Pete Carroll and The Art Of Complacency

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Admitting to something is the first sign of recovery. College football fans outside of Southern California might want to keep that one to themselves.

When the USC Trojans take the field Saturday at Martin Stadium against the Washington State Cougars, they will be in a familiar situation: trying to recover from a national title deflating loss.

Last Saturday, Erik Folk split the uprights with three ticks left on the board, and the Washington Huskies (near three-touchdown underdogs) upset the Trojans, 16-13. A week prior Washington ended a 15-game losing streak that began in the Ty ‘Losing’ham era defeating Idaho, 42-23.

After the game, SC running back, Joe McKnight, stated: “Washington wasn’t the better team, they just outplayed us.”

McKnight’s quote is eerily reminiscent of the comments made by another Trojan a few years ago. Moments after their loss in the 2005 Rose Bowl, Matt Leinart remarked: “I think we’re a better football team; they just made the plays in the end.”

That’s okay guys. You just keep saying that, and eventually you will convince yourself it is reality.

In the mean time, USC’s stumbling has become a rite of fall as common as a New York Mets’ implosion. In ‘06 the 10-1 Trojans ended the regular season with a 13-9 loss to the 6-5 UCLA Bruins.

A year later the Trojans’ 35-game home winning streak came to an end. Tavita Pritchard completed a fourth and ten pass with 49 seconds remaining as the Stanford Cardinal won 24-23. Stanford entered the game 41-point underdogs. Oregon State trimmed the Trojans a year ago, 27-21. The Beavers entered the tilt 25-point underdogs.

The constant throughout those upsets is Trojan head coach, Pete Carroll. Last week’s loss carried a different bite than previous setbacks. Washington’s first year head coach, is the former long-time Carroll assistant, Steve Sarkisian.

What are the chances the former USC offensive coordinator used the apparent complacency of the Trojans as a motivator?

What could get lost in the mix here is that aforementioned loss to Texas in the national title game. How many coaches in the history of college football have had two Heisman winners in the same back field?

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