I'm watching Chris Fowler, who called the Oregon St. upset of USC in Corvallis, and he seems stunned. How could the Beavers upset #1 USC? It's impossible! How could a team with all of that blue chip talent lose to an unranked team?
As someone who has followed the Trojans closely during the Pete Carroll era, I am not shocked. I am a little surprised, but this is not without precedent. Beat Ohio St. and then lose to 1-2 Oregon St.? Yup. It makes sense in the Trojan nation.
Last year, USC lost at home to a 41-point underdog at home. I stood on the sidelines watching in disbelief as the Trojans lost to Stanford. That shocked me. But I learned my lesson. USC has a knack for playing down to its competition. The big games never seem to be a problem. It's the easy ones that are hard.
Pete Carroll's teams have won 6 straight Pac 10 titles, and over that stretch, they are 72-9. One of those losses was to Texas in the Rose Bowl. 7 of the other 8 losses were to fellow Pac 10 teams. 6 of those Pac 10 losses came on the road.
Too much swagger. Not enough execution. I say it's an attitude thing. Maybe being the toast of Los Angeles for 11 days after defeating Ohio St. in the game of the milenium is too heady for a bunch of kids - even if they're the most talented group in the country.
I was cautious after the Virginia win. I expressed concern about TB Joe McKnight's propensity for fumbling, and Ireland called me "negative Mason." I said the playcalling still isn't perfect. Ireland told me I was being "too critical." But, even I got swept away with the "greatest Pete Carroll team yet" euphoria after they stomped Ohio St. 35-3.
There it was tonight. Both of my pieces of criticism on one play. Deep in the 2nd quarter, USC down 14-0 and marching down the field. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian decides to get away from the "meat and potatoes" of his playbook and orders "the special." It was a direct snap to McKnight who faked a handoff to Allen Bradford and then fumbled. The Beavers recovered in USC territory and ended up scoring a 3rd first half TD on a lucky Lyle Moevao pass that should have been picked off, but was deflected into the hands of sophomore slot back James Rodgers.
Having the most talent doesn't guarantee victory. Oregon St. had an excellent gameplan, a hot running back (little 5'6" freshman Jaquizz Rodgers who ran for 186 yards and 3TDs), and they faced a team that, frankly, wasn't ready to play.
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