Well fellow Trojan fans there is one thing we can be grateful for, it’s a new week. The beat down in South Bend is behind us and long shall it remain buried in our history. That one hurt. That one tore open some old wounds that were hidden but near the surface. Now we head to the Desert. We fly in to Tempe Arizona and take on the red hot Arizona State Sun Devils. Todd Graham has his Sun Devils riding high in the desert. They are doing it the right way. Winning with a very agile and athletic defense. They have come out of nowhere to be a force in the Southern division of the Pac-12 Conference.
The Trojans are limping in. Their heads are foggy they can’t look at the mirror too long and their head coach is back in that uncomfortable hot seat he sat in for four weeks. Yes, there are some that are claiming he was a bad hire. There are those that feel he should be fired and fired now. Im not one of them. He restored order to a program that could not spell order post Pete Carroll. Clay Helton took a 1-3 team and promptly made his way through the haters and the media to a victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
I don’t know but that record last year and his current record deserves a little more runway if you ask me. He’s not flashy. He’s not about being in the news. He loves his team and supports them one by one. Is the team performing as expected? No of course not but define team? With all these injuries they are a MASH unit at best. So let’s all focus on game nine and start rooting these boys on.
Saturday’s game against the Sun Devils will be a very different game than what was originally forecast exiting summer and fall camp. Todd Graham was on the hot seat. Sounds familiar in CFB doesn’t it. ASU has redefined their place in the PAC 12 South and in a big way. They have a chance to unseat and take over the top seat. Their offense is gaining momentum due to the defense. It’s contagious. As we have seen when the offense sputters the defense can be impacted as well. This is a very explosive team in the Sun Devils. Had I been asked to predict this game in the Fall just looking at the schedule and expectations I would say the Trojans by 17. Now, Im not so sure USC should be favored and in fact that might help the cause.
So, what do the Trojans need to do to win in Tempe, Az? They need to close the doors. Leave the coaches outside. Look each other in the eye and decide. They need to decide if this season is worth fighting for. They need to rise above the media and doubting fan base and strike Saturday night at 7:45pm in the desert. They need to take the game to the Sun Devils. No mistakes. Take ownership of their space and never relinquish the cadence they set. This is about a group of men who can solve this puzzle should they choose. This team on this night have to decide their own fate. It has nothing to do with the play calling. It has everything to do with the heart and soul of this team and these players as individuals. They will meet who they are in the 1st quarter. Make no mistake. If they do not show up and take the fight to the Sun Devils right away and not let off the pedal this game could be South Bend II.
I say Fight On. I say prove everyone wrong and rise above the haters and pundits who think they know who you are Trojans. You are SC. We are SC.
Fight On To Victory in Tempe
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