USC’s Epic Loss - Who is to Blame?
Last night was one of those epic losses that people can’t stop talking about. After beating the highly-ranked Ohio State last week, their game this week against Oregon State was supposed to be an easy game. “Supposed to be.” The Trojans lost 27-21, and that’s after a second-half rally - they were losing 21-0 going into halftime.
So what went wrong?
It was a combination of USC playing poorly and Oregon State playing well. Oregon State freshman Jacquizz Rodgers (#1, see below) and his brother James (#8, see right) ran all over the usually-strong Trojan defense, and Greg Laybourn was the hero of the night when he intercepted a 
late-4th-quarter pass from USC QB Mark Sanchez. USC Joe McKnight wasn’t playing well, Sanchez seemed rusty, and Taylor Mays certainly didn’t help the situation with personal fouls.
Who’s fault is is? McKnight seems to want to take this loss on himself, saying,
“I didn’t make the plays. Fumbled the ball, Dropped a pass. You can’t blame anybody else but me.”
Sanchez is also willing to take some blame for the poor performance.
“Not our sharpest tonight — everybody, every position. There’s no need to point fingers,” Sanchez said. “I’m as guilty as anyone else. I threw an interception — costly late in the game.”
In my opinion, though, there is only one person responsible for this loss:
That’s right. Pete Carroll. I’m sorry for all of those Pete fans out there, but this is not the first time we’ve seen him lead teams into games unprepared. Need I remind you of last year? He’s to blame because these are college kids. He never seems to prepare them well for games that they think don’t matter.
Newsflash: In college, you need to prepare for EVERY game as though you’re playing a top-ranked team. There are some many factors in a win. USC has the talent. They have the fans. They have the skill. What they don’t have is a coach who is humble enough to admit that his team isn’t perfect.
Carroll has that “holier than thou” mentality, almost like some teams aren’t worth his time. That’s why USC is known for choking on what should be an easy game. I don’t care how well Oregon State player - USC still should have won. They clearly have the better team on paper. I think USC in general needs an attitude adjustment, but ultimately, that falls on the coach’s shoulders. In college, players are only as good as their coach.
Pictures via Newscom.
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POSTED IN: Coaching, Oregon State, USC, Upsets
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