A Reality Check for USC Fans

I woke up Thursday and realized I had suffered through a bad dream the night before. It was one of those dreams where you feel absolutely powerless, only it wasn’t me, it was USC. And the Trojans were powerless to stop Vince Young. Their string of consecutive victories was broken and they lost the national championship.

It was just a bad dream, right?

JEFF WILEY

Rancho Cucamonga

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Let the whining begin -- bad calls, bad coaching decisions, bad clock management. But the real truth is that the Trojans got beaten by a better team, one with a more physical and aggressive defense, a bigger and tougher offensive line and the best college football player on the planet.

And yes, Pete Carroll made the right call on fourth down. The players just didn’t execute it. In what was a phenomenal game in which both teams proved their mettle as the two best in the nation, USC earned its proper place ... as No. 2. Deal with it.

RANDY SCHULTZ

Sherman Oaks

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As a USC alumnae and season-ticket holder, I stand behind Pete Carroll’s decision to go for it on fourth and two. In fact, I stand behind all the decisions the Trojan coaches and players made in the Rose Bowl game, especially the ones that didn’t work. You don’t win 34 games in a row without taking some risks. And those of us who appreciate the win streak and a return trip to the national championship game are willing to live with the consequences -- in victory and defeat.

NICOLE APEL

Vista

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The Rose Bowl was not a game, this was an event and a Broadway show. Having had the fortunate opportunity to attend, the entire atmosphere was utterly surreal. It was everything that exemplifies the history, tradition and richness that is college football. I can’t imagine any other sport offering fans a truly championship event with the style and intrigue of this game.

Despite the pure agony and shock of defeat, Trojan fans had to appreciate the totality of the event. As devastated as I felt for our team, I was inwardly happy for the Texas fans. They were incredibly hungry for this and they deserved the victory, as much as that hurts to say. It was undoubtedly one for the ages.

STEVE COLWELLL

Dana Point

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A simple checklist for Pete Carroll:

* Teach your team discipline. You don’t pull a facemask in the final drive. You don’t use your last timeout on a two-point conversion.

* When your team is being clobbered with the no-huddle offense, looking like a deer in headlights, you might want to use a timeout then.

* Teach Matt Leinart to read the clock.

* Hey, Coach, there’s a defense called DE Contain, where you don’t rush up the field when there is a rushing quarterback on the opposing team.

* Tackling is a fundamental of football. You take out the legs, not the hips.

MICHAEL AFAR

Los Angeles

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Bill Plaschke’s excellent analysis of USC’s loss left out one vital reason: USC’s season-long woefully inept pass defense against outstanding passers like Vince Young, who can move down the field with short and medium passes almost at will.

JIM JACOBSON

West Los Angeles

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You have to love Pete Carroll. In one year, he lost three of his most valuable assistants and four All-Americans on defense. Then, after many injuries, he still came through with an undefeated regular season.

In the Rose Bowl, the patchwork defense came within four minutes of achieving miracle status, the offense came up two inches short. When he wins, he wins with sportsmanship and class. When he loses (which is rare), he exhibits the same qualities. If there’s a better coach in the country, and one who can overcome the obstacles Pete did this season, I’ve never seen him.

GERALD M. REEVES

El Cajon

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Because we couldn’t stop the streak (not even close), on behalf of all Bruin fans and alums, thank you, Vince Young; thank you, Texas, and thank you, God. It was becoming virtually impossible to live in the same town with our USC counterparts.

They are still a great team and program, just not perfect, as they thought. Amen for that.

LEONARD LEVINE

Tarzana

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I’d like to dedicate the Rose Bowl victory by Texas to all of the USC fans who sold their tickets to the highest bidder on EBay. Without your support of Trojan athletics, it would have been impossible for so many folks in burnt orange to be at the game.

DAVID BOWMAN

Fullerton

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It might be a coincidence, but I heard from a reliable source that all the instant-replay equipment used for the Rose Bowl was manufactured by one technology company: Texas Instruments.

JAVIER MENDOZA

Long Beach