Former Trojans QB Turned Reporter Calls for Changes to be Made to USC Football Program

It's clear as day that changes need to be made

Your USC Trojans escaped, survived, held on, whatever word you want to use, with a win in their Week 9 matchup against the now, 3-5, yes, 3-5 California Golden Bears, 50-49.

The over/under was set at 67.5, and that was surpassed within minutes of the start of the 4th quarter. Different week, same story for the USC Trojans; this team cannot stop the opposing offense to save their lives. 

Once again, this team allowed over 500 total yards to their opponent and really only came away with the win thanks to four lucky and costly turnovers on the Golden Bears' end.

Although USC ended with the win, it's clear as day that changes need to be made within the program. It's evident, but many are too afraid to speak up on it, not the former Heisman Trophy winner and national champion, Matt Leinart. 

The former star college quarterback wasn't afraid to give his opinion on the issue, and he wasted no time in giving it via Twitter/X while the game was still being played. 

Here's what Matt had to say on his alma mater. 

Regardless of the outcome of this game, change needs to happen. It’s obvious at this point that Usc is not a championship level team and that’s ok. But you can’t go backwards.

— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) October 28, 2023

Leinart may be a homer, but this is spot on. 

The definition of insanity is doing things the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's the case with the USC Trojans, specifically their defense. 

Everyone knew coming into the season that the defense would be a significant red flag, but with the addition of transfer, many assumed it would be slightly better than last seaosn. However, it's been worse this season, and they don't have the turnover differential they had last season. 

The Trojans are having trouble stopping the run, and that showed big time yesterday, allowing for Cal's running back Jaydn Ott to rush for 153 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns. Most of those yards came in the first half, and they contained him in the second, but still, USC had significant problems with the ground attack. 

People tended to overlook the USC defense because of the brilliance of head coach Lincoln Riley and star quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense. Still, it's clear those units alone aren't enough. 

The way things stand, USC will be lucky if they even sniff a Pac-12 title game, forget any college football playoff hopes. This may be what the Trojans need to realize: significant changes need to be made finally. If things go from bad to worse this season, we very much could see it happening this upcoming offseason. 

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