6 Things USC Needs to Know for Cal

With a 4-1 record and poised to play their "halfway" game of the 2011 season, the USC Trojan football squad learned some important points about themselves in their recent 48-41 win over the Arizona Wildcats. Coaches Lane and Monte Kiffin continue their efforts to improve the team, but the quality of USC's opponents is starting to ratchet up significantly.

If the USC song girls are going to continue to have something to cheer about, then the Trojans have to find and fix the patterns that could hold them back.     

No. 6: The Trojans Need a Running Game

Running yardage, while respectable, is still less than half the passing yardage USC rolls up every game. Smart defensive coordinators certainly see this disparity and will capitalize on it.

Pete Carroll used to does this, and Lane Kiffin does too—rotate in the entire stable of backs early to see who catches fire on game, and then go with that guy. But tailback by committee doesn’t always give players a feel for the game.

No. 5: USC Is Their Own Worst Enemy

Nine fumbles. Six of them lost. Four picks (opposing teams have only thrown three INTs). Thirty-four penalties (but only three in the last game).

Untimely turnovers. Forced throws. Defensive breakdowns. Clearly when the Trojans are humming on all cylinders, they are *very* difficult to beat. It’s the sputtering that cripples their chances of winning.

No. 4: Matt Barkley Thrives on Misdirection

Play action, roll-outs and sprint-outs fare much better than checking down or standing in the pocket. USC QB Matt Barkley is good at being a ball distributor, a quarterback who can generally manage the game and then get the ball into the hands of his skilled teammates. Barkley doesn't make as many line-of-scrimmage changes as perhaps Matt Leinart did or Stanford's Andrew Luck does.

When he has too much time, Barkley frequently tries to muscle or force the ball into unwise situations such as double coverages or sideline floaters. 

No. 3: The Trojan O-Line Is Getting Better

The USC offensive line continues to show improvement. 

Troy's O-line has yielded only four sacks all season (while the USC defense has recorded 10 sacks on opposing QBs). The number of penalties is down—way down. And that includes far fewer false starts, holds and illegal blocks in the back.

Trojan fans grew accustomed to Pete Carroll's championships—and the almost 12 penalties per game that came along with them. But this USC squad can't withstand that many; against Arizona, USC had only three penalties the entire game.

Plus, the pass blocking is better. And run blocking is netting 150-plus yards per game. 

No. 2: Smart QBs Can Punish USC

Arizona QB Nick Foles passed for nearly 300 of his 425 yards in the second half, mostly on intelligent check-downs to underneath receivers open over the middle of the field.

With numerous gifted athletes still on the schedule, including Stanford's Heisman-hopeful Andrew Luck, USC’s toughest days still lie ahead of them when it comes to facing intelligent, scrambling, hustling quarterbacks who are students of the game.

No. 1: The USC Secondary Is in Shambles

USC outscores its opponents 43-10 in the first quarter, but is being outscored 43-27 in the fourth. Is conditioning a factor? Are USC defenders out of gas? That seems unlikely since time of possession is in USC’s favor, but it is a possibility.

In addition, the Trojans are reverting to a disturbing trend seen all last year: poor tackling. Opposing backs and receivers alike are starting to bounce off USC tacklers again—and talented athletes from Oregon, Washington and Stanford will make USC pay dearly for such poor tackling. 

How steep is the learning curve? Is the defensive scheme demanding too much of these particular players? Why are other teams doing more on defense with "lesser" players? These questions continue to hound defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, and he and the USC defense need to find answers to them sooner rather than later.