Clay Helton, USC Keeps Playing With Fire
USC has only played two games this season. In both of those games, the Trojans have needed some late-game magic to pull out a victory. They are now 2-0 on the year, but should they be? It is a question worth asking.
First, it was against Arizona State in Week 1. Despite being down 27-14 with only 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, USC managed to score twice in the final minutes to steal a 28-27 victory. It was a wild finish, but we might need to get used to it.
On Saturday, the Trojans played another team from Arizona -- this time, it was the Wildcats. After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, USC allowed Arizona to score a touchdown to take a 27-23 lead with only 1:35 left on the clock.
And for the second consecutive week, quarterback Kedon Slovis led the offense on a game-winning touchdown drive of his own. Granted, this week it was an 8-yard rushing score from running back Vavae Malepeai, but Slovis was 5-for-5 for 67 yards on that final drive.
It was an epic finish for the Trojans. But at some point, coach Clay Helton's squad needs to position itself where a late score isn't needed to secure a win. It is playing with fire, and that is going to bite them at some point.
For now, USC remains a top 25 team with an undefeated record. The rest of the schedule isn't overly difficult with Utah, Colorado, Washington State and UCLA left. But at the same time, there wasn't a lot of people out there who thought the two Arizona schools would give them trouble.
If things begin falling in the other direction, we might need to start talking Urban Meyer to USC again.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.