USC Football: An Ugly Win at Stanford May Set Up a Beautiful Season

As victories go, USC's 13-10 win at Stanford was anything but pretty.

An offense that spent most of Saturday sputtering was propped up by a bend-but-don't-break defense that did just enough to keep the Cardinal frustrated when a multitude of opportunities presented themselves to quarterback Kevin Hogan and company.

But given that the Trojans played far from their best game in Palo Alto and still found a way to win portends of great things for the men of Troy as they go forward, and for those who follow USC, it is likely that a win such as this might be the best thing that could happen to them.

After all, did anyone really expect that the Trojans would go for 100-plus plays and 700 yards against a tough Stanford defense like they did against the hapless Bulldogs of Fresno State?

Of course, that answer is "no," but to be fair, few would have predicted that USC would be held to 59 plays either.

Yet that is what happened, and despite the stumbles by the offense, the Trojans still found a way to come up with a "W" along with a No. 9 ranking in the latest AP poll.

What should be remembered is that this win came against a very good Cardinal team on the road and for a team in only its second game under a new coach and an even newer offense.

And while things did not go as planned, it probably could not have gone better for a team that now is entertaining notions of a special season in 2014.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Having now won a tough game under difficult circumstances, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff can go to sleep at night knowing their charges can win big games when the chips aren't falling their way.

And what is even more heartening for this staff is the knowledge that the Trojans will just keep getting better with an offense finding its way in the hurry-up and a strong defense that should keep improving under new coordinator Justin Wilcox.

Now the Trojans hit the road once again, but this time to meet an underwhelming Boston College team. The biggest fear here is a letdown, although that isn't likely under Sark and his aggressive staff.

And at 2-0 in this young season, the Trojans can look forward to a bye after the Boston College game, and if things go right, God help the Beavers of Oregon State the following week.

So while winning by 20-plus points and rolling up 500 or so yards against the Cardinal might have been nice, winning the way they did should put a lot of smiles on their fans' faces when and if the chips are down for the cardinal and gold later in the season.

Who says you can't put lipstick on a pig?

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