Tag: USC Trojans

Chargers 2020 NFL Draft Target: USC OT Austin Jackson

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez puts USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson, a potential draft target, under the microscope.

Over the next couple of months, we are going to be taking a look at a handful of draft prospects leading up into the 2020 NFL Draft. With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely.

Today, we are taking a look at USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson.

Honors and Awards

  • All-Pac-12 First Team (2019)
  • John McKay Award (2018)

Highlights

Strengths

  • Looks the part with an ideal frame, length for the position. Room for additional mass.
  • Above-average set-up quickness and movement skills to mirror rushers and control himself in space.
  • Displays natural flexibility and bend to open his hips and redirect.
  • Proper pad level off the snap and looks to extend and punch with his long arms.
  • Recovers well with terrific reactive athleticism to shuffle, sink, and anchor while maintaining his base.
  • Good mental processing to pick up blitzers.
  • Rangy player who can pull and get to the second level with ease.
  • Durable player, finishing his college career 39 games played, starting 25 games.

Weaknesses

  • Footwork and hands are still learning to work in sync together.
  • Inconsistent hand placement, struggling to keep his elbows inside to recoil and handle counter moves. Underdeveloped counter measures.
  • Bad habit of prematurely opening up his kickslide.
  • Needs to develop upper body and core strength to create more movement in the run game.
  • Aggressively overextends, which causes him to lose his balance.

Summary

Jackson, a two-year starter at USC, has all the physical tools that’ll intrigue NFL teams. He needs to develop functional power and improve his mechanics – primarily with his footwork and hand technique to match his length and quickness. While he is not necessarily a top-tier pro prospect compared to some of the others at his position, Jackson has the length, awareness and movement skills to become a solid starter at the next level.

Chargers Fit

Los Angeles loves to find talent in their backyard and Jackson would be the perfect addition to a position that’s easily one of the weakest on the roster. Jackson, the smooth-moving tackle, strictly played on the left side in college, but he could start at right tackle while he develops his fundamentals before he’s ready to move to his natural position by Year 2 or 3.

Projected Round: Late 1st-Early 2nd

Big Ten Bowl Impact: Iowa vs USC

We look back on the Pinstripe Bowl between Iowa and USC and see how it impacted both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

With the 2019 college footballs season complete, we look back on how the Big Ten did in bowl games.

As we go through all the bowls, in no particular order, we will focus on two main things:

1. How did the bowl performance end the 2019 season? Was it a fitting end or a poor performance, etc.
2. What impact, if any, will it have on the 2020 season.

Now that we’ve gone through all four Big Ten losses (not including the CFP), let’s move on to the wins.

2019 Holiday Bowl: Iowa vs USC

The matchup

No one quite knew what to expect from this matchup, because no on quite knew what to expect from USC at all this year. Kedon Slovis was a revelation in Pac 12 play, looking like the next in a long line of great USC quarterbacks. USC had a middling season (relatively), but there’s clearly massive potential.

Iowa, meanwhile, can’t ever shake its Ferentz-ball stereotype. The Hawkeyes are viewed as a slow, run-first team that relies on huge linemen to cover for a lack of speed at skill positions. Sure, players like Josey Jewell or or Kevin King come through, but they’re seen as individual anomalies, not fundamental parts of the program. It also doesn’t help that in Iowa’s last real high-profile bowl game, the Hawkeyes were embarrassed by Stanford in the Rose Bowl. The fact that that bowl loss was sandwiched between two other embarrassing bowl losses to SEC schools just exacerbated the issue.

What went right

Well, Iowa shed just about every Iowa stereotype in this game. Not only did the Hawkeyes not get blown out against a fast and athletic team, but they dominated the game entirely. The Iowa offense was unstoppable in the first half, scoring touchdowns on all four drives. The defense was stout, and there’s no shame in giving up some good plays and drives to an offense as talented as USC’s. It’s almost impossible to guard Amon-Ra St. Brown, but Iowa did a pretty solid job of completely shutting down the USC run game. With the Trojan offense entirely one-dimensional, Iowa got plenty of stops–even if the Slovis to St. Brown connection was there all game.

What went wrong

The Hawkeyes did go three-and-out three times in the second half, but they were clearly controlling the game by then. The worst thing that Iowa did–and this is a huge sin for a Ferentz-coached team–was that the Hawkeyes weren’t prepared for a USC onside kick early in the game. You have to be ready for those, though it didn’t hurt much in this one.

Next… 2019 wrap-up and 2020 impact

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Women’s college golf: Five teams, players to watch in the spring

In case you need a reminder of women’s college golf left off in the fall, the following are five teams and players will be major factors.

Even though it’s not quite February, the spring college golf season is about to get started. In case you need a reminder where things left off in the fall concerning women’s college golf, the following are five teams whose stories fans can get excited about, as well as five players who stand to make a big impact in the second half of the season.

Five teams to watch

Top-ranked Texas brings the experience

Texas won three times in the fall and took head-to-head losses to only two teams all season. Don’t forget that the Longhorns didn’t graduate anyone from the squad that finished 72 holes of NCAA stroke play at the top of the leaderboard last season. They also added freshman Sophie Guo, who enters the spring season ranked No. 2 by Golfweek.

It’s a tough road back to the postseason, starting with the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. That’s one thing about Texas: the schedule is always tough.

Small but mighty USC has plenty of talent left

Losing an All-American mid-season isn’t devastating when there are still four left. With Jennifer Chang out the door to the LPGA, USC can simply pull up the next player and close ranks around what will still be a formidable starting five. It’s true that competition keeps players sharp, but there’s also something to be said for removing the stress of qualifying for each event.

With Chang gone, Allisen Corpuz is now the leading Trojan scorer, which could create a boost of confidence in itself for the spring season. Alyaa Abdulghany returns as the Australian Master of the Amateurs champ to go along with U.S. Women’s Amateur champ Gabriela Ruffels and Women’s British Amateur runner-up Amelia Garvey. That leaves Malia Nam, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2019.

Wake Forest has the element of surprise

The remarkable thing about this Wake Forest team is that there are so many players who can step up and contribute a solid round. The Demon Deacons won two stroke-play titles in the fall in addition to the East Lake Cup title (a match-play event for last year’s NCAA quarterfinal teams). Junior Emilia Migliaccio, the highest-ranked American in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, seemed most poised to carry the Deacon torch this season, but Migliaccio never really hit her full potential in the fall.

And still, Wake Forest kept winning. Freshman Rachel Kuehn led the team to its ANNIKA Invitational title, winning the individual medal that week, and Vanessa Knecht was the low scorer in the East Lake Cup qualifying round. Yet a different player ended the fall as the low scorer: Siyun Liu. It’s a fun cast to follow through the spring.

Kent State keeps breaking mid-major ground

It’s very impressive that Texas only lost to two teams all fall, but someone else has a similar story. Kent State, No. 6 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, only lost to one team. Interestingly, that was Texas at the Betsy Rawls Invitational. Otherwise, Kent State could have been undefeated.

The results were hardly surprising considering that the Flashes did a similar act last fall. It can sometimes be a hard adjustment when the guard changes, as it did in Kent, Ohio this year. There has been no lapse in performance as head coach Lisa Strom, who spent the past three seasons at Texas State and was the assistant women’s coach at Ohio State for five and a half years before that, took the reins.

The UCF Challenge will be a good opportunity to shake off winter rust next week, but then it’s onto the Northrop Grumman after that. Kent State’s finish will say a lot about what the Flashes can do in the postseason.

At Oklahoma State, young talent leads the way

This year’s freshman class is unusually strong in women’s college golf. Eight of the top 20 players in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings are newcomers, and that includes Oklahoma State’s Isabella Fierro. The freshman from Mexico won the Betsy Rawls Invitational in October, her third college start, and set a program record for lowest 54-hole score (a Cowgirl program record is a big deal, considering she leapfrogged LPGA players Pernilla Lindberg, Karin Sjodin, Caroline Hedwall and Caroline Masson, among others, in doing so).

First-year Oklahoma State coach Greg Robertson left behind a strong team at Kent State (see that No. 6 ranking), but he also has talent to cultivate in Stillwater, Oklahoma. There’s more of that on the way this spring, when Maja Stark, the No. 13-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, arrives a semester early. The Swede finished 25th at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last year, and both young Cowgirls are headed back there this spring.

Five players to watch

Angelina Ye, Stanford

The freshman will return for the spring as the top-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. She really blossomed the summer before her freshman season, winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior weeks before arriving on campus, and continued that growth as a collegian. Stanford needs someone to step up with Albane Valenzuela and Andrea Lee gone. Ye should take that opportunity and run with it.

Emilia Migliaccio, Wake Forest

Since the fall season, Migliaccio has represented the U.S. at the Spirit International, attended a Curtis Cup practice session and finished third at the Sally. She also will be a face for women’s golf as the sport gets international attention at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It all adds up to a big confidence boost.

Gina Kim, Duke

Kim’s game was one of the biggest takeaways from last spring’s NCAA Championship. She was an integral part of the Blue Devils’ victory (she carried the team through the semifinal round with an unbelievable sand shot to win her match). Her game is complete, and she plays with poise. She hit her stride entering last year’s postseason, and Duke really needs her to do that again this spring.

Paulina Roussin-Bouchard, South Carolina

The talented Frenchwoman won in her second start as a freshman at the Windy City Collegiate. She’s No. 1 in the WAGR and plays like it. She could bring a lot of spark to the Gamecock roster.

Pimnipa Panthong, Kent State

Didn’t finish worse than sixth in four fall starts. The senior will be a major factor in Kent State’s level of success this spring.

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USC WR Michael Pittman Jr. open to reunion with Sam Darnold

At the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, Alabama, former USC WR Michael Pittman Jr. says that he would love to reunite with Sam Darnold.

The Jets don’t have many selling points, but their soon to be third-year quarterback is definitely one of them. Michael Pittman Jr., who was teammates with Sam Darnold at the University of Southern California, certainly thinks so.

Pittman played with Darnold in 2016 and 2017 as he began his collegiate career. In his first two seasons, Pittman had 29 receptions for 486 yards and two touchdowns.

“That would be great,” Pittman said of a reunion, according to the New York Post. “Sammy D was like one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever played with. He’s just a straight gamer. He is a young quarterback that has 10-15 years left. That would be nice to have that run with him.”

Pittman is coming off a breakout season in which he caught 101 passes for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns. His excellent senior season earned him an invitation to this week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. With the Jets in need of receivers, Pittman could be someone that New York sets its sights on come Day 2 of April’s draft.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay listed Pittman as one of his top five wide receivers in April’s draft

“He’s big. He’s 6-foot-4. He’s 220 pounds,” McShay said via 247 Sports. “He just looks the part of the wide receiver that you are looking for in the NFL. He doesn’t have great speed, but what he does so well is separate late and create yards after the catch because he’s so strong and he’s so focused as a player. He has 95 catches this year for USC. They’ve had a lot of problems offensively, I get it but Pittman, to me, is one of the best five wide receivers in this upcoming NFL Draft.”

Pittman would be a nice addition to a team lacking a true No. 1 threat at wide receiver. He would be welcomed with open arms and it certainly helps that he has a rapport with the starting quarterback.

Does LSU’s unprecdented season make it the best team of the last 50 years?

LSU is the national champ so let the debate begin where the 15-0 Tigers rank among all-time greats.

College football has seen its share of dynasties. This isn’t about multiple years, rather single-season accomplishments. In this age of 14- and 15-game marathons that start in August and end in mid-January, there is an argument that LSU has completed the greatest season of this era. Or, many eras. While the game is college football, conferences realigning and schedules extending make it almost implausible to come up with an apples to apples measuring stick. Will limit this to teams from that played after 1970.

1971 Nebraska

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Huskers’ defense held opponents to a remarkable 8.2 points per game while scoring an average of 39 per contest. On Thanksgiving Day, the Huskers beat No. 2 Oklahoma 35-31 in a “Game of the Century.” Nebraska then walloped another  No. 2, Alabama, 38-6, in the Orange Bowl.

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USC’s recruiting class is a disaster, and the college football world is losing it

USC currently has a worse recruiting class than Bowling Green, Troy, and UL Lafayette. Fans are stunned.

USC has perennially been a college football powerhouse, and one of the big reasons for that is its location. It can recruit from Southern California, and Southern California? It’s got a lot of really good high school football players! Like, so many good high school football players!

USC is a Power 5 school with a rich tradition, great infrastructure, a great location, and everything else a school could possibly want when it comes to recruiting.

Which makes it all the more stunning that, as of 11:30 ET on Early Signing Day, USC has the 76th best recruiting class in the country, per 24/7 Sports. They needed to land three-star DT Tuli Tuipulotu to move up to 76th, too — before that, they were slotted in at the 85th spot … just below Georgia State.

To put it bluntly, USC is a mess. The school didn’t end up firing head coach Clay Helton this offseason, but there were rumors throughout the year that they were going to. With an unsettled AD — the school brought in outsider Mike Bohn this year — it’s unsurprising that many recruits were scared off by a team that seems so in flux. Why commit to a team where you’re pretty sure the coach won’t be there in a year?

Anyway, it’s a mess, and CFB fans and writers enjoyed it.

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Seven of nation’s top 10 teams highlight field at 2020 ANNIKA Intercollegiate

The ANNIKA Foundation announced the first 11 teams in the field for the 2020 ANNIKA Intercollegiate, with a 12th team to be announced later.

The ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M boasts the most competitive field in women’s collegiate golf, and the 2020 event will be no different.

The ANNIKA Foundation announced on Thursday the first 11 teams who will be competing for the title Sept. 13-16 at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

Seven of the top 10 teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings are in the field, including No. 1 Texas, 2019 champion Wake Forest, No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Arizona, No. 4 USC, No. 9 South Carolina and No. 10 Duke. Also in the field is 2018 ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion Alabama, UCLA, Vanderbilt and host Minnesota.

The 12th and final team will be announced following the 2020 NCAA Championship in May.

“For the seventh-consecutive year, we’re honored to welcome a collection of women’s golf’s most-powerful and storied programs,” said LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam. “Royal Golf Club has proven to be a great host venue for the last two editions, and we look forward to returning to Minnesota during an ideal time of year for weather and course conditions.”

To find out more about the work the ANNIKA Foundation does for women’s golf, go to annikafoundation.org.

CFB 150: All-Time great BCS Championship games

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down college football’s all-time greatest championship games from the BCS era.

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down college football’s all-time greatest championship games from the BCS era.

Week 12 CFP Implications: Static at the top, chaos at the bottom

Looking at the national College Football Playoff picture after Week 12, a few things are becoming very clear. Let’s start at the top.

This past week, all 25 teams ranked by the CFP selection committee were in action. With so many games, a trend that has been slowly developing over the year came to full fruition.

We haven’t seen many upsets at the top of the game this year. And while we have seen some matchups of Top 15 teams–mostly involving Auburn or Michigan–we have yet to really see top teams get upset, or matchups between serious contenders. (Yes, we have had a few, most notably Alabama-LSU, but there have been far fewer than in most years.) That will change over the final few weeks of the season, whether due to scheduled matchups or conference championship games.

While there haven’t been many upsets at the top of the rankings. We’ve had plenty at this bottom. This past week, three of the committee’s teams ranked 19-25 lost, plus a pretty weak display from Cincinnati, for the second time in three weeks. Don’t be surprised if the committee drops the Bearcats a little after this performance.

What that leaves us with is essentially a two-tier ranking system. And while we can subdivide each tier further, the breakdown of the tiers will be very important.

The Top 17 teams are basically locked into those spots. LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Utah, Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma, Florida, Auburn, Baylor, Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Iowa will be the Top 17 teams from here on out. A shocking upset could knock one of these teams out, sure, and Baylor could fall out on its own by losing two of its final three games (to Texas and then again in the Big 12 Championship Game). Other than that Baylor case, though (and assuming no one does something crazy like lose to Northwestern or an FCS team), these 17 teams will be ranked the rest of the way, no matter what, and will like be the Top 17 the rest of the way.

From 18 on down, though, is anybody’s guess. We could see AAC teams stay in, though they’ve been less impressive as the season has gone on. Also, Cincinnati and Memphis still have to face each other. Appalachian State and Boise State can stay ranked by winning out, but one more loss will end any rankings the rest of the way. Maybe SMU slides back in this week.

After that, though, what’s left? What teams are we looking at to be ranked in the back section of the Top 25? Pitt, Virginia, and/or Virginia Tech could slide in, though Pitt plays Virginia Tech this week, and Virginia faces Virginia Tech next week, so only one of those three, at most, will likely be ranked by season’s end. Are we looking at Iowa State, with as impressive a four-loss resume as we’ve seen in a while?

17 teams have basically locked up their year-end rankings, with two weeks left in the regular season. The other eight spots in the Top 25, though, are entirely up for grabs. Who does this help most? Quite clearly, the Pac 12.

Next… How this helps the Pac 12

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