Time for a Turn Around
The Trojan family travels. If there is one thing that I have learned in my three semesters attending The University of Southern California (USC), it is that the Trojan family will travel for Trojan football. We saw this clearly in Texas when the Trojans battled (and lost) to the The University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide, but we see this even more clearly in a place a little closer to home. Students and alumni alike poured onto Stanford’s campus this past weekend to cheer on the Trojans in their first Pac-12 conference game.
There was as much cardinal and gold as there was cardinal and white, but probably because Stanford had not started school yet. However, I like to think the dominance of cardinal and gold was because the Trojan family is supportive of each other and loves college football. There is something uniquely special and uplifting about being at the airport flying to San Jose and knowing that the other people on the flight, also wearing USC gear, are traveling for the exact same reason.
The Trojans have the toughest schedule in college football as they play three of their first four games on the road and against ranked opponents. The Trojan family believed that the team could beat the Crimson Tide, but understood when they did not as Alabama is the reigning national champion and a very great team.
The media put a lot of weight on the game against Stanford as analysts and USC beat reporters stated that the true test of the talent on the USC team would be revealed when they played Stanford.
Current and former Trojans alike were excited for a great game against a Pac 12 rival. The Trojan family believed that talent would be matched well. Stanford has Christian McCaffrey, but we have Juju Smith-Schuster.
The team lost 27-10 to Stanford. The Trojan family is not good at losing, but then again not many people are gracious losers. The Trojan family is certainly not celebrating our 1-2 record right now.
Losing at a school as proud as USC creates intense pressure for the players and the coaches because the football team is so central to the identity of USC. Our history is about not just a football team, but a winning football team. This pressure explains the sudden change in the starting quarterback position as most believe that head coach, Clay Helton, needed a quick band-aid fix for a much larger problem on the offensive side of the ball.
The pressure on Helton to fix the Trojans is what prompted the quarterback change, but would it be better to have a winning football team that no one cared about? The Trojan family is invested in the success of the sports teams, mainly the football team and doesn't understand why winning is not associated with the 2016 Trojans. The talent is there. Coaches, players and staff work very hard at recruiting the best talent in the country and it doesn't seem to be propelling the program forward. This is why when we don't see All-American, Juju Smith-Schuster getting the ball on almost every pass, we are confused and upset.
The Trojan family is critical when passes are not turned into touchdowns and quarterbacks are not sacked on third down. While the Trojan family is visibly upset, Trojan family is still cheering, supporting and expecting a turnaround season. Yes, I admit, I yell from the stands when there is a missed tackle or a third down is not converted, but I am still there. I want to win, but even when we lose, I am still a Trojan. I still come back the next week and I still support our team, because it is our team.
The Trojan Family is excited to be back in the coliseum for USC’s 600th game in its historic home on Saturday. Trojans have been dubbed “fair-weather” fans, but that is only because Trojans get mad at losing. As angry as the Trojan family gets at coaches and players when there is a loss, the Trojan family still shows up the next week and the Trojan family still travels.
