College Football: Can USC Return to Respectability?

This time last year, after an impressive finish to the 2011 season (10-2 record), the USC Trojans were viewed as a loaded team on the rise. For example, they possessed Robert Woods and Marquise Lee, two of the best wide receivers in the country; and their quarterback, Matt Barkley, had Heisman Trophy aspirations. Basically, the team had enough talent to put an end to the SEC’s streak of six BCS National Championships.

According to the Associated Press, the Trojans started their season ranked as the preseason number one team. They suffered some key injuries though, which exposed their lack of depth. The high expectations and promise plummeted. They lost five of their last six games, finishing the disappointing 2012 campaign at 7-6.

USC became the second ever preseason number one team to finish the year unranked since the 1964 Ole Miss team as well as the first to lose six games. Several ball clubs played faster than the Trojans and ran far more plays. The Trojans ranked 83rd in the nation in the total number of plays run.

Athletic Director Pat Haden has stated that Head Coach Lane Kiffin is not on the hot seat although several people would argue that, present company included. The most scrutinized coach in the country, Kiffin and USC need to have a bounce back season.

The difference between good and bad teams is in the concentration on the little things.

Kiffin made changes on the coaching staff: former quarterbacks coach, Clay Helton was recently promoted to offensive coordinator. Former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin (Lane’s dad) stepped down to avoid the awkwardness of being fired by his son. The elder Kiffin — now the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator — was replaced by Clancy Pendergast, former defensive coordinator at the University of California. Pendergast has seen a lot of spread offenses and his squads have consistently disrupted schemes and shut down the run… two areas that always seemed to befuddle Monte Kiffin.

For Lane Kiffin to stay on as the head coach, and for the USC football program to return to respectability, several things need to happen:

1)  A good record: The team needs to post a 6-3 or 7-2 conference record and win eight or more games.

2)  Make a decision at the quarterback position:  Max Wittek completed 36 of 69 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns in two starts in 2012. He will get his hands on the keys first in 2013. The team must get efficient QB play from Wittek while developing depth behind him.

3)  Take care of the ball:  the Trojan passing game was one of their strengths in 2012, ranking between the top-10 and the top-30 in all major categories. But they committed way too many turnovers. In their six losses, the Trojans lost 19 turnovers. USC ranked in the top ten nationally in interceptions and lost fumbles. Turnovers have a huge impact on games and the team found that out last season.

4)  Control the line of scrimmage:  The prevailing thought by many was that USC could not defend the spread offense. Defensively, they were able to limit the big run plays, but struggled mightily when teams that knew how to attack their defense. They allowed 7.1 yards-per-carry vs. Oregon, 5.5 yards-per-carry against Stanford and 5.3 yards-per-carry when they played Notre Dame.

5)  Commit to the running game: Wow. It feels strange to suggest that the school formerly known as “Tailback U” needs to run the ball more. The Trojans averaged 5.5 yards-per-carry and 150 yards-per-game, but ran for only 1,958 yards on the season. They ranked 72nd in the nation. In their seven wins, USC ran for 1,311 yards.

In 2013, the Trojans’ will bring back four of their top-five offensive line players who have a total of 85 starts between them. The team needs to get back to being physical enough on both sides of the ball to handle whatever challenges they face.

6)  Convert on 3rd down:  Turnovers contributed mightily to the team not converting more on third down last season. But the real culprits were not being able to control the line of scrimmage and their inconsistent running game. The result was the USC Trojans ranking 110th in the nation at third down conversions.

The Trojans have 15 returning starters, better depth at most positions than in 2012 and a new, more aggressive defensive scheme. They will have lower expectations in 2013…  they avoid playing Oregon; and host both Stanford and UCLA.

 

Bottom Line: If Lane Kiffin & Co. can correct the above-mentioned issues, USC could become one of the surprise teams of 2013. They might very well post a 10-3 record and receive an At-Large bid to play in the Fiesta Bowl against the number one team in the Big 12. However… if these issues are not resolved; the Trojans could post another 7-6 record and the California school will be searching for another head football coach.