INSIDE SLANT

Sitting on three losses as it goes through a bye week, USC is out of the BCS bowl picture and needs a crazy Pac-10 pileup at the end of the season to grab a share of the league title.

OK, so that’s not likely, but coach Pete Carroll said there are some things that the Trojans (7-3 overall, 4-3 Pac-10) can do to fix some problems and end the season with home wins over UCLA and Arizona.

“We’ve been through it, and we have a way of going about our business,” Carroll said. “First, you have to get to the truth of what happened and make sure everyone is clear about that.

“Then you have to go back to practicing really well. We’ll certainly bounce and bounce back in a positive manner, and, hopefully, we’ll put together a good game for UCLA.”

One of the things that has needs fixing is a pedestrian offense that hasn’t scored more than 21 points in any of the past three games. Starting with the second half of the Oregon game, spanning 10 quarters, true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley is 33 of 69 for 357 yards, with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

On the other side of the ball, USC just gave up 55 points in a loss to Stanford, the most the Trojans have ever allowed.

“We allowed Stanford to run the plays they wanted to run,” Carroll said Tuesday. “We didn’t knock them out of those. Normally, we try to get team out of their favorite stuff and not let them have it. We thought we could get it done, and it didn’t happen.”

Is that fixable?

Well, UCLA doesn’t have a high-powered offense or multiple threats on offense. Arizona, does, however.

But the games can wait. USC welcomes the time this week to work on itself.

“We can’t worry about being 10-3—we’ve got to get to 8-3 first,” running back Allen Bradford told the L.A. Times. “We know it’s not going to be an easy task because we’re down right now. A lot of teams see that and they’re just going to try and keep us down, but we have to finish off this season.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• One of the big talking points from the 55-21 loss to Stanford was the Cardinal going for a two-point conversion after pushing the lead to 48-21 midway through the fourth quarter. Controversy? Bad blood between Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and USC’s Pete Carroll? Harbaugh on Tuesday said the decision to go for two was “strategic”—that he thought he had a play that would work. USC stopped it. “I have nothing but respect for him and his program,” Harbaugh said of Carroll. “Certainly, there is nothing personal involved in any of this. … USC has set the bar and everyone is working like crazy to rise up to that standard.”

• TE Anthony McCoy was selected as one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end. McCoy has only 17 catches this season but has a staggering 22.5-yard average. The other semifinalists are Pittsburgh’s Dorin Dickerson, Oregon’s Ed Dickson, Florida’s Aaron Hernandez, Iowa’s Tony Moeaki, BYU’s Dennis Pitta, Notre Dame’s Kyle Rudolph and Marshall’s Cody Slate.

Next Game:   UCLA at USC, Nov. 28—The Bruins have a good enough defense to keep this game close and have a chance to pull it out. Perhaps USC can come up with some answers on offense by then. The Trojans have allowed only 14 total points in winning the past two meetings.

This Week  ‘S MISSION: The coaching staff was getting in some recruiting work while holding four practices during the off week. The big goal is getting the team in a positive frame of mind with the season’s big prizes having been taken off the table. Coach Pete Carroll has a reputation of having more fun than anyone else; this would be a good time to lighten the mood.

Novemer  /DECEMBER AT A GLANCE: The Trojans have two games remaining, both at home—UCLA and Arizona. The Trojans need some help, but if they win out, there’s a decent chance for a second-place tie in the Pac-10, which could mean the Holiday Bowl for USC. The Holiday Bowl gets to pick among teams tied for second.

Quote To Note:   “We’d be scrambling to put this thing to rest—now we have time to get it done. The team’s mentality has to come back together and get back on track.”—Coach Pete Carroll, on his team’s bye this week.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Looking Good:   Some things look good; nothing looks great. In the eight major categories for offense and defense (rushing, passing, total yards, scoring), USC ranks no higher than 34th. That comes in rushing offense, as the Trojans average 181.2 yards per game on the ground, fueled by Joe McKnight, who is averaging 93.2 yards per game. The Trojans have a veteran line and a deep backfield, so even ranking 34th nationally is a disappointment, however.

Still Needs Work:   The most debilitating thing for the USC offense has been its 34 percent conversion on third-down (41 of 120). The Trojans haven’t been as dominant up front as expected with a veteran offensive line. On defense, the Trojans have often been near the top of the national leaders in turnover margin, but the ball hasn’t been bouncing their way this season as USC is at minus-0.3 per game.

Star Watch:   RB Joe McKnight—The junior has emerged from a crowded backfield to be the main ball carrier this season. He has four 100-yard rushing games, including a 142-yard effort against Stanford in the most recent game. He also has 20 receptions for 138 yards, and was used as a punt returner against Stanford.

Critical Decision:   Was it the right call to start QB Matt Barkley from the opening game? He might have the most upside of the USC quarterbacks, but the play-calling was conservative early in the season to give the true freshman some time to ease into the playbook, and lately he hasn’t been able to make enough plays. Barkley has a bright future, but the growing pains are something coach Pete Carroll decided he had to live with when he went with Barkley over Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain.

Roster Report:  

• WR Damian Williams (sprained ankle) did not play against Stanford. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Brice Butler, who did a nice job with six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

• Backup TE Blake Ayles (knee, ankle) did not play against Stanford.

• Starting TE Anthony McCoy, who had missed the previous two games because of an ankle injury, played some against Stanford, catching one pass for 7 yards.

• Freshman DE Nick Perry made the first start of his career against Stanford in place of Wes Horton. Perry had two tackles in a poor game for the defensive front, which did not have a sack.

• Starting LB Malcolm Smith (shoulder) was out against ASU on Nov. 7. Although he did not start against Stanford, he ended up with 11 tackles.