Musings from Arledge: USC's underrated games and players

In our last two episodes of Inside the Trojans’ Huddle (Watch it!) we’ve been talking about the greatest coaches and players in USC history. Some of the names are so obvious — Junior, Marcus, OJ, Reggie — that we really had no choice but to bring them up. Everybody knows of their greatness.

But it got me thinking of some others — outstanding players, outstanding games — that don’t get the same recognition. 

So here goes: USC Football Underrated. 

Underrated USC-UCLA Game

You have OJ-Beban in 1967. The Measles game in ‘88. Both justly famous. 

But I think an underrated game is 1987. The game had it all. It was for the Rose Bowl. It featured had the series’ greatest QB rivalry with Troy Aikman against Rodney Peete. (Narrowly beating out Mark Sanchez versus Kevin Craft.) 

And, maybe most importantly, this was one of UCLA’s most talented teams. The Bruins were loaded: Aikman, Gaston Green, Flipper Anderson, Darryl Henley, Carnell Lake, Ken Norton Jr. They were 9-1, ranked No. 5, and had only lost to a Nebraska team that was undefeated and ranked No. 1 going into their rivalry game against the Sooners. And don’t forget that in the previous season, the Bruins had hammered USC at the Rose Bowl. They were up 30-0 at the half that year before cruising to an easy win. The Bruins were heavily favored for a reason.

And this game did almost get away from USC, with the Trojans being saved only by one of the great effort plays in USC history. USC was down 10-0 but drove to UCLA’s five yard line late in the half. Rodney Peete threw into the end zone trying to bring USC within three, but Eric Turner picks it off and had what looked like a sure pick-6 until Peete ran him down to keep it a two-score game at the half.

The game also had controversy. The Trojans dominated the second half, and embarrassed Troy Aikman, but they eventually took the lead on Erik Affholter’s bobbling 34-yard touchdown reception. If instant replay had existed then, history may have been different.

But there was no instant replay and no Rose Bowl for the Bruins. Just a great game.

Erik Affholter, the hero, is deserving of his own underrated section in this Musings. 

Troy Aikman, who was not underrated, never did beat USC, which goes to show, of coure, that you can take the boy out of Oklahoma, but you can’t necessarily take Oklahoma out of the boy.

Underrated Safety

USC has produced a remarkable number of star safeties: Troy P, Dennis Smith, Papa and Son McDonald, Mark Carrier, Taylor Mays, Joey Browner, Sammy Knight, and of course the greatest safety who ever lived, Ronnie Lott.

But, to me, one of the underrated greats was the late Kevin Ellison. He was big, smart, and reliable. He was an enforcer. It was his hit against DeSean Jackson early in the 2006 game against Cal that really set the tone for the game and ensured No. 4 USC of a Rose Bowl berth.

Sadly, I can no longer think of that hit without remembering that Ellison died at 31 with CTE. Great player. Great Trojan. Terrible ending.

Underrated USC-Oklahoma game

Since I know OU fans are stalking this website let me welcome them to Musings. 

Everybody remembers the 2005 Orange Bowl where USC humiliated the Sooners in front of the whole world. That was fun, no?

But how about this underrated gem: USC-Oklahoma 1988. The Sooners were elite. They had won the national title in 1985, had finished in the top five in 1986 and 1987, and were 33-3 in the previous three years. USC was coming off a Rose Bowl season, but they had lost that game to Michigan State and had finished the 1987 season 8-4. The Trojans were highly ranked coming into the OU game, but there was some question whether they could hang with the physical Sooners. 

They did. 

USC dominated the game, forcing turnover after turnover, and keeping the Sooners’ famous wishbone in check. USC was up 20-0 halftime before winning 23-7. 

This was the game that announced USC as a legitimate national championship contender, and it made Rodney Peete one of the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy. (In an ordinary, non-Barry Sanders year, he probably would have won it.)

In case you were wondering – and I know you were, Sooners – USC leads the all-time series with OU 6-2-1, and the Trojans have won five straight. Oklahoma hasn’t beaten USC in 50 years.

Underrated USC-Notre Dame Game

Everybody knows about The Comeback in 1974 and Bush Push in 2005. They are famous for a reason.

But I’ll never forget about the streak-ender in 1996.

The Trojans were playing the last game in a disastrous season (5-6 coming into the game) and were fresh off a brutal loss to UCLA the week before, where USC had blown a three-score lead in the fourth quarter. ND was in the top 10 again and was led by Lou Holtz, who had never lost to USC.

Contrary to popular opinion, Lou Holtz did not sell his soul to Satan for coaching glory. He only sold his ability to say the letter “S,” which is why he only won a single national title. Still, that sacrifice was enough to ensure dominance over USC, and there was no reason to believe things would be different in 1996. 

The Trojan offense struggled for much of the game. And when ND scored late in the fourth to go up 20-12, it looked like the Irish would ice the game. But the ND kicker missed the extra point, giving USC life. The Trojans scored and went old school on ND for the two point conversion, running a tailback counter into the heart of the ND defense for the tying points. Mark Cusano then batted down Ron Powlus’ pass in OT to seal the 27-20 win for USC.

I’ve seen better games. I’ve seen better USC teams. I’ve seen games that were more important. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen the combination of joy and relief from USC fans that I saw that night at the Coliseum. That game will forever remain one of my favorites. That streak was so brutal, and the arrogance from Irish fans had gotten so bad, that it was just intolerable. USC was bad in 1996. But for one beautiful night, the Trojans provided one of the greatest gifts that long-time USC fans have ever had.

By the way, I was in law school at the time. I was celebrating the win the following Monday, and one of my classmates, a Nebraska fan from Nebraska, mocked my excitement. “Who cares? You beat a mediocre Notre Dame team. Big deal.”

Whenever I think about that 1996 ND game, I think about that conversation with the Husker. And then I remember what has become of Nebraska football since that day. And I smile.

Karma.

Underrated USC Tailback

It’s a tradition like no other. (Apologies to Jim Nantz.) Marcus. OJ. Iron Mike. AD. Charlie. Bell. Reggie. LenDale. 

But here’s an underrated name for you: Ricky Ervins. Ervins set a USC record with eight straight 100-yard games, and he was the Rose Bowl MVP when the Trojans beat Michigan in the 1990 Rose Bowl game. (Bo Schembechler’s last game as the Wolverines’ coach.) Very good player on some good (but not great) USC teams.

Underrated Heartbreak Game

For USC, the Texas Rose Bowl will forever remain a day of mourning. Obviously, 13-9 was a tragedy. The 1982 go-for-two game against the Bruins was brutal. And there were a series of disasters in that 8-game UCLA streak.

But, for me, maybe the biggest heartbreak game was the 1988 game against the Irish. I had never seen a USC national title. I had seen what seemed like a horrific losing streak against the Irish going into that game. (Little did I know how bad it would get.) But this was the year. Number one against number two. The Irish were good, no doubt. But USC had just beaten a very good UCLA team, and the game was in the Coliseum. I thought this was the year. 

And then USC went out and turned the ball over. Again and again and again. ND did very little on offense but still walked away with an easy 27-10 victory. 

That game was a gut punch. It really, really hurt. It was that game, more than any other, that gave me the ND PTSD that I carry to this day. 

Underrated Spectacular Performance

It’s not often talked about, because it came in the horrible meltdown against UCLA in 1996. Well, that and because the player in question never did fully capitalize on his God-given talents. But R. Jay Soward’s 260-yard, three-touchdown performance as a true freshman against the Bruins that year was amazing. 

I think people forget just how good Soward was in the open field. I know this won’t be popular, but I’m not convinced that even Reggie or OJ were better in the open field than Soward. In space, R. Jay was magical.

When I think of what-could-have-been players at USC, I always think of R. Jay Soward.