It is bad enough that USC’s defense turned a backup quarterback, Bryson Barnes, into a star for one night in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Barnes looked like Vince Young or Michael Vick on his 26-yard run that put Utah in position to kick an easy field goal on the final play and beat the Trojans, 34-32. A Utah offense that struggled to score 20 points in many of its games this season scored 34 on the road against USC.
The game should have essentially ended Alex Grinch’s future with the Trojans. There is no doubt that as a point of merit, Grinch should be fired after the regular season.
However, just in case Lincoln Riley is unsure about all of this — just in case he wants to find a way to justify keeping Grinch on his staff — he and USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen might have been given enough evidence to admit they don’t have any other choice.
Grinch might have fired himself. He might have made it easy for Riley and Cohen to finally act.
We’ll tell you why below and then go through some of the reactions to this instance of supreme incompetence from USC’s defensive coordinator: