Tag: Colorado USC

Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch allowed Deion Sanders to claim victory

By not slamming the door on Colorado, Alex Grinch allowed Deion Sanders to credibly say he had fun playing USC.

USC won. Colorado lost. USC led 34-7, 41-14, and 48-21 on Saturday in Boulder. USC was a good bit better than Colorado for the first 40 minutes of this game. At halftime, USC was dominating the game and everyone was saying how fully Colorado was exposed and not ready for prime time.

This should have been USC’s big day, a moment of glory in the national television spotlight, showcasing how brilliant Caleb Williams is and how awesome those Trojan wide receivers truly are. This was a game which should have reflected well on USC as a football program, giving the Trojans a more positive image in recruiting and the transfer portal which would pay dividends for the future.

Yet, what was everyone talking about at the end of the day?

Not how great USC was. Not how superb Caleb Williams is.

People were discussing how bad the USC defense is and why the Trojans can’t be taken seriously.

People were discussing how good Shedeur Sanders is and how he belonged on the same field in the same discussion with Caleb Williams.

Colorado got to say it fought back and belonged in the same national conversation with USC — not so much in terms of 2023, but in terms of building a national brand which will eventually be able to compete with the Trojans and others in the near future.

That’s how much the narrative changed in the second half.

Need proof? Let’s lay it out below:

Best photos from USC’s 48-41 win over Colorado and Deion Sanders

There was plenty to look at on a day of sun, scoring, gunslinging quarterbacks, celebrities, bad defense, and endless plot twists in Colorado.

USC 48, Colorado 41. Neutral fans had a great time on Saturday in Boulder. USC fans left relieved at the win but highly upset at Alex Grinch. Colorado fans got to see their team put up a good fight.

Buffaloes Wire has full coverage of this game, and we invite you to follow the team over there for CU-centric observations.

We have postgame reactions to another poor performance from Alex Grinch and the USC defense. We noted how often fans were referencing the Cotton Bowl against Tulane, which can never be good news for the Trojans.

You have a lot to read, and you’re also probably watching college football on Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, take a few minutes to look at the USA TODAY photo gallery of USC-Colorado on a gorgeous day in Boulder.

There was certainly a lot to look at in the Rockies:

USC silences Colorado crowd, mutes the Deion Sanders hype in entertaining win

Caleb Williams vs Shedeur Sanders? Caleb was better. USC vs Colorado? Not a blowout, but the Trojans certainly took charge of this game early on.

You don’t have to tell us. We know: The USC Trojans were very sloppy and unfocused in the final 20 minutes of their game against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday in Boulder. They let Colorado hang around longer than it should have. They had a 34-7 lead, then 41-14, then 48-21. They led by 27 points on several different occasions and should have been able to put this game to bed before the middle of the fourth quarter. Instead, this game came down to a late onside kick. That’s how much ground USC conceded in the second half.

The Trojans got the win, and that’s certainly the main thing they came to Boulder to achieve, but their defense had everyone talking for all the wrong reasons. We know that.

However, we can also say that before the defense imploded in a very familiar way, the offense had a lot of fun in building that huge lead.

Here are the highlights and statistics from a very wild and entertaining two and a half quarters on Saturday, before the defense became the main storyline:

Caleb Williams, USC receivers put on a show against undermanned Colorado

No Travis Hunter. No Shilo Sanders. USC’s offense was in position to feast on Colorado’s defense. It did.

Yes, the USC defense is a major problem under Alex Grinch. Yes, the Trojans showed their vulnerability and their lack of a killer instinct once again. Yes, a lot of doubts about this team and program will persist as long as Grinch is the defensive coordinator and Lincoln Riley allows him to continue to coach this unit. We know this and we are aware of it.

Yet, the Trojans did win a game. They did get out to a 34-7 lead over Colorado on Saturday. They did lead 48-21 midway through the third quarter. It’s not as though they weren’t the far better team on Saturday. They were. It’s not as though they weren’t ready to play. They were, unlike the Arizona State game, in which they were caught completely off guard. USC as a whole team didn’t play a bad game. It did, however, play a very bad fourth quarter, which enabled this game to become a lot closer than it should have been.

Before the fourth quarter, USC and Caleb Williams threw a party on the field. Williams tossed one touchdown pass after another and lit up the scoreboard.

We are certainly going to criticize Grinch and the defense, but take a little time to enjoy a win and the highlights which came along with it.

Enjoy Caleb Williams. He deserves your enjoyment.

Let’s look at the highlights and some really interesting statistics for the USC offense against Colorado:

Oregon bloggers and Pac-12 reporters react swiftly to another USC defensive face-plant

When USC’s 27-point lead over Colorado was reduced to 7, people who follow Oregon and the Pac-12 made it clear: USC won’t reach the Pac-12 title game.

This felt a lot like the Cotton Bowl. This brought back memories of the Cotton Bowl. This created Cotton Bowl vibes. This was Tulane all over again. This was the Tulane game. On and on and on. Fans and reporters and bloggers found it impossible to avoid thinking about the Cotton Bowl against Tulane when USC watched a 48-21 lead turn into a 48-41 final score on Saturday against Colorado.

USC won this time, unlike the Cotton Bowl, but the defense losing the plot in the fourth quarter felt very much the same. USC blew a 15-point lead in the final 4:30 of the Cotton Bowl. USC won this game only because its lead was bigger — 48-21 — and Colorado ran out of time.

Oregon Duck bloggers and Pac-12 reporters, not to mention USC fans, were quick to react to USC’s defensive woes under Alex Grinch. The verdict on this USC team could not be clearer after Week 5, despite the win: This team is in real trouble. You can debate that all you want, and that’s fine, but Oregon-based Pac-12 football experts think the Ducks are in really good shape … and USC is not.

Let’s get a taste of the reactions below:

USC defense under Alex Grinch continues to create doubts for the road ahead

Was the USC defense better than the previous week? You be the judge. Will this get it done vs Oregon and Washington?

The USC Trojans’ defense was not atrocious in the first half against Colorado on Saturday, nor was it spectacular. The USC defense made some important plays to preserve and sustain a multi-touchdown advantage, such as the defensive stop it gained when USC led 21-7. That stop set up a blocked punt by Eric Gentry which enabled the Trojans to restore a 20-point lead at 27-7. USC was able to go up 34-7 thanks to a defense which picked off Shedeur Sanders and was generally able to keep Colorado pinned to the short flats. The Buffaloes usually did not get behind the USC secondary or create large chunk plays in that first half.

However, there were exceptions. A 30-yard touchdown pass and a 25-yard touchdown run represented clear breakdowns by this defense, obvious lapses in communication which left large areas of the field completely uncovered.

Tackling was good at times but not relentlessly consistent. The secondary made a lot of good breaks on passes and wasn’t a sieve most of the first half, but there were a few lapses. It wasn’t dominant, but it wasn’t an implosion. It was decent … but will “decent” get it done against Washington and Oregon in November?

In the second half, what was an okay performance from the defense devolved into “bad.” Fans certainly recalled the Cotton Bowl against Tulane as Colorado just kept pouring on the points. USC was up 48-21 and should have been able to wrap things up without any drama at all, but Colorado scored two quick touchdowns to reduce the game to a two-score contest with nearly 12 minutes left. This felt a lot like last year, and that’s what a lot of people will talk about.

Let’s go through the highlights and lowlights of a very unconvincing performance from the USC defense against Colorado:

Trojans Wire talks to Buffaloes Wire about USC-Colorado

We will be up bright and early with @BuffaloesWire for USC vs Colorado. Follow Buffs Wire for complete CU coverage.

The arrival of the USC-Colorado game means we’re talking to our friends at Buffaloes Wire about the big game in Boulder.

In this article, Buffaloes Wire’s Tony Cosolo talked to us, giving Colorado readers a look at the Trojans.

We asked Buffaloes Wire’s Jack Carlough for more insights into the Colorado team USC will face.

We asked Jack if Travis Hunter is more important to CU’s defense or offense.

Carlough’s answer: “Travis Hunter is definitely more important to Colorado’s defense. The Buffs have the depth at wide receiver to be just fine without him on offense. Colorado’s defense was clearly a step below without Hunter against Oregon … The most pressure is now on safeties Trevor Woods, Shilo Sanders and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig.”

Carlough’s choice of a Colorado wide receiver who needs to step up: Tar’Varish Dawson.

Carlough’s underperforming CU players who need to be a lot better against USC: “I’d like to see Colorado’s guards on the offensive line get back to their Week 1 form, including Landon Bebee, Jack Bailey and Jack Wilty.”

Will this season be a disappointment for Colorado if the Buffs go 5-7 and miss a bowl game?

Carlough’s response: “In Coach Prime’s eyes, probably. The bar keeps getting higher and at this point, a five-win season would be a disappointment.”

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Caleb Williams needs to be much sharper against Colorado than he was vs ASU

Caleb Williams got away with a few throws vs Arizona State. He needs to regain the elite standard he expects from himself.

When considering the performance of Caleb Williams in 2023, we can start by noting that the USC quarterback was excellent through his first three games. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He played the quarterback position as well as humanly possible.

However: He was not playing Notre Dame or Utah. He was playing San Jose State, Nevada, and Stanford, not exactly a list of top teams. Against Arizona State, Williams was part of a botched handoff in the backfield which led to a fumble and a Sun Devil touchdown. He then threw two passes which easily could have been intercepted but weren’t. He got away with some questionable throws and substandard decisions.

He did make a lot of really good Caleb Williams-style plays, throwing a touchdown pass on 4th and 7 and scrambling out of trouble on a few occasions. USC did score 42 points, so it’s not as though Caleb played poorly. He played okay … but okay won’t be good enough against Utah or Washington.

Caleb Williams needs to regain the elite Caleb standard versus Colorado on Saturday to re-establish himself as the best player in the Pac-12, the weapon no other team in the conference has.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Will Caleb Williams, USC deliver knockout blow to Deion Sanders and Colorado?

The progression of the first quarter could easily determine who wins this game on Saturday.

One can very reasonably make the argument that the winner of Saturday’s USC-Colorado game is the team which wins the first quarter.

Colorado is not expected to win, but if the Buffaloes are to pull the upset, they will need a fast start. USC could be thrown off balance by the early kickoff in Boulder. The Trojans are definitely not used to playing a live game at 9 a.m. Pacific time. The game will start just after 10 a.m. local time in Boulder. Maybe USC will stumble in the first three to four minutes and Colorado will grab a 7-0 lead which might then become 10-0 or 14-0. Then USC will have to fight an uphill battle. The crowd will become more involved. The game could slide away from the Trojans and become a nightmare in the late-morning hours.

On the other hand, if USC gets a quick 14-0 lead, Colorado will have no choice but to throw the ball on nearly every down. The USC pass rush can get after Shedeur Sanders, and the game could easily snowball on the Buffaloes. Caleb Williams can land an early knockout punch, and the day will have minimal drama.

The first quarter might matter more than the fourth quarter in shaping the outcome of this game.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Deion Sanders is a constant source of intrigue heading into USC game

Deion simply does not pull punches. Like him or not, he says exactly what he thinks.

Earlier this week, in Deion Sanders’ weekly press conference, the Colorado head coach was asked to comment on freshman cornerback Cormani McClain and what he has to do better.

Coach Prime said: “Study and prepare. Be on time for meetings, show up to meetings. Understand the scheme. I check film time from each player so I can see who’s preparing, so if I don’t see that you would be a fool to put somebody out there who’s not prepared. That goes for all our players.”

The five star freshman didn’t play in the opener against TCU or against Nebraska in the second game. McClain played but didn’t record a stat against Colorado State and made two tackles against Oregon.

McClain, a native of Lakeland (Florida) who was ESPN’s No. 14 ranked player in the 2023 college recruiting class, initially committed to the University of Miami for a couple of months but flipped when Coach Prime was hired at Colorado.

If Deion Sanders is missing both Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders for the Colorado-USC football game on Saturday, he may have no choice but to put Cormani McClain in the game more often.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.