johngateswhiteley
11-29-2006, 02:51 AM
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6216218
From question mark to title shot in three acts
Randy Hill / FOXSports.com
Posted: 11 hours ago
There is no i to be dotted in script SoCal.
No SoCal ritual designates the USC band's tuba players for moments of glory. This particular script has nothing to do with the band, but may feature a final act that includes Ohio State.
In Tinseltown, the script is very important, but it's not everything. There's high concept to consider, box-office juice to contemplate.
Before nailing down a shooting script, the backers of this story needed to pull in a little star power.
With this season's USC football team as our premise, the star of this production is Trojans coach Pete Carroll. In terms applicable to Hollywood protocol, Pete has become the Johnny Carson of SoCal sports. Over the past five seasons, his USC teams have won 58 of 63 games. During this run, USC has snagged at least a share of two national championships and played for a third. With Pete in control, the Trojans haven't lost at the L.A. Coliseum since the lingering pomade smell of Al Davis finally left the building.
Please note that Carroll's first season (2001) was a pedestrian 6-6 that included five losses by five points or less.
Also note that he's been even more successful in November than pumpkin pie.
Like Johnny, Carroll's show brings out the celebrities — if his sideline had sofas, the lead sitters would be Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg. The monologues are pithy and — as the record indicates — the show is a winner.
But the back story to propel this year's script was a bit uncertain. After going 12-1 last season (the blemish arriving in the Rose Bowl national championship game), Pete's show suffers several personnel setbacks. The list of the missing features the last two Heisman Trophy winners, another hotshot tailback, a dangerous tight end, three starting offensive linemen and a couple of important defensive leaders.
Carroll, the Ty Pennington of football rebuilding architects, faces quite a challenge. The schedule is nasty. The quarterback hasn't started a game. The running backs are more unproven than the Loch Ness Monster. The experts think Pete's Trojans still might have enough talent to reach a BCS bowl, but lack the experience to reach the title tilt in Arizona.
Carroll, now on the cusp of proving the experts wrong, doesn't have much of a SoCal script to work with. Even the outline looks a bit uneven.
Act I
The season begins with victories over two teams that would regroup after these defeats and play in their respective conference championship games.
A rout at Arkansas does not bank much credibility until the Razorbacks start knocking off their Southeastern Conference buddies. USC quarterback John David Booty looks sharp, but Matt Leinart and the Trojans had dropped 70 on the Hogs a year earlier.
The second victory is scored in L.A. over a revitalized, pass-happy Nebraska team that decides to try running over the Trojans. USC's defense appears to be good enough to overcome any lack of experience that might derail the offense. Booty still looks big time, but not big-time enough to prevent a few spoiled Trojan backers from pondering the talents of redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez.
Life around USC isn't back to normal, but the Trojans are erasing some of the national doubt.
By the way, the USC song girls become bowl eligible in early September.
For bad news, we have unhealthy karma on the fullback depth chart and a season-ending injury to star safety Josh Pinkard. Pinkard is replaced by true freshman Taylor Mays, who — at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds — will end up playing safety like a linebacker on a motorcycle.
Act II
A less-than-inspiring win at Arizona precedes a close win at Washington State and a nail-biter against Washington back in L.A. Things seem even bleaker when the Trojans blow a 21-0 lead during a home victory over struggling Arizona State.
The injuries pile up. All-America wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and senior pal Steve Smith are missed when they can't play and at less than full speed when they do. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis also goes for a ride on a busy training-room golf cart that now requires rotation for the tires.
Booty seems to be feeling the pressure of positional expectation. The defense is getting little heat on the quarterback. The special teams just aren't very special.
The Trojans allow a punt-return touchdown, miss on their own game-tying, two-point conversion and lose at Oregon State. The munchkins of TV studio criticism rejoice.
Act III
A clouting of Stanford begins another Carroll November but does little to salve the considerable anxiety of USC fans.
There is trouble ahead. In succession, the Trojans will meet dangerous Oregon, mighty Cal, obsessed rival Notre Dame and cross-town rival UCLA. The first three games are scheduled for the Coliseum.
With BCS title contenders dropping like flies, the Trojans spank the Ducks and the Bears. The USC receivers are getting healthy and open, the stable of freshman running backs absorbs another injury, Booty is formidable and the defensive pressure has returned.
A victory in the showdown with Notre Dame seems do-able. Sure, Brady Quinn is no hayride to defend, but USC's young secondary has been superb against passing threats from Oregon and Cal. Another reason for optimism: the Irish defense looms as little challenge for Booty, Jarrett and Smith.
But this doesn't prevent Lou Holtz, Beano Cook, Regis Philbin and Dick Vitale — The Four Leprechauns of the Apocalypse — from siding with Notre Dame.
It doesn't matter. USC clobbers the Irish by three touchdowns and the seven-day, national love affair with second-ranked Michigan is all but forgotten. A week earlier, CBS studio analyst Craig James — giddy with the Wolverines' pluck in a three-point loss at Ohio State — dismissed the Trojans at halftime of the Cal game.
Now the experts are handing Carroll the keys to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., where the Trojans would be matched with unbeaten Ohio State.
Before the date is set, the Trojans must survive that rivalry scene with UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Deep history suggests overlooking UCLA will be dangerous. But recent history tells us Carroll has yet to lose to the Bruins and his Trojans have won the last five USC-UCLA games by an average of 25 points.
Granted, anything can happen, especially in a rivalry game. But if it doesn't, the big thinkers on USC's bandwagon give the Trojans a legitimate shot at taking down Ohio State. That would be a compelling, but hackneyed, ending for this year's script.
Based on the youth of the frontline Trojans, the depth of the current freshman class and the potential of the next recruiting class to be even better, we are required to provide the following disclaimer:
The sequel should be murder.
From question mark to title shot in three acts
Randy Hill / FOXSports.com
Posted: 11 hours ago
There is no i to be dotted in script SoCal.
No SoCal ritual designates the USC band's tuba players for moments of glory. This particular script has nothing to do with the band, but may feature a final act that includes Ohio State.
In Tinseltown, the script is very important, but it's not everything. There's high concept to consider, box-office juice to contemplate.
Before nailing down a shooting script, the backers of this story needed to pull in a little star power.
With this season's USC football team as our premise, the star of this production is Trojans coach Pete Carroll. In terms applicable to Hollywood protocol, Pete has become the Johnny Carson of SoCal sports. Over the past five seasons, his USC teams have won 58 of 63 games. During this run, USC has snagged at least a share of two national championships and played for a third. With Pete in control, the Trojans haven't lost at the L.A. Coliseum since the lingering pomade smell of Al Davis finally left the building.
Please note that Carroll's first season (2001) was a pedestrian 6-6 that included five losses by five points or less.
Also note that he's been even more successful in November than pumpkin pie.
Like Johnny, Carroll's show brings out the celebrities — if his sideline had sofas, the lead sitters would be Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg. The monologues are pithy and — as the record indicates — the show is a winner.
But the back story to propel this year's script was a bit uncertain. After going 12-1 last season (the blemish arriving in the Rose Bowl national championship game), Pete's show suffers several personnel setbacks. The list of the missing features the last two Heisman Trophy winners, another hotshot tailback, a dangerous tight end, three starting offensive linemen and a couple of important defensive leaders.
Carroll, the Ty Pennington of football rebuilding architects, faces quite a challenge. The schedule is nasty. The quarterback hasn't started a game. The running backs are more unproven than the Loch Ness Monster. The experts think Pete's Trojans still might have enough talent to reach a BCS bowl, but lack the experience to reach the title tilt in Arizona.
Carroll, now on the cusp of proving the experts wrong, doesn't have much of a SoCal script to work with. Even the outline looks a bit uneven.
Act I
The season begins with victories over two teams that would regroup after these defeats and play in their respective conference championship games.
A rout at Arkansas does not bank much credibility until the Razorbacks start knocking off their Southeastern Conference buddies. USC quarterback John David Booty looks sharp, but Matt Leinart and the Trojans had dropped 70 on the Hogs a year earlier.
The second victory is scored in L.A. over a revitalized, pass-happy Nebraska team that decides to try running over the Trojans. USC's defense appears to be good enough to overcome any lack of experience that might derail the offense. Booty still looks big time, but not big-time enough to prevent a few spoiled Trojan backers from pondering the talents of redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez.
Life around USC isn't back to normal, but the Trojans are erasing some of the national doubt.
By the way, the USC song girls become bowl eligible in early September.
For bad news, we have unhealthy karma on the fullback depth chart and a season-ending injury to star safety Josh Pinkard. Pinkard is replaced by true freshman Taylor Mays, who — at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds — will end up playing safety like a linebacker on a motorcycle.
Act II
A less-than-inspiring win at Arizona precedes a close win at Washington State and a nail-biter against Washington back in L.A. Things seem even bleaker when the Trojans blow a 21-0 lead during a home victory over struggling Arizona State.
The injuries pile up. All-America wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and senior pal Steve Smith are missed when they can't play and at less than full speed when they do. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis also goes for a ride on a busy training-room golf cart that now requires rotation for the tires.
Booty seems to be feeling the pressure of positional expectation. The defense is getting little heat on the quarterback. The special teams just aren't very special.
The Trojans allow a punt-return touchdown, miss on their own game-tying, two-point conversion and lose at Oregon State. The munchkins of TV studio criticism rejoice.
Act III
A clouting of Stanford begins another Carroll November but does little to salve the considerable anxiety of USC fans.
There is trouble ahead. In succession, the Trojans will meet dangerous Oregon, mighty Cal, obsessed rival Notre Dame and cross-town rival UCLA. The first three games are scheduled for the Coliseum.
With BCS title contenders dropping like flies, the Trojans spank the Ducks and the Bears. The USC receivers are getting healthy and open, the stable of freshman running backs absorbs another injury, Booty is formidable and the defensive pressure has returned.
A victory in the showdown with Notre Dame seems do-able. Sure, Brady Quinn is no hayride to defend, but USC's young secondary has been superb against passing threats from Oregon and Cal. Another reason for optimism: the Irish defense looms as little challenge for Booty, Jarrett and Smith.
But this doesn't prevent Lou Holtz, Beano Cook, Regis Philbin and Dick Vitale — The Four Leprechauns of the Apocalypse — from siding with Notre Dame.
It doesn't matter. USC clobbers the Irish by three touchdowns and the seven-day, national love affair with second-ranked Michigan is all but forgotten. A week earlier, CBS studio analyst Craig James — giddy with the Wolverines' pluck in a three-point loss at Ohio State — dismissed the Trojans at halftime of the Cal game.
Now the experts are handing Carroll the keys to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., where the Trojans would be matched with unbeaten Ohio State.
Before the date is set, the Trojans must survive that rivalry scene with UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Deep history suggests overlooking UCLA will be dangerous. But recent history tells us Carroll has yet to lose to the Bruins and his Trojans have won the last five USC-UCLA games by an average of 25 points.
Granted, anything can happen, especially in a rivalry game. But if it doesn't, the big thinkers on USC's bandwagon give the Trojans a legitimate shot at taking down Ohio State. That would be a compelling, but hackneyed, ending for this year's script.
Based on the youth of the frontline Trojans, the depth of the current freshman class and the potential of the next recruiting class to be even better, we are required to provide the following disclaimer:
The sequel should be murder.