USC Trojans Season Preview

When Pete Carroll took over in 2002 the Trojans went on to finish in the top four of the Final AP Poll for seven straight seasons (’02-‘08). Carroll had a few Heisman Trophy winners in Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

Carroll ended up winning a ridiculous seven straight Pac 10 Titles. He went 97-19 as his worst season besides his first year (6-6 in ‘01) was his last season in ’09.  The Trojans went 9-4 at beat Boston College 24-13 in the Emerald Bowl.

Carroll left almost as if he knew all along about the incoming NCAA sanctions that came when when Lane Kiffin took over one season ago. Despite losing scholarships and not being eligible for a bowl game, Kiffin went 8-5 in his first season.

Trojan Captain

Top prized recruit Matt Barkley is entering his third season.  Despite the struggles he had as a freshmen (15-14 TD/INT), his sophomore slump was far from one. He ended the season with 26 TDs and only 12 INTs while throwing for 2,791 yards.

He was injured in the first half of a 36-7 loss to Oregon State and missed the following week against Notre Dame, also a loss. It was the first time in the past eight years that USC did not defeat the Golden Domers.

USC struggled to put enough points on the board as they were often in shootouts against elite teams in the Pac 10. If Barkley struggled at all, Tommy the Trojan knew he was not going to be running around with Traveler very often. 

The defense wet the bed against Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State giving up a total of 126 points in those three games. Seven starters return and it is imperative they improve upon their worst yards per carry allowed since ’91 (4.4). They only had 28 sacks, a total they usually reach in conference play alone.

Dominance on the Horizon?

USC has two stud bookends in Nick Perry and Wes Horton. Perry had four sacks a season ago, but sadly that was the best pressure applied by any end.

The interior line needs to stuff the run and the man in charge of is 6’5, 295-pound Armond Armstead. Redshirtrt freshman George Uko and DaJohn Harris are playing behind Armstead but Harris has decent upside and is finally starting to live up to his touting.

The linebacking core was weak and because of it they moved Chris Galippo to weakside linebacker after playing middle linebacker his entire career. He was once the best ranked linebacker coming out of high school and now he's entering his final season.

Devon Kennard is a big hitter at and despite being just a junior he has a ton of experience starting in five games last year.  HE was the No. 4 tackler on the team and had two sacks.

The other outside linebacker spot is up for grabs. The top candidates include redshirt freshman Hayes Pullard, Marquis Simmons and Dion Bailey, among others. Look for improved numbers, but the Trojans are still a year or two away from duplicating the play of Keith Rivers, Rey Maulualga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews.

Secondary Breakdown

The secondary was abysmal a season ago giving up on average 260 yards per game, their worst in an entire decade.

Even though Shareece Wright was a solid corner, nobody else played like an NFL performer. Nickell Robey is just a sophomore entering the 2011 season, but he is the clear cut leader among the corners.

As far as the entire secondary is concerned, safety T.J. McDonald was First Team Pac 10 last year and the leader of the defense.  The other safety, Jawanza Starling, played in nine games a season ago. The Trojans have talent and behind their starting safeties.

The depth is not as exciting, but it will be better than a year ago which means the secondary will improve slightly despite the tough schedule. 

Trojans' Young Talent Is Exciting

The offense returns six starters and they are clearly led by Matt Barkley.  Not the only stud Trojan, Robert Woods had a sensational freshmen season catching 65 balls for 792 yards and 6 TDs.

Kyle Prater redshirted last year but will be starting in the slot alongside Brandon Carswell who should play opposite Woods. Rhett Ellison is an elite target at tight end that can stretch the field. 

The line is fairly weak compared to what the Trojans are used to. Matt Kalil just may be the top tackle in America, but the rest of the line is very inexperienced. Khaled Holmes has solid talent as their center. The rest of the line has a bunch of highly touted players that do not have much starting experience outside of garbage time.

If the line can pave the way for a plethora of talented backs in Marc Tyler, Curtis McNeal, DJ Morgan and Dillon Baxter, this offense could be nearly unstoppable in Pac 12 play. USC should start out 6-0 if they find a way to win in Tempe against the favored ASU Sun Devils. 

Drama's Forecast

USC makes my top 20 in terms of overall talent. Tough trips to Tempe, South Bend and Eugene will make it hard for the Trojans to come out unscathed.  They should be slight ‘dogs to the Irish and moderate ‘dogs to the Ducks (at least -7).

Throw in tough home dates against Stanford, UCLA and Utah (second week of season) and the Trojans could drop at least two.

Still, Barkley is among the top signal callers in America and he has a top notch tackle (Kalil), receiver (Woods), a few studs backs and a superstar safety in McDonald.They'll finish second in the South at worst in year two of the Kiffin era, which would have to be considered a success.

Predicted Finish: 9-3, 7-2

Predicted order of finish in Pac-12:  Third Overall, Second in South (No Bowl)