Brad Budde breaks down USC’s offensive woes last week vs. Washington.
You have a system that’s been disrupted. The past USC quarterbacks have had a full three years in the USC program to learn the system, and this year, it didn’t happen that way. Then, you have a new offensive coordinator and just the connection and relationship between coaches and players is new this year. It’s going to take time to figure this out.
When Sanchez left, it disrupted the system for each quarterback. When you think of Matt Leinart and John David Booty and Mark Sanchez, each one of those quarterbacks was in the USC system for three full years before they became the starter. Corp and Barkley do not have three years of experience. Corp is in his second year and Barkley in his first, and you have a system that generally preps the QB for a long time. All of a sudden you don’t have that anymore.
USC needs to find its offensive identity, which means they have to decide what they can do well offensively and stick it out. It’s about the system, and I’m going to put my money on Pete Carroll’s system.
Executing the gameplan week-in and week-out is not an easy task. Many coaches and universities attempt to do it, but they’re inconsistent, and that’s what makes Pete Carroll so exceptional. He is one of the coaches that is able to consistently do that.
The problem that occurred last week is that they didn’t win the turnover battle. When Carroll wins the turnover battle, he’s won 50 games. But there’s times when even the great ones fall. The coaches and players need to find their relationship groove where, under stressful conditions, the coach and player will be able to communicate and connect in a way that they’ll overcome the adversities that they hit during those crucial times against Washington.
It’s early in the season and it’s kind of a Jekyll and Hyde act. As weeks go by, one is going to pop out and be more consistent. Time will tell.
