The Morning Haul: 10/14
Oh god. It’s past noon again, and The Morning Haul is not posted. Sorry again, this is strictly a weekend deal. The college life beckons, and when I answer that call, I unfortunately do not reach my computer until roughly noon the next morning.
Well, Washington lost against USC, and just like the Oregon game, it really feels like the Huskies beat themselves. I don’t mean that to take away from USC or Oregon, as both teams, and especially Oregon, are clearly great teams, and their wins can’t be taken from them. What I mean is that we will never really see these schools play against a Husky team that is actually ready to take care of the football and battle for four quarters.
The main reason, of course, is the turnovers. It seems like in both the Oregon and USC games, every time the offense starts to get going, Keith Price turns over the football. Whether it’s an interception, or more likely, a fumble on a scramble, that guy can’t seem to hold on to the ball. It’s a serious issue. Every time I see him run out of the pocket, I’m waiting for him to lose the ball.
Yes, the offensive line played horribly. The Trojans were able to run the ball much to well. Even the run game struggled in the first half. But in the end, none of that really mattered, because you cannot expect a win while turning over the ball four times and allowing a punt to be blocked for a touchdown. That’s pretty much game over, no matter how hard a team tries to overcome it.
Stories Especially Worth Reading:
One of the few real bright spots of this game was the performance of Desmond Trufant, discussed in this article from The News Tribune. I will be writing more about Trufant myself in the days to come, but you can never read too much about a talent like this.
The News Tribune also says to blame the offensive line, rather than Keith Price, for the loss. In my mind, that is letting Price off a little easy. A couple picks? Sure. But even if the offensive line was what caused him to scramble for his life so many times, it isn’t their fault he failed to hold onto the football when tackled.
Condotta with his postgame position review.
A look at this game from the point of view of the Trojans, and specifically Reign of Troy.