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(Photo by Matt Sayles/AP)
Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said in his weekly press conference that going for a 2-point conversion when his team was leading 48-21 with only 6:47 left in the game “wasn’t personal.”
"We were just trying to win a football game. ... The only reason we went for two was we really thought we could get it."
When asked if it was a strategic decision, Harbaugh responded:
"Yeah, exactly. ... I've been reading some people's opinion that somehow this is something personal with coach [Pete] Carroll. That couldn't be further from the truth. There was nothing personal. I'm not trying to make any enemies. Life's too short for that. The way our relationship has been is it's been very competitive. And I really enjoy especially pregame with Pete Carroll. He's very loose. He's funny. We kind of yuck it up before the game. We kind of always end it with 'time to go to war.' And then you go out and try to gouge each other's eyes out. You do the same thing in recruiting. It's great competition. But these games are decided on the field by the players. We enjoy watching it. We enjoy being a part of it. From my end, and I'm pretty sure from Coach Carroll's end ... from my end, it's nothing but respect for him and his program. Certainly there's nothing personal involved in this."
This story is a getting a little blown out of proportion. Harbaugh is never going to say publicly, “yeah it was personal, we wanted to run the score up on the Trojans to send a message to their players, coaches and fans.” Whether Harbaugh was trying to send a message or not to Pete Carroll, one thing is for sure, the Staford vs. USC game is becoming a great rivalry. Mark your calendars, next season the Trojans plays Stanford in Palo Alto on 10/09/10.
Harbaugh: 2-point play 'wasn't personal' [espn]
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The headline of the last Skinny was “It All Comes Down to the Running Game” and boy did it ever. Toby Gerhart and Stanford ran for 325 yards while thoroughly outplaying USC in every phase of the game in a 55-21 blowout of the Trojans. It was the most points ever given up by USC in the Coliseum and after 28 straight victories in November under Pete Carroll; the Trojan program is clearly out of sync.
Before we get into some of the issues that are plaguing the Trojans, USC fans must tip their cap to Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford program. Harbaugh inherited a program that was 1-11 in 2006 and in his third year he has Stanford in a position to possibly go to the Rose Bowl. In the last two weeks, Stanford scored 106 points in victories over Top 10 teams and physically beat up the opponent. Harbaugh did exactly what Pete Carroll did when he came to USC. He loaded his staff up with experienced and hungry coaches and has given his players every opportunity to excel.
After seven years of “always competing” and finishing stronger than anybody, the Trojan program is in peril. USC only has 3 losses and you don’t want to overreact but the way the Trojans have lost and the fact the Trojans could easily have 5 or 6 losses at this point is very concerning with the amount of talent they have.
The issues can be addressed and the ship can be turned in the right direction but if you truly want to Win Forever you have to continually evolve, innovate and not let ego get in the way.
Discussion points for the water cooler and IM chats:
1- No Hunger- With seven consecutive AP top 4 finishes and ending the season with a bowl win 6 of those 7 years, the Trojan program and its fans seem to be living on its accomplishments of the past. The program seems to have forgotten how bitter losing can taste and do not play with the attitude “WE MUST WIN THIS GAME”.
An example of that was clear when after suffering one of the worst losses in USC history, some players were seen after the game smiling, laughing and carrying on like it was no big deal. Like some of the "new” LA fans that have joined the bandwagon the past 5 years, I wonder if some of the supposed “5” star recruits just wanted to be along for the ride and not put the necessary work in to become a high caliber player. When you’re the top dog with everyone gunning for you, especially with a young team, you have to outwork everyone else.
(lack of depth/experience, coaching attrition, Pete's focus after the jump)
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Stanford comes into the Coliseum as a hot team with Rose Bowl aspirations. The Cardinal’s defeat of the 8th ranked Oregon Ducks 51-42 put the nation on notice that Stanford football can compete at the highest level and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is one of the best young coaches in the game.
It was just two years ago that Harbaugh inherited a football program that was one of the worst in the country and used the biggest upset in college football history against USC (Stanford was a 42.5 point underdog) that year as a stepping stone to building a top 25 team.
The heart and soul of Stanford is Toby Gerhart, a 6’1, 235 pound physical powerhouse running back who is one of the best in the nation. He is one of the few backs in the country that can and will carry the ball over 30 times a game and beat defenders up. His mentality has crossed over to his teammates who thrive off playing a physical brand of football.
Another key to Stanford’s success is they play intelligently and usually will not beat themselves. The development of Redshirt Freshman Andrew Luck has been tremendous and gives Stanford the balance on offense that makes them dangerous anywhere on the field. In the past 3 games, Luck was 50-83 for 910 yards and 5 TD’s against only 1 interceptions and that included games against two top 25 teams (Oregon and Arizona) and against one of the best defenses in the conferences Arizona State.
The banged up Trojans will have to play far better than they have the past 6 quarters to leave the Coliseum with a victory. It is going to be tough as the offense will need to come to life without #1 wideout/punt returner Damian Williams (high ankle sprain) and Wide Receiver Ronald Johnson and Tight End Anthony McCoy not operating at 100%.
The Stanford defense is vulnerable to a balanced attack and the Trojans offense is not only going to have to generate at least 24 points of offense but also grind away at the game clock to rest the defense which will be involved in a very physical battle.
4 Keys to the Game:
Hold Gerhart to under 4 yards a carry: It is going to be difficult to completely shut down a back as physical as Toby Gerhart. The Trojans have to look to contain him and not allow him to frequently gain over 5 yards a carry. The Defensive Line will have to play very physical and win the line of scrimmage battle.
The shift of Defensive Lineman Devon Kennard to Linebacker could be a huge factor. Kennard looked great in practice this week and has the size and strength to handle a guy like Gerhart. He gives the undersized linebacking core a physical presence that is sorely needed in a game like this. USC coaches are very enthusiastic about Kennard's physical and mental attributes. He can be a “55” type linebacker. However, a lot is being asked of a freshman who has not played the position before.
More keys and injury updates after the jump
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