USC Morning Links: Trojans’ Fearsome Foursome, yawning fans and other links

The Morning After: Fearsome Foursome(Caroline Deisley | The RipsIt Blog)

Chuckie Keeton. Chuckie Keeton. Chuckie Keeton. That’s all the new Trojans’ defense heard this week as they prepped for its first real offensive powerhouse of the season.

George Uko, who picked up his 4th sack of the season, said, “We were tired of hearing about him. Our main focus was trying to keep him in the pocket and not let him get any runs on us. We came out and executed the game plan.”

USC Football: Defense Is BCS-Worthy, Offense Still Has a Long Way to Go(Trenise Ferreira | Bleacher Report)

"Give Clancy Pendergast the game ball, already: In an unnecessarily close game with the Utah State Aggies, the USC Trojans defense rose to the occasion to carry USC to the victory and, with it, a 3-1 record."

Is this progress? Trojans inspire more yawns than boos(Bill Plaschke | Los Angeles Times)

"Mush on? That seems to be the new theme of the USC football team, which beat Utah State by a field goal Saturday in a game that Coach Lane Kiffin accurately described as “mushy.” An hour before the game, in the usually teeming streets around the Coliseum, there was smooth traffic and zero buzz. At kickoff, the Coliseum was about half full with a crowd that was barely awake. During the game, there were scattered boos, a few strong cheers, and mostly shrugs."

Trojans’ defense passes crucial dual-threat test

(Will Laws | Daily Trojan)

"In the modern game of college football, there are basically three types of offenses that are widely used. There’s the classic pro-style offense that uses a strong running game to wear out defenses and set up play-action passes. There’s the spread offense that utilizes a strong-armed pro-style quarterback and dynamic receivers. And there’s the hybrid spread scheme that employs a dual-threat signal-caller who could either distribute the ball to speedy skill players or take it upon himself to elude defenders in the open field. With their victory over Utah State, the Trojans have now demonstrated that they can stop all three."

USC Football Has Big Problems That Go Well Beyond Lane Kiffin(John Tamny | Forbes)

"About Haden’s not so subtle move to substantially weaken USC’s schedule, nothing, not probation, not even  , could be more disappointing. USC’s brand, one that Haden helped build as a player, is about winning Heisman Trophies and national championships, and is once again about playing the biggest and best anywhere and everywhere. USC football recruits the big time players who come to USC in order to play in the biggest, most high profile games of all. losing"