Victory not indicative of later success in 2011

Mid-October has become something of a bright spot for the Trojans in recent years.

For the last three seasons, the early breaths of fall have ushered in an always crucial bye week and a matchup against California to round out the first half of USC’s football schedule.

This has only become special because of what the Trojans have made of it: USC has outscored Cal 108-26 in three blowouts since 2009, and each year has countered its lack of depth by using the bye weeks to rest an injury-ravaged roster.

The combination of the two events in back-to-back weeks (the bye came after the Cal game in 2009 and 2010, but before it this season) has time-and-again put USC on a temporary high entering the second half of the season, seemingly reinvigorating a team fans have been waiting to return to form for quite some time.

At this point last season and the season before it, morale had reached a peak, optimism was overflowing and the thought on everyone’s minds was not of the losses suffered earlier in the season, but rather of the resounding strides the team had made in just a few short weeks.

But with most parties come the inevitable hangover, and the previous two seasons have served as hard evidence that the success of a couple weeks isn’t enough to carry a team through the rest of its schedule. The Trojans’ late-season losses in 2009 and 2010 were particularly painful because of this trend, as inflated expectations from midseason left many wondering where the team went wrong.

I admit I’ve fallen victim to these visions of grandeur in the past, just like so many others. It’s hard not to think it’s just a matter of putting the right pieces together before the Trojans are nationally relevant again.

This is why, as this period of positivity has once again arrived for the Trojans, it is more important than ever for USC to take last Thursday’s game as nothing more than a win, and move on.

USC’s youth is no secret, and with a lack of experience comes a higher chance of emotions finding their way to the field. Young starters on both sides of the ball have made waves at times this season, but have also proved to be susceptible to negative conditions and opponents’ momentum.

The Trojans will be playing three of their remaining six games on the road, two of which — Notre Dame and Oregon — will take place in raucous environments against strong teams vying for a BCS bid. Add to that games against Andrew Luck-led Stanford and underrated Washington, and it is clear USC has no time to rejoice about its previous triumphs.

It is also important to keep the recent play of the defense in perspective. Forcing five turnovers in a game is not necessarily impressive for the Trojans. Not only did Cal still put up more yards in the game than USC, but the majority of them — 294 — came from the very man responsible for most of those giveaways — quarterback Zach Maynard.

Though Maynard has been a bright spot for the Golden Bears this season, he is nowhere near the caliber of quarterback that have recently defined the Pac-12. USC has already struggled against Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler and Arizona’s Nick Foles, so until it can hold serve against a dynamic quarterback like Luck or Oregon’s Darron Thomas, this squad’s progression can’t be truly measured.

It makes sense to use previous wins to keep players happy and confident. But this warning comes in regard to the emotions that arise beyond that, which can make a team lose focus of the game plan that has brought it success in the past.

The point might be dampening and a bit cynical. But by avoiding assumptions, expectations and the highlight reels of the last weeks, the Trojans will put themselves in a better position to finally realize the success they’ve desired for so long.

 

“One-Two Punch” runs Tuesdays. To comment on this article, visit dailytrojan.com or email James at [email protected].