USC Trojans 7-3 Overall (4-3 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Stanford 55 – USC 21

Next Week’s Opponent: BYE

“I’m not sure I have the right words to describe being humbled like this. I don’t really know where to put it. … We have fallen apart and given our opponents the opportunity to do whatever they want, but you have to give Stanford a lot of credit.” – Pete Carroll

It’s happening to Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Florida State. So why did we believe that a humbling season was inconceivable for this USC program? Is it because Pete Carroll recruits so well? Get over that; the programs mentioned above are full of 5-star talent. The reality is USC needs time to develop, and not just the players. Rocky Seto is 33 years old, and in his first season as a defensive coordinator. Jeremy Bates is 33 years old and this is his first time coaching college football (a much different animal than pro ball).

For those that think this is the beginning of the end for USC football, keep dreaming. While the rest of the Pac-10 is recruiting at a much higher level than in recent memory, ‘SC is still comfortably leading the charge on that front. In fact, Pac-10 fans can thank Pete Carroll for forcing their schools to hit the recruiting trail that much harder.

Having said all of that… Saturday’s drubbing will require the eternally optimistic Pete Carroll to come up with his best motivation material. The truth is USC got beat by a better team this past weekend. The Cardinal were the more physical team (as they often are), and it was clear to me that they wanted it more.

Matt Barkley had a miserable game (21/31 196 yards 1 TD, 3 INTs), and there was miscommunication throughout the afternoon on offense (particularly Barkley and the receivers). One of the few positives from Saturday was the play of Joe McKnight (16 carries, 142 yards 1 TD), who showcased his signature speed and explosiveness even in a losing effort.

Defensively, I refuse to pile on with excessive criticism the way most will, because frankly, Saturday’s result had a lot more to do with Stanford’s offense than it did USC’s D. This is where you tip your cap to Toby Gerhart, Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh for a well-executed gameplan.

Now the Trojans will have a bye before the rivalry game with UCLA. The way this season has gone, earning the Victory Bell against the Bruins is no sure thing.

USC Trojans (6-2) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4)
Saturday, November 7, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -10.0

Sam’s Take (39 – 15):

The Trojans are coming off the worst loss of the Pete Carroll era, and that probably doesn’t bode well for ASU. Remember, this ‘SC program has not lost a game in the month of November since Carroll’s arrival.

Still, it’s difficult to know for sure how the Trojans dreadful performance in Eugene will affect the team moving forward. While the season may seem lost, a BCS Bowl is still likely if ‘SC wins out, so we will find out a lot about this team’s resiliency in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils may need to pull off the upset Saturday in order to keep their bowl hopes alive (remaining schedule includes @Ore, @UCLA, UA).

QB Matt Barkley really can’t be faulted for what took place last week, and I expect him to play very well in Tempe. ASU has proven to be rock solid against the run this season (4th nationally), so ‘SC will likely go to the air early with Barkley. The Devils D has developed a reputation for over-pursuing, so Jeremy Bates may also put in extra misdirection plays this week.

Dennis Erickson will once again turn to ASU QB Danny Sullivan, but he also hinted that former ‘SC commit QB Samson Szakacsy will have an expanded role in the offense. RB Dimitri Nance continues to be bothered by a shoulder injury; so true freshman RB Cameron Marshall could be the feature back this week. USC has certainly looked vulnerable on defense in the last few weeks, but the Sun Devils lack the offensive explosion of Notre Dame, OSU, and Oregon.

I expect a very physical game, as both USC and ASU prefer to play that style. But by the second half, the Trojans should pull away en route to another November win.

Prediction: USC 30 – Arizona State 17

USC Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Ronald Johnson - RoJo caught a TD in each of the last two weeks, and I expect him to be heavily featured in the gameplan against ASU.

Arizona State Player to Keep an Eye On: CB Deveron Carr - The Arizona State coaches are reshuffling the Devils secondary after a disappointing outing vs. Cal, and Carr is likely to make his first career start this week.

Dave’s Take (42 – 12):

For a USC defense that has struggled immensely over the last three weeks, ASU’s manageable offense might be just what the doctor ordered. Since conference play has started, ASU has averaged 20.6 points per game. They will get their share of yards and points, but unlike the last three teams USC has played (with ND’s Jimmy Clausen, OSU’s Jacquizz Rodgers, and Oregon’s LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli), Arizona State doesn’t have any explosiveness in their backfield.

The biggest question mark in this game is simply how will USC react to having just been blown out? For a team that generally likes to have a lot of light-hearted fun during practice and preperation for games, a loss like this could throw things out of balance. If Pete Carroll tries to change too much too fast, it could really affect the team’s psyche. Will be interesting to see how they play this Saturday, especially in the first half.

For ASU, the message has been consistant all year; the defense can only do so much. They’ve been playing at a high level and giving the team a chance to win more often than not, but it just hasn’t been enough as the offense hasn’t been able to capitalize.

I expect similar in this one; ASU holds USC somewhere in the 28-35 range, but the offense continues to struggle.

Prediction: USC 28 – Arizona State 14

USC Trojans 2-1 Overall (0-1 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Washington 16 – USC 13

Next Week’s Opponent: Washington State

This is becoming an all too familiar script for Trojans fans. With Saturday’s painful loss to Washington, USC has now lost to an unranked Pac-10 team in four consecutive seasons. Certainly there will be a lot of finger pointing after this one. Some folks will blame the play calling of offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. Some will blame the mounting injuries that have kept key starters out of action. Some may even blame Pete Carroll (Pete Carroll seems to blame Pete Carroll). In the end it doesn’t matter why the Trojans lost in Seattle, because frankly, this is USC and the expectation is to utilize superior talent and depth to defeat all comers.

While plenty of things need to be corrected in a hurry, I don’t believe the defense is one of them. In fact, the Trojan D has far exceeded my expectations to this point in the 2009 season. Sure Taylor Mays makes a difference in the secondary, but the Trojans still played pretty well against Washington. Holding a potent Huskies offense to 16 points and less than 300 total yards really isn’t bad at all, especially if you consider the fact that U-Dub put up about 500 yards of offense against a good LSU D.

The final drive of Saturday’s game was simply Jake Locker and the UW receivers making some fantastic plays. I think it’s important to remember the sheer amount of playmakers that were lost from last season’s record-breaking Trojan defense. Not to mention the departure of Nick Holt (who proved just how good he is Saturday). I believe the emergence of new defensive playmakers like Chris Galippo and Michael Morgan should not be overlooked despite the disappointment being felt by ‘SC fans after a frustrating loss.

Obviously the thing on everyone’s mind right now is the quarterback position. Frankly, there is no way to positively describe Aaron Corp’s performance (13/22 110 yards, 1 INT). I just can’t figure out why Mitch Mustain did not get a look in the game. Mustain may be struggling with the system, but would he have performed any worse? I do believe one positive came out of Saturday’s rough outing from Corp. At least now we know that this is Matt Barkley’s team, and the quarterback controversy that defined most of the pre-season is no more.

My last thought involves the electrifying and terrifying Joe McKnight. No one can deny that he is a true game-changer, but lately, he has changed the game in the wrong way. McKnight’s ball security issues are becoming too costly, and it may be just a matter of time before he sees his touches reduced as a result. Personally, I hope he finds a way to hold onto the ball because he is such an exciting player to watch and I would hate to see the fumbling stigma continue to haunt him.

‘SC has a lot of work to do from here, but a home game against Washington State maybe just what the doctor ordered.