COLUMN: USC still in wake of Bush scandal

Reggie Bush will forever be remembered as one of the greatest running backs ever to pass through USC. He was a  two-time All-American and a Heisman trophy winner, and he was drafted second overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. When Trojan fans look back on Bush’s time at ’SC, they will fondly remember Bush and quarterback Matt Leinart together as a reminder of the glory days. He left a legacy at USC that will never be forgotten.

I especially remembered Reggie Bush on Saturday, when I watched the Trojan defense suffer from a lack of depth and fall apart in the fourth quarter as Stanford came from behind to pull off the upset. Every win Bush brought to USC, in the form of various awards as well as games, was vacated after the NCAA came down on USC for awarding Bush improper benefits and revoked 30 scholarships over three years. USC was forced to forfeit all wins from the 2004-2005 season and Heritage Hall is short one Heisman trophy.

But to me, none of that really matters. Sure, I love going to a school with a tradition of football dominance. I love being ranked in the preseason top 25 every year just because we’re USC. But I would have all of that without Reggie Bush. USC was a powerhouse before Reggie Bush, and even though he contributed to USC’s reign, he ultimately did more bad than good. Matt Leinart also won a Heisman at USC, and I’m fairly confident that he still would’ve done so without Bush as a teammate. I’m also pretty sure USC would’ve still been a top team without Bush, since we had a leader like Leinart.

Trojan football feels Bush’s legacy now more than it ever did while he was on the field. By now, the Reggie Bush scandal is old news. USC forfeited wins, Bush gave up his Heisman and left for the NFL and USC was docked 30 scholarships over three years.

It’s 10 years later, and the Trojans are still in the wake of Bush’s scandal. Last season’s fallout was largely a result of a lack of depth on defense. It was evident in the fourth quarter when the defense just couldn’t hold up any longer, and the opposing team was able to seal the deal. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday.

I think one of the reasons Cody Kessler is so underrated is because he’s on a team with a struggling defense. He set records last season, but his team went 9-4. I’m not at all saying that the defense is entirely to blame for going 9-4, and Sarkisian and the offense certainly had some room for improvement, but last-minute losses seemed to be a common occurrence last season.

Unfortunately for Kessler, if Saturday is any indication of the rest of this season, his Heisman campaign is over before it ever really began. Kessler was 2-0 against Stanford and Kevin Hogan before Saturday night and has proven that he is capable of outdueling the Cardinal. The difference between the last two matchups and this year’s game was the number of points the defense allowed. Stanford is always a tough game, even when they are unranked, and the game has come down to a field goal in the previous two seasons. This year, the defense allowed 41 points. Kessler and the offense managed to put up 31 points of their own, which should have been enough to keep any good team in the game, but the pattern held true and the defense fell apart in the fourth quarter.

It’s impossible to pin Saturday’s loss on any one thing in particular, just as it is impossible to pin the NCAA sanctions on Reggie Bush. Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox definitely weren’t perfect, and the offense missed some opportunities late in the game that could have prevented the upset.

This week’s road game against ASU will truly make or break the rest of the season, and I just hope that a lack of defensive depth isn’t to blame for a team with talent like USC having back-to-back 9-4 seasons.

Regan Estes is a junior majoring in public relations and Spanish. She is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. Her column,“Wild Wild Westes,” runs Tuesdays.