| USC Big Uglies |
Moments after a six-touchdown rout of Stanford, amid the celebrations and enthusiasm inside USC’s locker room, offensive line coach Pat Ruel shook his head in frustration.
"There’s some things you expect to improve on from week to week," Ruel said. "We didn’t do that today."
In August, Ruel told his offensive line it could be better than last year’s group, despite losing All-American Taitusi Lutui and all-conference selections Winston Justice and Fred Matua.
Ruel still believes that is possible, but the offensive line remains a work-in- progress that struggles with run-blocking and admittedly experiences trouble communicating during games.
"We have to get to the point where we’re on the same page," All-American tackle Sam Baker said. "I don’t know why that it is that we’re not there yet."
The biggest problem might be a simple one: talking. During a game, linemen are expected to pass along calls, especially on running plays. But it’s been a problem even after eight games.
"The hard thing is communication," Ruel said. "We’re doing an excellent job in pass protection and stuff like that. But I’m a little frustrated with some of the run-game. There’s some inexperience and some
| " | "There's some things you expect to improve on from week to week," Ruel said. "We didn't do that today." |
