USC's Win Over Arizona State Leaves a Few Questions Unanswered

With the toughest stretch of their schedule in the books and getting tagged with two heart breakers and one Oregon hay-maker in the process, USC had plenty of question marks going into the stretch run. Their white knuckle win against ASU was a good overall response, but it raised at least as many questions as it provided answers.


How will USC react to losing the big game with Oregon?

Last year's team pretty much mailed it on over the second half of the season. It looked iffy for the first few minutes against ASU, but this Trojan team continues to come to the office. They may be unsure of their job descriptions, in hot water with Human Resources and have already been told the year end bonuses have been suspended, but they keep clocking in and working the IN basket.

Kudos to Coach Kiffin, who could have easily lost this team but continues to get spirited, if not sterling performances. I suppose I could come up with something snide to say about the head guy, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of having Tennessee fans.


When did USC start alternating quarterbacks?

It just seemed that way against ASU with Matt Barkley morphing almost from play to play, like Dr. Jekyll after he's lost control of his potions. Matt sometimes looks like he's better suited for the cerebral SEC, where passing the SAT means throwing the ball on game day and reading is something that is optional all week, and then somehow summons up a passable Peyton Manning impression.

After a blocked punt gave USC first and goal and a chance for a lead before half, an un-pressured Barkley threw a first down pass into a team picture of the ASU defense and came up with a deflating pick. Brain dead!

Five minutes later, he leads a textbook two minute drill, culminated with a nifty dump to Ausberry to take the lead with three seconds left. Genius!! He takes losses when he can easily throw the ball away, looking as flustered as a high school kid, and then calmly goes through a four read progression that would do credit to a Pro Bowler.  Kiffin has to find a way to sit the first guy down and stick with the second guy.


Who is the best tackler for USC?

The stock answer is we'll let you know when somebody makes a couple. There must be a hidden codicil somewhere in the NCAA sanctions that limits the Trojans to using only the Venus de Milo tackling technique.

But offensive tackle Tyron Smith is making an aggressive push for the title. First, he managed to get six yards deep and hip check Dillon Baxter to the ground on a stretch play and later, with Barkley trying to rally the troops with a Joe Kapp, damn the sidelines scramble, Tyron eschewed the open field block to bump his QB down short of the first down.

Tyron is as guilty as not using his arms as anyone on the defense, but at least he's getting guys on the ground.


How many swing passes and hitches will USC allow to be completed with an eight-yard cushion?

This question is almost religious in nature; an infinite hypothetical. How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? How many Muslim parents can name their boys Mohammed before they have trouble calling the kids home for dinner?

How many does the other team intend to throw? That, I fear, is your answer.


Will Monte Kiffin's defense ever come together?

Not until someone repeals the laws of physics. Monte knows more about X's and O's than just about anyone on the planet, but that still only allows you to put together an impressive string of hugs and kisses, which might be useful if he was planning on kissing his current defensive philosophy of accepting the blow goodbye.

Unfortunately, he's not and what with "physics" not using either of those letters, USC will continue to play defense like 11 men reluctantly catching a cannonball.

Work the problems for yourself. Three linebackers are five yards off the line of scrimmage and their first step is backward. Five offensive linemen block four defensive linemen, with three blocking two at the point of attack. A 220-pound object moving at 20 MPH passes the line of scrimmage steaming toward a stationary linebacker five yards distant.

What's the minimum gain on this play? A wide receiver catches a hitch at the line of scrimmage with a cornerback eight yards off. Again, what's the minimum gain?  Assume sure tackling. Not pretty. Now assume the tackling covered earlier. Ugh.


How many USC players will leave after their junior seasons?

Depends on how many have jobs set up in arbitrage or something equally lucrative, because with the exception of Jurrell Casey, none of the eligible underclassmen has shown anything that will get their names called before the draft hall has dwindled to a few drunken diehards.

Casey is a second rounder at best and the rest of the defensive line has been either injured or ineffective. Smith and Kalil are solid prospects, but Smith still needs more size and physicality on the run and Kalil still struggles with speed rushers.


How will USC finish off the season?

By continuing to alternate tantalizing visions of what could be with somber portraits of what currently is. By one minute having an explosive offense and then watching it stall in a quarter long morass of penalties and sacks. By watching the defense play a few aggressive series and then inexplicably soften in both scheme and spirit. By playing tough teams toe-to-toe only to waltz indifferently with lesser teams. By giving no clue whether USC is a team in inexorable decline or a team poised to rebound strongly in 2011.