Brother Paul, nephew Mike, and I went to the ASU vs. USC game yesterday and were treated an exellent match with the powerful, best-in-the-nation Trojans coming out ahead of 38-28 score.
ABC dictated that the game begin at 12:30 pm, which is fine, except that this is Arizona and this is early October and the weather is dry and warm, bordering upon hot. Temps were in the mid-90s and kick-off and rose throughout the day. There wasn’t a speck of shade in the stadium for the first half and there was none for the entire game where we sat, high in the north end zone’s upper deck. Players, coaches, and fans all roasted. It was hot, bright, and for the most part windless, and, since football is an all-weather outdoor sport, it was a beautiful day for a ball game.
The plucky Sun Devils had the heavily-favored Trojans down 21-3 at the half. The Trojans looked lethargic and the Sun Devils had a bounce in their step and mayhem in their eyes. An upset seemed within reach.
USC Coach Pete Carroll is, perhaps, the most ebulliant, bouyant, boyish major college coach in the land. He exudes a bonhomie that many of his taciturn colleagues, who receive far too much credit for victories and shoulder far too much blame for losses lack. Carroll came to USC from the NFL, where the uber-competitive and joyless world of strategy, tactics, and interchangeable, disposable gladiators wasn’t a good fit for his managerial style and demeanor.
Carroll inherited a USC program that hit bottom. Within a season he took the talent that had lain fallow and created a contender. The atmosphere around Trojan program became lighter, friendlier, more jocular, if you will. In a heartbeat, USC was the place to play if you were a West Coast 5-star stud.
What impressed me yesterday was the combination of strategy and tactical precision with which the Trojans played the 2nd half. The first play was an innocuous three-step drop and quick, precise throw to the sideline for a completion by Heisman winner Matt Lienart. Innocuous yes, but genius by design because it made the ASU defense pursue to the boundary. The first few plays repeated the tactic, misdirection and then a quick throw which made the ASU defense pursue to the boundary. USC scored in short order and then repeated the strategy and the result throughout the half. The ASU defense, which spent a majority of the day on the field on hot, sunny day eventually wore down. The many, many stars from USC took over, dominated the second half, and the Trojans banked their 26th consecutive victory.
Well done SC. Well done Sun Devils. The Sun Devils never gave up even when the better team, the tipped balls, andt he heat took a toll on their ability to compete. SC is breathtaking collection of athletes and coaches.
It was a pleasure to view the game in person.
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