5 Thoughts on the 2016 USC Trojans Football Season

1. Oh So Close Trojans: They did it, they completed the 8-game sweep following their 1-3 start in September. In that 8-game stretch, it always looked like this team had a few extra levels of play they could quickly ramp up to, to take over the game. Against Notre Dame, every time it seemed that the Irish were able to get back into the game, USC's special players just took it up a notch higher and scored at will. I'm speaking of course about Adoree Jackson, the most talented player on the team -- he's so fast, he makes the entire roster of both teams look slow. Alas, they fell short as Utah lost to Colorado and thus ending a possible run to the CFP. Outstanding season, regardless. I'm looking forward to next year, already!
2. PAC-12 Championship: Don't kid yourself, okay? The best team in the PAC-12 isn't playing in the championship. USC racked up 578 yards against Colorado and 400 against Washington and beat both of them -- both teams that are supposed to have better defenses but were clearly outmatched by USC. What it boils down to is that USC fell short by some 13 seconds -- against Utah -- from that PAC-12 Championship. Having said that, UW and CU did what USC could not do, so those two teams deserve to play in the PAC-12 Championship.
3. The Magic of Clancy Pendergast: Even with the blowout loss against Alabama, Clancy has done wonders at USC. In the three years before his first stint, Monte Kiffin's defense averaged 400, 375, and 394 yards per game. In his first stint (just one season) his scheme vastly boosted USC's defense to 335 ypg. In the Justin Wilcox years the Trojans dropped right back down to 408 and 401 ypg allowed. This year, in Clancy's second stint, the defense has jumped up to 358 ypg. And when you look at how well Uchenna Nwosu and Ajene Harris -- both 3-star recruits in 2014 -- look today, it's a testament to Clancy's abilities to bring out the athletic abilities of players.
4. All Apologies, But: That switch to Sam Darnold was the right -- and inevitable -- choice. As good as Max Browne may be, you could see that he was just slightly slower than Darnold when it came to making choices and getting the ball out of his hands. Furthermore, Darnold has shown his ability to improvise is on par with Johnny Manziel's, and as a redshirt freshman, looks better than a junior Vince Young. His throwing motion is so fast, it looks normal speed when you watch it at half-speed -- something that caught my eye watching YouTube videos of his game against UCLA. Heisman.
5. Heisman: How many times does Adoree Jackson need to score, before the country takes notice? I know that the knock on him will be the handful of times he displayed poor technique and gave up multiple touchdowns in man coverage, but he's got that second and third level to turn up to and take over a game, having shut down the best receivers of many teams. Against Notre Dame, he caught a ball in the backfield and ran it 52 yards for a touchdown, returned a 97-yard kickoff for a touchdown which including leaping over the kicker, a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown, and two pass breakups. He's so fast, he makes both teams look like they're playing at 3/4 speed, tackling running backs from behind when no one else can. He's got so many amazing plays this year, his 2016 highlight reel is better than most players' career reels. No one's going to forget his acrobatic interception against Colorado. What about that 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Utah? By the way, three years ago he did the same freaking amazing thing against Utah, 100 yards and all! Michigan's pushing Jabrill Peppers, but Peppers has just one INT / 1 PD while Jackson's got 4 INTs / 15 PDs, 2 fumble recoveries, 1074 all-purpose yards and 5 TDs. There is no comparison.