USC Football: 8 Ingredients for a Successful Season in 2011

For the 2011 version of the USC Trojans to have the kind of season both the team and its fans hope for, there must be a coordinated plan to achieve that goal.

Not unlike a recipe for your favorite dish, certain ingredients must be added to cultivate that flavor you most desire.

Those ingredients, when added all together, have the potential to create a flavor that is to be savored and even celebrated as you, the chef, step back with the satisfaction of knowing you have done your best culinary work.

In football terms, the chef is Lane Kiffin and his staff, and the dish is this year's men of Troy.

Those ingredients that Coach Kiffin will work with, when broken down into their constituent components, will be the players he has, but the main flavors themselves will be the way those players comport themselves on the field.

This slideshow will look at those general ingredients that the coaching staff will have to implement in 2011.

Not so much individual players or units, but the overarching way they must play in order to be successful this year.

Of course, like a spicy dish, not all of these ingredients will be measured equally, but all are necessary for the chef (Lane Kiffin) to craft a tasty meal.

So get out your cookbooks—here is one writer's opinion of how to bake a great season for this year's USC Trojans football team.

No. 8: Patience

This year's version of the Trojans has some holes. Because of this, Lane Kiffin and his staff may be forced to play some of the younger players on the roster.

Included among these "younger players" may even be some of the incoming freshmen. If so, patience will be a key ingredient in molding these youngsters to the "Trojan way."

The good thing is that these are very talented neophytes, hungry to learn and desperate to contribute to the Trojans this year.

Will they make mistakes?

Yes.

But the trick is to make sure that they learn from those errors and do not repeat them as they go forward.

That is where great coaching comes into play, and Kiffin, along with his staff, has been evaluating talent for years and coaching excellence for just as long.

You can bet that the appropriate amount of patience is part of that recipe.

No. 7: Pride

This is one ingredient that the Trojans will have in abundance.

After all, how can any Trojan not be welling with pride as he bursts out of the Coliseum tunnel in front of 85,000 adoring fans?

Just donning the cardinal and gold colors of their uniform and strapping on the helmet emblazoned with the iconic Trojan on its side brings a sense of pride only a few will know.

Of course, pride must be tempered with sensibility.

So while it is essential to have pride in order to be a Trojan, it must be accompanied by justification for that feeling.

That is why there are other essential ingredients needed in this recipe.

No. 6: Discipline

One of the issues that compromised the 2010 Trojans was a lack of discipline, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Far too often, the Trojans would be caught out of position, most often in a case of over-pursuing, which would result in open lanes for opposing ball-carriers to wander happily through.

However, there were reasons for this.

Much was made of the fact that last year Coach Kiffin had a "no tackling" policy in practice due to a dearth of able bodies. It doesn't take much imagination to see how when you don't hone tackling skills, it can effect positioning.

This year that changes.

With a full roster, Kiffin has reinstated tackling, and the results have been evident. In spring camp, the defense was dominant, flying around but with the discipline to be in the right place at the right time.

Upon the completion of fall camp, USC's defense will be even better.

Because of that, look for dramatic improvement from the Trojans defense in 2011.

No. 5: Passion

Effort goes by many names. Some call it desire; others call it will; still others use the moniker of passion.

Whatever the name, it is a crucial component that is required as an essential ingredient for success.

In 2011, the Trojans, both as individuals and as a team, will have to bring a boatload of passion to the field each and every Saturday.

There is little doubt that this year's team will be passionate, at least at the beginning of the season.

However, sometimes adversity compromises passion. and it will be a test of the leadership on this team, both as players and as a coaching staff, if they stumble.

Maintaining that passion, that will to win—even if things don't go as expected—will be a measure of how they build character.

All champions have tremendous character.

Passion is a large part of that.

No. 4: Creativity

One thing the Trojans have in large quantities in 2011 is offensive skill players. On the other hand, they are a tad short on experience in the offensive line.

This is where creativity comes into play.

For months now, there has been speculation that the Trojans might introduce a modified version of the spread offense to take advantage of their bevy of talent in the skill positions.

A quick-strike spread offense allows flexibility in blocking schemes where blocks are not required to be held as long and lanes can open sooner just by virtue of formations.

This is not just idle talk either.

Lane Kiffin himself first sparked this speculation last year when discussing the team's various strengths and weaknesses.

So be creative, Coach. It is yet another ingredient to get you where you, the team and the fans all want to go.

No. 3: Focus

For the last six years or so, the Trojans have been waiting for the shoe to drop in the NCAA's investigation of Reggie Bush.

In last couple of years, the speculation of sanctions followed by the appeal of same chased USC and its players everywhere they went.

Now that conjecture has been replaced by the cruel reality of what many feel was harsh and unwarranted punishments leveled by college football's governing power.

Though the outcome was unwanted by those who follow the program, the players, coaches and the university itself, it is what it is, and the players must now focus on the task at hand.

Talk by the players and coaches evokes a sense of resignation to the NCAA's unfair punishment but, at the same time, a single-minded purpose to making this season a success.

If the team can maintain that focus throughout the season, it stands a chance to be very successful.

What better way to return that slap in the face given them by the NCAA...

No. 2: Play Fast

As stated before, last year the Trojans were uncharacteristically bad on defense. Some of this, also already mentioned, was due to a lack of practice in tackling, but it goes much deeper than that.

Last year was also the first year for the Trojans in Monte Kiffin's defensive system.

Although the defenses of the elder Kiffin and Pete Carroll are not dramatically different, there were new terms, and a somewhat different philosophy, along with different coaches. Due to those changes, along with the lack of tackling, the Trojans played with hesitation.

That should change this year.

If spring practice was any indication, this year's defense will play with their proverbial "hair on fire."

More confident and much quicker to the ball, the Trojan defenders look like a different squad in 2011.

Along with playing fast, they have a lot to prove.

Now it's up to Monte Kiffin to let them loose and do it.

No. 1: Play with Intelligence

For the Trojans to succeed in 2011, they will have to play smart.

In terms of football intelligence, many things contribute to exceptional acumen in playing the game.

Playing under control, understanding the situation you're involved in, reading the opposing team's weaknesses—these are just some of the things that constitute playing with intelligence.

Fortunately for the Trojans, the offense has Matt Barkley to direct the fortunes on that side of the ball and Chris Galippo (pray he stays healthy) for the defense—two very intelligent players to be sure.

Which is good, because playing with intelligence may be the most important ingredient of them all.

Conclusion

When the bow is tied on this season for the Trojans, their fans—and indeed the program itself—will expect major improvements from last year's 8-5 record.

In order to achieve the progress Coach Kiffin and his staff expect from their team in 2011, many things will need to go right.

Fortunately, much of this year's success will be in the control of the team, and as masters of their own destiny, they direct their own fortunes.

The ingredients for a great 2011 season include, but are not limited to, the attributes outlined in this slideshow.

Of course, other factors, such as remaining injury-free and getting a break here and there, will also go a long way in determining how the season plays out.

But if these eight ingredients are added in liberal doses to the upcoming Trojan season, chances are very good that at the end of the UCLA game, the men of Troy can look back with a great deal of satisfaction on the campaign.

That is a recipe everyone connected with the program can enjoy.