USC Trojans
Pac-12
Twenty-twelve can only be considered a disappointing season for a team that had national championship aspirations. The chips started to fall with a loss to Stanford in the third game of the season. While that loss was not considered earth-shattering, their season unraveled with two consecutive losses to Arizona and then Oregon at home. They were pretty much shut out of any hopes for a national title run after their loss to Arizona. Once UCLA beat them late in the season, hopes for a Rose Bowl bid were dashed as well. Quarterback Matt Barkley had Heisman buzz and hopes to become the number one draft pick in the upcoming NFL draft. He had a nice season, but nothing that solidified him as a superstar in the eyes of the Heisman voters. That combined with a middle-of-the-road defense added up to multiple losses for the Trojans.
2012 Record: 7-5, 5-4
Coach: Lane Kiffin
Coach Bowl Record: 0-1
Big Wins: 10/13 at Washington (24-14), 11/10 Arizona State (38-17)
Bad Losses: 10/27 at Arizona (36-39), 11/17 at UCLA (26-38)
Strengths:
Despite some subpar performances by Barkley this season, he is still an elite quarterback in the college ranks. He easily threw for over 3,000 yards and came close to 40 touchdown passes before he had to sit out against Notre Dame after he suffered a sore shoulder in the UCLA game. He was helped by the best receiving corps in the country with NFL-caliber wide receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods. Defenders had a tough time covering them. Lee had the better season by far with 1,680 yards and 14 touchdowns. Combined they hit 2,400 yards and 25 touchdowns. That is crazy production from two receivers. Needless to say, USC had a top 20 passing offense and they were second best in the Pac-12. Barkley and Company were efficient enough to put up 34 points per game. Part of that was due to the fact that Barkley hardly ever got taken down. USC was best in the Pac-12 in protecting the passer. Defensively, they did some things well. The Trojans were fourth in the country in sacks at nearly four per game. They also had a strong kick return game that ranked eighth in the country.
Weaknesses:
Even after getting Silas Redd, a transfer from Penn State, the Trojan running game was nothing to write home about. They averaged 155 yards per game. They broke even in the turnover battle but Barkley really struggled and threw 15 interceptions. It is the most he has thrown since he got the starting job his freshman year. They probably could have had better offensive numbers had he not been as careless with the ball. The Trojans really fell short on defense though. They ranked in the bottom half of the conference in most categories. The Trojans are not used to being so porous. They gave up nearly 400 yards per game. They have no superstar corners to speak of. They gave up slightly over 240 yards through the air, which is not terrible in the high flying Pac-12, but it ended up hurting them in some games this season. As good as their kick returns were, they were one of the worst punt return teams in the conference.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Silas Redd, RB, 817 yards
Passing: Matt Barkley, QB, 3,273 yards
Receiving: Marqise Lee, WR, 1,680 yards
Tackles: T.J. McDonald, S, 99
Sacks: Morgan Breslin, DE, 12.0
Interceptions: Dion Bailey, LB, 4
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 155.00 (68th in nation, 7th in conference)
Passing Offense: 296.92 (24, 3)
Total Offense: 451.92 (30, 4)
Scoring Offense: 34.17 (37, 5)
Rushing Defense: 156.42 (57, 6)
Pass Defense: 239.67 (67, 6)
Total Defense: 396.08 (62, 7)
Scoring Defense: 24.58 (46, 6)
Turnover Margin: -0.17 (67, 8)
Sacks: 3.58 (4, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 1.42 (33, 1)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2009 Emerald Bowl Boston College (24-13)
2008 Rose Bowl Penn State (38-24)
2007 Rose Bowl Illinois (49-17)
2006 Rose Bowl Michigan (32-18)
2005 Rose Bowl Texas (38-41)
*all team stats through 11/24
