There are Losers, and then there are LOSERS.

A couple of years ago, a Cal player fake flopped an injury against Oregon.
Now this. I guess cheating is the insincerest form of flattery.

USC fires student manager who deflated balls in Oregon game
Southern California tried its hardest to keep pace with Oregon‘s high-octane offense on Saturday night at the Coliseum, but at least one member of the Trojans’ staff took that effort too far.

USC has fired a student manager who intentionally deflated game footballs below NCAA-mandated pressure levels during Oregon’s 62-51 win. The university reported the firing of the unnamed student on its Web site late Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press.

Under-inflated balls are easier to grip, making them easier to throw, catch and hold. While the slightly softer balls might have contributed to Matt Barkley‘s 484 passing yards, they did nothing to help a defense that gave up a whopping 730 yards of offense – the most in USC history.

According to the school’s report, the manager admitted that he deflated the balls of his own accord after they were checked by game officials. USC has been reprimanded and fined by the Pac-12 for the incident, the school said.

Last month, USC coach Lane Kiffin came under fire for switching the jerseys of a backup quarterback to that of the team’s punter. Cody Kessler (6) wore punter Kyle Negrete’s No. 35 jersey in an Oct. 20 win against Colorado, which included a failed two-point conversion attempt in which Kessler was involved. The Trojans claim since they switched Kessler’s jersey before the game, it does not violate NCAA game rules, as reported by USA Today.

USC insists that no coaches or players knew of this. OK, I want all of you to run to your attic, basement, garage, closet or wherever you keep your old leather football that you haven't touched in 20 years. Blow it up with your bicycle pump . . . . Ya ya, I know, you can't find that little silvery ball valve insert. Those things disappear faster than socks. . . . NO. Don't bother looking for it. It's lost. Just run to Ace Hardware and buy a packet of five. I'll wait . . . . .

OK now pump the football up to regulation size. Squeeze it. Press on it. Get the feel of it.

Now take a pound or two of air out of it. Squeeze it again. Notice a difference? OF COURSE YOU DO. That's the whole idea. You will notice that the ball is softer, spongier, easier to grip.

You think Matt Barkley or any of his receivers didn't notice?  Is Matt Barkley going to tell us that he believed in his God-fearing heart of hearts the whole time that he was throwing a regulation ball?

CHEATER!!!

As for Kiffin, it's just a matter of time before he gets kicked to the curb. He says he knew nothing about this? Ya right. And those red puncture marks on Lance Armstrong's butt are just bug bites. USC's decision to hire him after suffering severe NCAA sanctions is looking worse and worse as time goes on.

Meanwhile back in Oregon,  Coach Kelly said, "They can do whatever they want. It's no big deal to us."

Typical Kelly. The team just focuses on what the team can control. The game was last week, so it's in the past. But I think Kelly secretly likes the idea that at least one member of the Trojans felt they had to cheat to beat his Ducks.

Finally, I must repeat the best comment I read on this whole affair when one reader said, "Well I always believed Oregon had bigger balls than USC . . ."

As you might imagine, John Canzano has something to add about this.


ARIZONA: A CAUTIONARY FAIL
They blew out Washington. Then they put on their big boy panties and stunned USC. It looked like the Arizona Wildcats had finally found themselves. They were on their way.

So it was so shocking when they went to UCLA and played their absolute worst game of the season, losing 66-10.  Like the attraction of a cable TV special on bad car crashes, I was drawn to watch a replay of the game.

Were key AZ players injured? Was it 31 degrees and snowing? No. They were just awful. HORRIBLE! At one point it got so bad, the announcer couldn't even be nice.

QB Scott went back to pass what appeared to be some sort of screen (BTW, most of his passes looked like some sort of screen set up because his offensive line wasn't blocking anybody all night.), he threw terribly off his back foot to his receiver who was five yards out and RUNNING BACKWARDS down the field. He jumped pathetically as the pass sailed over him.

The announcer said, "That's not even football." And he was right. Whatever game the Cats were playing, it definitely wasn't football. They looked like a bunch of disorganized playground kids at recess.

Coach Rich Rod, what is the deal? 

The single worst thing you can say about a coach is -- . . . . well wait, I just remembered Lane Kiffin, the CHEATER. So the second worst thing you can say about a coach is -- . . . . .well, then there's Penn State . . .

OK, the third worst thing you can say about a coach is that his team is UNPREPARED. When they come into a game and play like they just don't know what they're doing, that is 100% on the coaching staff. Arizona couldn't throw. They couldn't block. They definitely could not tackle.

I shutter to think that a self-respecting Pac-12 team like Arizona decided to take the week off, feeling like they had "arrived", after putting together a streak of two victories including one over a USC team of emerging mediocrity that has shown it has to cheat to have a chance.

I bring up Arizona's sad story because Oregon is visiting a seemingly anemic Cal team after beating those same Trojans. What could possibly go wrong?

We know that Chip Kelly is all about "Faceless opponents" and "Every week is our Super Bowl". Let's just hope that foolish human nature doesn't creep in and infect even the most disciplined of teams that is our Ducks.

Cal isn't in very good shape however. According to this article in the San Jose Mercury News, they are decimated with injuries all over the roster, including their starting QB.

Raising a Barner
Finally, if you haven't already seen it, I recommend an article in the Oregonian this week: Oregon's Kenjon Barner is mastering the art of the broken tackle. It's an excellent analysis of Barner's improvement as a running back. But it goes on to talk about other great running backs that RB Coach Gary Campbell has tutored. The internet post also includes videos of these running greats.

Oregon at Cal Gametime Saturday evening Nov. 10th, 7:30 Pacific Standard on ESPN.

--KB