Five Takeaways from Washington's Upset Over USC

Last night's upset loss to Washington was frustrating not because it was the second straight season USC lost to the Huskies on a last-second field goal, but because of the way USC dropped the game. The contest was poorly coached by Lane Kiffin and his staff, the defense was undisciplined and outmatched, and our starting quarterback disappeared when it counted most. Here are five takeaways I made from 8th row on the 35-yard line:

1. Kiffin's Decision-Making is Suspect

Two weeks ago, after the Trojans escaped Minnesota with a victory, I wrote about how Lane Kiffin's antics were not only confusing me, but also bothering me. More specifically, I cited his now ubiquitous two-point conversion charade that he introduced against Hawaii and his use of timeouts at the end of the first half against the Gophers. Since then, I have come around a bit on the first issue; I think the two-point conversion charade is a nice twist to a part of the game that opposing defensive coordinators may take for granted. However, I am still not sold on Kiffin's laughable use of timeouts versus Minnesota. Although many in the media quickly justified his tactics by saying the coach simply did not want to "leave any timeouts in his pocket," I thought that was a lame excuse for his pathetic behavior. Luckily, that abomination occurred at the end of the first half--not at the end of the game--and did not significantly come back to bite the Trojans.

Well, let's jump to the end of last night's game. At a point when clock management was more important than anything else, Kiffin again butchered an opportunity to use timeouts to put his team in a position to score and salvage a victory. As I sat in the Coliseum watching precious seconds run off the clock, I was completely baffled. In fact, I don't remember ever feeling so confused during a sporting event.

After kicker Joe Houston missed a critical field goal (more on this later) with 2:34 left in the game, Jake Locker and the UW offense took over at their own 23-yard line. The stage was set for a game-winning drive and another UW upset over USC. With the crowd on its side, USC managed to get UW to 4th and 10 before Locker converted for 18 yards to wide receiver D'Andre Goodwin over the left hashmark. Running back Chris Polk then gashed USC on a run for 26 yards and another for 6 yards. With the ball on USC's 33-yard line, it was clear that UW planned on running the ball to get in better field position for a field goal. UW ran three straight times, one of which gained a first down. But after each attempt, Kiffin did not use any of his three timeouts (where have we seen this before?). Why wouldn't Kiffin use his timeouts and force UW to give the ball back to USC with a chance for Barkley to lead his own game-winning drive? Seemed like simple football strategy to me. Instead, Kiffin let UW run the clock down to three seconds, at which point Kiffin tried to ice Husky kicker Erik Folk. Not once. But twice. He tried to ice Folk twice with back-to-back timeouts! I seriously thought I was at the theater watching a comedy. Well, as expected, Folk hit the game-winning field goal, and the joke was on Kiffin and the Trojans.

Kiffin's clock mismanagement bothered me for a couple of reasons. First, the approach went against common football sense. During the game, I had the feeling that the winner would be whoever had the ball last. In such a tight, back-and-forth contest, you have to give yourself a chance to win. And by not saving the clock for Barkley and the USC offense, he left the destiny of the team in hands, or foot, of Erik Folk.

Second, his attempt to instead use the timeouts to ice the kicker was something I would never in a million years see from a coach on a championship-level team. Would Nick Saban, Jim Tressel, or Urban Meyer ever do something like that? Never. Does Kiffin think we're all stupid? Is he even taking his job seriously? I seriously want to ask him those questions. He needs to cut the crap and play football. I am tired of his tough guy act to the media, undisciplined players, and gimmicky offensive strategies. Prepare the boys to play disciplined and motivated football. Do your job.

Finally, from what I learned after the game, Kiffin did not operate with the mindset of a leader and a coach. When asked about Washington's final game-winning drive, Kiffin said, "We weren't going to stop them. We were dead." I'm sorry, what? To be honest, I completely agree with that statement. I knew the defense was not good enough to make a stop in that situation. But for the head coach to think that in the heat of battle is unforgivable. These first five games have raised serious concerns for me regarding Kiffin's ability to coach a big-time program, especially one in which I have lots of pride. He disappointed in the NFL with Oakland, he disappointed with Tenneseee, and I don't have any faith he will be successful at SC.

2. Barkley Progressing Slower than Expected

The second-year quarterback did not have to do too much last night. Allen Bradford ran like a man possessed (more on this later) and Kiffin seemed comfortable with keeping the ball on the ground and controlling the tempo of the game. But in most games, you eventually need to throw the football. Whether you have to throw to convert on the occasional third-and-long or you have to throw just to keep the defense off balance, you have to put the ball in the hands of your quarterback and make a play or two. While Barkley's final numbers look sufficient (14-for-20, 186 yards), he did not step up in the few instances that the team needed him. Shortly into the fourth quarter, USC had the ball on 3rd and 8 at the Washington 10-yard line. The Huskies led 29-28 and the Trojans had a chance to cap off a nice drive with a touchdown. Wide receiver David Ausberry broke loose in the back of the end zone, but Barkley fired a bullet that sailed too high for the 6'4" senior.

Later, on USC's most important drive of the game, Barkley failed again. On 3rd and 5 at the Washington 24-yard line, USC desperately needed a first down. Moving the chains would allow USC to run the clock out and win the game. Barkley dropped back and saw a wide open Jordan Cameron over the right hashmark. And again, Barkley fired a bullet that sailed too high for his wide receiver. The incomplete pass left USC in a dicey predicament. They chose to attempt the field goal, which was evidently shanked by Joe Houston.

I am not saying Barkley should lose his job. But I just want to put forth the idea that maybe Barkley is not going to be what USC fans expect. I know he is only a sophomore and has plenty of time to learn and progress, but to this point in his career, he has not learned much. For someone who until this performance had received minor Heisman consideration, he has been vastly overrated. And when you examine the other quarterbacks in his class in the Pac-10, Stanford's Andrew Luck and Arizona's Nick Foles have developed considerably faster than Barkley.

3. Running-Back-by-Committee? Try Running-Back-by-Bradford

When Kiffin decided to name Marc Tyler as the number one running back on the depth chart instead of Allen Bradford, I questioned his decision. On numerous occasions, I lobbied for Bradford because of his experience, proven track record, and running style. Through the team's first four games, Bradford did not disappoint. But last night the senior tailback put together the most impressive performance of his career and may finally have cemented himself back at the top of the totem pole. The bruising running back carried the ball 21 times en route to 223 yards and 2 touchdowns. He consistently ran for four, six, or eight yards, and had a long of 37 yards. He probably should have had 4 touchdowns on the day because two of those were taken away from him by Tyler in the red zone. That being said, it is clear who USC needs to give the ball to if they want to be a running team.

On a side note, Kiffin fascinated me by his implementation of the wildcat formation into our offense last night. Tyler took the snaps and Barkley lined up wide. I think the wildcat is a nice formation to add to the playbook because it gives the defense another look to worry about. That being said, I hope the short term success of the new formation does not convince Kiffin to lower Bradford's carries out of the regular set.

4. USC Secondary Auditioning for Surprise Season of 'Lost'

I talked about the perpetual overrating of Shareece Wright last week. If he is our best corner, which he is, things in the secondary are not going to be pretty. And we saw that firsthand last night. The USC secondary gave up 310 passing yards to Locker and did not force one interception. By comparison, last week Locker went 4-for-20 for 71 yards and 2 interceptions, at home, against Nebraska. USC's cornerbacks were consistently beat off the line of scrimmage and their safeties were always out of position. Perhaps the most comical example of their poor play was at the start of fourth quarter after Locker exited the game with his apparent injury. UW backup quarterback Keith Price, a true freshman with only one career pass attempt, came in and lobbed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Izbicki. The pass was thrown softly over USC safety T.J. McDonald, who had his head and back turned away from the ball. McDonald, in an effort to look like he was defending the pass, jumped into the air and waved his arms. It looked like he was doing jumping jacks in the back of the end zone. USC defensive backs, for years now, have been defending passes with their backs to the ball, yet we think of these guys are legitimate corners and safeties. It astounds me.

5. Joe Houston, You Are the Problem

Ah, I saved the most upsetting observation--at least on the surface--for last. Everyone's out for Joe Houston at this point. The kicker, who up until last night's game was 1-for-4 on field goal attempts, missed what was probably the biggest kick of his life. For the record, I agree with Kiffin's decision to "take the points" at the juncture in the game. A lot of people thought that Kiffin should have gone for it on fourth down, and although I know the defense is an embarrassment, I thought they could have prevented Locker and UW from reaching the end zone. But hindsight is 20/20, and now that I know Houston is incapable of hitting a 40-yard field goal, I would have gone for it on fourth down (Houston is now 0-for-3 on attempts over 40 yards).

Houston's missed field goal is a testament not only to his abilities, but the Trojans special teams as a whole. Our kicking game--field goals, punting, and kickoffs--is a non-factor. Kicker Jacob Harfman did not send a single kickoff past Washington's 5-yard line, which enabled UW to return every kick and give themselves strong starting field position.

Special teams was never a priority under Pete Carroll. At least Kiffin has shown a commitment to special teams by appointing a specific coach for the unit. But until we begin recruiting kickers, USC will never feel confident in close games. And now that the talent disparity in the Pac-10 has shrunk, confidence in close games and a kicker that can convert big kicks are two things that USC will need in order to achieve success.