Halloween night in Eugene, Ore. doesn’t sound all that intimidating. Maybe some shenanigans, a little under-age drinking, you know… kids will be kids.
But under the lights at Autzen Stadium, the Pete Carroll appeared downright mortified by what he was watching on the field. It was a bloody massacre. It was ghoulish. It was ghastly. It was the end of an era.
The Trojans have won or shared eight consecutive Pac-10 titles. With two conference losses (Washington, Oregon) now under its belt, USC’s hopes of a ninth straight title are negligible.
So what happened? The easy answer is to say that the Trojans defense was raided by the NFL. Guys who simply would be dominating as seniors are instead learning the ropes as pros.
The more difficult questions, like ‘Has Carroll has lost his magic?” will take much longer to answer. Can Carroll rebound and rebuild? Will a sub-par bowl placement, likely the Holiday Bowl, motivate or sour the program?
Only time will tell.
