway.