This review contains spoilers.

Don’t know about “Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings”? You’re not at fault — Marvel is. Canadian actor Simu Liu promoted the film more than Marvel on social media. Although hype on social media for the new film was minimal, it ranks first in the box office in typical Marvel fashion. 

“The Legend of the Ten Rings” begins by setting the stage for our hero. The titular ten rings grant their user immortality and power rivaling the Gods. With them in his arsenal, Xu Wenmu (Tony Leung) alters the course of Earth’s history for thousands of years.

In 1996, he attempts to travel to Ta Lo (a secret village), one of the few places he has yet to set foot. However, he is stopped by Ying Li (Emory’s very own Fala Chen(05B)), guardian of Ta Lo, and after a fight, the pair fall in love. They have two children: Shang-Chi and Xialing (Meng’er Zhang).

In present-day San Francisco: Shang-Chi and his longtime friend Katy (Awkwafina) work as valets. Their adventure begins when assassins are sent to retrieve an amulet Shang-Chi was gifted by his mother before she died. Shang-Chi then sets out for Macau, China, looking for his sister and the reason why the amulet is so sought after.

The movie departs from Marvel’s outdated, racist comic series, “Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu.” The comics from the 1970s featured broken English and negative, racist tropes that discriminated against Asians in order to paint a stereotypical, monolithic caricature of many cultures.

We learn that one of the main villains is Shang-Chi’s own father, Xu Wenmu. In the comics, his father is Fu Manchu, a racist anti-asian stereotype. Though the comics and Fu Manchu had been forgotten, the history behind them resurfaced in 2018.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton opted for slight changes to the character of Shang-Chi’s father that ultimately made all the difference. Cretton changed the character’s name to Xu Wenmu and cast Tony Leung, a prominent Hong Kong actor in the role. These subtle yet important changes allow Xu Wenmu to become a character who elicits sympathy rather than outrage.

The film subverts typical Hollywood stereotypes toward Asians, exploring Chinese values and never aiming offensive jokes at the characters. Characters are no longer merely “quiet and smart Asians” but real people with their own flaws: both Shang-Chi and Katy suffer from not wanting to grow up, and while Katy’s mother and friends scold them about it, they never joke about the “tiger mom” concept. Shang-Chi’s sister is strong and independent, but is never sexualized to the point of being a “dragon lady.”

The film also addresses the topics of immigration and identity. Katy must find herself and what she wants to do when she is confused about her own identity, while Shang-Chi must face his past as a trained killer that clashes with his new life in the United States.

Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) ‘Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ (Marvel Studios)

Despite all of these high points, “Shang-Chi” struggles with pacing. A film in the Avengers franchise requires little or no backstory as pillars of pop culture. “Shang-Chi” on the other hand, suffers from the long introductory sequence to set up the plot. The pacing also fell flat during the final confrontation between Shang-Chi and his father. It felt like different portions of the fight were developed at different stages of the movie’s production, giving the viewer whiplash. Even so, this problem is minor and pales in comparison to the beauty of the final trial Shang-Chi endures.

The finale of the film is a grand battle of epic proportions. The music, setting and ambience keep your eyes glued to the screen, and no words can describe how jaw-dropping it is. Viewers didn’t cheer when Shang-Chi defeated the villain — they were simply left speechless. They did, however, cheer for Katy when she landed a crucial hit on the villain that turned the tides of battle.The other fight sequences are similarly well-choreographed. Cretton offsets heart-wrenching moments with Katy’s comedic timing and Shang-Chi’s thrilling heroics. 

With a soundtrack comprised of popular artists — most notably 88rising, a label that features primarily Asian and Asian American talent — “Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings,” is an action packed introduction to Marvel’s newest hero who not only fights villains, but also racial stereotypes.

The post “Shang-Chi” fights villains and racial stereotypes appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

In his 1968 book “Miami and the Siege of Chicago,” novelist-slash-journalist Norman Mailer offered the following characterization of the rank-and-file Nixon supporters he saw at that year’s Republican National Convention in Miami:

A “principal of a small town high school, local lawyer, retired doctor, a widow on tidy income, her minister and fellow-delegate, minor executives from minor corporations … — the stable and the established, the middle-aged and the old, a sprinkling of the young, the small towns and the quiet respectable cities of the Midwest and the Far West and the border states were out to pay their homage to their own true candidate, the representative of their conservative orderly heart.” 

The passage, exhaustive though it may be, evokes something crucial about the Republican Party at the time. It was the party of the staid and structured, those who wanted things to run smoothly largely the way they were without disruption. That was no inherent virtue — the disruptions they wished to avoid would have included things like anti-war protests and integration efforts — but it was a defining trait of the era’s Republican Party. Now it’s hard to see any remnant of that party in today’s GOP, especially in the viking-horned, Q-flag-waving, frenzied mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

There are still a few in the Republican Party that can’t help but recall the “congregation of the clean, the brisk, the orderly, the efficient” that Mailer saw in Miami. Representative Peter Meijer of Michigan, the clean-cut scion of a Midwest superstore chain, justified his trip to observe the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by stressing how it helped him learn about what was necessary “​​to make sure things run smoothly” and address a situation that was “incredibly chaotic” — sounding so much like a respectable functionary from Mailer’s Miami. Northeastern Republican governors like Maryland’s Larry Hogan, Vermont’s Phil Scott, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu or Massachusetts’ Charlie Baker also fit the mold, serving as reserved checks on the ambitions of their deep-blue state legislatures. But these exceptions are exactly that, exceptions far from the Republican mainstream and even further from the party’s most energetic forces. After Meijer voted to impeach former President Trump, he quickly found himself faced with a primary challenger. Those blue-state Republican governors are often not all that popular with Republicans in their states; they frequently have higher approval ratings among Democrats than Republicans.

Gone are the days of the Republican heart being, as Mailer wrote more than fifty years ago, “conservative (and) orderly.” To begin with the latter adjective, many in the Republican camp strain to be described as anything approaching “orderly.” Attend a Trump rally today and you will not find the punctilious middling professionals Mailer saw in Miami, but ostentatiously misogynistic shirts, Trump-honoring elephants and Lil Pump endorsements. The ineluctable example is the chaos of Jan. 6’s insurrection, the absolute opposite of standing for the orderly workings of an orderly nation.

Mailer’s other descriptor of the GOP’s heart was “conservative” and this too rings hollow today. What do the energies on the frontlines of the Republican Party wish to conserve? William F. Buckley, godfather of American conservatism, famously founded his magazine National Review to “stand athwart history, yelling Stop.” No one in the Republican Party seems as if they’d be very happy if history stopped and things just stayed as they are today. Nor does the GOP base even seem to wish to return to some identifiable, idyllic time when America truly was great. The Reagan presidency, which that slogan harkens back to, for example, was rather sympathetic to immigrants, today surely a cardinal sin for those in the Trump orbit. If the Reagan era was too inclusive for them, earlier eras in American history don’t seem like they’d be that compelling either; unlike mid-century conservatives, modern Republicans by and large don’t advocate for rolling back the New Deal. If conservatism means putting on the brakes on society, or even shifting it into reverse, I would struggle to call the modern Republican Party conservative. If anything, they wish to wrest the wheel away from whoever’s driving (Democrats, the liberal elite, the deep state, lizard people perhaps) and jerk the wheel in an entirely different direction.

That direction is unclear. Some wish to double-down on the spittle-flecked populism that Trump never could or never would turn into real policy. Senator Tom Cotton introduced a bill unsubtly titled the Ivory Tower Tax Act to fund vocational training programs by taxing the most elite colleges, those that are busy “indoctrinating our youth with un-American ideas.” In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking another path: His lax COVID-19 response promotes a libertarian society devoid of obligations to fellow citizens and where one need think only of oneself, a series of policies that has led James Hohmann to pronounce in the Washington Post that “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is no conservative.”  In some recesses of the American right, one can find something resembling a willingness to overthrow the whole system of liberal democracy. Conservative intellectual Sohrab Ahmari’s no-holds-barred approach to the culture wars, advocating for a more active government role in social issues, has led even conservative columnist Bret Stephens to label him “something of a new illiberal.”  This finds a less intellectual parallel in those on the American right’s fringes who have shown a concerning sympathy for the hyper-masculine, nationalist and theocratic Taliban’s defeat of a liberal democracy. These various strands all share one thing in common: They hold little trace of the party that Mailer saw in 1968. Clinging to that understanding of the Republican Party is what left much of the nation, myself included, dumbfounded on Jan. 6. Don’t delude yourself: The blood now animating the frontiers of the American right is pumped by a heart neither orderly nor conservative.

Campus mask mandates present safety, noncompliance claims

Sunny Shen/Senior Staff

Despite campus’s COVID-19 mask mandates, students expressed safety concerns in response to members of the campus community failing to properly wear masks while indoors.

Mask mandates on campus have served as a defense against COVID-19, but some students have found that not everyone is following them. 

Campus’s online COVID-19 guidelines dictate that face coverings are required indoors — even for people with an approved medical or religious exemption — and optional outdoors. Campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore said according to University Health Services officials, campus’s indoor mask mandate, combined with its high vaccination rate, means that the campus has greater protection against COVID-19 than the Bay Area.

“Our understanding is that students have been doing a wonderful job complying and wearing masks in class,” Gilmore said in an email. “There, of course, could be individual incidents that may have occurred somewhere on campus, given that there are more than 40,000 enrolled students.” 

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous due to the size of their program, said they generally had positive experiences with students wearing masks, but claimed that one of their professors did not follow the campus mask mandate.

According to the source, the professor wore a visor instead of a mask on the first day of class and took it off halfway through the class. The professor then incorrectly wore their mask at the second and third classes, not covering their nose and pulling it down halfway through the lectures.

“The professor was only about three feet away from the closest student,” the source said. “It was in a cramped classroom that didn’t have good ventilation, so it was kind of scary to be honest.”

The source said the professor’s noncompliance with the mask mandate was one of the reasons they decided to drop the class. They also noted an experience in another class, where students attended while masked to avoid contracting COVID-19, despite there being a positive case in the class.

Campus senior Rebecca Alturk described how her professors actively wear masks and remind others to do so. However, she claimed that in one of her classes, there are two to three students who consistently wear their masks improperly and eat during class.

“It’s been a bit frustrating as I go home to my elderly mom and my unvaccinated 8 year old,” Alturk said in an email. “I don’t say anything to these specific students, but I just feel a bit frustrated having to sit in a crowded and windowless class for two hours.”

In cases where individuals are not complying with the mask mandate, Gilmore suggests first offering them a mask. Noncompliant students can then be reported through the Center for Student Conduct while faculty can be reported through the department chair, department dean or Whistleblower hotline. Gilmore added that some individuals who have a disability-related exemption are not necessarily out of compliance.

Contact Cindy Liu at cindyliu@dailycal.org, and follow her on Twitter at @_CindyLiu_.

The Daily Californian

UnitedHealthcare, Art in the Paint and members of the Tech men’s basketball team joined forces to give back to the community on Sept. 9. The event unveiled a newly refurbished and beautified court and offered a free basketball clinic for children in the local community. The new court is located in Rose Circle Park, near the West End Beltline, and the event is part of a larger initiative to create safe spaces for exercise in underserved communities.

Art in the Paint is a local organization whose main goal is to build community and public health through community art. They work to find spaces that need revitalization before connecting artists, community leaders and funding in order to improve and beautify the space.

From their website, artinthepaint.org, they identify three root problems that they aim to fix with their work.

Dangerous court conditions and a lack of proximity to community resources are two major ones, but the second problem listed on the site is most directly helped by the mural-clad courts.

The website describes that problem, saying, “Communities are often in the middle of food deserts and have little to no access to healthy foods, physical exercise classes/groups, and up-lifting messages.”

They aim to solve these issues by physically repairing courts, install social justice murals at each project site and work locally to “create programming and bring resources to the community directly.”

UnitedHealthcare provided the funding for this project, donating $25,000 and sending representatives to help at the unveiling of the new court. Dr. Toyosi Okurounmu, Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, was present to give tips about health and wellness to the attending community members.

The artist whose mural covered the court is local muralist Elaine Stephenson. She has done work for the West End area before and has works featured in other notable areas of Atlanta, including Old Fourth Ward and Atlantic Station. Her art and information can be found on her website, elainestephenson.com.

Part of Art in the Paint’s process is to include local community leaders in the installation and unveiling, with two members of Tech’s men’s basketball team filling that role for this event. Senior guard Michael Devoe and senior forward Jordan Usher joined for the ribbon cutting ceremony and led the basketball clinic for a handful of local kids afterward. Junior guard Coleman Boyd was originally expected to be in attendance as well, but appeared to be unable attend the event.

The players coached the youth for a while at the clinic, moving through drills in various skills. Devoe and Usher, arguably Tech’s two best returning players, are strong choices for the event as both athletes and community leaders. With their faces on billboards across Atlanta during basketball season, they serve as elite athletes and recognizable sights in local sports.

They both seemed to enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community. Usher in particular talked about the impact of the event, saying, “UnitedHealthcare and Art in the Paint are doing something huge. Not only do we have a refurbished court to play on, but [also] one that’s painted and looks beautiful.”

Usher shared Art in the Paint’s concern about access to athletic facilities.

“It’s always a plus when you can get outside on a free court with your friends, and it makes it even better and sweeter when it looks as good as this one,” said Usher.

UnitedHealthcare passed out safety kits at the event, containing hand sanitizer, wipes and other products that can help with community health. The kits will allow the community to remain safe on and off the court and allow them to enjoy the recent investment into their space.

Devoe and Usher took time to take pictures with the kids and organizers during the event, helping to boost awareness of the project. Organizers, community members and players alike enjoyed the event, and Rose Circle Park is now home to a new well maintained court complete with a mural.

Cal offense sinks Sacramento State, secures season’s 1st win 42-30

Sunny Shen/Senior Staff

Justin Wilcox, who underwent knee surgery Tuesday, swung himself to the sideline on crutches prior to Cal’s 42-30 win over Sacramento State on Saturday. The fifth-year Cal head coach wears an unchanging frown and didn’t allow himself a smile after the game, but the relief of earning Cal’s first win of the season was palpable.

The Bears figuratively hobbled onto the field after hurting their pride in Weeks 1 and 2. But Cal’s offense, which struggled to create explosive plays and convert on third down against Nevada in Week 1, started where it left off against TCU. The Bears created 534 yards of total offense and found the end zone on five of their 12 drives. The last time Cal created more than 500 yards of total offense was in 2018 against Oregon State.

Quarterback Chase Garbers played out of his socks for the second week in a row. The redshirt senior had 251 yards passing in the first half alone, a new career high for a half. It was an improvement on his previous career-high 235 passing in the first half against TCU last week.

His perfectly weighted 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter, which put the Bears up 21-6 near the end of the first half, felt like an early dagger in the hearts of the Hornets. Nikko Remigio’s 99-yard kickoff return to start the second half put the game well out of reach.

“We were just taking what the defense gave us. (Because of) how their defense plays structurally, there were going to be some opportunities to take some underneath stuff and take some shots over the top,” Garbers said. “We were really efficient starting out in the pass game, and that’s just what we’ve been practicing all week.”

While the offense shone, the defense was mediocre at best. Stopping the run was a problem for Cal last week, especially against versatile TCU quarterback Max Duggan. And after Sac State quarterback Asher O’Hara scrambled a lot in the Hornets’ second drive of the game, which he capped off with a 7-yard run and an acrobatic leap into the end zone, the Bears looked like they might suffer another thrashing at the hands of a mobile QB. But Sac State head coach Troy Taylor decided to use O’Hara more sparingly for the rest of the game in favor of quarterback Jake Dunniway, a pocket passer.

The change worked for the Hornets. While Cal’s defense managed to keep Sac State at an arm’s length throughout the game, Dunniway exposed some weaknesses in the secondary. The Hornets had 302 passing yards on plays of 15 or more yards, including a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Jared Gipson that set up their second touchdown of the afternoon and a long touchdown pass over the middle to wide receiver Marshel Martin in the third quarter.

In the postgame press conference, Wilcox was clearly upset with how the secondary played.

“These are not new coverage concepts. Hell, there’s not a lot that’s new out there,” Wilcox said. “It’s the same coverages. We have to do a better job making sure those guys know the techniques, and then we have to go out there and execute those techniques to get off the field.”

Allowing 30 points to an Football Championship Subdivision school would have been unimaginable a few years ago during former defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s tenure. When asked for his assessment of the defense in general, Wilcox was terse in his response.

“It wasn’t great,” he said. “It was good enough to win, and we always appreciate winning, but we have to be better than that.”

The Bears will head to Seattle on Sept. 25 to take on Washington (0-2). Crutches in hand, Wilcox won’t exactly hop on the plane brimming with confidence. But after relieving some pressure with a win, Cal can at least take a deep breath before conference play begins.

William Cooke covers football. Contact him at wcooke@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

After years of waiting his turn, junior quarterback Ike Ogbogu finally got his turn to show what he can do Saturday night in UH’s route of Grambling State. | James Schillinger/The Cougar

Waiting had been the story of Ike Ogbogu’s football career.

Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-1-inch quarterback kept waiting and waiting for a Division 1 offer but it never seemed to come. The one Division 1 offer Ogbogu did receive, which came from Cornell, was quickly revoked when the university underwent a coaching staff change.

From there, Ogbogu could have gone the JUCO route, but he decided against that path because he wanted to attend a four year college. 

Ogbogu looked all over the country for any Division 1 four year university that would take him but no one seemed to take interest in him.

Then came Houston.

“It really ended up being Houston cause it was the only school that replied back to me,” Ogbogu said. “I was out in high school just sending my film to everybody. I’m talking about everybody. Head coaches, assistant coaches, GAs. Everybody.”

In 2017, the  San Jose, California native walked on at UH. But this was just the beginning of a long, uphill climb for Ogbogu.

Having to sit behind other quarterbacks on the depth chart was difficult for Ogbogu, but he stayed the course, putting in long hours daily so that when his opportunity finally arrived he would be ready.

After four long years watching from the sidelines, Ogbogu’s moment in the spotlight finally arrived on Saturday when starting quarterback Clayton Tune exited in the first quarter against Grambling State after aggravating a hamstring injury he suffered a week prior.

“I knew I was going to play at some point this game, so when that moment came for me to go in it just felt good to get out there,” Ogbogu said.

Ogbogu quickly settled into the game, marching the Cougars down the field on his second possession under center and connecting with sophomore receiver Nathaniel Dell for his first collegiate touchdown pass, a major milestone for a man who had waited so long to get his shot under the bright lights.

“It was kind of all just a blur,” Ogbogu said about his first touchdown pass. “It felt amazing just after congratulating the guys on a good drive and then looking up in the stands and seeing my family and friends up there. It meant the world to me for them to see them see me succeed out on the field.”

From there, Ogbogu was in rhythm, carving up the Grambling State defense play after play leading UH to a 45-0 route.

Ogbogu finished 14 for 22 for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

“I thought (Ogbogu) played pretty good,” said UH head coach Dana Holgorsen. “He just ran things, knew what we were trying to do … For a kid who hasn’t played a lot of college football, I thought he stepped in and did a great job.”

When the clock hit triple zeros, Ogbogu was at a loss for words as he was surrounded by congratulations from his teammates, coaches, family and friends for his performance.

While Ogbogu does not know when he will take the field next as Tune’s status for the coming week is up in the air, one thing is for certain: Saturday, Sept. 18 is a day that he will never forget.

“This moment right here has been something I’ve been waiting for for a long time,” Ogbogu said. “As a walk-on, it’s not the easiest thing to do. I just bet on myself and kept working and working and working and it panned out now.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Betting on himself: Saturday signified hard work paying off for Ike Ogbogu” was originally posted on The Cougar

For the second week in a row, the University of Utah was again shocked as they conceded another loss, falling to San Diego State, 33-31. While Cameron Rising entered the game and demonstrated some fourth quarter magic with back-to-back touchdown drives, it’s clear this Utah team has a lot of issues as they struggled for a majority of the game on both sides of the football.

Defense

While the defense wasn’t bad, they also weren’t the Utah defense that we’ve been accustomed to over the past few seasons as they’ve continued to struggle forcing turnovers and were inconsistent with their overall play.

For the night, the defense allowed 34 points, 248 total yards, and a surprising 204 yards on the ground. While It is important to note that the total yards allowed by the defense was significantly lower, the yards allowed on the ground have been a consistent issue and a major contributor in Utah’s losses.

On the flipside, besides the amount of points and yards on the ground they allowed, the defense did a great job holding the Aztecs on third down. For the game, San Diego State finished just 2-15 and the defense came up big in the fourth quarter with multiple stops to give Rising and the offense the opportunity to tie the game.

As for overtime, Utah’s secondary let its guard down significantly as they not only allowed multiple completions, but conceded the first passing touchdown by San Diego State and fell for a trick play on the Aztecs’ winning two-point conversion. 

Standout

Devin Lloyd was again the most impressive Utah defender as the veteran linebacker recorded 13 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. 

Week in and week out Lloyd continues to lead this Utah defense, and while his Pac-12 Championship hopes may not be quite attainable, he’s already made it very clear that he is a top-tier NFL prospect.

Room to Improve

Over the last two games, the Utes have collectively allowed over 400 yards on the ground, something completely unexpected due to their talented defensive line, elite linebacker core, and young secondary. Notably, If you were to take away the Aztec run-game, San Diego State would’ve finished with just 44 yards and 14 fewer points as their aerial attack was non-existent. 

If the Utes can really tighten things down from a running standpoint, their defense could reach an elite level and greatly assist the team in winning football games and turning the season around. If not, they will more than likely face more of the same as teams will be taking note of the obvious infirmity. 

Offense

Through three quarters, the offense had absolutely nothing to account for as they hadn’t scored a single point and only produced 135 yards of total offense against the Aztecs. Similar to BYU, Utah’s offensive-line was pitiful, leaving Charlie Brewer exposed and offering zero aid to the running backs.

More than likely we have seen the end of the Brewer era as the senior-transfer struggled to handle the heavy San Diego pass-rush. For the game, Brewer finished just 14-26 for 104 yards and an interception. He also was sacked on multiple occasions and just couldn’t operate in the scheme.

Finally, after three quarters, Cameron Rising was given a shot and he did not disappoint. While his first few drives didn’t produce a whole lot, Rising came alive in the fourth quarter, leading the team in back-to-back touchdown drives and forcing OT.

While the Utes would eventually lose, Rising quickly separated himself and very well could be the starter next week against Washington State. 

As for the run game, it continues to pose a huge question mark through three games as nobody can consistently produce out of the backfield. For the game, the backs finished with only 70 yards on 31 attempts (2.3 average). 

Even Though Bernard was fantastic last week and seemed to separate himself, he struggled tonight as he finished with just 47 yards on 17 attempts. While it is important to note that the backs had absolutely no help from the offensive-line, someone has to step up and prove that they consistently produce or else Utah will struggle to balance out their offense and put points on the board.

Standout 

While he couldn’t quite grasp the victory for the Utes, Rising was a Godsend as the sophomore quarterback finished 19-32 for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Additionally, while he led the Utes on back-to-back touchdown drives, he also converted a two-point conversion to tie the game, and threw an impressive 25-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Dixon on the Utes’ very first play of overtime.

“Cam came in and like I said, gave us that spark with his legs as well as with his arm. He ran for some big gains, running the football. He came in off the bench, and his first few passes might have been a little errant, but he settled in and did a great job once he got a rhythm. And he got into a rhythm very quickly,” Whittingham said.

Impressively, Rising entered the game at the 5:24 mark of the third quarter. It’s probably safe to say that if he would’ve started, Utah would’ve won the game.

As unfortunate as it is to see Brewer struggle, Rising was the most impressive player on Utah’s roster and will more than likely see the start against Washington State next week.

Room to Improve

Before Rising’s magic, the offense was a complete and utter disaster from the start. From the lack of protection by the O-line, to Brewers inability to play outside the pocket, and the running backs’ lack of production, the initial three quarters of this game were more than forgettable. 

Now that the Utes find themselves at 1-2 and entering conference play, things have got to change or they very well could remain below .500 for the rest of season. While Rising’s play does instill a little bit of hope that this offense can actually produce and put points on the board, they’ve simply got to be better moving forward.

“We need to play more efficiently on offense,” Whittingham said. “That is the number one issue we’ve got right now. What you saw in the last quarter is what we have to be for an entire game.”

c.bagley@dailyutahchronicle.com

@bagley_cole

The post Thoughts From the Gridiron: Utah vs SDSU appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

A third quarter surge on the shoulders of an unlikely hero in backup freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart propelled the Trojans to a 45-14 comeback victory Saturday against Washington State. 

“The guys played hard. They came out after halftime and they played even harder,” said interim head coach Donte Williams in the post game press conference Saturday. “Our whole motto is make sure we go 1-0.” 

Williams couldn’t catch a break early as starting junior quarterback Kedon Slovis was forced to exit the game with an injury after being sacked on the third play of the game. Williams said Slovis should be able to practice this week. 

Dart stepped in, thrust into his first college football game, facing a 7-0 deficit with the entire Trojan fanbase looking to get a glimpse into the post-Clay Helton era. 

On his first drive, Dart had a solid 18-yard scramble and strung together a couple of completions. However, Dart had a pass intercepted by graduate student Daniel Isom and the Cougars capitalized to put the Trojans in an early 14-0 hole. 

USC looked like it was headed for a second consecutive loss until a 38-yard bomb from Dart to sophomore wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. on fourth down electrified Williams’ group heading into the halftime break. 

The Trojans came out of the locker room for the third quarter with continuity and with one distinct goal in mind: get the ball to Drake London. 

The junior star wide receiver exploded in the third quarter, finishing with 13 catches, 170 yards and two touchdowns. Dart consistently looked to London as the momentum of the game shifted, before London took a hit to the head during his second touchdown reception that held him out of the rest of the game. 

Dart threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns, the most yards by a USC quarterback in their debut. The Trojans abandoned the run game for a large portion of the game, with Dart attempting a total of 46 passes. 

“I’m super fortunate to be around a group of guys and a group of coaches who show a ton of resiliency and have a lot of confidence in one other,” Dart said. 

The offense wasn’t the only side that looked like a completely different team — defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s reinvigorated defense pitched a shutout in the second half after two Washington State touchdowns in the first. 

Some of USC’s defensive success can be attributed to sophomore quarterback Jayden de Laura’s left knee injury midway through the game, turning this into a battle of the backups. 

Orlando implemented more schemes that placed junior linebacker Drake Jackson on the defensive line, where he inflicted terror on the Cougars’ offensive line. His sole sack of the day came toward the end of the third quarter to put the Trojans up 28-14, by stripping sophomore quarterback Victor Gabalis in the endzone. Sophomore defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu pounced on the football to give USC a two-touchdown lead, seemingly ending the game. 

“Really we just want to fly around and run and hit,” Jackson said. “We really don’t want to give up any points, so the 14 points that we did give up [made us] kind of angry about that and [we] came out the second half and really showed that.”

USC’s comeback victory on the road could turn out to be the morale-boosting win the Trojans needed to prove they are capable of dominating the Pac-12. 

USC will look to build on this win as it returns  to the Coliseum Saturday to face Oregon State at 7:30 p.m. 

Anthony Gharib contributed to this story.

The post USC darts over Washington State in comeback victory appeared first on Daily Trojan.

Students at Colorado State University participated in a protest on Friday, Sept. 17 against the University’s response to the presence of preachers on campus in the previous weeks.  The protest, organized by “#CallOutCSU,” consisted of a gathering on The Lory Student Center Plaza and a subsequent march down University Avenue to The Oval, where the […]