The frustration of the Cotton Bowl, from a USC Football perspective, was just how close the 17-point loss should have, and could have, been. All it would have taken was some balance.
Head coach Clay Helton often talks about balance from the view of the offense—being able to lean on both the run and the pass in equal measure. But balance also applies to the whole of a team. Can you rely on both the offensive and defense in equal measure?
During Friday night’s Cotton Bowl Classic between USC and Ohio State, the answer was a resounding no.