Fo’ Shizzle: Snoopy D-O-Double G’s USC Analysis is Spot On

By Andy Sloan


2009 Trojans back on a mission/Snoop Dogg on the microphone/Stop and pay attention/Listen – Snoop Dogg, Aug. 12, 2009.

Iconic West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg appeared on ESPN’s Sports Center Tuesday night, and, as usual, stole the spotlight. He freestyled twice, the first (previously quoted) about USC winning the title, the other about Sports Center, and gave some excellent (if quick) reasons why USC will win the national championship.

“I like Corp,” said Snoop. “I like Joe McKnight, I like Everson Griffen; Taylor Mays is a beast out there on defense, so we’re gonna be just fine. It’s not one player that makes ‘SC, it’s a team effort.”

Let’s break down his analysis, starting from the top.

Aaron Corp
Aaron Corp may be injured, but it seems that he will still march the Trojans down the field this season, as reports from Thursday morning’s Trojan practice were not promising.

Freshman Matt Barkley, the heir apparent to Corp (injured or not some may say), tossed three picks. Although one was first tipped and then caught by USC linebacker Jarvis Jones, the others were simply bad passes stemming from inexperience and poor judgment.

“The rush to anoint true freshman Matt Barkley as USC's starting quarterback always is apparent,” writes Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News, “…But the movement hit a snag Thursday morning in practice when Barkley threw three interceptions, his first of training camp, as the defense finally abandoned its butter-finger reputation from the first five days.” Not exactly high praise.

Quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates had this to say to the LA Daily News: “One of them he needed to throw away. He's still learning that every ball can't be completed. "The other one was a new play. We just need to coach him harder. We've got to work on throwing the ball away."

Corp responded to his bad day by stating that making mistakes “hurt,” but that he is becoming more attuned to the USC offence with each day. Trojan fans can also feel a bit better at the fact that Corp recognizes the potential to fix one of his major problems: throwing the ball into coverage when he should just through it away. “It’s not natural to me [to throw the ball away],” avowed Barkley, “I’ve grown more comfortable.”

Welcome to D-I, kid.

Still, Bates told the LA Daily News that Corp may start against San Jose State in the Trojans season opener on Sept. 5: “He's going to come back and battle for the starting job," stated Bates "There's time. We still are 22 days away.”

While one is hesitant to read too much into Bates’ statement, you could infer that Barkley hasn’t exactly blown away the staff.

Joe McKnight
This is a lot simpler than the Corp question. McKnight is poised to have a breakout year if he is at full health for the Trojans. He is an all-purpose back that, yes, is reminiscent of Reggie Bush.

A healthy McKnight forces opposing teams to change their game plans, and is enough to give any coach a headache. Seriously. Imagine planning for USC with Ronald Johnson, a scrambling Aaron Corp (who coach Pete Carroll said could approach 400 yards rushing this season), and the freshman sensation Stafon Johnson and a healthy McKnight. Smell the roses?

Everson Griffen
This is the most intriguing tale for me. Griffen was once a highly touted recruit, expected to do big things for the USC defense. He has not lived up to the hype, but this will be his first full season. Time to put up or shut up. Plus, Griffen has a lot more than just the season riding on his play: if he wants a legitimate shot at being drafted next year, or improving his stock at all, he needs to have not a good, but a great year on the gridiron.

Taylor Mays
“Taylor Mays is a beast out there on defense, so we’re gonna be just fine.”
Enough said, thanks Doggfather. (Seriously though, here is a guy that could have been a Top five pick in the last draft, a man who Rivals.com says “single-handedly prevents teams from going deep on USC…”

Is there anything else to say about him? Sorry for gushing, but Mays is one of the best prospects, if not the best prospect, in the country, on either side of the football.