Notre Dame win illuminates USC’s bright future


It’s been a few years since USC has defeated Notre Dame, so many fans might have forgotten how sweet of a feeling it is to beat the Fighting Irish. Saturday was a reminder: There is nothing quite like winning rivalry games.

The matchup between USC and Notre Dame on Saturday wasn’t just a win, it was a beatdown of epic proportions. The Trojans thoroughly dismantled the Irish. They carved up a young secondary through the air and ran roughshod through the front seven.

Granted, this wasn’t a Notre Dame team at full strength. The combination of academic suspensions and a severe injury bug has decimated the Irish defense. Very few Notre Dame defenders who made it through Saturday’s game unscathed were slated to start back in the spring. While that helps put the win into perspective, it doesn’t dim the happiness of Trojan fans all around the country. That was the perfect way to respond to an emotionally draining defeat at the hands of the Bruins last week.

While the victory was tremendous and allowed coach Steve Sarkisian to forever vanquish his “Seven Win Sark” moniker (back-to-back eight win seasons), it raised a few more questions about the future of the program.  While it’d be easy to say where this offense was against UCLA, it was clear that the Bruins’ defensive talent dwarfed that of what were mostly Notre Dame backups out on the field.

It would have been nearly impossible to play that great against an attacking Bruin defense, but it does make one wonder where the middle screens and quick passes to the tight end and receivers lined up in the slot were last week. Also, where has George Farmer been all year? While the defensive backs for Notre Dame may not be All-Americans, they are still talented athletes. Farmer’s blazing speed made it look as if they were operating in cement.

By all accounts Farmer is the fastest player for the Trojans, which is saying something considering the bevy of former track stars who played on the team this year. If Saturday was any indication, his knack for getting behind defenders deep rivals that of former Trojan receiver Ronald Johnson. If Farmer can emerge next year as a legitimate deep threat, that adds another weapon for the Trojan offense.

Farmer is only one of the many positives going into next year. With a young and improving offensive line, most skill position players returning next year, and a full recruiting class the Trojans have the potential to be one of the best offenses in the country in 2015. This is of course contingent on play calling and coaching, which is where the questions lie.

It’s one thing to put up impressive performances against depleted rosters and less talented teams, which USC did well this year. It’s another to come through against ranked opponents and upper echelon defenses. This was more of a struggle in 2014. Whether the playcalling was conservative due to depth concerns or more of scheme remains to be seen. The 2015 season will offer the answer to that question.

With the exception of Boston College, the 2014 Trojans beat every team they were supposed to. Every team has a trap game so the game against BC can most likely be attributed to that. If USC played Boston College 10 times, they would probably win seven or eight of them.

Against teams playing without a talent gap, the Trojans went 2-3. This is where USC will need to improve in the coming years if they want to compete for national titles. With full recruiting classes, the Trojans might be able to move their talent level back up to elite status across a full roster. This would give them a pronounced edge in terms of talent over most Pac-12 teams with the exception of Oregon, UCLA, and possibly the two Arizona schools. That means wins over teams like Utah and Washington would go back to two or three touchdown victories as opposed to nail biters.

Even when they improve talent and depth, the Trojans will still have four games a year where coaching will have to be the deciding factor between a win or a loss. Notre Dame will be back to normal next year and a force to be reckoned with. As will the Pac-12 teams mentioned above.

This is where the question of coaching comes in. Will Sarkisian be able to replicate offensive performances like the ones against Fresno State, Colorado and Notre Dame against better teams next year? While the offense may not be that dominant, if they could just perform at 80 percent of their potential, the Trojans of the future could be a truly vaunted offensive attack.

The team showed flashes of this in games against Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State in the first half of those battles. With a full roster, will they be able to turn in four quality quarters against elite teams moving forward and avoid playing not to lose?

The same could be said on defense. Will the Trojans get back to recruiting and developing big physical linebackers who can be play makers? With an experienced secondary, will the team blitz more and impose their will on opposing offenses? Can USC be both a dominating defense and an up-tempo offense?

While all this remains to be seen, the Notre Dame game did offer glimpses of what could be a truly great program in the future. Now that sanctions are over, Sarkisian and company can hit the recruiting trail with full force. Regardless of one’s opinion on their coaching prowess, there is no doubt that Sarkisian and his staff are some of most gifted recruiters in the country. Combine that with the fact that SC recruits SC, and the Trojans should be back in the top three of recruiting boards in no time.

This is somewhat comforting as even if the Trojans underperform stupendously in the coming years, the team will be so littered with talent that they could still stumble into 10 victories annually. There was no better symbol to close out the sanctions era than that Notre Dame victory.

The Fighting Irish could barely field a competitive team with a depleted roster due to injuries. They experienced three or four weeks of what USC has gone through for a few years. USC has played Notre Dame close each year with depleted rosters, demonstrating their will to persevere. The window of the NCAA’s attempt to cripple the Trojans for years ended with a resounding rebuke in the form of a 49-14 victory.

It’s nice to know that even when USC isn’t at it’s best they still can win eight to 10 games. One only has to look crosstown to see a team that at it’s best can’t even beat Stanford or Oregon. While it may seem like a while ago, it’s always good to remember that the Trojans at their finest collect Rose Bowls like kids collect candy.

Here’s hoping that 2015 will be the year USC finally gets back to its best.

 

Jake Davidson is a sophomore majoring in accounting. His column, “Davidson’s Direction,” ran Mondays.

 

1 reply
  1. b juardo
    b juardo says:

    Where was this team on Nov. 22nd?! How come the way they played against ND was different than against Ucla? That makes no sense; it’s inconsistent.
    Good job nonetheless. Good luck at whatever bowl we play in. Fight on!

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