USC Trojans
Overall Rank: #21
#4 Pac-12 Conference
2010 Record: (8-5, 5-4)
2010 Bowl: None
Coach: Lane Kiffin (8-5 at USC, 15-11 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Kennedy Pola
Defensive Coordinator: Monte Kiffin
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Marc Tyler, RB, 913 yards
Passing: Matt Barkley, QB, 2,791 yards
Receiving: Robert Woods, WR, 792 yards
Tackles: T.J. McDonald, S, 89
Sacks: Wes Horton, DE, and Nick Perry, DE, 4
Interceptions: Nickell Robey, CB, 4
Other Key Returnees: DT Armond Armstead, RB Dillon Baxter, LB Chris Galippo, DT DaJohn Harris, C Khaled Holmes, S Marshall Jones, OT Matt Kalil, DE Devon Kennard, LB Marquis Simmons, S Jawanza Starling
Key Losses: RB Allen Bradford, TE Jordan Cameron, DT Jurrell Casey, WR Ronald Johnson, C Kristofer O’Dowd, OT Tyron Smith, CB Shareece Wright
Lane Kiffin inherited quite a mess in Los Angeles. Major violations from the Pete Carroll regime led to severe punishment, including a bowl ban for the 2010 and ’11 seasons. With nothing but pride to play for last year, the Trojans acquitted themselves well. Whether or not they can do even better this season when they again know that they will be home for the holidays is one of college football’s more interesting story lines.
Strengths:
Matt Barkley has a bright future in the NFL and matinee-idol looks, but you still have to feel a little sorry for him. He has to spend two years toiling under the burden of NCAA sanctions for wrongs committed before he ever set foot on campus. And he does not even get the acclaim of being the best quarterback in his conference. But Barkley certainly has the potential to at least match Andrew Luck in the stats department, even if he has no chance of leading USC to a BCS bowl game, as Luck did with Stanford last year. As good as he already is, Barkley has room for improvement, particularly in the areas of turnovers (12 interceptions in 2010) and accuracy (62.6 completion percentage). Joining Barkley in the backfield is Marc Tyler, the leading rusher last year. Tyler got his senior campaign off to a poor start when an embarrassing video of him hinting that USC pays its players showed up on TMZ, leading to a suspension for the season opener. When he lets his talent do the talking, Tyler is a workhorse back with a nose for the end zone. Two largely unknown backs might be poised for breakout seasons. Dillon Baxter showed flashes of his vast potential as a freshman and should at least be a major weapon in the return game. Also, redshirt freshman D.J. Morgan is a blazer who wowed the coaches on the scout team. Rounding out the arsenal of offensive talent, receiver Robert Woods was often brilliant as a frosh and could stamp himself as the Pac-12’s best pass-catcher this year. On the other side of the ball, USC also boasts a wealth of fine athletes. The key could be the health of tackle Armond Armstead. The mountainous Armstead looks, and plays, like a future first-round draft pick, but he was hospitalized in March with chest pains and his status for the season is still uncertain. Even without Armstead, the line features fine players like ends Wes Horton, Nick Perry and Devon Kennard (a converted linebacker) and tackle DaJohn Harris. Chris Galippo takes over the middle linebacker spot from Kennard and, given his size and toughness, it should be a smooth transition. At safety, T.J. McDonald is one of the nation’s best, while cornerback Nickell Robey made a huge impact as a freshman and should only get better.
Weaknesses:
All that skill position talent on offense might not get to shine if the line fails to protect Barkley or open running lanes. Coach Kiffin has reason to worry since only two starters are back. Left tackle Matt Kalil looks like a star in the making, but the guards and right tackle are major question marks. Defensively, the linebacker position, other than Galippo, is muddled. And while the secondary should be a strength just given the talent there, the fact that USC finished near the bottom of the country in pass defense last year makes one wonder if the guys on the back line are living up to their hype. Probably the biggest weakness of all for the Trojans is the mental hardship of playing a season with no championship at stake. If Coach Kiffin’s bunch hits a rough patch early in the season, will they just give up and wait for 2012? With Stanford, Oregon and Notre Dame all in the second half of the schedule, the Trojans could fall apart in a most ugly way.
The Bottom Line:
As has been the case for the last decade or so, on paper USC has as much if not more talent than any team in the conference. Getting those potential pro prospects to give their all when there is no BCS carrot at the end of the stick is a huge challenge for Coach Kiffin. Look for a slight improvement this year, let’s say nine wins, and then we can start to see if the Men of Troy are ready to reclaim their throne.
Projected Bowl: None
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 189.31 (25th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 242.15 (41, 5)
Total Offense: 431.46 (26, 4)
Scoring Offense: 31.00 (37, 5)
Rushing Defense: 140.54 (49, 8)
Pass Defense: 259.54 (109, 11)
Total Defense: 400.08 (84, 9)
Scoring Defense: 26.69 (63, 7)
Turnover Margin: .31 (36, 4)
Sacks: 2.15 (47, 8)
Sacks Allowed: 1.38 (26, 4)
Madness 2012 NFL Draft Rankings
#3 Matt Barkley
#7 Matt Kalil
#31 T.J. McDonald
#60 Chris Galippo
Madness 2011 Football Recruit Rankings
#9 George Farmer
#51 Marqise Lee
#67 Greg Townsend Jr.
#89 Cody Kessler
#94 Max Wittek
#97 Christian Heyward
#102 Lamar Dawson
#120 Cyrus Hobbi
#121 Amir Carlisle
#125 Victor Blackwell
#127 Aundrey Walker
#140 Tre Madden
#156 Antwaun Woods
#167 Junior Pomee
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