It's hard to remember now, but USC once held a 10-point lead against Oregon on Saturday night.
In fact, the prevailing feeling was that the Trojans should have been up by even more points after seemingly controlling the start of the game.
Before losing all control seemingly in a moment -- or a series of bad moments. Turnovers and penalties became the theme for the Trojans as Oregon scored touchdowns on eight straight possessions to run away with a 56-24 win.
In the aftermath, we break down the 10 key criticisms, critiques and takeaways from that stunning sea change and the effective end of USC's Pac-12 title hopes.
1. So close, yet so (so) far
Coming out of the gates in this one, USC did everything right. The game plan was set up perfectly to exploit Oregon’s weaknesses on both sides of the ball, and the Trojans did just that. On offense, USC stayed well clear of leaning on the run game against a Ducks defense that excels against it, instead allowing Kedon Slovis and his cast of receivers to pick apart a vulnerable secondary. On the other side of the ball, the Trojans sent heavy pressure packages with their front 7, harassing Justin Herbert and stifling the Oregon offense, slowing down the run game as well. It seemed the game was going the best possible way it could for USC until one misfortune after another mounted for the Trojans.
Bad decisions by Slovis, boneheaded penalties, missed assignments, bad calls and injuries began to snowball as the Trojans allowed Oregon to climb back into the game in the second quarter. The death knell came on both sides of the halftime break. Slovis’ touchdown to Michael Pittman with only 20 seconds remaining in the half meant USC would take a reasonable 4-point deficit into halftime ... until the ensuing kickoff return for a touchdown broke open the lead once more and sent the Trojans into the locker room in a much different mood. And on the first possession right after halftime, Oregon marched down the field for another 7 points, effectively ending any chance at a comeback. Despite all the elements they had working in their favor last night, the Trojans still found a way to collectively mis-execute, and the price of that is likely the end of their Pac-12 title game aspirations (and more).
2. The time has come
I think this game indeed officially ends Clay Helton’s tenure as USC head coach. Any chance for Helton’s retention was predicated upon a late season surge that at the very least needed to end with a berth in the Pac-12 title game. As of now, it seems unlikely that the Trojans end up there. Even though I’d argue this loss was more a result of poor execution than poor coaching, poor execution is reflective of a coaching staff as well. In their losses to top-10 foes Notre Dame and Oregon, the Trojans looked like the more talented team. The fact that they’ve been unable to do anything with that talent for two years is troubling, and with the hire of USC’s new athletic director looming, it seems unlikely that Helton will be able to survive that reality. One way or another, I think the head coach position for USC will be open before they play whatever bowl game they make.
3. Slovis' struggles sting
Slovis was asked to put a lot on his shoulders this game. The true freshman threw the ball an astounding 57 times -- the most attempts in Trojan history -- and finished with an unimpressive 264 yards to go with 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and a back-breaking fumble in the red zone. Slovis was good for much of the game -- he escaped pressure and extended plays, placed the ball accurately and generally made good reads. Unfortunately, when Slovis makes bad plays, they seem to be big ones. Although certainly one and arguably two of his interceptions weren’t entirely his fault, his second of the game was inexcusable and may have been one of the most crucial turning points of the night. Slovis threw an out route with an Oregon safety waiting right underneath, and that interception would then be run back for 6, completely changing the tide of the game. Another red zone fumble killed a crucial second quarter drive where even a field goal would have significantly altered the complexion of the night. Slovis is still entirely capable and qualified for the job -- I still believe in him as the guy at QB for the forseeable future. Nonetheless, he has to clean up certain parts of his game --his looseness with the football and his habit of holding onto the ball too long first and foremost -- or else he’ll find himself being a liability for the team in the most inopportune moments.
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4. Paging the RBs
The Trojans didn’t go run heavy in this game, nor should they have. Oregon is one of the country’s best rush defenses; the Ducks gave up only 3.2 yards per carry coming into this night. In the secondary, however, they had showed signs of weakness, finding themselves shredded through the air each of the last two weeks. With a razor-thin running back depth chart, the Trojans decided correctly to lean on the aerial attack, and early in the game it worked as USC jumped out to a 10-0 lead through the first quarter. As the passing game miscues began to build in the second quarter, however, it felt clear that the Oregon defense was leaving room for the Trojans to take advantage on the ground. They didn’t opt to do so; USC handed the ball to its backs only 10 times in the half. Only in the fourth quarter with the game already well out of reach did the Trojans finally start to run the ball, and they did it quite well -- albeit in garbage time. While the scouting report was correct, the corresponding game plan was simply too unbalanced. In restricting the run game, the coaching staff forced Slovis to throw the ball 57 times. No quarterback should be throwing 57 passes in a game, much less a freshman.
