T-Time: This year’s USC team shows early resilience
“’SC has heart!,” screamed redshirt junior safety C.J. Pollard to a group of journalists on his way to the locker room following USC’s upset win over No. 10 Utah. “’SC has heart!”
It was an emphatic end to a terrifically bizarre Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. I’ve seen the Coliseum when it’s rocking. I’ve sat there in the heat of midday when fans are too lethargic (hungover) to raise two fingers and say “fight on.” But this night was different — the atmosphere could only be described as dreamlike.
The setup was too juicy to be true. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer — USC head coach Clay Helton’s heavily rumored replacement — would be there alongside the rest of the Fox Sports College Football crew. President Carol Folt, the only person who could make such a move happen, was there just hours after being inaugurated. At halftime, USC’s band spelled out “CAROL” in homage of her visit. They might as well have spelled “CLEAN HOUSE.”
Reggie Bush, the disgraced Trojan icon, sat to Meyer’s left. It was his grand yet unheralded return to the same field where he became a legend. Although he officially was there in a “work” capacity, to the thousands of fans who chanted his name, he might as well have been getting his No. 5 retired.
The same can be said for the dozens of players who shouted at him in adoration as they ran back to the tunnel. For so many of them, Bush was the reason they chose cardinal and gold. Heck, Bush is one of the reasons I chose to attend USC. So the moment when redshirt freshman running back Markese Stepp dapped up his idol on the sideline after scoring a touchdown wasn’t just a novelty — it was an inevitability. Folt choosing to take a picture with Matt Leinart instead of Bush was icing atop an already infinitely-layered cake.
There was so much setup. Then the game began. When freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis went down with a suspected concussion, the entire Coliseum held its breath for the second time in the last four weeks, only exhaling when redshirt junior Matt Fink took the keys and drove the offense in his place.
In my four years at USC, I’ve seen a good team in 2016, a bad team in 2018 and an underachieving team in 2017. This year’s edition of the Trojans can’t be pinned down so easily. Already, they have two wins over Top-25 teams. They also lost to BYU, can’t tackle and have thrown more interceptions than anyone else in the Pac-12.
The Trojans are either a fun type of bad or an infuriating type of good. Just like Jon Snow, I “know nothing” about the 2019 Trojans. They could easily run the table or lose out, and I wouldn’t be surprised. Well, I know nothing about the Trojans, except this: Pollard was right. They do have an abundance of heart. It’s a welcome change from other teams in the Helton era, who were prone to second-half collapses and rolling over when situations got dire.
After last season, linebacker and team captain Cameron Smith insinuated that the team lacked fight. This 2019 team can’t stop fighting. Utah drove deep into USC territory eight times, but only scored two touchdowns and were forced to attempt four field goals.
The Trojans’ defense blocked a kick, forced a fumble on their own 2-yard line and stuffed Utah senior quarterback Tyler Huntley for a turnover on downs. They struggled to contain the edge and rein in athletic quarterbacks, but when backed against their own end zone, USC suddenly turned into the 1985 Chicago Bears.
The Trojans’ offense is equally resilient. Already, they’ve dealt with two quarterback injuries and both times, the passing game didn’t skip a beat. USC comes in at No. 11 in the nation for passing yards per game, despite not having a single quarterback in the top 70 in yardage.
Along with losing Slovis, USC was outgained 247 yards to 13 in the run game. The Utes dominated time of possession, holding the ball for twice as long as the Trojans (38:12 to the Trojans’ 21:48). Nonetheless, USC continued putting the ball in the end zone and never gave up on the running attack. They iced the game with five straight run plays for two first downs.
At every postgame press conference, Helton has invoked the phrase, “So what, now what?” It sounds like a cheesy one-liner from a hopeful coach, but the players have taken it to heart and adopted it as their mantra. It seems to be working.
USC faces an impossibly tough road ahead, with games against No. 17 Washington, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 13 Oregon and No. 15 Cal on the horizon. But they have the explosiveness on offense, starpower on defense — looking at sophomore safety Talanoa Hufanga and freshman defensive end Drake Jackson — and mettle all around to at least ruin a few more seasons.
Sign me up. The Trojans will always be fun to watch.
Trevor Denton is a senior writing about sports. He is also a former sports editor of the Daily Trojan. His column, “T-Time,” runs every other Thursday.