Stanford at USC
The USC Clown Car came off the rails this past Saturday in the Los Angeles Coliseum during a stunning 42-28 defeat at the hands of a 14.5 point unranked underdog Stanford–a defeat that cost Trojan Head Coach and team head enabler Clay Helton his job. In an ironic twist as reported by the AP in their ESPN write-up, Stanford’s Head Coach David Shaw’s 63rd conference victory moved him past Pete Carroll for ninth most in PAC-12 history. This was the same Stanford team that looked so hapless the week before in a 24-7 loss to Kansas State–scoreless through the first three quarters of that game. How does a USC team that records six more first downs, has possession of the ball five minutes longer, rushes for more yards, and has more total yards than their opponent find a way to lose?
After being held to a three-and-out on their second possession of the 1st Qtr, the Trojan defense offered up the first way to help an inferior team to victory–don’t get your hands dirty blocking and making tackles–letting Stanford Junior RB Nathaniel Peat run 87 yards to the house for an early 7-0 lead. After tying the score at seven a piece, the Trojan’s offered up their second way to help the Cardinal to victory–unnecessary roughness, pass interference, and an offside that turned a made field goal on 4th and 8 into a pass into the end zone on the very next play moving Stanford out in front 14-7. After a USC field goal the Trojan Secondary provided the third way to help your fledgling opponent to victory by providing 49 of the 66 yards needed by the Cardinal to go up 21-10 at the half.
On their first possession after the half the Trojans quickly show us the fourth and fifth ways to help an inferior opponent to victory. First with an inability, for the second time in the game, to put up more than a field goal inside the red zone. Next by throwing a pick-six on the third play of your very next possession putting the Cardinal up 28-13. Stanford would score two more TD’s in the second half to go up 42-13 with the help of three more pass interference calls and USC’s two additional TD’s in the 4th did nothing more than make it look like a beat-down on the score board instead of the blow-out that it was.
All toll on the day, the Trojans committed nine penalties for a total of 111 yards. As the AP wrote in their recap for ESPN; “USC coach Clay Helton’s perpetually hot seat has become a sizzling fajita plate again just two games into his seventh season in charge of a former college football powerhouse with [only] one conference title since 2008.” At the end of the game Helton offered the same platitudes we’ve been hearing for years; “Let’s see at the end of the year . . . It’s Game 2, and I have total faith in this staff. I have total faith in the men that are in there, players, coaches. We didn’t play our best tonight, but I hope that we look up at the end of the year, and you’re [saying] Man, that team really improved from that Game 2.” Save it coach–you’re out!