USC Finally Has a Dog in This Fight

America is bored with USC's success.

After limping into their first game of 2007 without four starters and still winning by four touchdowns, the Trojans lost three first-place votes in the AP poll.

Next, USC dismantled Nebraska, prompting a popular football blog to run a headline reading "USC Continues Boring, Humdrum Perfection."

An abysmal run against Washington, Stanford, and Arizona quickly brought the juggernaut back to Earth. USC didn't even crack the top 25 in some computer standings.

So the Trojans responded, with their backup quarterback, by going into Notre Dame Stadium and torching the Irish for the biggest USC victory in the history of the venerable series.

The coaches poll responded in their own way -- by leap-frogging Arizona State, which didn't even play that week, ahead of the Trojans.

The only consistent thing about USC this year has been their slide. A lot of people around the country may be enjoying this, but maybe, just maybe, USC fans can enjoy it, too.

A couple of days ahead of the USC-Oregon matchup, the Trojans are a three-point underdog. It's not a position they're accustomed to. The last time USC wasn't favored against a conference opponent was six years ago. Things were different back then. USC was still a year away from being a Cinderella, much less a Godzilla, of college football.

Let's rewind. Nov. 11, 2001 was one heck of a football game.

To set the scene, USC had finished last in the Pac-10 in 2000. Their leader at the time earned the nickname "Coach-Whose-Name-Shall-Not-Be-Spoken" on Internet message boards. Much to the chagrin of Trojan faithful, he was replaced by NFL-retread Pete Carroll. It looked like things had gone from bad to worse. A certain local paper ("El Tiempos De Los Angeles," or something like that) ran scathing criticism of his hiring. Months later, the Trojans opened the 2001 season 1-4. Across town, UCLA was 6-0. Ranked fourth in the polls, the Sons of Westwood weren't just sniffing a Rose Bowl, but a national title.

When the Bruins sauntered into the Coliseum on Nov. 11, nobody was expecting much from the Trojans -- certainly not the oddsmakers. USC had improved since its rough start, but UCLA was out for redemption after falling to 20th in the polls. USC was nowhere near the top 25.

88,588 screaming fans packed the Coliseum. The crowd was rowdy from the start (they still served alcohol back then) and chanted "D-U-I, D-U-I," as Bruin quarterback Cory Paus took the field. News reports broke two days earlier about his second DUI charge of the year. It was the first time I saw a real home-field advantage for USC in two seasons.

Carroll's defense imposed themselves with what can only be described as domination: 114 yards allowed, 5 sacks, 4 fumbles (1 recovered), 3 interceptions, and 0 points. It was his first career shutout, and the 27-0 spanking of their crosstown rivals sent USC into a bowl game for the first time in three years.

One other thing stood out. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, hundreds of students stormed the field.

USC fans -- storming the field?

It seems difficult to fathom now. USC is such a powerhouse it wouldn't be appropriate under almost any circumstance. Greg Patton of the Riverside Press-Enterprise firmly believes that USC can only be Goliath, never David.

So does that mean the Trojans of today are immune to the unbridled joy of a thrilling upset? Of course, there are moments when the impossible becomes statistical (2005: USC 34, Notre Dame 31), but what about a real soul-satisfying shocker? A sensation that bandwagon fans, by definition, never get to experience?

When USC takes the field in Autzen this Saturday, hard-core fans will feel something they're unaccustomed to. Whether you want to call it doubt, fear, uncertainty or something else, it's not pleasant when their team has been on top of the world for so many years.

So even if USC is Goliath, don't tell me that Trojan fans won't be celebrating a little more than usual if they get this "upset." Their faces will flush a little more cardinal. Their victory will be a little more golden.

Sure, it can't measure up to Nov. 11, 2001 (maybe I'm looking back through Rose-colored glasses), but try to enjoy this, Trojan fans.

And even if you don't get the upset this Saturday, it just means another one is coming up.

That's what makes this sport great.

Comments

[Bobak]

Did students storm the field in 2001? I remember there was a massive rush after the 1999 game, where USC finally snapped the streak against UCLA (I was a part of that); before that it was when USC snapped the long ND streak.

[Adam Rose]

Yup. The cover shot of the Daily Trojan the following Monday was of the log-jam at the bottom of the coliseum steps, and there was at least one article about students getting badly hurt by the crush of people.

I remember another field-rush around that time, but I'm pretty sure there haven't been any since (definitely no later than 2002).

[24-23]

Don't omit the rush after the Stanford game.