2007 Stanford Upset Edition - 10/8/07
Contrary to your understandable assumptions, I have not delayed typing these musings for 48 hours because I have been under suicide watch, or because the tears in my eyes have prevented me from seeing the computer monitor. I actually waited on purpose to draft this week's musings until Monday night, as I wanted to incorporate into my musings some commentary on Coach Carroll's talk to us this morning at our weekly Monday luncheon. I am glad I waited.
So here goes: weekly musings from a week that included some unbelievably exciting games (LSU/Florida, and Oklahoma/Texas), some ugly games (UCLA/Notre Dame), some funny games (Illinois/Wisconsin), and the biggest upset in recent memory (USC/Stanford). I will focus the bulk of my time on my beloved Trojans, but there is a national focus ...
- The goal of every team playing Division I football should always be, "to win all of their games, and win the conference championship". It is simply ridiculous to include in the goal, "to win a national championship", when such things are completely out of their control in this primitive and archaic BCS system. Coach Carroll echoed these words today, and I find it self-evident that rational human beings do not set goals that are outside of their control. With that said, we have failed in our goal, which is to win all our games. In fact, USC has done this in dramatic and embarrassing manner, in a loss that will never be forgotten inside the Coliseum. If I cared one iota about the BCS, I would say that I really do not see a scenario in which USC can re-enter that hunt, though one never knows. A certain combination of events could possibly change that, but I very much doubt it. Some have reminded me that last year we lost to the grossly under-achieving Oregon State Beavers, and yet put ourselves in a situation where a final game win would have put us in the national championship game. I do not think that will happen again, but one never knows. At this point, the USC people I am closest of, and most kindred spirits with, would not dare be worried about such folly. Rather, we need to worry about our opponents. After all, a last place laughing-stock just came in the Coliseum with a first-time starter QB and beat us. BCS? Who cares about BCS? We need to care about Arizona. There is not a team left on the schedule incapable of beating USC.
- Yes, the loss is painful, and yes, I used my allowed 24-hour mourning period to its fullest. But some perspective is in order. This is a simple analysis, and not one requiring chalk or experts. We ran up more than double the total offensive yards that Stanford did, yet we turned the ball over a million times. Period. Five turnovers will be a loss 99.9% of the time. Those turnovers, combined with a series of plays in the last five minutes of the game that I still do not believe took place, represented the essence of what happened.
- I have said that I believe the running game on this team is so good, and the defense so quick and suffocating, that all we really need from Booty, is not lose us games. He does not need to win us games, but if he gets in a position where his mistakes kill us, we can lose. It happened Saturday, though he was not alone.
- Our starting running back, Stefan Johnson, missed the game. Our best defensive player, Brian Cushing, did not suit up. Our secondary is decimated with injuries. Two starting offensive linemen are also out. The only thing I can say is that in 1999, Stanford would have been favored by 41 points if we had those injuries. None of these injuries, however, cost us this game. Stefan being out did not force Chauncey to run passively. The O-line being half "second string" players did not force receivers to repeatedly drop passes. And even Booty's own finger injury can not explain a couple of his deplorable passes (half of which, by the way, should be blamed on the receivers). All in all, we lost the game because Stanford made the plays that mattered at the end, and our secondary was unable to stop a few major pass plays from Stanford at the end of the game. Booty did enough to lose it, and lose it we did.
- I have attended these luncheons on Monday with Coach Carroll since he got to USC, and I have never seen one like today's. The man comes in to the room after his most painful and embarrassing defeat ever as a coach, and is greeted by an entire room of standing, applauding, cheering, chanting Trojans. That climate does not exists anywhere else in college football, and it sure as hell doesn't exist in the NFL.
- I can not share a lot of detail from the luncheon today, as it was even specifically reiterated by Coach that those discussions are to be kept off the internet. All I will say is that we have major problems, and the coaches know what they are. They are working on them, and they are determined. Look at Coach's performance in October and November the last six seasons to understand why I am not throwing in the towel on this season. A Pac-10 championship and Rose Bowl victory are not going to be easy, but they are obtainable. We simply need to win each game one at a time, and get better week by week at the things we are suffering with.
- And those things are this: Our receivers are terrible, and our secondary gives up too many third down conversions. I actually think we have arguably the best Tight End in the country (and he certainly is the most potent threat on our team), and I do like the potential of Vidal Hazelton. But Patrick Turner would not start at 7 other schools in the Pac-10, and he is our third year go-to guy.
- I confess to tremendous frustration at John David Booty's seeming regression, but then I think to how he played in the Rose Bowl last year, and how he turned it around against Oregon State once we got down so many points, and how he led us to victory over Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame (how many people predicted USC would win all three of those games last year?). The coaches have determined he gives us the best chance to win, and that is all we can go with. He is no Carson Palmer, and he is not Matt Leinart, but he sure as hell is no Ben Olson either. He can, and must, get better.
- Arizona will not be a cakewalk this weekend. Carroll was clear that they are better than a 2-4 team, and they know we can be beaten now. The time to right the ship is now, and this is not a "tune up" game - it is a legitimate contest. I look forward to watching us bring the fight to them.
- I am disappointed that we are not getting McKnight and Bradford involved in the offense. If Stefan is going to be out again, I hope they will shake this up.
- Sedrick Ellis is a man-beast who will be first team All-American. He might kill Jimmy Clausen, but it would be an accident.
- Sark has my love and affection, and I can only imagine what some of the more primitive minds in the cyber-world are saying about him. But the third down pass call at the end of the game that resulted in another Booty pick, a big run back, and eventually a winning scoring drive from Stanford, was just inexcusable. I can not dream of a rational reason for doing it.
- The SC loss takes away all the fun from the UCLA-Notre Dame debacle. The difference, of course, is that all in Troy are devastated. The Bruin players seem "par for the course". No heart. None.
- LSU may well go the distance now, with the only real threat ahead being the SEC championship game. Of course, as USC proved, anything can happen. I expect a LSU-Ohio State final or a LSU-Oklahoma. LSU should pray for the former, as they would win by 30. If it is Oklahoma, anyone can win.
- The Vegas play on Pac-10 champion ought to be Cal right now, though I agree with my friend, Jerry, that they are one ankle injury to Longshore from that season getting "b-ruined". Deshaun can not hike to himself, throw to himself, and run all by himself, every play (though he almost can).
- The Big-10 is so bad this year, I am at a loss as to how to properly make fun of them.
- If the kid who had a seizure is a better QB than the guy Stanford played on Saturday, then pigs fly.
- I will be going to the Arizona game at 4:00 am on Saturday with my dear friends, Jason Carson, and Bryan Avery. We will be hosting a tailgate at a brand new location (hence the early arrival), and feel free to drop by (949.375.4350 cell).
- A final but crucial thought: this is a bit of a reminder to my Trojan friends, and it is sort of an explanation to my non-Trojan friends. I am not going to take away one bit from the basic truism that this loss hurts, and hurts bad. We are not as good as we were in 2002, 2003, 2004, or 2005 (and we weren't in 2006 either). But what my non-Trojan friends may not understand, is the absolute reality of the fact that the spirit of Troy is marinated in determination, persistence, getting up when you have been knocked down, and fighting on through the unbearable. It is what makes us Trojans, and it is not hyperbole. The peaks of life are enjoyed all the more when they were preceded by the lowest of valleys. This very thing, perfectly encapsulated in the culture that is USC, is the very reason I migrated to Troy, and the very reason I became so attracted to what we represent. Negativity and mediocrity are the defining characteristics of LOSERS - period. Life is chalk full of losers. I meet them every day. I have met them my entire life. I will continue to. But this thing I love called college football really does parallel life in this regard ("sports, mimicking life"): you are defined by how you respond to adversity. USC can lose every remaining game on its schedule this year, and my love and passion for USC football would not be dented. LOSERS do not understand this. But when your life's mantra is to "fight on", not even a loss like the one to Stanford can knock you down. This lesson ought not be read or understood merely for what it says about life as a college football fan; it belongs in the psyche of your being.
The only thing I love about USC football more than its past and its heritage, is its future.
Until we meet again,
DLB4USC (David L. Bahnsen)