Everyone acts like 200 yards rushing is some magic number, or point of no return. I think if they rush for 200 and pass for 100 then UK wins. I'm not worried about 200 yards rushing, instead i'm worried about 275 or 300. Then we lose for sure. If their total yards are 300 or less then we might just win.
USC - UK Discussion
- Thread starter TravellersGhost
- Start date
It could be because USC opened as a 9 point favorite which seems like a lot to a public that just saw USC struggle to score in the opener and largely didn't see UK play at all.
9 seems like a lot of points.
Yes, that is true. But why did he do that? Is that something that he just decided to do? Was it forced? was he baited? Was he under pressure? Shaving points?
Even if we take away the two INTs that you think were inexplicably thrown directly to the LB (not an unusual occurrence against zone defenses really) and give UNC a field goal instead of the third down pick in the end zone on UNC's first drive, the defense holds UNC to 16 points and SC wins.
Once a team has a sustained level of success such as what South Carolina has, they usually don't go back to where they were. I don't see SC fans accepting cellar dweller status again, but as the East improves, I don't see them going back to Spurrier's peak either.
Anybody that watched the USC/UNC game saw a better defense than last season (not hard) but a worse offense than last season. If this South Carolina team had last seasons offense they would potentially be looking at a 10-11 win season. I expect 6-8 wins this season and I think one of those comes against UK, but it wouldn't surprise me to see a UK upset win here. I'd say it's possible rather than probable, but I expect to see both teams look better in some aspects than in week 1. If one of those aspects for UK is defense then an upset might happen.
Anybody that watched the USC/UNC game saw a better defense than last season (not hard) but a worse offense than last season. If this South Carolina team had last seasons offense they would potentially be looking at a 10-11 win season. I expect 6-8 wins this season and I think one of those comes against UK, but it wouldn't surprise me to see a UK upset win here. I'd say it's possible rather than probable, but I expect to see both teams look better in some aspects than in week 1. If one of those aspects for UK is defense then an upset might happen.
Since it's been brought up twice I'm gonna assume I didn't make my point clearly. My bad. I was just saying the spread coming down had nothing to do with what Vegas thought of either team, thinking highly of Kentucky or poorly of SC, it had to do with what side the money was coming in on. It was more a comment on the mechanics of the spread than saying USC was worse than us or we were better than them. I think 9 was a lot. I would have been inclined to take UK and the points. I don't think either team has the ability this year to beat the other by 2 scores. think it'll be 10 points or less one way or the other.
Coaches coach, players play, and fans bloviate - myself included lol. In about 72 hours all will be revealed . . .
M. Williams 2014 stats: 270/428 3068 63.1% 21 TD 9 INTs 135.3 193 rushes for 798 yds and 13 TDs.
Right, we agree. The line is moving because betters liked the idea of getting Kentucky and 9 points.
whether that means the public thinks Kentucky will win is a different issue. Maybe they do. I don't know. I'm not sure it matters really as the public isn't necessarily that good at predicting the outcome of football games.
Your point? He had 3 ints against you guys. 2 in the redzone. That's piss poor. Haha
The Stratosphere opened their line at USC -9. Just about everybody else opened at -7.5. The Stratosphere line dropped to -7.5 about 15 hours after it opened with no intermediate lines. I think they were just correcting their mistake.
Peace
I guess so.
Do we think Towles, based on the evidence that has gone before, is likely to perform better than Williams?
How do their seasons last year compare?
Perhaps its equally likely or more likely that Towles also plays piss poor against USC? Is that possible, based on what we know about them to date?
The energy in that stadium is amazing for big games. The student section was incredible when I was there. Visiting teams need to. E extra sharp and focused. That crowd is as good as I have seen. And, even when the sun goes down it is sticky hot!
Everyone saying we lose if they get 200 yards rushing amazes me..
..how many rushing yards did they have last year....in the FIRST HALF ALONE.
I would take 200 right now and take our chances that Mitch doesn't play a great game and we win.
..how many rushing yards did they have last year....in the FIRST HALF ALONE.
I would take 200 right now and take our chances that Mitch doesn't play a great game and we win.
Yes he could play piss poor or play great. But you are missing the point, Unc's qb played piss poor LAST week against you guys. If he hadn't been so bad, they might of won.
I don't think he is missing the point. I think you both have different views on (1) Williams' play and (2) the affect of USC's defense on that play. Curious's point is likely that Williams threw for almost 250 yards between the 20's quite well. He also threw 3 picks from about the 20 and in. I don't think the assumption that he was "playing piss poor" explains his playing great between the 20's and then throwing picks in the red zone.
http://www.secsports.com/video/13619613/breaking-south-carolina-defense
I have a hard time believing the defense can take credit for the two picks he threw on the goal line. LOL!
The were both right to a wide open LBer that only had to hug the ball to get the INT. Williams might seriously have a color-blind issue. But, those two TOs were not because of great defense, but because of supremely poor decision-making or confusion by the QB.
South Carolina fans are going nuts that their defense held a "good" UNC offense to "only" 440 yards and 14 points.
Let's look at that a little more:
Last year, the prolific UNC offense that routinely put up 35+ against ACC teams was able to muster only 21 against Rutgers. They also managed only 31 against a mediocre SDSU team earlier in the year.
The year before, another "prolific" UNC offense managed 10 against USC and 31 against ECU.
In fact, UNC has been drilled 2 years in a row by an ECU team that was drilled a few years ago by ULL.
I think the more reasonable assertion is that UNC is a pretty average team that racked up yards and points against bad ACC defenses and south Carolina is still an average defense capable of getting run roughshod over by even the most average of SEC teams.
Let's look at that a little more:
Last year, the prolific UNC offense that routinely put up 35+ against ACC teams was able to muster only 21 against Rutgers. They also managed only 31 against a mediocre SDSU team earlier in the year.
The year before, another "prolific" UNC offense managed 10 against USC and 31 against ECU.
In fact, UNC has been drilled 2 years in a row by an ECU team that was drilled a few years ago by ULL.
I think the more reasonable assertion is that UNC is a pretty average team that racked up yards and points against bad ACC defenses and south Carolina is still an average defense capable of getting run roughshod over by even the most average of SEC teams.
Dude, he threw the ball DIRECTLY INTO THE NUMBERS of Skai Moore TWICE. The linebacker didn't have to move at all to get to the football, the QB threw it directly to him.
That's bad QB play. Credit your guy for catching the thing, but that's the only thing of significance that he did on those plays. Played his spot in zone and caught the football when it came to him.
Yup. It was just the QB, his wide open receiver and Skai Moore standing there between them. Good ole game of backyard catch with Skai just standing around in the middle hoping the pass hits him between numbers.
No one else was on the field. No pressure with only 4 DL after the LBs showed blitz. The QB did not have to escape the pocket and throw back across his body because of the pressure. Skai was not running to his left and then pivoted back to his right when he saw the QB's eyes.
If only USC is lucky enough to have your OC believe that as well. One can only hope.
It's an anomaly because it's based on circumstances that don't exist right now. UK isn't on probation like they were during the first 5 games of that stretch. We don't have Joker or Guy Morriss coaching which were two really bad coaches. We also went through 4 coaching changes during that stretch while USC was pretty stable.
When not under scholarship reductions or with incompetent coaching staffs UK and USC have been very even. Before that stretch the series was even. Bill Curry was 2-2 against USC. Hal Mumme 2-1. Even coming out of that stretch Stoops is already 1-1. Point is the two programs are historically even. Much more so than the 13-2 stretch would imply.
They scored 35 on the #1 defense in the country last year.
UNC scored more points per game last year than Kentucky did. they probably will again. They are both quite possibly very average teams.
That's some impressive rationalization right there. Basically even if you throw out the last 15 years.
They had a great offense and a horrible defense last season...it seems to be reversed this year where they may at least have a decent defense, but so far not much to speak about on offense.
I'm wondering how, if at all, Chris Lammons being out with a knee injury will affect USC's defense against UK.
No that's not what I said at all. I am saying you can't compare it to situations that don't match what you are in now. Please try reading.
What are you talking about, man? All I've heard from USCjr. fans about their history is 13-2. School must be like, 15 years old..
Well, I think if you get to write off probation we should get to write off the Sparky Woods and Brad Scott eras.
So basically the teams have never played.
Well technically, if we move past your Woods and Scott eras, and we move past probation, Morriss, and Joker eras, we're 1-1.. So, still historically even? I guess, anyway.
I think a defense that relies on turnovers is fools gold.
If you give up 600 yards of offense, 4 turnovers by that same offense are more because of an error by the offense, more so than a great defensive stop.
Now, in the case of the Bama's of the world, they give up 250 yards of offense and attain 4 turnovers. It's safe to say that the turnovers are an effect of a good defense.
But, err go the "bend but don't break" strategy which is bologna in my mind. Defenses don't just "turn it on" in the redzone. The QB made mistakes because the field was shrunken. It's that simple.
Now, UKS defense didn't play well either, but if we're going to have a shootout, UK would certainly have to be considered a heavy favorite. Pharoah Cooper won't be the best receiver on the field come saturday, and he probably won't be second either.
If you give up 600 yards of offense, 4 turnovers by that same offense are more because of an error by the offense, more so than a great defensive stop.
Now, in the case of the Bama's of the world, they give up 250 yards of offense and attain 4 turnovers. It's safe to say that the turnovers are an effect of a good defense.
But, err go the "bend but don't break" strategy which is bologna in my mind. Defenses don't just "turn it on" in the redzone. The QB made mistakes because the field was shrunken. It's that simple.
Now, UKS defense didn't play well either, but if we're going to have a shootout, UK would certainly have to be considered a heavy favorite. Pharoah Cooper won't be the best receiver on the field come saturday, and he probably won't be second either.
our current coach vs your current coach is 1 and 1 with both winning a home game and us barely winning that home game at that. most of our players are 1 and 1 or 1 and 2 vs the cocks and they believe they can win this one i tend to agree with them.
im not fool enough to think that missing hatcher and flannigan will not affect our D and quite frankly i wasn't expecting to be all world on that side of the ball this year but was expecting improvement. so we need even more O to get this game but i think we are up for it. other than cooper i think the next best 4 wr's on the field will be in blue. towles throws over 60% completion and >2 int's and i think we win because we'll score plenty and control the clock enough to win. if towles throws >55% and <2 int's then it's gonna be an ugly night and i might be buying a new flat screen!!!!!
im not fool enough to think that missing hatcher and flannigan will not affect our D and quite frankly i wasn't expecting to be all world on that side of the ball this year but was expecting improvement. so we need even more O to get this game but i think we are up for it. other than cooper i think the next best 4 wr's on the field will be in blue. towles throws over 60% completion and >2 int's and i think we win because we'll score plenty and control the clock enough to win. if towles throws >55% and <2 int's then it's gonna be an ugly night and i might be buying a new flat screen!!!!!
They are expecting a KO temp of around 78, down to 73 by the end of the game, cloudy. Pretty nice for down here.
It's 17-8-1 for the entire history of the series. I'm not sure why 15 of those games matter or don't. It's hard to argue that USC hasn't doesn't a better job than UK of improving their team, but that also doesn't really predict what the future holds for either team.
17-8-1. Obviously the school isn't 26 years old either, the schools just haven't played that much. I love the bickering between these two fan bases though because I always thought USC and UK made sense as rivals.
I agree and disagree with this. I agree that if it's a shoutout UK wins this game, but I don't agree that Pharoah Cooper won't be the best receiver on the field. He will be. In fact, I think that may be true of any team South Carolina plays this season. It's the rest of their offense that's the problem.
The same D Coordinator coach during the three 11 win seasons, so he just forgot how to coach last season yeah right.
The point is..we can give up the rushing yards as long as we lock down the pass.
I'd be surprised if USC wins the game in the air. They look like a running team this season.
I thought that was a pretty ridiculous statement as well, but after thinking about it, I suppose his point is that a WR can only be as good as the person getting him the ball. If no one is able to get the ball to him then he cannot be the best WR on the field. He may have the most talent and most ability, but that is negated if the QB can't get him the ball.
Still, that being said, UK has never had an easy time shutting down big time playmakers. Cooper will certainly get his one way or another.
