USC Football: The Good The Bad And The Ugly From Hawaii Win

USC opened their season last night with a 49-36 victory over Hawaii and while Matt Barkley was tremendous the same couldn't be said for the defense. Hawaii did their best to try to hang with the No. 14 ranked Trojans but didn't have the offensive firepower to keep up.

Since it was the first game of the season many are going to cut USC some slack for their defensive performance. The question is whether or not this will be an ongoing problem for the rest of the season. We won't know for another few weeks how good this Trojans team is. And, until then all we have to go off of is last night's game.

The Good

1. Matt Barkley as was mentioned before was great. He tied a school record for touchdown passes with five; three of which were to Ronald Johnson. The Trojans may not be bowl eligible until Barkley's senior season but one thing is certain and that is that this kid isn't going to let his team have a let down after the NCAA came down hard on the program.
2. Johnson and Marc Tyler were also spectacular on the night. Tyler ran for 154 yards on 17 carries, including a 44-yard touchdown run that couldn't have come at a better time as the Warriors had just scored to make it a 12-point game.  Johnson also had an 89-yard punt return that gave him his third touchdown of the game and he ended up with four overall.

The Bad

1. Lane Kiffin got his first W of the season but his halftime interview was lacking. The charismatic coach hung ESPN sideline reporter Shelly Smith out to dry with a rather stoic interview. Considering his team was up by 11 and playing an inferior opponent it was surprising to see Kiffin so frustrated with his team this early in the season.
2. Monte Kiffin's USC-led defense was rather unimpressive against the Warriors. The defensive guru seemed to be stumped throughout the night and was unable to dial up the right plays to contain quarterback Bryant Moniz from moving around in the pocket. When Moniz left with an injury Shane Austin stepped in and connected on six of nine passes for 141 yards and two TD's.

The Ugly

1. Trojan's linebacker Michael Morgan knocked Moniz out of the game with a hit to the head. The play initially appeared to be clean but after further review it's clear that Morgan gave Moniz a forearm to the head. Although Austin made some big throws for the Warriors the momentum of the game shifted when Moniz went out.
2. If USC expects to be a top 10 team this season they are going to have to be a lot more disciplined then they were Thursday night. Kiffin's squad took 11 penalties for 100 yards, which is absolutely unnecessary.  

While the offense looked explosive it's going to be important for Monte Kiffin to reign in his defense and get them playing well. Starting of the Lane Kiffin era with a win is all that matters at this point regardless of the negatives.