USC Football: Trojans' Killer Instinct Will Be Key to Strong Finish to 2014

In its 44-17 rout of Washington State Saturday, USC demonstrated the “killer instinct” head coach Steve Sarkisian said this week he was working to instill in his team.

Now, USC must make the course of Saturday’s win a microcosm for the remainder of the season and finish stronger than it started.

That wasn’t exactly the case for the Trojans the previous two months. USC came into Washington State the nation’s No. 7-ranked scoring team in first quarters per TeamRankings.com, but it dropped to No. 71 in fourth quarters.

Lackluster fourth quarters cost USC in losses to Arizona State and Utah and turned a double-digit point lead at Arizona into a game decided on a missed field goal.

“I still in my heart of hearts believe we should have won those games, but we didn’t,” Sarkisian said on Tuesday. “It’s about developing a mindset, developing a culture of a killer instinct, competing for 60 minutes… That falls solely on me.”

Obviously, Sarkisian and his staff had the Trojans better prepared to show some killer instinct this week.

Saturday’s first quarter followed the standard USC formula. Nelson Agholor’s second punt returned for a touchdown this season and the first of three John “JuJu” Smith scoring receptions put the Trojans up two scores early.

It was Smith’s third straight game operating as the potent counterpunch to complement Agholor, who hauled in a personal-record 220 yards.

Indeed, the wide receiver duo helped fuel USC’s strong finish. Washington State losing quarterback Connor Halliday didn’t hurt, either.

Halliday went down following a collision with USC defensive end Leonard Williams in the first quarter.

Still, Washington State looked primed to test USC’s resolve once again, driving into the red zone midway through the third quarter with an opportunity to turn a game that was once 24-0 into 24-14.

But the USC defense held Washington State to a field goal—the last points the Cougars scored until late in the fourth quarter, after a 20-point Trojans deluge.

USC scored fewer points in its second-half run than it did before halftime—20 points against 24 in the first half—but how it scored in the second offered more of a blueprint to follow the remainder of the season.

All three touchdowns came on drives of 70-plus yards, whereas the Trojans’ first-half offensive scores were the result of taking possession in Washington State territory.

Another positive USC has to take away from the Palouse is that it won’t play again for another 12 days. The Trojans have a bye week to heal their collective wounds, which include an unspecified knee injury safety and linebacker Su’a Cravens sustained in the second quarter.

Backups Scott Felix and Matt Lopes helped key the strong finish on the defensive side. The continued contributions of USC’s limited reserves is crucial for putting together more fourth-quarter finishes.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics via USCTrojans.com unless otherwise noted.