2006 Oregon St. Upset Edition - 10/29/06

Nearly 20 years ago, a brilliant movie was made starring Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins by the name of Bull Durham in which the sport of professional baseball was portrayed for its role in Americana as a parallel to religion.  Indeed, apart from the fact that only 7 people in America know that the World Series ended this week, the movie's point that baseball had become a sort of religion in America was well-made and entertainingly expressed.  Well, no sport better delves into cultural Americana than college football, and it remains the sport that I will always love the most.  With that said, sometimes it is hard to watch ...  Like religion, the path can be very rocky at times!

 

This week's musings will focus on my beloved USC Trojans more than anything else, as they truly did make news this week (USC losing a regular season game has been about as common the last several years as CNN running a fair or accurate news story, but I digress).  Additionally, besides the true college football news of USC losing a game, there was barely anything else newsworthy around the country.  The SEC has become as big a bore as there is, and the early season predictions that SEC football would be superior to Pac-10 and Big-10 football now look mighty silly.  The ACC Florida schools are having atrocious years.  I think besides the fact that Ohio St. is truly in a class far above anyone else in the country right now, I have nothing else to say about football outside of Troy.

 

- Okay, here goes.  USC has played with fire since week 3 of the season, and they received what was inevitable to come this year -a defeat.  The fact that our 23-point deficit ended up in a game that was a failed two-point conversion away from overtime is no consolation for those who hate losing (i.e. Trojans), though it is a testimony to the spirit and attitude of this team.

 

- Those calling for the replacement of Booty with Sanchez did not watch the comeback, or read the stat line.  The young QB made plenty of mistakes (as if Sanchez wouldn't, huh?), but he was nearly heroic with his 400+ yards of passing.  He played his best "downfield, long ball" game of the season, and I frankly think the pick in the end-zone was Jarrett's fault more than his.  Until Coach Carroll says "we have a better chance of winning with Sanchez, who has virtually never taken a college snap, than we do with Booty", I wish Trojan fans would do their best to cool it ...

 

- I really don't care who believes me about this, and who doesn't, but there is a sense in which I feel a tad sense of relief.  I FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR prefer the Rose Bowl each and every year to anything that has the initials "BS" in it, and I am appalled more Trojans do not agree.  I would consider it a 50/50 chance at best right now that we will be there, but if we win out (not going to be easy), the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl appearance are ours for sure (every other Pac-10 team will have more than one loss, and even if it Cal only has one, it will be to us).  Coach McKay told me to my face years ago, "USC plays to go to the Rose Bowl every year", and Coach Carroll has repeated that mantra every year he has been here.  Yes, in the BcS system the possibility exists of going to another Bowl game sometimes for something the media considers better, but I love the granddaddy of them all, and I hope to everything I believe in that USC can whoop some Pac-10 ass to be there!  It will not be easy.

 

- People do not appreciate the drama encompassed in this statistics: USC has averaged 20 more takeaways than giveaways, PER season, for the last four years (until this year).  That is basically two more times PER game that we have forced a turnover, as opposed to commit one, over the last four Pac-10 championship years we have enjoyed.  It is a statistic so appallingly incredible that one has to feel there has almost been a bit of luck involved in achieving it.  We now have a minus spot in the giveaway/takeaway ratio on the year (were it not for a 5-0 advantage in game 1, and a couple punt returns that we got lucky on, this year would be dramatically in the minus column).  Yesterday's game can be blamed on an odd play call on the 2-point conversion, or it can be blamed on failed punt coverage on the 70-yard Beaver TD, or it can be blamed on very mediocre secondary play, or it can be blamed on a very questionable decision not to kick a FG on 4th and 10, BUT for any real football mind, it was a game decided by turnovers - PERIOD.  I have no idea how to coach this, but I hope we improve, because it will make or break the success of this season - I guarantee it.

 

- I took flak from some for bizarrely cheering in the USC/ASU game when Florida lost to Auburn a couple weeks ago (presumably because they were excited at the prospect of less BCS competition down the stretch in such brilliant things as computer ratings and the like).  I never mean to be a smart ass, but I hope Trojans can appreciate now the importance of just worrying about ourselves.  It is a Bruin attitude to care what is happening to someone else.  We have a very, very young team, and a very, very injured team, coming off of four years of surreal and unparalleled football success.  The team is probably the 6th or 7th best in the country right now, and needs to focus on the Pac-10 championship.  I believe we can do it, but I believe our ability to do it has nothing to do with the criminals in Florida or the under-achievers in any SEC school.  Trojan football is about the Cardinal and Gold - period.  I can't wait to stomp Stanford this weekend ....

 

-  By the way, remember that Coach Carroll's COMBINED, TOTAL point loss margin in EVERY game he has lost at USC, STILL do not not total the margin of loss we inflicted upon UCLA in ONE game last year - ONE game.  Unbelievable.  That stat is truly amazing.  And, it only takes into account one of four huge blowouts over UCLA that he has coached ....  His biggest point margin loss is still an 11-point loss in South Bend his first year here.  The other losses are all single digits, and the last three (ahem - the ONLY three) in the last four seasons, were all by three points.  Incredible.

 

- The Bruins will be making a mistake to fire Coach Dorrell (though apart from a UCLA win over USC this year, I think it will happen).  He is a very nice man, and has to coach with about 19 fans at every home game, and a terrible recruiting handicap with the success of USC as of late.  As I said when Bob Toledo was there sans Cade McNown, I truly hope they keep him for a long, long time.

 

- For those who may accuse me of being a sore loser, I would like to give the Oregon State Beavers the respect they deserve.  They played a great game, and Mike Riley somehow came with a good plan (what happened in the Coliseum in 1995, Coach???).  The fact that Oregon State has never produced one single person of relevance or prestige to this culture should not in the least bit takeaway from their success yesterday.  =)   (DS - I am just kidding).  See - I AM a good sport!!

 

Okay, that's it for now.  I hope to write from New York next weekend with a glowing report of USC beating the worst team in college football history by 100 points.  We have a tough road ahead of us.  Let's keep fighting for a spot in Pasadena to celebrate the new year.  THAT is the religion of college football ...