USC Must Reevaluate After Being Upset by Boston College

At the start of the 2014 season, it looked like the USC Trojans were on their way to being one of the best teams in college football. They had a new head coach, an up-and-coming quarterback and enough NFL talent to make any pro scout drool. And then Boston College went and screwed it all up.

After starting the season 2-0, the Trojans fell to a much-weaker Eagles team in Week 3. Despite a strong start and late-game rally, USC came up short by a score of 37-31 and should immediately start to reconsider their plan of attack moving forward.

Boston College absolutely embarrassed USC on the ground. Despite the talents of Leonard Williams and Hayes Pullard clogging up running lanes, the Eagles racked up 452 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on the day. The Trojans simply couldn’t keep the ground game contained, which allowed the Boston College offense to outpace the Trojans’.

There were a few positives from the game, as quarterback Cody Kessler shredded the Eagles’ secondary throughout the game to the tune of 317 yards and four touchdowns. The USC defense also stymied the passing game, allowing Boston College quarterback Tyler Murphy only 54 yards on 5-13 passing while also picking him off once.

The USC rushing attack, though, was pitiful. Despite having a stable of capable runners, they managed only 20 yards on 29 carries. Overall, it was a performance to forget from a supposed national title contender.

It’s time for the Trojans to reevaluate their plan for the 2014 season. It looked like it was working after they clobbered the Fresno State Bulldogs in Week 1 and then started off conference play strong with a big win over Stanford in Week 2. This letdown against Boston College, though, proves that they aren’t anywhere near ready to be the Pac-12 powerhouse everyone was expecting heading into the season.

Until they can beef up an already-intimidating rushing defense and find a way to create more room to run, the Trojans will continue to float somewhere between middle of the road and contenders. Even Oregon can stop looking over its shoulder for the time being.

The Eagles tempered expectations on Saturday, and left USC’s 2014 campaign looking like another disappointment.