Anthony on LA: USC’s problems don’t end after the final game

When junior running back Keaontay Ingram scored a touchdown to cut the Notre Dame lead to 15 last Saturday, I began to rework my game story lede. 

For some reason, it seemed like USC would make the comeback needed to steal a victory. I thought, “Wow, maybe they can steal it here.” The momentum shifted, the defense started gaining some confidence and the offense began to click. 

Then, in the middle of writing, I laughed and said to myself: “No way they come back,” and proceeded to delete the new lede as I watched the Trojans’ defense unable to get a stop. 

It’s depressing to see how far USC football has fallen since the great Pete Carroll days which — cover your eyes — reached their highest point 13 years ago. Some hang on to those seven glory seasons like a favorite blanket, but it will take some time before USC gets back to that.

Since Carroll left in 2009, the Trojans have won three bowl games — the Las Vegas Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Rose Bowl. They’re also on their way to their second losing record in four
seasons. 

It’s safe to say the Trojans are at an extremely important point in their storied history. If the right coach is not appointed, do your best NSYNC impression and say bye-bye-bye to USC football’s relevancy.

Oregon’s Head Coach Mario Cristobal seems to be building a powerhouse in the Pac-12, stealing recruits from the Trojans’ backyard. The Ducks have five recruits from Southern California in the 2022 class, four of whom are four-stars. 

That can’t happen. Sadly, it’s been happening for too long. And if you were paying attention to recruiting three days before the Notre Dame game, five-star defensive lineman Mykel Williams, decommitted from USC and committed to Georgia. 

It was a loss greater than the one against the Irish, and one that the Trojans are becoming far too comfortable with happening to them. 

It’s why I decided to write this column once USC failed to come back against Notre Dame. 

I don’t need to make you anymore depressed about the Trojans’ state, but here I go — things won’t magically be corrected with the hiring of a new, well-appointed coach. 

Of course, whoever comes in will be a huge boost, gathering excitement around the program again. The mediocrity under Clay Helton will be completely over and a fresh canvas will be readily available for a new coach to scribble and paint its depiction of a successful program. 

But, I know you were waiting for the but, a huge cultural change has to happen before USC is back to competing. The penalties and mistakes are becoming far too common in games — especially when they are nationally televised. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has become as empty as the 101 during the early days of the coronavirus. Loyal fans are far past fed up. 

One person can’t solve the problem. 

They can’t keep an offensive lineman from refraining to move before the ball is snapped. They can’t keep a cornerback or linebacker from swiping at the ankles of a receiver and fail to bring them down. 

What they can do is bring some hope, some life, some juice into a program that’s been in a drought since the 2017 Rose Bowl, which feels like ages ago. 

The first task for whoever gets hired is recruiting — USC can’t be behind schools such as Colorado and Arizona in the 2022 recruiting class. It doesn’t make sense for a homegrown kid like Bryce Young to decommit from USC and attend Alabama. When the Trojans were at their highest, a Mater Dei five-star playing at the Coliseum would have been a no-brainer.

The second is getting rid of the Air Raid offense. I’m not a football offensive guru myself, but it doesn’t take much to realize this doesn’t work. Since its inception at USC in 2019, nothing has happened — just a whole bunch of yards that haven’t resulted in much winning.

It’s time to get back to traditional Trojan football: leaning on a lead running back and running the offense through him. Ingram can possibly be that guy, but, if not, redshirt sophomore Darwin Barlow has the potential to be just that. 

Obviously, these two fixes won’t drastically change what happens for the program, but it is a start, and one that must be considered.

Until then, let’s hope freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart can get some runs and junior wide receiver Drake London can break some records. 

It’ll be our therapy for this season. 

Anthony Gharib is a junior writing about all things Los Angeles sports. His column “Anthony on LA,” runs every other Friday. He is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan.