Can USC Football Turn Things Around? Former Pac-12 Coach Jim Mora Jr. Weighs In

Halfway into the 2021 season, USC is 3-3. Can they bounce back after a historic Utah loss?

The USC Trojans' 2021 season is off to a rough start. 

The team is 3-3 with three losses at the Coliseum, and an unhappy fan base. With six games left on the schedule, the Trojans' upcoming opponents only appear to get more difficult from here. After the bye week they take on Notre Dame, Arizona State, UCLA and BYU, all teams who present challenges. 

But at the end of the day this is college football, and unexpected things can happen. That being said, with six games left, can USC turn things around? We caught up with former UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. to get his take on the situation.

"I think they will continue to be inconsistent in their preparation, concentration, discipline and performance," Mora said. "They can beat inferior teams and will lose to teams of equal or better ability."

USC athletic director Mike Bohn fired former head coach Clay Helton just two games into the season. The blowout loss to Stanford at home seemed to be the final straw for Bohn, but unfortunately not much has improved since the leadership change. 

The Trojans have continued to struggle against Pac-12 opponents, losing to Oregon State and Utah earlier this year. We asked Mora if the game results are byproduct of the players or coaches; but he places responsibility on the program. 

USA TODAY 

"It’s a program issue," said Mora.

"When you decide early in the season to make a change at the head coach position you essentially indicate to those in the program that your eyes are on the future. That creates a difficult environment, one where selfish tendencies can sometimes show up.

I’m not saying the administration was wrong to make the change, but people need to understand the difficulties in having success in the current environment. People’s personal agendas become more important than the team agenda, and you can’t win in that type of environment."

The USC Trojans have a bye game for week six, then hit to road and travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on long-time rival Notre Dame on October, 23.

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