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Stanford Football: 5 overreactions from loss to USC

By Andrew Miller

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Deontay Burnett #80 of the USC Trojans dives into the end zone during the second quarter to score a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Deontay Burnett #80 of the USC Trojans dives into the end zone during the second quarter to score a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Stanford football had a huge chance to establish itself as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender against USC, but fell short.

Things looked good for the Stanford Cardinal heading into their matchup with the USC Trojans. This was a battle of two of the best teams in the Pac-12 with an outcome different from what many expected it to be.

Stanford played great in the season opener win when they defeated the Rice Owls by a 55-point margin in Sidney, Australia. However, USC exposed many of the holes in the Stanford roster after they had a concerning Week 1 appearance of their own.

USC took until the fourth quarter to pull away from their Week 1 opponent, the Western Michigan Broncos. However, a 49-31 victory over one of the best Group of Five teams in the country is still a solid result to achieve.

More than anything, sophomore star quarterback Sam Darnold’s two interceptions and zero passing touchdowns were the most concerning. USC fans might have started wondering if Darnold was a one-hit wonder. He proved this week that is not the case.

Stanford made a good run in the Pac-12 last year and they could still make a run in 2017. However, starting out the conference slate the way they did is nothing promising. Even the Washington Huskies looked much better in Week 2 than they did in their season opener.

If the Cardinal can respond well over their next three games against the San Diego State Aztecs, UCLA Bruins and Arizona State Sun Devils, they could see themselves in the AP Top 10. As long as USC keeps up this type of play, it’s not a bad loss for Stanford.

Now, let’s take a look at five overreactions from Stanford’s loss to the USC Trojans in Week 2.

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