Dirk Diggler Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I was inspired by the post about the kicker :laugh: For real though. Their Oline ranks right up there with the 2001 Miami line as one of the best in the history of college football. They have 4 players who should go in the first 3 rounds this year and next. Their RG Eric Steinbach is probably the best of the bunch. Their Dline is very good also, spearheaded by DT Colin Cole. He is the type of big thick space-eater who would look very nice next to Daryl Gardener as a 2nd round pick. Iowa should win this game going away provided USC's freshman sensation Mike Williams doesnt blow up and catch like 8 for 175. They will put up 35 easy the question is whether USC can keep up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I think you and I are working with the same disadvantage, albeit from opposite ends of the country. I don't know much about Iowa football, other than that they're very good this year. But I will say as someone who is familiar with USC's football team this year that if your concern is that they'll be unable to keep up, don't worry. They can put up points with the best of them. Palmer is the real deal at QB, and shows poise that is simply excellent for a college QB. I'm fully expecting a shootout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yomar Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 USC is going to win this game, they are the only team in the country that can give Miami a good game and should easily handle Iowa. The Trojan D is going to have a big day today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennesseeCarl Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I don't think I care who wins, but looking at draftable talent is what the bowls are for. Until they change the system, the bowls are meaningless. You get teams like Kansas State or Colorado stuck playing unranked teams. The players treat it like a joke and get beat (or almost). Iowa's line, QB and PK are notable. Other than Carson Palmer and the frosh WR, who's USC got? They must have some serious talent elsewhere to be as good as they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 They have some talent elsewhere. 'SC has an outstanding safety in Troy Polamalu who reminds a lot of guys of Ronnie Lott and Dennis Smith from two decades ago. He's a very physical and active player who's all over the field - think Junior Seau at safety. They also have a very quick set of D-linemen who are constantly in the backfield. Don't forget that Carroll is a defensive coach who loves to blitz and pressure, and his line is adept at that. Justin Fargas at RB has also turned into a playmaker and a tough, phyical runner. Malaefou McKenzie is also good out of the backfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yomar Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Troy Polamalu the Trojans safety is their other big draft prospect, early 2nd at the latest. Kareem Kelly is a good WR worth watching. Bernard Riley is a big space eater at DT, but he won't be a top pick. Zach Wilson is a nice guard, and will be drafted, but he also isn't a top pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Diggler Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 Carson Palmer will $hit the bed tonight folks. Tune and see for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yomar Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Originally posted by Yomar USC is going to win this game, they are the only team in the country that can give Miami a good game and should easily handle Iowa. The Trojan D is going to have a big day today. who dat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Originally posted by Dirk Diggler Carson Palmer will $hit the bed tonight folks. Tune and see for yourself. He may have $hit the bed in his hotel room, but he played pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Well, Iowa had the better trenches but, I guess this game shows that you win football games with speed on the edges, and not with the lines I guess . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASMTrainer Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 HUM Dirk, If he's sh!tting the bed, it must be from all the oranges he ate lastnight. I have seen USC a few times this year. I think they are the best in the country right now. Miami looked weak against a couple of weak teams in the latter part of the season. I think that USC could take them right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Iowa definately wasnt the same when they didnt score a TD or make a FG in the closing seconds of the first half. If OSU runnng abck challenges the NFL Draft you can say the freshman WR would be a top 10 pick easy if he could come out based on potential alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yomar Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Iowa's big mistake when things weren't going right with Banks in the 2nd half was not pounding the ball. They ripped off a 10 yard run and then instead of continuing to pound and letting Banks relax, they went right back to the pass, he threw an INT and the game was over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinking Skins Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 I wasnt impressed by Colin Cole at all. I was watching him the entire game and, given he was doing pretty well against the run, he wasnt creating any kind of rush up the middle. When the USC guard went down, I wanted to watch to see how he and Clauss did against a a reshuffled line. All Cole was doing was taking up space and occupying two blockers. That probably shows that he has done something in previous games, but in this one he wasnt that impressive. Clauss was the one who was doing things and creating havoc for USC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Diggler Posted January 3, 2003 Author Share Posted January 3, 2003 I think I $hit the bed last night. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Originally posted by Art Well, Iowa had the better trenches . . . I'm not sure that's true. In the first quarter they looked good, but they were gassed on both sides of the ball in the second half and were getting beaten. The Trojans linemen were quoted as saying that they seemed to have no "pop" left in the third and fourth quarters. Anyway, while Palmer gets touted, what's noteworthy is that the Trojan defense shut down the Hawkeyes and Banks without their best player, safety Troy Polamalu. It's a very good team, folks. Unfortunately they've played their games all to often after the East Coast folk have started counting sheep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Skins Fan Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Originally posted by Dirk Diggler Their Oline ranks right up there with the 2001 Miami line as one of the best in the history of college football. They have 4 players who should go in the first 3 rounds this year and next. Their RG Eric Steinbach is probably the best of the bunch. Steinbach is supposed to their LG, not RG. He played LG for 2001 and also for 2002 (I think). I suppose it's possible that he appeared at RG at times, but his regular position is LG. I mention this because Steinbach is actually my top realistic pick for the Redskins in the 2003 draft. Kiper has him listed as the top guard in the draft, and numerous others also highly rate him. What's unusual is that the top-rated guard is a left guard, when most top college guards are right guards. With the Redskins facing a primary LG weakness, it would be great to draft such a highly touted player who already knows that position, instead of hoping to move a RG to that position or drafting a lower-rated natural LG. I realize that players can change positions, but I don't have any confidence in Helton's ability to help a player make the change. So it would be great to start with a player experienced and proven at LG. Steinbach may or may not be worth a #13 pick in the draft, which is high for a guard. Probably if I were the Skins picking at 13, I'd trade down, especially if no guard had been taken yet. It would be great to pick up an extra #2 pick, which could leave us with two OL and a safety taken in the first two rounds. Steinbach made first-team AP All-American, making him (I believe) one of the top two guards in the nation. He was also the Big 10 offensive lineman of the year. According to his bio, he's an honor student, so he's a got some smarts and dedication as well as strength. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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