Paul Finebaum expresses concern over USC, believes Trojans are about to ‘hit the iceberg’
There’s been a lot of concern over USC’s tight wins lately, especially from ESPN’s Paul Finebaum after the 43-41 overtime win over Arizona.
In fact, all the good natured fun for USC is about to come to an end, according to the longtime college football commentator. The defense simply can’t hold on as long as it has.
Finebaum explained why the Arizona win is a bad omen for the rest of the season.
“I mean, we were at the same juncture a week ago after Colorado,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “It’s about the end, you know, whether it’s Notre Dame, whether it’s Utah, Washington, Oregon, just go down the list.
“It really doesn’t matter which week it is. I mean, they are beyond the high wire. They’re at the precipice and it’s too bad because we were talking about one of the most exciting offenses we’ve ever seen, but the defense is absurd.”
USC’s lack of defense might finally catch up
USC was in a 17-0 hold and nearly blew a 41-14 lead to Colorado last week. It’s simply not good enough.
“I mean, it’s not even you can say it’s a lack of talent, it’s a lack of effort,” Finebaum said. “There’s just guys standing around like, you know, they’re trying to choose which Taylor Swift song to hear next. I mean, it’s beyond ridiculous.
“And you know, Lincoln is a superb coach, but yesterday in Dallas, (Oklahoma fans) seemed pretty happy (for the first time) that he was in L and they had Brent Venables. Quite frankly, USC is a great story, but it’s about to hit the iceberg.”
Lincoln Riley was honest about USC’s slow start, saying it’s on the staff to be better.
“There wasn’t anything very good,” Riley said postgame. “We didn’t coach very good. We didn’t execute very good. We had some opportunities that we missed out on. Offensively and defensively we really just kind of took turns across the board. Give them (Arizona) credit, they executed at a high level on both sides. The play that really turned the game in a lot of ways was (Jacobe) Covington’s interception.
“I think we just had the fumble, and that momentum flipped back like that. Our defense, I thought, really stiffened up there in the second quarter. That’s what allowed us to get back in it. That energized our entire team and our sideline. Obviously, you don’t want to put yourself in that hole, but when you’re in it, man, you can either just feel sorry for yourself or you can take yourself out. And we dug.”
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