Steve Sarkisian Issue a Distracting Tear to USC Football

C&G Shades On is a special weekly column from Sara Kakuris, bringing a die-hard USC fan’s voice, opinion and perspective to Reign of Troy.

I really don’t want to be writing on this column topic. I’d much rather be questioning whether the AP loves us, hates us or is trying to ignore us with the No. 8 ranking. Or whether it’s more Trojan-y for the Song Girls to wear their hair up or down, or maybe half and half.

Instead, when I woke up Sunday, it was clear what the focus would have to be.

There’s going to be article after tweet after meme about what the Steve Sarkisian speech at Salute to Troy will do to our players. The fodder it will provide to our opponents, especially those called out by name as sucking.

But what about what one night of allegedly drunken raving will do to the fans?

Look, most of us have done or said things, alcohol-induced or otherwise, that we wish we could take back. But it doesn’t mean there aren’t repercussions for those ill-advised moments, regardless of our repentance.

Being USC, we are held to both a higher and lower standard than most teams. Higher because we are one of the greatest and most storied teams in college football history. And lower because most teams wait with bated breath for us to fail.

Two weeks before kickoff, we should not be the laughingstock of college football. Come on, admit it. If this was Jim Mora, we’d be holding big screen viewings, complete with kettle corn and $8 sodas.

And if Mark Helfrich had stood on stage and said we sucked, don’t you think our boys would go after the Ducks with even more of a vengeance?

The fight as a Trojan is harder than most, precisely because of the Hollywood soap opera aspect of our team. No matter what good we do, there are always those waiting in the wings for us to make a misstep so they can throw it up on the front page and try to make us a joke.

We cannot have our leaders help them.

Sark has apologized and said it will never happen again. But the damage has been done. Our opponents have been handed their fire. Our skeptics have been fed.

I want the story with less than two weeks to go to be that everyone hears SC coming and they’re scared. In February, this drama has a 12 hour shelf life. But we’re in it now and we need the fire to come from within, not from without.

Let’s hope that an Arkansas State win will hush the distraction and amp up the heat. When it comes down to it, coaches will come and go, but Trojans are forever.

I welcome hearing your thoughts and any future ideas you’d like to see in a column. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at @SCTrojanSara and tweet me any time.

See you next week and Fight On!

Steve Sarkisian Issue a Distracting Tear to USC Football

More from Reign of Troy

Schedule

Schedule