30 Minutes Before Kickoff

We at Leinart4Heisman wish the USC Trojans and 2004 Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Leinart the best of luck tonight against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2004-2005 college football season-opener Black Coaches Association Classic.

It is being aired on ESPN at 4:40 PM PST, please tune in!

Fight ON Matt and the USC Trojans!

One Last Story

Kickoff is nearing, but be sure and check out this story from the Orange County Register.

It really presents the humble, calm, family side of Matt.

It's Gonna Be Tough

First off, let me say USC is not looking past this Virginia Tech team. They've got the Trojans' respect and it should be one heck of a game to watch to kick off this 2004-2005 college football season.

That said, the USC offense is going to have its work cut out for it. Ignoring the multitude offseason distractions, Matt Leinart is suiting up this game in a completely different position from last year. There wasn't much pressure on him and the gameplan was simplified to keep him confident. He had an incredible assemblage of talent around him (best offensive line at USC in last 20 years, Mike Williams, talented backs).

This time around, he's going to have to truly lead that offense, and it will be tough. The Trojans under Pete Carroll historically are very conservative in opening games, and win with defense and an opportunistic offense. This game looks to be the same way.

Especially troubling is the shape of the offense.

The starting roster goes like this

QB-Matt Leinart (RS-JR)
WR-Chris McFoy (RS-SO)
TE-Alex Holmes/Nick Vanderboom (RS-SR/RS-SO)
LT-Sam Baker (RS-FR)
LG-Fred Matua (RS-SO)
C-Ryan Kalil (SO)
RG-John Drake (SR)
RT-Taitusi "Deuce" Lutui (JR)
WR-Steve Smith (SO)
FB-Lee Webb (SR)
TB Reggie Bush/LenDale White (SO/SO)

That isn't a bad group overall, but they have never played together and the USC offense created by Chow requires a certain amount of consistency and experience. This group clearly lacks that. I think Matt Leinart realizes this and has probably had some long nights preparing for the extra burden. He's a competitor and will be ready, but look at the changes that have gone on to the USC offense in just a few months.

The entire offensive line from last year was replaced. Starting right tackle Winston Justice, an All American candidate, was suspended from school for disciplinary reasons and he was just a junior. All American left tackle Jacob Rogers graduated, and three year starters Lenny Vandermede (left guard) and Norm Katnik (center) also graduated. It was an incredible offensive line that was exceptional in its pass blocking (a mere 15 sacks surrendered last year) but average in run blocking.

Enter the more talented but inexperienced new offensive line.

Sam Baker was a highly regarded recruit, but didn't play a down last year. Left guard Matua is the line's "veteran" who was the sixth best lineman on last year's line. Now he's the guy everyone has to lean on when things get tough. Ryan Kalil did not redshirt last year, partially in anticipation of this situation. He has handled the offense really well in spring and fall practices, but new centers tend to struggle. The right guard is John Drake, who is a first round talent but continues to suffer various injuries. He barely made it into this game, health-wise, and is still not 100%. Deuce Lutui is a super talent but has not played a down of college football. Drake was able to join the line and excel last year from a junior college (like Deuce) but needed six games to be trusted enough to play. Lutui's expected to play and play well right away.

Watching the camp, it's clear this line is exceptional at creating running lanes and pounding a defensive line (they're doing this against USC's top rated defensive line!) but program-watchers are reticent to praise their pass blocking just yet.

An important factor for USC's successful offense last year was the ability to plug in talented players at spots like tight end or fullback and make big plays out of those positions while the stars like Williams and Bush drew opponents' attention. But unfortunate injuries to starting fullback Brandon Hancock and tight end Dominique Byrd have taken away that facet of the offense.

Hancock caught two touchdown passes over 50 yards last year, and Byrd is basically a 250-pound marvel that plays like a receiver, averaging 19 yards a reception before a knee injury took him down.

Hancock's replacement is steady veteran Lee Webb, who is there to block and doesn't do much offensively. Byrd's replacement is Alex Holmes, a jumbo tight end with superb hands and athleticism. The problem is Holmes is limping into this game, having barely been cleared by team doctors for an ankle injury. The other option at tight end is walk-on Nick Vanderboom. He is 6-6 and athletic but really needs to work on his blocking. He was recently awarded a scholarship and played quarterback to the injured Byrd in high school.

At receiver, the Trojans are dangerously thin. Obviously Mike Williams could not get clearance from the NCAA, but the emerging Whitney Lewis, a big time recruit, could not get academic clearance from USC to play this year. He was expected to start alongside Steve Smith.

Redshirt sophomore Chris McFoy has emerged as the other starter. He is steady, but not exactly a playmaker like Williams or Lewis. In fact, he was projected to be Smith's backup at the position formerly held by Keary Colbert.

The other options are freshman Dwayne Jarrett, a star in the making, and William Buchanon, who also is limping into this and may not play. The only other options are Greig Carlson, a walk on receiver who also returns punts and Justin Wyatt, the starting cornerback who has taken receiver repetitions this week after Buchanon got hurt.

Matt Leinart is basically working with an entirely new offense full of new starters and backups. The exciting backs are now expected to held offset some of these issues, which is another dramatic departure from last year when they didn't really show up in the first six games.

That said, Bush and White have been superb this fall. Holmes has been a revalation at tight end, and should get All American consideration if healthy. The line can clearly run block, and should turn out to be as good of a line as USC has had in a long time with some experience. Jarrett will be a major star.

But all of those things tend to evolve over the duration of a season. Matt Leinart is in charge of taking command of the offense right now in this very important game before a national audience that is always skeptical of Pac-10 teams, especially ones against decided underdogs from the East.

The Trojans should win, especially with the phenomenal condition of the defense, but don't be surprised to see the offense struggle.

If Matt Leinart can overcome all of that and direct an efficient offense from the get-go, he will have exceeded realistic yet high expectations. We here at Leinart4Heisman expect two offensive touchdowns for the Trojans (along with a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown). Anything more is a great sign for both Matt and the Trojan offense.

This post is in no way meant to lower expectations, but simply to be realistic about USC's current offensive condition. If there's anyone who can overcome an incredibly tough situation and direct a wide-eyed offense (Steve Smith is easily the veteran of the receiver group and is getting HIS first start!) on the road, it is Matt Leinart. That's exactly the kind of thing that helps propel a Heisman season.

Best Story On Matt Leinart (So Far)

Props to The Sporting News' Matt Hayes for putting together a coherent, well-written, well researched story about Matt Leinart that gives us a glimpse at him as a person and his development on and off the field. Terrific effort by Hayes and he's been rewarded with a beautiful piece of writing.

Here's the story

link

USC's Leinart An American Idol
Matt Hayes, The Sporting News



We would normally include interesting excerpts, but there are so many and it's just a terrific read as a whole. Please sit down and take the time to read this.

More Leinart Links

I'm sure the stories will slow down, but they're flying off the presses right now as the Trojans get ready to kick off the 2004 college football season.

Steady Hand At QB Guides Trojans
Mike Harris, Richmond Times-Dispatch

The link is right here.

-"He understands that system and knows where his receivers are going to be," Tech free safety Vincent Fuller said. "The thing I've noticed most is he doesn't hold the ball in his hands long. He gets it into the hands of his athletes, who can make plays"

-"My mental approach to the game maybe sets me apart," he said. "Physically, I'm a big guy. I don't have the strongest arm, and I may not be the fastest. But the way I understand the game . . . It's kind of hard to explain. Some guys just have it"

-"He looks like he has a lot of poise. He knows where that third guy is - a lot of them know where one and two are, he looks for three and four. He has some tools, too. He has good arm strength and throws good touch passes. From what I see, he's a complete quarterback" (Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster)

Nation's Best
Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Barnhouse breaks down the top five players at several positions, and his top Heisman candidates.

Heisman Candidates
1. MATT LEINART, Southern California, QB, Jr. The junior has savvy offensive coordinator Norm Chow and a schedule that could be conducive to big numbers.

Top Quarterbacks
2. MATT LEINART, Southern Cal, Jr. Unknown a year ago, he stepped in for a Heisman Trophy winner and led the Trojans to a share of the 2003 national championship.

Other Trojans with honors include Shaun Cody (#3 Top DL), Tom Malone (#5 Top Kickers) and Darnell Bing (#5 Top Safeties).

Leinart Feature on ESPN

ESPN's Jill Arrington will do a feature on Matt Leinart's battle with strabismus, a condition he was born with that left him cross-eyed.

The story is part of ESPN's kickoff coverage of the 2004-2005 college football season and is inside the ESPN GameDay show. The show will air on Friday at 7PM ET and will repeat at 11AM ET on Saturday.

-Matt Leinart: Entering the 2004 season, USC quarterback Matt Leinart has become the poster-child for college football excellence - gracing the cover of several magazine pre-season preview editions. But as only his close friends, family and coaches know, the 6-5 junior was born cross-eyed - a vision condition called strabismus. New GameDay reporter Jill Arrington, in her debut story for ESPN, will tell of Leinart's battle to overcome the severe childhood vision problems

Williams Denied By NCAA

Matt Leinart will be playing without his primary receiving target and one of the best receivers in recent history.

The NCAA denied Mike Williams the opportunity to continue his football career today. The process was long and drawn out, confusing, and frustrating. The NCAA based its decision on Williams not taking six hours of classes this spring semester. It is a new NCAA rule and USC felt that his preparation for the draft was a mitigating factor. The NCAA disagreed.

Here's the story from ESPN.

Here is another link with USC's frustrated reaction from Pete Carroll, Mike Williams, and USC Vice President/General Counsel Todd Dickey.

To his credit, Williams took the public high road in this process.

-"I'm glad it's over. Now the team can move forward and I can move forward. I'm disappointed. I did everything asked of me. I don't know yet what I'm going to do. I'll just relax for the weekend and watch the game and root for my team"

Another Huge Link Dump

Lots to unload, so we won't waste any time.

#1, and With Good Reason
Norm Wood, Hampton Roads Daily Press

A brief article about USC's excellent talent but also its youth. The D word, dynasty was used. It's presumptuous, obviously, but there's a small chance at that.

Here's the story.

Keys To The Game
John Harris, CollegeFootballNews.com

The link is here.

A very interesting X's and O's read about various plays for VT's and USC's offense and defense. Especially the parts about USC's super soph tailback, Reggie Bush.

From Unknown To Heisman Hopeful
Dan Weber, Ventura County Star

The story is right here.

This is a very interesting read, it details Matt's rise from nobody to shy but aware and cooperative Heisman candidate. Throughout so many of these articles it is clear Matt has found a way to balance the attention and give the fans and media what they want, but also stick to his true inner self. He's a quiet guy who likes to be with his friends, has lunch meetings every wednesday with his Dad come hell or high water, and likes to play a little basketball when he has a chance.

And then he likes to get down to piloting one of the nation's top offenses.

Some of the better material from this story:

-But there was one scoring drive at the end against BYU where Coach Chow said I had it," Leinart said. "The 'It factor' is the thing every top quarterback has, and he said that showed him I might have it."

"Sometimes it happens with quarterbacks," Carroll said. "They can't really show you what they can do until you turn the team over to them. They can't do it in practice unless they're the starter. That's how it was with Matt."

It took a while for it to sink in with the public and the pundits.

With a second half of the season as good as any quarterback could ever have"

-"Obviously Matt Leinart's the one everybody wants to go against," said Arizona State's outstanding cornerback, Ricardo Stewart. "You want to go against a highly ranked quarterback who has proven himself"

-"Cal's All-American wide receiver, Geoff McArthur, has gotten to know Leinart in recent months and says he's realizing something he might not have imagined.

The stereotype of the arrogant USC superstar stops with nice-guy Leinart, McArthur said.

"He's such a good guy. He's killing that one, destroying it completely"

Team leader? Check.
Gets along with opponents? Check.
Well liked and respected by opponents? Check.

People flat out like Matt Leinart. This blog doesn't exist if he's not a likeable guy. A touch boring maybe, but likeable, and someone you really pull for. Already columnists are trying to one-up each other for the best preseason piece about young Matt Leinart, hoping theirs is the one USC grabs this year and circulates to all the other national writers.

They know the prestige that comes with penning the potential famous piece. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times had that honor two short years ago when he challenged Heisman voters to rally behind Carson Palmer. It resonated.

We're seeing something similar here.

From MattLeinartBlog, Leinart and Kids

A few days ago we posted practice pictures of Matt Leinart hanging out with starry-eyed kids after practice. Well, here's another one with some kids from USC's preseason fan event/dinner "Salute To Troy" where fans can mingle with the players.



Heisman Odds By WagerOnSports.com-Leinart Leads

The link is right here

Here are their top 10 Heisman candidates, by odds

Matt Leinart, USC 4/1
Darren Sproles, Kansas St. 5/1
Jason White, Oklahoma 8/1
David Greene, Georgia 10/1
Carnell Williams, Auburn 10/1
Mike Williams, USC 12/1
Cedric Benson, Texas 12/1
Anthony Davis, Wisconsin 15/1
Brad Smith, Missouri 15/1
Chris Leak, Florida 16/1

Voters Rank Leinart As 2004 Heisman Favorite
Brett Hait, Rivals.com

You may need to register to read this article.

-"My favorite at the moment would be Leinart," said Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. "He comes into the season with a lot of momentum from last season and is working with one of the best passing minds in football in offensive coordinator Norm Chow"

-I don't know if people will forget Jason White's bowl showing very quickly," said Heisman voter Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times.

Added Wendell Barnhouse of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "White is back for his senior year, but it doesn't appear his Heisman chances are that good. Some voters and national observers went sour on White because of his two performances in the Sooners' season-ending losses"

Here is Rivals' list of the top 10 Heisman candidates for 2004

Top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates for 2004:
1. Matt Leinart, quarterback, USC
2. Darren Sproles, running back, Kansas State
3. Jason White, quarterback, Oklahoma
4. Carnell Williams, running back, Auburn
5. Mark Clayton, wide receiver, Oklahoma
6. Braylon Edwards, wide receiver, Michigan
7. Anthony Davis, running back, Wisconsin
8. David Green, quarterback, Georgia
9. Kyle Orton, quarterback, Purdue
10. Chris Leak, quarterback, Florida


Preseason Heisman Picks
John Lindsay, Boulder Daily Camera

The link is here.

This author had a list of six candidates, topped by...

1. Southern California QB Matt Leinart: Terrific numbers (third in the nation in QB rating, 3,556 yards passing, 38 TDs vs. just 9 ints.) that were actually better than Palmer's winning totals. But the 6-5 junior, who finished sixth last year, may need the NCAA re-instatement of star WR Mike Williams to pile up big numbers once more. Then again if that happens, Williams, who finished eighth last year, could split Leinart's votes

Jackson Welcomes Return Back to CB
Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com

This is a brief story about Michigan cornerback turned free safety turned cornerback Marlin Jackson.

Just look at this item within it:

-"I thought I'd pick everything up easy (at free safety), but then you get back there and it's so much different. I never said anything. I just kept all the frustration inside."

Until the Rose Bowl. After watching Matt Leinart throw for four (editor note---actually, three)TD's, Jackson lost it. He stormed off the Rose Bowl field and broke down"

Matt does that to a LOT of defenders.

Fourth Annual "Herbie" Awards
Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN.com

Quarterbacks I'd Want Under Center
1. Matt Leinart

That's coming from another successful college quarterback in Herbstreit. 'Nuff said.

Now, for some USC items.

All America Defenders Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson in ESPN Chat

Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody joined ESPN for a mid day chat Wednesday.



Excerpt-

Billy Bob (Roanoke): Guys...how many sacks are you gonna get on Mr. Randall? Please don't hurt our QB, we need him for the rest of our games.

Mike Patterson: I'm looking forward to getting after Randall! Look out! I can't wait for that game and the fans and getting this season started. We're really excited about this season. Thanks for all of your support and all the questions. Fight on! Go Trojans!!!

Yes, Wild Bunch II still has its two best parts intact.

USC Has A Williams Clone
Jake Curtis, San Francisco Chronicle

The link is right here.

The story discusses freshman receiver Dwayne Jarrett, a 6-5 amoeba from New Jersey.

-"He has the same size and makeup basically as Mike," USC coach Pete Carroll said, "and he's had a fantastic camp."

The comparison to Williams (6-foot-5) is apt, Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart said.

"The height, the athleticism, and just the way they make plays and create mismatches," Leinart said. "Dwayne might be more athletic"

We completely agree that Dwayne is more athletic. Mike Williams has tremendous physical skills, using his toughness and size to make plays. Dwayne's more of an acrobat, he's spindly and long and gets his hands on a lot of balls away from his body. Jarrett should emerge into an excellent college receiver, but he will experience his bumps.

Despite his talent, Mike Williams had his rough moments as a freshman, most notably his (at least) four drops against Kansas State in 2002, a game USC would go on to lose.

We've talked about Jarrett here recently, and he is someone people will get very excited about the moment they see in on the field or on TV, there's just something about him---in much the same fashion as Mike Williams had a presence.

King Of Los Angeles?

The sportswriters tend to think Matt Leinart now owns this town.

But he has a challenger in...

Tailback Reggie Bush



Image courtesy of the Daily Trojan.

Funny Mitch Albom Quote

This, from after the Rose Bowl.

"Well, it sure was nice of USC to invite Michigan out for a game of pitch and catch. But when the California kids start throwing to their own quarterback, it’s time for the Midwesterners to go home"

For those who don't know Mitch Albom is an award-winning and highly respected sports writer/journalist for the Detroit Free Press who frequently appears on ESPN as a commentator.

Arm And Hammer

Here comes another story about Matt Leinart from the Los Angeles Times.

It sounds like Matt is ready to get away from the media crush for a while and play a little football.

Some more good quotes in there.

-"I'm not going to listen to what anyone says or thinks. My main goal is to go out there and win again. I'm just going to go out and play the way I know how to play and, hopefully, that will be good enough"

-"Last year, he [called] the play and went on with his business," sophomore offensive lineman Fred Matua said. "This year, he's more of a leader. We look for him in that role. Everyone respects him"

Tough Guy

As you may or may not know, Matt Leinart has been nursing a sore elbow (tendinitis).

It is sore, but it's not an injury that is likely to keep him from throwing the ball. USC has been cautious in letting him rest the arm through much of fall camp, and he is slowly improving.

He has a great quote to the Daily News' Scott Wolf in this story.

"Although there's plenty of attention on quarterback Matt Leinart's sore elbow, the junior said it won't affect him Saturday.

"It felt a little looser (Tuesday)," Leinart said. "It's a little achy. Obviously I'm going to throw a lot harder in the game. I'll play through anything. I couldn't walk almost for one game and I played"

That one game was against Arizona State, where Matt single-handedly changed the fortunes of the 2003-2004 USC Trojan football team, rallying it from a 17-all tie into a convincing 37-17 win.

For the game Leinart went 13-23 for 289 yards and 2 TD in just three quarters of action.

Some more quotes from that game:

-"I was really proud of Matt Leinart. I thought that was a fantastic effort to come back. He easily could have not finished that game."
Coach Pete Carroll

-"I just wanted to tough it out," Leinart said. "It was bothering me a lot, but they taped up my knee and my ankle. And, you know, we did awesome in the second half. Offensively, defensively, it was just a good game for us"
Matt Leinart

-"Give him credit, He took his team on his shoulders and won it for them"
Sun Devils linebacker Jamar Williams

Even More Love From The East

So New York Newsday does two stories on USC (one about Reggie Bush and this previously noted story about USC in general).

Now the New York Daily News has this piece by Dick Weiss.

Weiss also handicaps the Heisman race and has Matt Leinart atop his preseason list (scan to the bottom).

Here's what Matt had to say about USC's success:

"Notre Dame has a lot of tradition and that alone attracts people to come," Leinart said. "SC is the same way. And, when you're winning, that makes it just that much sweeter. The school has tradition everywhere. Look at the the film school, it's produced directors like George Lucas.

Look at the great players who have played here. They come back come to practice all the time. They say you're a Trojan for life. It's kinda cool. Marcus Allen or Ronnie Lott can come back and talk to us about anything and you feel like you've talked to them forever. Keyshawn (Johnson) comes back a lot works out with us. It's almost like he's part of the team"

Praise From The East

This time, from the New York Newsday. Wouldn't it be something for NYC to adopt USC as its college football team?

Not likely, but Oregon sure tried by weaseling their games onto the YES network.

Trojan Mojo
-Chuck Culpepper, New York Newsday

The link is here. Cool piece about USC's resurgence, a little insight into Pete Carroll, and the quick four-year transformation in Los Angeles.

"He (Pete Carroll) saw one such potential case upon his USC practice fields of 2002, two years after the lefthanded Leinart had brought his I'm-the-guy credentials from a big high school in Orange County.

Leinart impressed not.

"I think he was pretty typical in the sense he was frustrated, questioning whether we could see the talent, questioning whether he had the talent," Carroll said. "He probably knew he did but every once in a while, he would wonder."

Widening his lens to football in general, Carroll said: "It's so important for them, for some guys, to feel the support and feel the confidence ... It might be one of the ingredients or elements of the situation that is overlooked. They don't have the time and you don't ever put them in a setting to take over. A lot of guys might miss their chance just because they can't get the opportunity to show it."

After spring practice in 2003, however, Carroll knew he didn't want USC to dwell the summer beneath a question mark. He called in Leinart, gave him news, and, Carroll recalled, "His eyes lit up and he made a statement like, 'You're not going to regret this"

The rest is history. You're not going to regret this. I love it. Keep in mind that Matt wasn't having any kind of a great spring or fall at that point. But he knew enough about himself to take on the responsibility of captaining a team that was secure at every position on the field except its most important one. That's a lot of pressure, but Matt never once lashed out during his first few shaky games at the critics.

His diligence and the coaches' and teammates' faith materialized into an amazing end-run into the Rose Bowl and the 2003-2004 national championship for USC.

More Preseason Heisman Nods

For Matt Leinart.

Check out this link from MSNBC. Nine of the twelve polled chose Matt.

Of course it's the preseason, but until the games begin we don't have as much to talk about here so a link like this will keep us busy :o).

And just for kicks, here is the Sports Illustrated cover with Matt's touchdown catch against Michigan in the Rose Bowl.