Fingers Point Towards Trojans' Kiffin
Dec 5th 2006
by Scott Olin Schmidt
USC Football, Pac 10, NCAA FB Coaching
For the first time since 2001, USC failed to score twenty points in a game in their loss to UCLA, and for the first time since Paul Hackett coached the Trojans, the team was held scoreless in the second half. Needless to say, there is alot of finger-pointing going on around Heritage Hall, and all fingers are pointing towards offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Heisman Pundit saw it coming:
As I predicted, UCLA notched the upset. But why? The answer is quite simple. The Trojans no longer have a legitimate offensive coordinator to direct and develop the considerable talent available on its roster. As a result, teams are able to adequately scheme against USC's offense, even with lesser personnel. USC needs a more experienced and creative offensive coordinator to direct its offense--and soon--otherwise the Trojans could turn into a program that wins recruiting titles, but not much else.
Ouch. But at least he does not single Kiffin out specifically--that was left to the posters on the internet message boards. Over at WeAreSC.com's Football Forum, there are no fewer than a dozen "Fire Lane Kiffin" posts--including one rumor that Mike Garrett had kept Head coach Pete Carroll from axing Kiffin after last year's Rose Bowl, and that such a change can be expected come January.
The biggest complaint is that Kiffin made no adjustments to UCLA's pass rush in the second half. No shotgun formations, no "ace" formation with two tight ends, no quick slants or slip-screens which used to be a trademark of Norm Chow's offense. For a team renowned for its second-half adjustments, these facts, combined with a loss, are unacceptable.
Trojan fans already thinking of Kiffin's replacement include former Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter, former Stanford coach Walt Harris (sic), and the ever-popular return of Norm Chow.
Kiffin has his defenders, however, who say that it is Carroll's call to make, ultimately. One mitigating factor, however, could be Carroll's loyalty to Lane's father Monte Kiffin, under whom he served as defensive coordinator from 1980-1982 at North Carolina State.
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