Their BCS dance was a masquerade all along
October 29, 2006
CORVALLIS, Ore. — It's probably better that it ended this way, on a tipped two-point conversion pass with seven seconds remaining. There was no valid reason to extend this game into overtime, just as there was no reason to continue the charade that USC is one of the top teams in the country.
The Trojans did not play well enough to win at Oregon State on Saturday. Truthfully, they haven't played well enough this season to be included in the national championship spotlight.
As long as they kept winning and the computers kept loving their numbers, the Trojans held an inside lane in the race to the Bowl Championship Series title game. To anyone watching carefully, however, the Trojans' No. 3 ranking looked phony, like a big studio movie topping the weekend box office numbers when it opened against a couple of artsy independent films.
Even the final score of Oregon State's 33-31 victory was deceptive, masking how badly USC was outplayed for three-fourths of the game.
Yes, the Trojans showed heart in fighting back from a 23-point deficit to make it a one-play game, and quarterback John David Booty showed moxie in leading USC to a touchdown in the final minute. But that doesn't mask the soft coverages, weak pass rush and four turnovers that gave Oregon State a 33-10 lead in the first place.
And it doesn't show just how fortunate the Trojans were — thanks to a blocked field goal here, a bungled play there — that the Beavers didn't blow them out in the first half.
"I love the comeback and all that kind of stuff," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "Right now we aren't patting ourselves on the back about that."
It's a time for self-flagellation, not adulation. It's time for the players to wonder why they aren't performing at their peak, time for the coaches to ask themselves why they're not reaching this group and getting improved results.
"We've been working our butts off trying to get where we're at," USC linebacker Rey Maualuga said. "Come game time, people are, I don't want to say underestimating our opponent, but we're just not playing to where we're supposed to be playing at. People are not playing to the best of their ability. Toward the end, you saw us get deep down and [come] back. I guess we waited until something happened in order to strike back.
"We're not at the best yet. After this loss, hopefully everyone will realize that."
Sounds like a good solution, but this time Maualuga was part of the problem. The Trojans' best defensive player didn't join his unit during the first half as punishment, he said, for missing a special teams meeting Friday morning. That's the type of thing championship players and teams don't do, and it seems as if the Trojans have been stockpiling non-championship moments.
(A disclaimer: no negative comments in this column apply to wide receiver Steve Smith. He was outstanding, with 11 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He had a fourth-down catch and the touchdown reception on the final drive that gave the Trojans a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion. His coaches praised his performance and his toughness while dealing with the lingering effects of an ankle injury.)
There was no excuse for the Trojans to get outplayed Saturday. They were coming off a bye that seemed to restore the health and spirit of the team.
Yes, they were on the road, but it's not as if Reser Stadium is the most hostile environment in the Pacific 10. California and Washington State came in here and won in Oregon State's two previous home games.
The Beavers took the lead on the opening drive, passing at will. The best USC could do from there was tie the score for about four minutes in the second quarter.
But it's almost as if USC was building to this moment instead of building a championship platform. The Trojans' 20-3 win at Arizona wasn't that easy, and they were only a couple of plays away from losing to Washington State and Washington.
Saturday, USC suffered its first Pacific 10 Conference loss since the triple-overtime defeat at Cal on Sept. 27, 2003. In that one — which seems so long ago now, doesn't it? — Carroll was criticized for getting conservative at the end of regulation.
Saturday, Carroll second-guessed himself for going for a touchdown on fourth down at the Beavers' 10-yard line late in the third quarter. Booty's pass for Smith was incomplete.
"I screwed up," Carroll said.
Not really. The Trojans needed three touchdowns and there were 18 minutes remaining. It was a good opportunity. And as it turned out, they got the ball back at the Oregon State 16 when Kyle Loomis botched his punt attempt. The Trojans scored three plays later and the comeback began.
Where Carroll and the staff have messed up is by not getting their message to the players, or not putting them in position to be more effective. Every week, Carroll rues the fact that his team doesn't force turnovers, and now he's to the point that it kills him to say it every week.
Well, turnovers won't happen when the quarterback isn't pressured into bad throws, or there isn't a defensive back within three yards of a receiver, or there isn't a group of players swarming to the ball to cause a fumble.
Saturday, we didn't even see Carroll's famous second-half adjustments. Instead of taking over in the third quarter, the Trojans watched a six-point deficit balloon to 23 in a little more than 10 minutes.
About the only thing left intact was Carroll's unbeaten record in November at USC — and that's purely a function of the calendar.
Oregon, California and Notre Dame are coming in the next month. The Trojans no longer have control of their BCS title game chances. If they don't improve, they could miss out on the Rose Bowl as well.
*
J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read more by Adande go to latimes.com/Adandeblog.
October 29, 2006
CORVALLIS, Ore. — It's probably better that it ended this way, on a tipped two-point conversion pass with seven seconds remaining. There was no valid reason to extend this game into overtime, just as there was no reason to continue the charade that USC is one of the top teams in the country.
The Trojans did not play well enough to win at Oregon State on Saturday. Truthfully, they haven't played well enough this season to be included in the national championship spotlight.
As long as they kept winning and the computers kept loving their numbers, the Trojans held an inside lane in the race to the Bowl Championship Series title game. To anyone watching carefully, however, the Trojans' No. 3 ranking looked phony, like a big studio movie topping the weekend box office numbers when it opened against a couple of artsy independent films.
Even the final score of Oregon State's 33-31 victory was deceptive, masking how badly USC was outplayed for three-fourths of the game.
Yes, the Trojans showed heart in fighting back from a 23-point deficit to make it a one-play game, and quarterback John David Booty showed moxie in leading USC to a touchdown in the final minute. But that doesn't mask the soft coverages, weak pass rush and four turnovers that gave Oregon State a 33-10 lead in the first place.
And it doesn't show just how fortunate the Trojans were — thanks to a blocked field goal here, a bungled play there — that the Beavers didn't blow them out in the first half.
"I love the comeback and all that kind of stuff," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "Right now we aren't patting ourselves on the back about that."
It's a time for self-flagellation, not adulation. It's time for the players to wonder why they aren't performing at their peak, time for the coaches to ask themselves why they're not reaching this group and getting improved results.
"We've been working our butts off trying to get where we're at," USC linebacker Rey Maualuga said. "Come game time, people are, I don't want to say underestimating our opponent, but we're just not playing to where we're supposed to be playing at. People are not playing to the best of their ability. Toward the end, you saw us get deep down and [come] back. I guess we waited until something happened in order to strike back.
"We're not at the best yet. After this loss, hopefully everyone will realize that."
Sounds like a good solution, but this time Maualuga was part of the problem. The Trojans' best defensive player didn't join his unit during the first half as punishment, he said, for missing a special teams meeting Friday morning. That's the type of thing championship players and teams don't do, and it seems as if the Trojans have been stockpiling non-championship moments.
(A disclaimer: no negative comments in this column apply to wide receiver Steve Smith. He was outstanding, with 11 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He had a fourth-down catch and the touchdown reception on the final drive that gave the Trojans a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion. His coaches praised his performance and his toughness while dealing with the lingering effects of an ankle injury.)
There was no excuse for the Trojans to get outplayed Saturday. They were coming off a bye that seemed to restore the health and spirit of the team.
Yes, they were on the road, but it's not as if Reser Stadium is the most hostile environment in the Pacific 10. California and Washington State came in here and won in Oregon State's two previous home games.
The Beavers took the lead on the opening drive, passing at will. The best USC could do from there was tie the score for about four minutes in the second quarter.
But it's almost as if USC was building to this moment instead of building a championship platform. The Trojans' 20-3 win at Arizona wasn't that easy, and they were only a couple of plays away from losing to Washington State and Washington.
Saturday, USC suffered its first Pacific 10 Conference loss since the triple-overtime defeat at Cal on Sept. 27, 2003. In that one — which seems so long ago now, doesn't it? — Carroll was criticized for getting conservative at the end of regulation.
Saturday, Carroll second-guessed himself for going for a touchdown on fourth down at the Beavers' 10-yard line late in the third quarter. Booty's pass for Smith was incomplete.
"I screwed up," Carroll said.
Not really. The Trojans needed three touchdowns and there were 18 minutes remaining. It was a good opportunity. And as it turned out, they got the ball back at the Oregon State 16 when Kyle Loomis botched his punt attempt. The Trojans scored three plays later and the comeback began.
Where Carroll and the staff have messed up is by not getting their message to the players, or not putting them in position to be more effective. Every week, Carroll rues the fact that his team doesn't force turnovers, and now he's to the point that it kills him to say it every week.
Well, turnovers won't happen when the quarterback isn't pressured into bad throws, or there isn't a defensive back within three yards of a receiver, or there isn't a group of players swarming to the ball to cause a fumble.
Saturday, we didn't even see Carroll's famous second-half adjustments. Instead of taking over in the third quarter, the Trojans watched a six-point deficit balloon to 23 in a little more than 10 minutes.
About the only thing left intact was Carroll's unbeaten record in November at USC — and that's purely a function of the calendar.
Oregon, California and Notre Dame are coming in the next month. The Trojans no longer have control of their BCS title game chances. If they don't improve, they could miss out on the Rose Bowl as well.
*
J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read more by Adande go to latimes.com/Adandeblog.
