Musings from Arledge: USC just needed a win

Sometimes you just need a win. That wasn’t a game we’ll be talking about five years from now. But USC got the opponent it needed and the outcome it needed.

Rutgers allowed USC to do what they do well: throw short passes in rhythm. They didn’t pressure Miller Moss. They didn’t force him to throw the ball downfield. They did what I hope all of USC’s future opponents will do; they let him throw the short and intermediate routes that are his strength. Woody Marks was good again. Makai Lemon was very good. The offensive line played much better and, if we’re being honest, is getting better. The Trojans ran 51 plays for 443 yards—a fantastic 8.7 yards per play and put up 42 points. Those are solid numbers, even against a mediocre opponent.

USC rolled out a defense that was primarily backups, and the guys did what they needed to do. A defense that doesn’t have Eric Gentry, Anthony Lucas, or the entire secondary is a defense that deserves some grace. But they don’t need all that much grace today. Yes, the defense gave up a lot of yards but only 4.9 yards per play and only 20 points. And they hit. That was a physical, aggressive group out there last night. And, no, Rutgers’ offense isn’t any good, but they limited the run game (121 yards on 2.9 per attempt—and under four yards per attempt even not counting the sacks). They got some pressure from the quarterback, including from some young guys. The biggest problem was they had trouble getting off the field on third down, which has been a strength all year, but isn’t as much of a strength when the entire starting secondary is injured.

Now eight games in, USC’s defense is giving up 21.75 points per game—about twelve and a half points per game better than last year. They’re giving up 135 yards rushing per game at a 4.2 average.  And that’s without a bunch of sacks to drag the totals down. That’s 51.5 yards rushing per game better than last year, and about 0.6 yards per carry less. 

Coaching matters.

This is not the most talented USC defense I’ve ever seen. And the group they put out last night was a MASH unit that was missing most of its best players. So, no, Rutgers isn’t a great offense. But this defense is playing dramatically better than last year. Give this defensive staff some elite talent, especially up front, and we could have something special on our hands.  

All in all, not bad. I would have taken any win, no matter how ugly. But that one wasn’t even particularly ugly. 

That’s enough. USC needed that win. They got it. They need to get some confidence. I hope they did. And they need to get some starters back in a hurry.

That’s really the key now, because USC has two critical, winnable games coming up before the rivals—both of which will be a lot tougher than Rutgers—and those games will decide whether this season can still have a successful result. No matter what, this season won’t be what everybody wanted. But 8-4 and knocking the Irish out of the playoffs? Yeah, I’d take that right now.  

So on to Seattle and a much more familiar foe. USC has been awful on the road this season, routinely giving the game away against inferior competition, and Husky Stadium is not an easy place to play. Washington has been all over the map this year—they beat Michigan and played well against Indiana for a half, but they also got crushed by Iowa, lost to Washington State, and lost to Rutgers. It’s a team that a good USC team would handle. It’s also a team that is capable of beating the USC team that showed up at Minnesota and Maryland. So we’ll cross our fingers and see who shows up in cardinal and gold.