USC returned to its offensive roots last week against Washington with shorter, quicker passes reminiscent of the Norm Chow era. Or did it?
Such an observation is not true, according to USC coach Pete Carroll, even as last week's performance was portrayed by several players as a retro approach based upon the principles of the previous seasons.
"We didn't do different things. Everyone knows the things we did," Carroll said. "We just did things that would happen faster."
"Our offense hasn't changed," offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin added.
The question keeps popping up, however, and even fans asked the coaches during a booster meeting this week about a return to Chow's philosophy.
But it's not a view shared among the coaches.
"I don't know if we went conservative," assistant head coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I think it's questionable to say that's the case because we still threw to the end zone and Dwayne Jarrett caught three touchdown passes."
There was a subtle difference against Washington, though. The initial game script's first 15 plays included a number of perimeter passes, which are high-percentage completions and figured to boost quarterback Matt Leinart's confidence.
"I've had a few games where I wasn't to my level," Leinart said.
Carroll decided last week the best way to raise Leinart's morale was to quicken the pace and run less-complicated plays. The end result was the offense ran easier plays against Washington so that Leinart would feel less taxed than in the previous four games.
"We tried to establish confidence and made it happen," Carroll said.
Depending on your point of view, it was either a reversion to the past or USC simply used plays that existed but rarely were used.
"We've got a million plays," Kiffin said.
But Leinart appeared more comfortable after struggling for the past month. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns.
"I think we tried to get things easy and quick to get Leinart's confidence up," receiver Steve Smith said.
The quick pace probably fooled players into thinking there was a different approach more than anything else.
"In terms of being able to execute plays and scoring easy, it felt like old times," tailback Reggie Bush said. "I don't know if it was a return to last year but it was getting back to executing the way we know how. It's dominating Trojan football."
Smith said the pass routes were noticeably shorter against Washington, which he appreciated even though he is one of prime beneficiaries of the home-run approach.
"We had routes (against Washington) where you can go three different ways but they are all quick passes. You aren't doing so many long patterns, which can make you tired coming back to the huddle," Smith said.
Carroll bristled at the notion the offense want back to anything. After all, he always pointed out that he changed USC's offense midway through the 2001 season, making it less pass-happy and more run-oriented.
His growing influence with the offense was one of the reasons Chow departed for the Tennessee Titans, according to sources close to the situation.
"We've got a great system," Carroll said. "We're leading the nation in offense."
USC ranks first in the nation in scoring (49.0 points per game) and first in total offense (581.1 yards), so it's hard to argue with those statistics. But even Carroll gets asked by fans why tight end Dominique Byrd's role is smaller this season.
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