2022 USC Season (1st Qtr.-A)
WEEK 1, 2022
vs. Plymouth State (0-0)
(USC -20) USC BCS RANK: #2
We face Plymouth State this week and should have a fairly easy time of it. It'll be a good tune-up game and a chance for reserves to get some reps in.
PSC runs a wishbone offense same as us. Their starting QB for the past three years is on academic probation, so I really don't know who they'll start at quarterback. They've got 5th year senior Al Sullivan who hasn't played in a game his four previous seasons at the school or redshirt sophomore Skip Roberson, who has a lot of potential but isn't very well developed. Our scouts tell us Sullivan likes to run more than average and Roberson no more than average. Your guess is as good as mine but if I had to pick one I'd say they start Sullivan because he's a little more developed.
They don't have a lot of offensive weapons on the team, so I don't think we need to go into constant goalline situations to stop their run. I think we'll heavily overplay the run in our game plan, but pretty much play a straight up 3-4 defense, with the corners in man and the safeties in zone. We'll use goalline, nickel and dime sets a normal amount as the situation dictates, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Made our first recruiting calls and visits today. Offerred quite a few scholarships right off the bat. There were an awful lot of top 100 kids very amenable to playing for us - or at least our scouts say so. We'll see come signing day.
GAMEDAY
1Q: They start Roberson. Glad I'm not a betting man.
They get nothing going and we take it right down the field for seven - highlighted by a 48 yard bomb from Kenny Finch to Brit Wells and a 13 yard Ike Daughtery touchdown run. 7-0 SC.
They're just not in our class. They go three and out and we drive downfield unabated to make it 14-0 on an 8 yard option keeper by Finch. It's going to be a long afternoon for the Panthers - who incidentally, have become a "university" since I graduated from Keene State instead of a "college". So it's PSU now. Learn something new every day.
That's how the first quarter ends, university or not, 14-0 Southern Cal.
2Q: We punch it in early in the second as Kenny hits freshman TE Randy Fix from 7 yards out. 21-0 USC. We recover a fumble at their 12 and Kenny Finch takes it straight up the middle from 12 yards out. 28-0. Penalties finally stop us and we do actually have to punt the ball for the first time in the game.
We hadn't been getting much pressure on Roberson until DE Austin lew came up with a 3rd down sack about 7:30 through the 2nd. They've been pass protecting very well up until now - very well.
Penalty, a sack and Kenny Finch tosses an INT and the Panthers are back in business, until DE Floyd Jeffers hammers Roberson for a 6 yard loss. Jeffers nailed Roberson on two consecutive plays, creating a turnover the 2nd time giving us great field position. It's as if someone flicked a switch and turned off their pass blocking, which until now had been so very good.
We score again and both Tony Felkey and Thomas Kluge see action at quarterback before halftime. End of half: USC 35-0
3Q: Kluge starts the second half for us at QB. Good to see Spencer Farley has his thinking cap on, though I personally would have prefferred FFelkey get the snaps as he's the one who is going to play if Finch goes down, but hey, just sayin.
Good to see Brod Frias and Walt Nadeau getting some action in at ILB - they'll be our starters there next year and the PT can't hurt their development one bit.
Kluge is running the ball real well. Passing isn't half bad either - though that's just the level of competition, he's a very raw and undeveloped passer. But the running is for real.
They put together a pretty impressive drive near the end of the 3rd and make it 42-7 as we contribute by making a couple of stupid penalties and that's how the quarter ends.
4Q: We add a few points and end up winning 52-7.
A pretty convincing and dominating win against a team that isn't in our class. Good way to get some development time in for our younger players though. And a "W" never hurts.
USC 52 -- Plymouth State 7
PAC-10 (0-0) -- OVERALL (1-0)
* * *
WEEK 2, 2022
Open Date
USC BCS RANK: #2
Continued making first contacts with student-athletes we have identified as our top priority recruits, and made just a few follow up calls this week. Among the top prep stars we are pursuing are OT Ray Herbert from Maine, RB Phillip Farrell from NY, DE Bucky Lauritzen from Illinois, CB Levon Stokes from Massachusetts and OG Lincoln Fleming from New York. Among the top california high schoolers we're recruiting are DE Reggie Crawford, Safety Phillip Crawford and CB Rich Springer.
If things go according to plan, we should land a bumper crop of recruits this year.
PAC-10 (0-0) -- OVERALL (1-0)
-20-