Why I’m Proud to be a USC Trojan

There’s been several negative takes on our beloved USC Trojans after their tough loss on the road against Washington State Cougars Friday night, but is all of it warranted?

Yes, Sam Darnold has had a rough start to the season. Yes, Tee Martin did not have his best game play calling. Yes, the Trojans secondary was once again inconsistent in coverage.

But is the sky falling? By no means.

Trust me I’ve seen sky falling. I’m an LSU fan. I am literally witnessing the sky falling as we speak. Don’t even get me started on how far AD Joe Alleva and head coach (and former USC interim HC) Ed Orgeron has set that program back in a matter of weeks. (side note: SC dodged a bullet not hiring him)

The differences between the two teams I support are night and day.

First, let’s give credit to Washington State. That crazy pirate Mike Leach is a damn good football coach. Not only did he have great gameplans to attack SC on offense and defense, but he had talented players to do so. Hercules Mata’afa was an absolute force in the trenches and multiple role players stepped up for the Cougars.

This was WSU’s mini SuperBowl. And that’s not meant to throw shade at them or take away from their win in any way, but any unbiased opinion would agree with that. Also I included the word mini because I know this Cougar team will accomplish more throughout this season.

But this was a huge game for Washington State. Huge.

I think USC got one of, if not the best performance we’ll see out of this Wazzu team, and they almost emerged victorious in a hostile road environment. Playing on a short week, back to back road conference games with multiple key injuries is no easy task. Yet this Trojan squad didn’t complain, they buried their head and just went to work. I’m not here to make excuses for these Trojans, I’m here to applaud them.

I am proud to be a USC Trojan. Watching last week made it even clearer. I saw a battle-tested, bruised SC team show up and ball out for 60 full minutes. They didn’t care the score or the situation, they were 100 percent 100 percent of the time. Their execution wasn’t perfect and they have plenty to work on, but what team in the country doesn’t (besides Alabama)?

Based on what I’ve seen from this team this year, I’m excited. PAC-12 title is still ripe for the taking and a CFB Playoff spot is still within grasp. Maybe this season isn’t as pretty as everyone wanted it to be but hey, that’s football.

This isn’t a loss that will crush the Trojan season, but will only serve to fuel them. While this season seems like it has just barely begun, this SC team has already been through so much. Through these adversities, your colors show. And I’ll be damned if this team doesn’t bleed Cardinal and Gold.

Fight On!