USC Football: Why USC Needs to Replace the Kiffins

There is trouble in Troy, folks. The Trojans are on a two-game losing streak and the defense leaves a whole heck of a lot to be desired. Three games have been lost so far overall and three remain on USC’s 2012 schedule. The Trojans are the most penalized team in the entire 120-team FBS division and Matt Barkley’s Heisman campaign is in the toilet.

The Kiffins—both Lane and Monte—must go. The question is, when?

USC is under NCAA Scholarship reduction sanctions for two more seasons. Many Kiffin apologists place the blame for the preseason No. 1 team’s total freefall on reduced team numbers due to the sanctions, injuries, academics and normal attrition.

But make no mistake—the fault of the atrocious games USC is playing of late lies firmly on the shoulders of 37-year-old Lane and his 72-year-old father Monte.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Trojans, despite their smaller number of players, are too loaded with the highest caliber of talent to be losing the games they are losing in the way they are losing them.

It is also a fact that Lane Kiffin is not a Pat Haden hire. He was hired by former embattled Athletic Director Mike Garrett.

Doesn’t it seem like it’s time to clean house and bring in a Haden hire who has the chops and maturity to run a first-rate, elite football program?

In fact, in Lane Kiffin’s entire head coaching career—at USC, Tennessee and with the Raiders—he has one signature win: last year’s USC victory over Oregon at Autzen Stadium.

USC set dubious records in its last two outings. At Arizona, the penalties were off the charts. Versus Oregon, USC allowed both the most yards (730) and points (62) in the program. And this is a program that has been playing football since 1888.

Marqise Lee is a bright spot on this team, but the offense’s struggles otherwise cannot be ignored. The fact that Matt Barkley has regressed rather than improved, cannot be ignored. The fact that this team has drastically fallen off since the end of last season cannot be ignored.

And USC’s defense, well, as I stated on Sunday night—Monte needs to retire. His schemes are outdated and no longer work. He was hapless against both Arizona and Oregon, completely unable to stop the spread, the run, the option, or any sort of offensive scheme that was fast and modern.

There is no excuse for this level of ineptitude. It was ushered in with the Kiffins, and so the Kiffins must go.