Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
This is how USC coach Pete Carroll began his press conference Tuesday.
"It's a week that's unusual for us," he said.
Yep.
And it's not just that USC's 47-20 loss at Oregon was the worst of the Pete Carroll era in many, many ways.
Consider this from the ESPN's Stats & Information crew:
The Trojans have allowed 110 points in their last three games. They had allowed 113 points total in their 14 games prior to the last three.
The last time USC allowed 110 points over a three-game stretch was … never. It is the most points the Trojans have ever allowed over a three-game stretch.
Previously, USC allowed 106 points over two different three-game stretches in the 2000 season.
Yowza.
Carroll's tenure has been a historically great one. And now it's also made some bad history.
USC has always bounced back after its losses before. But will that again be the case on Saturday at Arizona State after such a horrible performance?
"If we want to give it style points and all that, it tasted a little different," Carroll said. "But it's the same mechanisms that have to kick in, you know. You can't do anything about things that have already occurred. You can only do what's ahead of you and have an opportunity to control what's right in front of you. That's how we've always focused."
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson seems to think his Sun Devils will get the Trojans' best. When asked what USC's attitude would be, his first word was, "scary."
"That program isn't where it's at by not coming back and fighting like heck," he said. "They'll come in here and play their best game. Pete will have them ready to go. They react pretty well when they get beat."
USC's defense is beaten up, and not just emotionally after giving up 613 yards to the Ducks. The good news for the Trojans is the Sun Devils' offense is nothing like the Ducks'. It's fairly conventional and ranks eighth in the Pac-10 with 355 yards per game. Quarterback Danny Sullivan isn't a run threat, which is often a bugaboo for the Trojans.
Still, the Arizona State defense could challenge an offense that went flat at Oregon.
There will be more than a few curious eyes looking at this game, both in the Pac-10 and nationally.
How will the Trojans respond to getting whipped? We don't know because it hasn't happened in a long, long time.
Said Carroll, "When you get beat, you get beat. You have to deal with it."
This is how USC coach Pete Carroll began his press conference Tuesday.
"It's a week that's unusual for us," he said.
Yep.
And it's not just that USC's 47-20 loss at Oregon was the worst of the Pete Carroll era in many, many ways.
Consider this from the ESPN's Stats & Information crew:
The Trojans have allowed 110 points in their last three games. They had allowed 113 points total in their 14 games prior to the last three.
The last time USC allowed 110 points over a three-game stretch was … never. It is the most points the Trojans have ever allowed over a three-game stretch.
Previously, USC allowed 106 points over two different three-game stretches in the 2000 season.
Yowza.
Carroll's tenure has been a historically great one. And now it's also made some bad history.
USC has always bounced back after its losses before. But will that again be the case on Saturday at Arizona State after such a horrible performance?
"If we want to give it style points and all that, it tasted a little different," Carroll said. "But it's the same mechanisms that have to kick in, you know. You can't do anything about things that have already occurred. You can only do what's ahead of you and have an opportunity to control what's right in front of you. That's how we've always focused."
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson seems to think his Sun Devils will get the Trojans' best. When asked what USC's attitude would be, his first word was, "scary."
"That program isn't where it's at by not coming back and fighting like heck," he said. "They'll come in here and play their best game. Pete will have them ready to go. They react pretty well when they get beat."
USC's defense is beaten up, and not just emotionally after giving up 613 yards to the Ducks. The good news for the Trojans is the Sun Devils' offense is nothing like the Ducks'. It's fairly conventional and ranks eighth in the Pac-10 with 355 yards per game. Quarterback Danny Sullivan isn't a run threat, which is often a bugaboo for the Trojans.
Still, the Arizona State defense could challenge an offense that went flat at Oregon.
There will be more than a few curious eyes looking at this game, both in the Pac-10 and nationally.
How will the Trojans respond to getting whipped? We don't know because it hasn't happened in a long, long time.
Said Carroll, "When you get beat, you get beat. You have to deal with it."
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
PAC-10 SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final Arizona State 13 UCLA 23 Final 19 Oregon State 42 Washington State 10 Final 25 California 34 17 Stanford 28 Final/2OT 11 Oregon 44 Arizona 41
