You said running up the score is fine, but going for two in this scenario is out of line. That makes no sense to me. If anything, they are the same. I would say running up the score is totally inapprpriate in collegiate athletics, in whatever form it takes.

What you seem to be most upset about is not the potential impropriety of the offense’s play, but rather than your boys were playing defense. That’s fine. We all have our biases, but claiming the moral authority on what is sportsmanlike and what is not rings a little hollow from a USC football fan.

As far as the national perception of USC, I wasn’t aware that you were made spokesman for the masses, but even if you are, it is a reflection more of jealousy than any real or perceived slight regarding how Trojan players conduct themselves.

Finally, as the title of the piece clearly indicated, as well as the article itself, my view is biased, based on my own opinion of Harbaugh. I don’t particularly dislike Stanford as a program because, to be honest, until this year, they were largely irrelevant. When Harbaugh leaves, and he surely will, my dislike of Stanford’s program will follow the piece of crap wherever he goes.

What? Going for 2 in a blowout IS running up the score. Unless you consider them different and instead would advocate a team leaving its starters in the throwing all day. If you think that’s ok but a 2-point conversion to get to an even 50 is dirty, you are missing the boat.

As for Carroll allowing the kids to behave poorly, perhaps only the most in-love of the USC fans don’t see what the rest of the sports world does. Carroll’s USC is widely known as classless and showy, not fun and lighthearted.

Pete Carroll allows his players to have fun but I have not seen this done disrespectfully. The fact that Pete does allow his players to enjoy themselves is part of who he is and why gets the players he does.

As far as running up the score, that is fine. Run up the score if you are good enough but don’t go for two points when the game is out of hand.

So “Pot,” your analogy is misplaced.

Thanks,
Kettle

Pete Carroll has run up scored for years and allowed his players to behave like undisciplined high school kids for years and all the SC fans just stood in lock-step with two fingers mechanically raised in the air. Now the one time another program gets a shot to put it to USC, all these USC folks are so appalled.

You don’t get to be a poor sport for a decade and then claim the moral high ground when someone does it back.

As far as ‘Zona, goes, I think they PAC-10 this year is so good that all of the teams are feeding on each other.

BTW, I went to Conquest Chronicles but I didn’t see any of your writing…