A Lost Season? : USC Coach Says No, Even After Embarrassment

How bad was it?

After watching the game again on videotape, USC Coach Larry Smith said Tuesday that the Trojans’ season-opening 24-10 loss to Memphis State on Monday at the Coliseum was “perhaps the biggest upset, disappointment and embarrassment this university and football program has ever had.”

That’s bad, but it’s no reason to give up, Smith said.

“This is not a signal to panic,” he said of the stunning loss to a team that was guaranteed $300,000 for its appearance and was considered no better than a sacrificial lamb, “but there’s a sense of urgency.

“It was a big, big, big disappointment. It’s not the way you want to start your season, but you can’t throw up your hands and say, ‘That’s the season.’ There’s a lot of football to be played this season.”

It will not be a typical season for the Trojans, Smith predicted. They will not dominate opponents, as they have so often in the past.

“We’re a team that will have to fight, bite, kick and scratch for everything,” Smith said. “We can beat everyone (else) on our schedule, but we’re going to have to fight, bite, kick and scratch to do it.”

The heavily favored Trojans did none of those things against Memphis State, which took advantage of USC’s lethargy to score three consecutive touchdowns in the second half and overcome a 10-3 deficit.

The Tigers capitalized on several mistakes by the young Trojans, whose starting lineup included only five seniors.

“(Lack of) maturity or youth, that’s not an excuse for not playing with enthusiasm, emotion or excitement,” said Smith, perhaps realizing that Memphis State’s lineup included only four senior starters. “We were playing like it was a practice.

“You can’t just put on the cardinal and gold and expect to win. We’ve got to have people come to the front and play the type of football they’re capable of playing. We didn’t have many people playing winning football.”

Smith seemed to blame himself for USC’s unpreparedness.

“We just weren’t ready to play,” he said. “That’s my responsibility. There definitely will be more emotion for the next game (Sept. 14 against fifth-ranked Penn State at the Coliseum).”

Artie Gigantino, a former USC and Ram assistant coach, said Tuesday on ESPN’s “Up Close” that Smith was outcoached by Memphis State’s Chuck Stobart, Smith’s former assistant at USC and Arizona.

Smith, unaware of Gigantino’s comments, defended his conservative offensive scheme, which piled up yardage but produced only one touchdown.

“Our game plan wasn’t that simple,” Smith said. “We threw a lot. We didn’t execute the option plays well. It wasn’t necessarily (the fault of) the quarterback; it was everyone. . . .

“We’re not going to change our offense or our quarterback. We just have to get more consistent.”

Smith said that he was not disappointed in the play of sophomore Reggie Perry, who made his debut as the Trojans’ starting quarterback. Perry, whose previous college experience consisted of three snaps in a 56-7 victory over Oregon State last season, completed 13 of 23 passes for 155 yards, with one interception, and carried 15 times for 60 yards and a touchdown.

The Trojans, though, made only five of 15 third-down conversions, one of six in the second half, when Memphis State’s senior quarterback, Keith Benton, led a 97-yard drive to the go-ahead touchdown.

And twice, on its initial possession and then in the fourth quarter, USC reached the Tigers’ 16-yard line but failed to score.

Still, Smith said of Perry: “Overall, his performance was good enough to win with. He made some big plays.”

The same could not be said for most of his teammates.

“We must find people who want to play football from an emotional standpoint, and we must work on our execution,” Smith said. “We’ve got to get the defense to line up and come after (people) and make big plays.”

Judging by the opener, it might be easier said than done.