If you think Rich Rodriguez has his hands full with a budding quarterback controversy, imagine what life is like for the two major Los Angeles college football programs.
Over at USC, Clay Helton is going a long way toward proving the old adage that nice guys finish last. Well maybe not last, but certainly in the middle. Seriously, there might not be a more down-to-earth coach in all of college football, and that includes folksy old Uncle Mike Riley. Riley is nice like your kindly neighbor is nice; heβd offer you a glass of warm milk and a plate of choco-chip cookies β I bet thatβs what they calls him, that prince β and heβd tuck you in to visions of sugar plums and Sam linebackers.
Helton may as well be a youth ministry coordinator. In another life he may have been dedicated to solving world hunger at an orphanage in Nairobi. Heβs that kind of guy.
And that kind of coach, it seems, because tough, swaggery USC is about as soft as two cats cuddling on a soft white blanket.
What happened to the Trojansβ βtude? This is the House of Troy, not the House of Toy, as in USC is easy to play around with now.
How else can you describe the twin shellackings handed down to the Trojans in Week 1, a 52-6 loss at Alabama, and in Week 3, a 27-10 loss at Stanford. Itβs as if Raggedy Andy played tailback.
Sure, USC beat Utah State 45-7 in Week 2, but isnβt USC supposed to beat Utah State by 38, or more?
With his offense stalled, Helton has turned the keys over to freshman Sam Darnold, relegating the once-Future King of the Coliseum β senior Max Browne β to checking the college quarterback want ads.
Serious doubts are arising among the Trojan faithful about the hire; theyβre about to start burning Pat Haden jerseys in effigy.
And thatβs nothing compared to the headaches endured by UCLA head coach Jim Mora.
Youβd think sunny Southern California would offer some respite, but man, does the spotlight loom large.
Even the glory of a gritty 17-14 win over always-tough BYU was short-lived β just a few days after the NCAA handed down a two-year show-cause penalty for Bruins offensive line and associate head coach Adrian Klemm, a well-publicized spat between a veteran defensive leader and an absentee freshman blew up on Twitter.
Mora should thank his lucky five-stars that Twitter doesnβt allow a 141st character because heβs got two on his hands who deserve to have their internet plans cut to the very basic.
On Sunday, UCLA senior defensive lineman Takkarist McKinley sent on an emoji-laden tweet, βI donβt care if you a 5 (star emoji) If you not at UCLA grinding every day with yo bros going to practices, lifts, meetings etc. How (expletive) are you a brother (puzzled-look emoji).β
The post was a not-too-veiled insult directed at prized Bruins linebacker recruit Mique Juarez, who has been on an unexplained six-week absence from the team. Mora, in his typically tight-lipped manner, has stayed mum about Juarezβs disappearance, but he canβt appreciate having to deal with this.
Not with his star quarterback Josh Rosen firing off ill-fated Tweets about as often as heβs firing off interceptions, which this season has been often.
Itβs the kind of thing you rarely see out of the Bruinsβ opponents this weekend, mighty Stanford, and youβve got to wonder why. The Cardinal kids are often among the smartest recruits in the nation, but itβs not like UCLA recruits are slouches. Theyβve got to have better sense.
David Shaw must be licking his chops right about now.
And good old RichRod must be feeling pretty good, too.
A quarterback controversy must feel like childβs play by now.
