Since watching that powerful Ed Orgeron video, one thing that always bothers me is when pundits claim, “he didn’t beat UCLA” as a justification for USC getting rid of Orgeron.
USC never beat UCLA with Brett Hundley at quarterback (2012-2014). So three different coaches lost to him (Lane Kiffin, Orgeron, Steve Sarkisian). But somehow Orgeron, an interim coach, was supposed to beat UCLA or else?
The other thing I can’t forget today is a radio interview former administrator J.K. McKay did a few years ago after he left USC where he talked about Clay Helton and said Nick Saban had four average seasons at Michigan State before he started winning.
Pat Haden and McKay felt pretty good about hiring Helton after that Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
The difference is Saban started winning . . . and winning and winning.
Helton’s gone downhill since Sam Darnold left USC.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
Ed had already been told they were going with seven win Sark before that game. It was the happiest day in the state of Washington when they found out they were able to return their lemon coach. But Ed was not able to hide his disappointment in the school’s choice. He might have been more understanding if Haden had hired a big name coach, but Sark was becoming the laughing stock of the PAC 12. Haden knew he’d made a mistake in the first three games of Sark’s first season. The guy will forever be known as harbinger of death by Helton at USC.
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I loved Coach O, but I remember not wanting to keep him as permanent HC and it wasn’t just because of the absolute curb-stomping Ucla gave us under his helm (though when your auditioning for the HC job and you get owned by Mora…)
Although Haden and co didn’t do their due diligence, I was not sad to see Coach O go. I thought his ceiling was DC and although a great recruiter, never pictured him running a big time program
Now that he is winning at LSU, EVERYBODY wanted to name him the permanent HC just after the UCLA but kicking??.. Hell, he wasn’t even LSU’s first or second choice.
With that being said I’m happy for Coach O.
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Well done, Oneway.
While I no longer live in the Southland, my recollection was that back then Coach O was deemed not be “sophisticated enough” to work the SoCal connections. I think USC faithful are fine with just winning…all the time.
McKay was not a sophisticated fellow. JR was publicly “self-reserved.”
I think Coach O would have run a clean, smashmouth program and then brought in a high powered offense.
There seems to be a dichotomy in the HC world:
1. The Sean McVay, Sean Payton offensive genius HC
2. The smashmouth, defense first HC: Tomlin, Tom Herrmann, Belicheck, COACH O.
I’m thinking point 2 is the way. Play tough O-line and defense, and then bring in the High powered OC. As for the Ricky Hundley years, we were outmanned back then. Remember when the Trojans would suit up fewer than 50 players for a road game. Humiliating.
And yes. Happy for Coach O and his family. Enjoying his success (while lamenting the Trojan debacle).
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Ed lost to ND and UCLA that year and he needed to prove he could win. But, choosing Sa was a mistake. I would not have chosen either at that time.
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Hundley not only beat USC. He also beat the brakes off of Ed O’s defensive line.
I love Ed O.
But we got smacked in that game.
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Sark not beating them has ZERO to do with O not getting hired. It was after the fact. Lame.
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