http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nca...e-great-is-a-coach/ar-BBmpUhk?ocid=spartandhp
LOS ANGELES — You will hear that the program is not as good as Pete Carroll once made it look. You will hear about the dysfunction of an athletic department led by a man whose tenure has not lived up to his legend. You will hear about the old stadium and TMZ crawling around campus and various headaches associated with coaching at Southern California.
AdChoices
You will hear, as USC gets into coaching search mode — again — that the nostalgia of Troy has become a relic of a bygone era when traditional brands ruled college football and nobody else had the ability to catch up.
Some of that may be true. But all any prospective USC coach really needs to look at is film of the Trojans’ 42-24 victory against No. 7 Utah on Saturday to understand that the opportunity of a lifetime awaits.
BOX SCORE: USC 42, UTAH 24
It’s rare enough that one of these jobs becomes available among the small group of schools that have the proven infrastructure to win national championships. It’s even more unique when there’s really no rebuilding required, no NCAA sanctions to overcome, no built-in reason why the next coach will struggle.
The only thing missing at USC has been steady, mature coaching competence, and anyone who can bring it will be richly rewarded with a team ready-made in 2016 to contend for titles.
“These guys want to prove to everybody what kind of team they are,” interim coach Clay Helton said.
If Saturday night proved anything, it’s that USC’s players deserve far better than what they’ve gotten here the last three tumultuous seasons that encompassed Lane Kiffin’s firing, Ed Orgeron’s futile attempt to get the job permanently, Steve Sarkisian’s hiring and then his very public undoing.
But when it all comes together and the Trojans play with poise and purpose, you get a night like Saturday when the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rocks and the Hollywood Hills loom beautifully in the background and a bunch of future NFL players look like they’re back in Carroll’s Win Forever days
It just shouldn’t take a crisis to make that happen. It shouldn’t sink to 3-3 before the talent kicks in.
“We can get tired of it, but it’s true. We have all this talent and when we don’t execute, it doesn’t matter,” linebacker Su’a Cravens said. “So as long as we remain disciplined and keep doing exactly what we can do, we’ll win games.”
Barring some sort of miracle, this will be the seventh consecutive season without USC winning a Pac-12 title, the longest gap since the league was formed.
But given the right coaching and structure, there is absolutely no reason why the Trojans can’t end that streak in 2016. Most if not all of the offensive line will be back. Running back Ronald Jones, who had 81 yards on 15 carries against Utah, is a freshman. Electric receiver Juju Smith-Schuster is a sophomore. Adoree Jackson, one of the most talented players in college football whether he’s on offense or defense, is a sophomore. Cornerback Iman Marshall is a freshman. Linebacker Cameron Smith, who had three interceptions against Utah, is a freshman.
So while Sarkisian’s struggle with alcohol abuse is a personal tragedy that transcends football, it is undeniable that his 1½ seasons at USC set up the program to be wildly successful over the next few years. And now, the questions about his ability to actually coach that group, to implement the structure and discipline necessary to win at the highest level, have become irrelevant as USC is forced to look forward.
“It’s been tough,” Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler said. “These guys have been pushed to the limit.”
And they came to USC in pursuit of national titles, which neither Sarkisian nor Kiffin were equipped to deliver. Saturday’s domination of Utah may not mean much for where this season is going, but the message it sent was unequivocal: The Trojans aren’t far from being back at the top.
“There’s not much you have to say,” Cravens said. “We don’t like losing. We don’t lose at USC. We’re supposed to be in the top 10 every year.”
And any elite coach out there from Chip Kelly on down would have to see that now.
Around college football, there is still a sense of mystery about what happens next. Will the Trojans reach back into the NFL? Will they go for an alum or someone with ties to the program? Would they dare hire an up-and-comer like a Justin Fuente or Tom Herman? Does Helton, the longest of longshots, have a prayer of getting the job full time? Heck, will athletics director Pat Haden even be the guy making the call?
But the idea USC has come through the chaos of the past few years as a less attractive destination is laughable. This is a ready-made powerhouse begging for a grown-up to come in and stop the nonsense that led to so many needless losses on the watch of Carroll’s two proteges.
“We said going into this game, failure isn’t an option,” Helton said.
Given how much talent the next coach will inherit, you could probably say the same for search Haden is about to start.
LOS ANGELES — You will hear that the program is not as good as Pete Carroll once made it look. You will hear about the dysfunction of an athletic department led by a man whose tenure has not lived up to his legend. You will hear about the old stadium and TMZ crawling around campus and various headaches associated with coaching at Southern California.
AdChoices
You will hear, as USC gets into coaching search mode — again — that the nostalgia of Troy has become a relic of a bygone era when traditional brands ruled college football and nobody else had the ability to catch up.
Some of that may be true. But all any prospective USC coach really needs to look at is film of the Trojans’ 42-24 victory against No. 7 Utah on Saturday to understand that the opportunity of a lifetime awaits.
BOX SCORE: USC 42, UTAH 24
It’s rare enough that one of these jobs becomes available among the small group of schools that have the proven infrastructure to win national championships. It’s even more unique when there’s really no rebuilding required, no NCAA sanctions to overcome, no built-in reason why the next coach will struggle.
The only thing missing at USC has been steady, mature coaching competence, and anyone who can bring it will be richly rewarded with a team ready-made in 2016 to contend for titles.
“These guys want to prove to everybody what kind of team they are,” interim coach Clay Helton said.
If Saturday night proved anything, it’s that USC’s players deserve far better than what they’ve gotten here the last three tumultuous seasons that encompassed Lane Kiffin’s firing, Ed Orgeron’s futile attempt to get the job permanently, Steve Sarkisian’s hiring and then his very public undoing.
But when it all comes together and the Trojans play with poise and purpose, you get a night like Saturday when the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum rocks and the Hollywood Hills loom beautifully in the background and a bunch of future NFL players look like they’re back in Carroll’s Win Forever days
It just shouldn’t take a crisis to make that happen. It shouldn’t sink to 3-3 before the talent kicks in.
“We can get tired of it, but it’s true. We have all this talent and when we don’t execute, it doesn’t matter,” linebacker Su’a Cravens said. “So as long as we remain disciplined and keep doing exactly what we can do, we’ll win games.”
Barring some sort of miracle, this will be the seventh consecutive season without USC winning a Pac-12 title, the longest gap since the league was formed.
But given the right coaching and structure, there is absolutely no reason why the Trojans can’t end that streak in 2016. Most if not all of the offensive line will be back. Running back Ronald Jones, who had 81 yards on 15 carries against Utah, is a freshman. Electric receiver Juju Smith-Schuster is a sophomore. Adoree Jackson, one of the most talented players in college football whether he’s on offense or defense, is a sophomore. Cornerback Iman Marshall is a freshman. Linebacker Cameron Smith, who had three interceptions against Utah, is a freshman.
So while Sarkisian’s struggle with alcohol abuse is a personal tragedy that transcends football, it is undeniable that his 1½ seasons at USC set up the program to be wildly successful over the next few years. And now, the questions about his ability to actually coach that group, to implement the structure and discipline necessary to win at the highest level, have become irrelevant as USC is forced to look forward.
“It’s been tough,” Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler said. “These guys have been pushed to the limit.”
And they came to USC in pursuit of national titles, which neither Sarkisian nor Kiffin were equipped to deliver. Saturday’s domination of Utah may not mean much for where this season is going, but the message it sent was unequivocal: The Trojans aren’t far from being back at the top.
“There’s not much you have to say,” Cravens said. “We don’t like losing. We don’t lose at USC. We’re supposed to be in the top 10 every year.”
And any elite coach out there from Chip Kelly on down would have to see that now.
Around college football, there is still a sense of mystery about what happens next. Will the Trojans reach back into the NFL? Will they go for an alum or someone with ties to the program? Would they dare hire an up-and-comer like a Justin Fuente or Tom Herman? Does Helton, the longest of longshots, have a prayer of getting the job full time? Heck, will athletics director Pat Haden even be the guy making the call?
But the idea USC has come through the chaos of the past few years as a less attractive destination is laughable. This is a ready-made powerhouse begging for a grown-up to come in and stop the nonsense that led to so many needless losses on the watch of Carroll’s two proteges.
“We said going into this game, failure isn’t an option,” Helton said.
Given how much talent the next coach will inherit, you could probably say the same for search Haden is about to start.
