IMHO Sunday: The aftermath
In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles.
* It’s inconceivable to me that USC athletic director Mike Bohn doesn’t deep down see the writing on the wall when it comes to the future of the Trojans football program.
* I find it hard to fathom with its legendary football past, the Trojans administration would accept USC’s football current state of affairs – we’re talking USC football here – as an acceptable level of play. For the present and the future, maybe times have changed, but I hope not and so does college football.
* Don’t even start with me that the Trojans were undefeated, won the Pac-12 South Division, and were No. 13 in the country prior to the Pac-12 Championship Game, and that marks a successful season. Blah, blah, blah. With that schedule, against those teams, with that talent advantage? By not winning the conference title, the season was, IMHO, an inexcusable failure.
* On the positive side, give credit to Clay Helton, his players, and the USC administration for opting out of any bowl game for this season. After reading about UCLA players rejecting playing in a bowl game and for all the right reasons, USC did the right thing, as well.
* Rumors are swirling that Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis, who hurt his shoulder at the end of the Oregon game on Friday night, would have been out of any bowl game. There were other Trojans, as well, that would not have played due to injury.
* If the Trojans had played in a bowl game and had got beaten, would that have changed the job status of Clay Helton? I doubt it.
* No question in my eyes, the entire Pac-12 will be much better next season, and by having a 9-1 record in Pac-12 title games, the strength of the North Division is much better than the South.
* Since when do you get to the point that signing a strong recruiting class gives the head coach job security? I always thought at USC it’s about production on the field that coincides with championships. Even Clay Helton has also stated as such.
* Clay Helton is sounding more and more like former USC head coach Paul Hackett before Hackett got fired. The same lines of “we’re young, we’re just a step away, we’re right there, the players play so hard,” etc.
* A total of 98 yards in penalties by the Trojans against Oregon isn’t justified by saying the kids played so hard and with so much emotion. Yes, they did play hard, but that’s no excuse for dumb and needless flags.
* A sign of a good football coach is clock management and use of timeouts.
* When it comes to winning a conference title, the Trojans will never have another cream puff schedule like 2020.
* I shudder to think what the Trojans record in 2020 would have been had the original schedule, which included Alabama, Notre Dame, at Oregon, and Washington, been played. A losing record wouldn’t have been out of the question.
* Who will be in charge come spring of addressing the lack of discipline that leads to penalties? Clay Helton? Oh, right, that’s been tried before.
* Despite playing in Los Angeles, Oregon played as though no one was in the stands for a Trojans’ home field advantage. Would fans in the stands made a difference on Friday night?
* BTW, what does Clay Helton really think about his current running attack after saying early in his tenure that he wanted a physical, pounding running game? This is what happens when you sell your soul and future to a new offensive – the Air Raid – you know little about, is counter to your core beliefs, and hir an offensive coordinator you don’t know well enough.
From the press box…
* The Trojans defense probably deserved more credit than it received after holding the Oregon offense, which didn’t have starting running back CJ Verdell available, to 243 total yards and four TDs.
* The Oregon team that beat the Trojans for the Pac-12 title was probably the weakest Ducks team we will see in the foreseeable future.
* Clay Helton should consider writing a book: “My greatest positive spins after losses.”
* I’d be be surprised if Trojans offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is the still Clay Helton’s offensive coordinator in 2022. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrell is not with the Trojans in 2021.
* I’d be shocked if the Trojans ran a misdirection running play during this Air Raid era.
* I’d be shocked if the Trojans ever convert a third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 during the Air Raid era.
* Despite the final score, the Trojans seemed a lot further behind against Oregon than the scoreboard was showing during the course of the game.
* In case you didn’t notice, the Trojans didn’t score again in the third quarter of a game. Only against UCLA has the Men of Troy scored a TD in the third stanza. That’s 5 third quarters and one TD to show for it.
* I won’t be shocked if defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao, offensive tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker, receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns all head for the NFL, although the NCAA said this season would not count in terms of eligibility.
* It’s disconcerting when pondering what other Trojans might turn pro or enter the Transfer Portal.
The post-game show…
* Oregon would have beaten Washington if they had played.
* I expect that there will be limited Coliseum attendance in 2021, but don’t hold me to it.
* The Trojans wouldn’t dare increase football season ticket prices for 2021 after winning the Pac-12 South Division, would they?
* I won’t be shocked if the Trojans raise Trojans Athletic Fund dues in 2021.
* I expect Alabama will win the CFP National Championship. Shocking, I know.
* Aren’t you glad that the Trojans didn’t play Alabama to start the 2020 season? That would have been ugly at the highest level.
* With Notre Dame getting ripped by Clemson, 34-10, in the ACC title game, possibly eliminating the Irish from the CFP, the Trojans playing ND in the Coliseum in November would not have had a good outcome if the Irish needed to impress the CFP committee with an impressive win.
The last word: In today’s USC football world, the more things change, the more they stay the same.