2011 USC Football: 7 Reasons Why the Trojans Will Lose 6 Games

While the USC Trojans improve a bit from game to game, their up-and-down spotty performances mean they are in jeopardy of losing five more games against ranked or accomplished teams.

USC faces more quality quarterbacks for the rest of the season; more high-octane offenses; and more stingy defenses—Stanford's run defense, for example, which is only allowing teams a a mere 36 yards on the ground per game this season—than they've seen so far.

Click through to see why the Trojans could easily end the season with a 6-6 record.

No. 7: Coach Lane Kiffin

The play-calling hasn't been stellar, and it's evident. Gone are last year's remnants from USC's offensive heyday: The "4th and short fake plunge then toss it to the wide open tight end for six points' play, the 'wheel route for 57 yards and a TD" play, the "sprint right drag three receivers across the field impossible to defend" roll-out, and the "convincing inside trap for 35 yards and a score" play.

Coach Lane Kiffin has buttoned down the offense, treating Trojan fans instead to numerous three-yard "up the gut" stumble runs on 3rd and 15. Whatever the reason, Kiffin's tight play-calling will end up hurting USC all season long.  

No. 6: Coach Monte Kiffin

USC's defensive scheme doesn't fit its players, and the results are all too clear. Monte Kiffin's defense might work against traditional drop-back passing, two-dimensional pro-style teams, but it is filled with gaping holes against the hybrid offenses in the Pac-12.

Watching the Trojans defense leak points late in games makes fans wonder: How does Boise State take care of top-ranked teams on defense with only two and three-star players? It must be the scheme and the coaching. Nothing screams "we have to change" more than USC's defense. 

No. 5: Matt Barkley

Matt Barkley's ongoing ill-advised decisions will lose at least two or three more games for USC.

It's as if Barkley is still trying to zip the winning touchdown past clueless high school defenders. But USC isn't playing Santa Margarita High this year.

They are playing tough, aggressive, intelligent defenses that know to watch his eyes as he telegraphs important throws by staring down intended receivers, and then either under-throwing the ball or sailing it high.

If you want to see how it's done, watch Mark Sanchez' performance in the Rose Bowl. Is anyone better at selling the play-fake, or looking off receivers only to come back to them once they are in the clear?  

No. 4: USC's Tight Ends

While showing flashes of brilliance and promise, the play from USC's tight ends has been, largely, a disappointment.

Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer have to make numerous improvements to their games if they are going to contribute on a consistent basis to the Trojan offense.

Those areas include: Run blocking, catching balls thrown directly to them, and refusing to fumble after being hit.

But because they are often featured in Lane Kiffin's offense, expect their current inexperience and inconsistencies, most notably dropped balls and fumbling after catches, to hamstring USC on drives down the field. 

No. 3: Opposing Quarterbacks

The deep talent pool among USC's remaining opponents at the QB position would be a challenge for any defense. USC still has to face highly-ranked and skilled QBs which include Oregon's Darron Thomas, Stanford's Heisman-contending Andrew Luck, and Arizona's 5th-year senior field general Nick Foles.

These talented QBs will be almost impossible for USC's spotty, out-of-position defense to slow down, let alone stop. Expect all of these QBs to have career-high days against the struggling Trojan pass defenders. 

No. 2: USC's Offensive Line

Tough times lie ahead for the USC  offensive line. Run blocking continues to be a source of irritation and erratic performances for the Trojans.

USC has only two rushing touchdowns.

All season.

Compare that with Troy's 10 passing TDs and the imbalance in USC's offensive scheme becomes evident. Against ASU alone, USC managed to convert only one of their nine third down tries. An 11 percent trd down efficiency rate will translate into more ticks in the "L" column for the Trojans.

That, plus USC's meager 9-for-17, 53 percent red zone efficiency are two glaringly low stats that have Trojan fans seeing red.

Opposing defenses know to drop defenders back into pass coverage, and that makes USC a one-dimensional team primed for more losses.  

No. 1: The USC Defensive Secondary

Newsflash: You can throw on the USC defense. Not necessarily for a ton of yards, but the secondary has a knack for breaking down when it matters most.

At one point in the Arizona State game last weekend, ASU was 6-for-6 on third down passes, catching the young and apparently confused USC defenders out of position for big gains and first downs time and time again.

The Trojan defensive secondary continues its season-long disturbing pattern of leaving the middle of the field wide open late in plays. And while there could be numerous logical explanations—youthful over-pursuit, the wrong scheme being selected, one weakness by a single player—the hard truth is this problem simply is not going away in the near future.

Expect the talented quarterbacks that are still on the USC football schedule to continue to pointedly attack this major Achilles heel on the USC defense, which will be a huge contributor to a possible 6-6 record for the Trojans.