USC Trojans vs. ASU Sun Devils: 5 Things We Learned from the Trojans

All of those good feelings the Trojans garnered over the first three games took all of five plays to evaporate in the the hot Tempe air Saturday night.

As a gimpy Cameron Marshall ran almost unmolested on that first Sun Devil drive, the Trojans hopes for a Southern division title in the inaugural Pac-12 season teetered and finally fell as USC bestowed gift after gift to ASU before finally giving up the ghost in the fourth quarter.

On the road for the first time in 2011, USC showed it was not up to the task after starting out the season with three wins in the comfortable confines of the Coliseum.

The shame of it, at least from the Trojans perspective, was that this game was definitely winnable.

Missed opportunities in the red zone, turnovers and silly penalties doomed the men of Troy and while USC was falling all over themselves, we learned quite a bit about Lane Kiffin's boys.

Very little of it was good.

Here are five things we didn't know until last night and are all too aware of now.

5. T.J. McDonald Needs to Play Smarter

For a guy who is supposed to be one of the best safeties in college football, T.J. McDonald sure played like an idiot against ASU.

Often out of position, McDonald rarely found himself impacting the game unless it was costing the Trojans yet more penalty yardage.

Three times McDonald was on the wrong end of unsportsmanlike conduct flags, costing the Trojans momentum and putting his fellow defensive cohorts back on their heels.

On a night when the entire defense looked horrible, they didn't need any help from one of their supposed best defensive backs.

Yet, that was about all they got from McDonald.

4. USC Needs to Find Some Redzone Offense

It is tough enough to win any game when you all you can come up with in five red-zone attempts is three field goals, much less when on the road against a good defense.

Yes, the Trojans did score a couple of touchdowns, but when the game still mattered USC could only muster nine points on Andre Heidari kicks to go along with a Matt Barkley fumble and interception.

On a night when the offense needed to offset a terrible effort by its defensive teammates, the futility offered inside the 20 was of little aid. Lane Kiffin and his staff had better come up with something soon.

Five trips inside the ASU 20—nine points.

That simply won't get the job done.

3. At Some Point, USC Needs to Win the Turnover Battle

One thing that characterized the Trojans defense under Pete Carroll was the ability to come up with more turnovers than their opponents.

Not so under Lane Kiffin and his father Monte.

Once again the Trojans were unable to pry the ball loose from the Sun Devils and with USC's offense feeling charitable, this game was destined to result in a loss.

When all was said and done, the Trojans turned the ball over four times and, as stated before, with a nonexistent USC defense struggling, there was little chance that this night would end with the Trojans smiling.

2. Matt Barkley Needs to Step Up at Crunch Time to Be Considered Great

In other articles, I have suggested when the Trojans really need Matt Barkley to rise to the occasion—when they are either behind or in a close game—Barkley tends to disappear.

For that temerity, I have been roundly booed by readers and some of my fellow B/R writers.

I won't say I told you so...

After yet another loss when Barkley was unable to lead the Trojans back, the jury is still out as to what his legacy will be as a USC quarterback.

He still has time to wash away the bitter stain of failed Trojan comebacks, but it won't happen with him throwing interceptions and fumbling when USC needs him to lead them to victory.

1. The Trojans Are Still a Long Way from Being a Great Team

No one expected the Trojans to be a juggernaut in 2011, but certainly their fans expected better than a 43-22 beat down by an ASU team that has been decimated by injuries this year.

For a team that expressed their swagger all week by delivering big talk about how "dirty" the Sun Devils were, they failed to back their words up on the field.

What will stick in the Trojans craw as how different this game could have been.

Still, great teams find a way to rise above the misfortune that sometimes faces them and the simple fact is that this squad couldn't.

Can they salvage the season and find a way to be great for the remainder of 2011?

Sure, but they better find their problems and fix them soon.

Conclusion

Consider this first road test for the Trojans an abysmal failure.

Unable to maintain their composure in the sweltering heat, the Trojans simply melted on a hot, sticky night against a team they should have beaten.

Too many mistakes and an inability to take advantage of what ASU gave them means the Trojans are starting back at square one.

After finally garnering a little national respect, USC will now be relegated to "also ran" status.

And well they should.

With no postseason rewards awaiting them, the Trojans only salvation was the satisfaction of winning their division.

Now that is likely gone.

Still, USC can come back from this and still have a successful season.

But its going to take a far better effort than the clinker they turned in last night.

And they are going to have to find a way win on the road.

That much is obvious.