5 Thoughts on USC's Win over Texas

1. Great Teams Find a Way: A lot of fans will be upset that USC looked terrible, but a lot of teams have bad games. The great teams always find a way to win, even in the worst of games. Winning means everything in sports, even if it's an ugly win, so you take the win and celebrate the tenacity of your team to keep fighting.
2. Exorcising the Ghosts: In the back of everyone's mind, surely, was that this game was shaping up to resemble the 2006 Rose Bowl with Texas coming from behind to win the game as time ran out on the clock. Instead, we saw something resembling the shocking, last-second heroics from Sam Darnold in the 2017 Rose Bowl, as he drove the team 52 yards in 43 seconds to kick a field goal to send the game into overtime and eventually a win over Texas. Despite the anxiety of it all, it was a spectacular end. Also, it was satisfying to see Vince Young's deflated expression at the end of the game.
3. A New Hero: Talk about creating new heroes, USC's true freshman walk-on kicker hooked his first field goal, but then hit two clutch field goals at the end of the game. First, he hit a field goal to send the game into overtime, then he hit one in overtime to win the game. This might be one of those transformative games where the kicker -- Chase McGrath -- gains the confidence needed to become Mr. Reliable in clutch moments.
4. Injuries are Piling Up: Without a bye week, USC's really going to need second and third string players to step up, what with all of the injuries starting to pile up. USC's starting defensive tackle, tight end, and an inside linebacker sat out the game with injuries, but by the end of the game USC's starting right tackle, defensive end, and outside linebacker had been pulled for injuries. One player -- Porter Gustin -- played the first half even though he'd had two screws in his broken toe, but was pulled in the second half because one of the screws had come loose. Fortunately, USC's second string players are good enough to start on other teams; sadly, being talented is no substitution for experience.
5. Needs Substantial Improvement: Grade-wise, the team needs substantial improvement. Stanford lost to San Diego State, taking much of the shine off of last week's win over the Cardinals. But across the board, the team performed much worse against Texas than against Stanford. There were too many dropped balls, missed blocks and tackles, false starts, and questionable play selections. And despite the amount of talent in the secondary, they're looking sub-par so far. This secondary won't stand a chance against WSU in two weeks if they keep losing track of receivers or falling behind on routes.