USC is home to the most-ever Olympians and has produced more NFL draft picks (509) than any school, but Trojan fans may not know all the current teams on campus that have put the school on the national map this year.
1. Football
No, USC didn’t end the 2019 season strong or how Trojan fans would have hoped by any means. In December’s Holiday Bowl, USC’s offense struggled to break away, and Iowa shredded the USC defense. After true freshman Kedon Slovis went down hard on his throwing arm, redshirt junior Matt Fink stepped in but couldn’t step up, and the Trojans were outscored 21-nothing until the clock ran out.
But the same can be said of USC’s 2019 season opener. When redshirt sophomore quarterback JT Daniels went down with a torn ACL in the first half, it wasn’t far-fetched to think the Trojans didn’t stand a chance at even making a bowl game. The Trojan season, and head coach Clay Helton’s job, was on the line.
Then came three-star thriller Kedon Slovis, fresh out of Desert Mountain High School.
After a slow start against Fresno State, Slovis came into his own and electrified the Trojan offense with 377 yards and three touchdowns against then-No. 23 ranked Stanford, leading USC to the upset.
The true freshman went from asking to go to the bathroom in math class to USC’s first-string quarterback in a matter of months. Five weeks into the season, USC secured a No. 21 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. Eleven weeks later, the team stood at No. 22 in both the CFP and AP Top 25 Rankings. USC finished second in the Pac-12 South with a 7-2 conference record and went 8-5 overall.
Slovis finished the season with 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns, along with with Trojan fans’ trust. The Trojans managed to put on a season that filled the student section and produced excited fans for the 2020 campaign.
USC flopped on National Signing Day, dropping from 19th in 2019 to 55th nationally for the 2020 recruiting class. However, the team returns plenty of big playmakers to complement Slovis — such as current junior running back Stephen Carr, redshirt freshman running back Markese Stepp, sophomore wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and freshman wide receiver Drake London — and could make waves again in the 2020 season.
2. Men’s Water Polo
USC’s season ended just shy of a NCAA National Championship appearance, falling to Stanford 15-14 in sudden death of the semifinals. Though the Trojans didn’t come up with their 12th national title, they did exceed expectations with a young team after going through major coaching changes.
The coaching staff was also cut in half. In 2018, Jovan Vavic, who was both the men’s and women’s water polo head coach, was fired from USC following the Varsity Blue scandal. Vavic started coaching at USC in 1992 as the head coach for both men’s and women’s water polo teams. He racked up 10 national titles, including six straight championships from 2008-2013.
The Trojans started their 2019 campaign with a team of 19 underclassmen led by only 8 upperclassmen.
USC came up with major wins throughout the 2019 season, defeating then-No. 1 ranked Stanford and then-No. 1 ranked UCLA to close out the season with an overall 15-6 record.
3. Women’s Water Polo
The Women of Troy underwent the same coaching staff changes and cuts and are looking as sharp as ever this season. The team opened up the season at No. 1 and has since gone 11-1 in non-conference play, including an impressive set of back-to-back wins that crowned USC Barbara Kalbus Invitational champs.
Against No. 1 Stanford last Sunday, sophomore driver Grace Tehaney and sophomore utility Bayley Weber each nailed two goals to lead the Trojans to the tournament title. Whether it was the surge of USC goals or the defense that kept Stanford to two scores in the final eight minutes, the Women of Troy are a must-see team for any Trojan fan.
The day before, the team churned out two wins against No. 6 UC Irvine and No. 2 UCLA with senior driver Kelsye McIntosh leading the way, tallying three goals in each game.
USC is hot off the press after the Barbara Kalbus Invitational tournament and looks to keep the ball rolling against No. 13 San Jose State in their first conference game on Mar. 1.
4. Women’s Lacrosse
As a fairly young program – started in 2013 – USC women’s lacrosse has not had the time other top-tier programs have had to settle into the NCAA and find its groove. For the past seven years, USC has been trying to cement itself as a top-10 team despite having a rollercoaster of up-and-down seasons.
Last year, the Trojans went out on a disappointing one-point loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 semifinal to end the season at 10-8 overall. This year, the Women of Troy seem motivated to not let last season’s .556 win percentage define them.
USC opened up at No. 16 in the rankings and since then has taken down two then-top-10 ranked opponents in Michigan and Boston College. Unlike BC, USC returns a starting lineup nearly identical to last season’s but isn’t being noticed as the potential powerhouse they can be, and have been, this season.
The Women of Troy look to prove their worth to all Trojan fans and the IWLCA next weekend when they face their third ranked opponent in a row, No. 24 Stanford.