Hey, Lane Kiffin, would you just let Charlie Brown kick the extra point?
Mark Fedde
Sierra Madre
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Letters: What was the point, Trojans?
Readers aren't thrilled with coaching decisions in narrow opening victory.
USC Coach Lane Kiffin on the sideline during the season opener against Minnesota. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles…)
Point 1: The only time you should see a 12-0 score after two touchdowns is in a high school game.
Point 2: Keep going for two, Coach Kiffin, and high school is where you may find yourself coaching.
Brian Cashion
Marina del Rey
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Lane Kiffin's expression and demeanor didn't change between halftime and the end of the game. How are his players supposed to know when their coach is pleased with their work? Maybe his players figure they can't please him, so why bust their buns in the second half? Where's Pete Carroll in the locker room when you need him?
Tom Turner
Dana Point
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Lane Kiffin gives up two free points on PATs and passes up on two legitimate field goal attempts? OK. Lane's offensive strategy must be to give up as many points as possible to make the fourth quarter much more interesting for USC fans and to test that young defense. If Lane isn't careful, his strategy will run him out of his dream job a month into this season. Take the points Lane and win by 10.
Dana H. Corrough
Newport Beach
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Sour Grape Kiffin's postgame remark stating that he has only "two good players on offense" is unacceptable and sophomoric. While spending a good portion of the game with his nose buried in awe at the depth of his own depth chart, Kiffin would not shoulder the responsibility as to why the Trojans were skunked by Minnesota in the second half.
Nancy Spinelli
Redondo Beach
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Lane Kiffin's playbook is over 400 pages but weighs less than a pound. The middle 80% is cut out of every single page.
Mark Backstrom
Inglewood
Kicking him when he's down
Is T.J. Simers' vault of scandalous story lines so bankrupt that following the UCLA-Houston game he could do no better than pursue a predatory attack on an emotionally fragile teenage kicker who had just suffered a humiliating collegiate athletic debut? I am surprised that, immediately after Kevin Prince suffered a concussion, T.J. forfeited the opportunity of demanding that he solve the Sphinx's riddle.
Wes Wellman
Santa Monica
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If I was Kip Smith, I would ask T.J. Simers for help with a few practice kicks and ask him to bend over. Simers' column on the UCLA kicker should have been edited for unnecessary roughness.
Jeff Fleming
Dana Point
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If there were a Pulitzer Prize awarded for cheap shots, Simers would have won it for this year and probably retired the trophy forever with his column on the UCLA kid who missed the field goal near the end of the Houston game. The missed field goal had no more to do with losing that game than I did watching it on television. The same old Bruins were 10 points (two scores) down with about six minutes to go, and hadn't once stopped Houston from scoring when it mattered. Had that kick been good, Houston was going to score at least once and maybe three times in the remaining six minutes. UCLA just could not stop them.
Paul Ascenzi
Pomona
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I knew for the UCLA-Houston game that Kevin Prince would get hurt, Kip Smith would miss easy kicks, and the UCLA linebackers would tackle horribly. What I didn't know was that first-year defensive coordinator Jim Tresey would, without ever adjusting, insist on repeatedly blitzing when his team was being beaten by wide receiver screens, halfback screens, and draw plays. Can we please get some competent coaching over there?
Alan Abajian
Alta Loma
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After 11 seasons, I did not renew my four season tickets for UCLA football.
Until UCLA is ready to put some serious resources into the program and hire a coach like Urban Meyer, I expect I'll stay away. Heck, it's not been much fun any year since Bob Toledo got the ax.
Rod Hersberger
Santa Barbara
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UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero expresses his displeasure about a video clip showing the USC Trojan drum major planting a sword in the UCLA logo. No wonder the Bruins have lost 11 of 12 on the football field. Guerrero has his priorities and focus miscued, and everyone blames Coach Rick Neuheisel.
Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos
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In light of Maryland's gaudy and hideous uniform/helmet design scheme, UCLA should dump Adidas for Under Armour and have the company design something just as atrocious for the school. Perhaps a "California Republic" flag design on one side of the helmet, and the L.A. County logo on the other? For an added starry touch, maybe a smallish Hollywood sign in the front above the cage. With these odd features, maybe it will distract several Bruins opponents just enough to translate into a few more UCLA victories this season. Heck, it worked for the Terrapins (beating Miami) on Monday.
Mark J. Featherstone
Windsor Hills
Split ends
Chris Dufresne has it all wrong regarding Pac-16 expansion/realignment. USC and UCLA should block any attempt made by Oklahoma and Texas to join the Pac-16. In fact, USC and UCLA should petition the conference for immediate realignment as follows.
1. Get rid of Utah and Colorado.
2. Expand to 16 teams with two divisions:
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