This won't be a year for the ages in Troy. USC, expected to contend for a playoff spot, now sits at 3-2. Apparently the locker room beers weren't the problem, but rather, the man USC hired to coach its football team.
From SI.com:
At the LA Coliseum on Thursday night, USC got another reminder of why it should have deviated from Uncle Pete’s coaching tree. As USC wheezed, sputtered and pre-snap retreated its way to a 17–12 loss to pedestrian Washington (3–2), the Trojan faithful saw up-close the coach they let slip away.
Chris Petersen, then at Boise State, interviewed for the USC job following the 2013 season. The USC brass dismissed Petersen as not dynamic enough and too unwilling to handle the media and booster obligations that go hand-in-hand with the biggest football job in Los Angeles.
[...]
Sarkisian got completely outfoxed by Petersen on Thursday night. The team with less talent, inferior athletes and a liability at quarterback won with a better game plan, crisper execution and fewer penalties. The scary part is that it could have been much worse, as UW quarterback Jake Browning missed a wide open Jaydon Mickens in the end zone and overthrew a few handful of wide open receivers on well constructed deep routes.
Yeesh. Things are not looking good for Sark, even before compounding those three paragraphs with this stat:
#SportStats: Steve Sarkisian is now 12-6 @USC_Athletics w/4 losses coming to double-digit underdog, unranked teams. pic.twitter.com/9TE0iDF5kA
— Sport Scoop (@greggoodrichou) October 9, 2015
Given the extracurricular rancor that's surrounded USC this season, I'd be surprised if Sarkisian is coaching the Trojans this time next year.
