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USC Trojans football gets whipped on the ground by Boston College, falling 37-31

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Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

What was the most concerning part of today's performance for USC and why?

Sam Barbee (Follow on Twitter):The 452 yards on the ground. How did they beat Stanford again?

Chris Turner (Follow on Twitter): How did they run for just 20 yards? 20. And then they give up 452 on the ground to BC. Not a typo. 452.  Concerning might be an understatement after that performance.

Zach Willman (Follow on Twitter): Sarkisian's unimaginative play calling has to be the scapegoat. USC's offense is set up to score so much more, or at least do better than 6 straight 3-and-outs and 16 TFLs. The defense vs the read option was abhorrent and broke down very quickly. There were some very tired souls on that line

Zach Pugh (Follow on Twitter): The way the Trojans were dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball was confusing. How did they do so well a week ago against a psychical Stanford? This, my friends was a trap game, and USC didn't treat it as such, so the result is a loss. Being overpowered up front on both sides of the ball is concerning to say the least.

Josh Estes (Follow on Twitter): The Trojans inability to rush the ball and their inability to stop Boston College's rushing attack. They gave up 452 YARDS and rushed for less than 100.

The song that best describes USC's performance is _____________ because ____________.

Sam Barbee: Don't Stop Believing. It's a long year.

Chris Turner: Bad News by Kanye West. Title should be self-explanatory

Zach Willman: No Place to Run by Gym Class Heroes. Self-explanatory for USC's offensive night.

Zach Pugh: Genesis--Land of Confusion, because the Trojans appear to be confused about their identity three weeks into the season.

Josh Estes: "Don't Believe the Hype" - Public Enemy -- USC has looked great this season, but they were quickly getting thrown into the College Football Playoff conversation after week 2. They've looked great, but it was a bit premature. The hype should even out after the beating in Boston.

Who was your player of the game for the Trojans? What were the key stats and plays that defined the game?

Sam Barbee (Follow on Twitter): Does it have to be for the Trojans? Who cares. I'm giving it to the Boston College offense for 452 yards rushing. Yeah, Trenton Kessler threw for 317 and 4 TDs, but 452? Against a PAC-12 opponent? And your quarterback gad 191 of them? Easy choice.

Chris Turner (Follow on Twitter): It's Cody Kessler. His play kept the Trojans in this one, otherwise, it would've been all BC from the beginning. Kessler finished with 300-plus yards and four touchdowns in the loss, but the only problem was the constant pressure from the Eagles. At one point, the USC front line gave up four straight third down sacks. Gotta keep the QB clean.

Zach Willman (Follow on Twitter): My player of the game is Buck Allen as a receiver. 113 yards on 9 catches. The Rushing Buck Allen? 15 carries and only 31 yards.

Josh Estes (Follow on Twitter): Kessler. Not a lot of positives for the Trojans, but he played a great game. A quick glance at his stat line and you probably wouldn't get the Trojans lost this one. 31/41, 317 Yards, 4 TD, and 0 INT. Not much more you can ask of Kessler.

Zach Pugh (Follow on Twitter): If we're searching for positives in a big negative for USC, then Cody Kessler deserves the light. Regardless of the loss, the Trojans still have an entire conference schedule to play, and they have an important piece that's needed to win the Pac-12. Kessler throw for over 300 yards, four TDs and didn't turn the ball over. 0 turnovers is the perfect way to ensure your team has a chance in every game. USC was out gained by 169 yards and couldn't stop the run at all, giving up 452 yards on the ground. Ouch.

What was the most impressive part of today's performance for USC and why?

Sam Barbee: The Trojans out-scored the Golden Eagles 14-10 in the 4th quarter. I'm a big believer in effort and never quitting, and USC did that, they just came up a little short.

Chris Turner: Kessler. Without his performance today, USC loses by a lot more.

Zach Willman: Kessler was able to find his receivers quite a bit- although only averaging 7.7 yards per completion, the numerous screens/bubble screen type plays that failed account for that. Also, The Trojans allowed near nothing in passing yards covering all routes very well and held the Eagles to a 2-11 3rd down eff.

Josh Estes: Really isn't much to point out here. You could argue that the Trojans spread the ball around a lot in the air (Kessler connected with eight different teammates), but that's because they were behind and couldn't rush the ball.

Zach Pugh: Outside of Cody Kessler it's tough to jazzed up about anything. The Trojans were riding high, receiving all the national attention they could handle and even being dubbed the favorite in the conference after taking down Stanford a week earlier. I suppose It's impressive the Trojans only lost by six points with just 20 yards of rushing.