Starting Weak
Posted by DontBendDontBreak | Filed under Failing To Deliver, PAC-10 Failures
Well here we are, a day away from another dreaded PAC-10 opener. Pardon me if I avert my eyes from the screen. I don’t expect this to be pretty. Not because the competition is tough (actually, just calling it ‘competition’ makes me chuckle), but because Pete Carroll has shown a clear disdain for opening the PAC-10 season with a win.
I for one am tired of Carroll’s blind adherence to his bankrupt ideology “finish strong.” How about starting strong? Or better yet, playing strong the entire season?
The spread on this game is 24 points. Boi From Troy says to take the points. Coaches Hot Seat goes a step further and predicts that the Trojans will lose this game.
I couldn’t agree more. Under Pete Carroll, USC has lost FIVE times in September, causing the Trojans to slip in the polls during the early weeks of the season when first impressions are made and forcing the players to rally in the later half of the season in order to get USC back onto the radar.
In ‘honor’ of those five losses, I present five reasons we will likely lose tomorrow night.
#1. Since Carroll’s first year in 2001, the Trojans are 4-3 in conference road openers. I don’t know what’s worse. That another loss will make the record dead even at 4-4, or that two of those losses cost USC a National Championship. I suppose the former, because this loss will cost them a third.
#2. Carroll has promoted junior Garrett Green to second string quarterback, pushing red-shirt fresman Aaron Corp to third, and heralded Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain to FOURTH. No one had even heard of this Green guy until he threw a touchdown pass on a trick play during last year’s Rose Bowl.
If something happens to Sanchez (God forbid), I don’t want the offense in the hands of a guy that needs to pull tom-foolery in order to complete a pass or a flavor-of-the-month rookie with something to prove. I want it in the hands of Mitch Mustain, a guy that went 7-0 (4-0 in the SEC) as a true freshman. Are you telling me he’s the FOURTH best quarterback we’ve got? This shines a bright light on the fallacy that Pete Carroll attracts all the talent to USC, because he obviously doesn’t recognize it when he sees it.
#3. The Trojans’ last two trips to Oregon have ended in disaster as they gave up 24 points in the third quarter, a gap that even USC’s explosive offense was unable to overcome.
#4. Everyone remembers (unfortunately) USC’s last trip to Corvallis, a heart-shattering loss after Carroll’s ill-fated decision to go for a two. You’d think a team riding a 27-game winning streak against in-conference teams would be more than prepared to deal with them. Instead, Pete’s famous knack for ’second-half adjustments’ fell short, proving that it’s better to start with a good plan then figure one out along the way. (If it ain’t broke, you ain’t got to fix it.)
#5. We shouldn’t even be playing this many road games in the first place. Obviously we have to go on the road at some point, but HALF of our schedule? Pete should take a page out of Les Miles’ book. Last year’s LSU Tigers played 7 home games and 5 away, losing one of each. Even though they still won the National Championship, Miles is taking no chances this year, building on that successful formula to give LSU 8 homes game and only 4 away, hoping to cut that loss total in half.
Tags: Aaron Corp, Corvallis, Garrett Green, Les Miles, LSU, Mark Sanchez, Mitch Mustain, Oregon, Oregon State, PAC-10 opener