LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California safety Chris Hawkins wanted to see how a loss at home to an unranked opponent would compare to a road loss to a ranked opponent on a short week in the eyes of pollsters.
Hawkins got his answer Sunday, as Oklahoma dropped from No. 3 to No. 12 following a 38-31 loss to Iowa State, matching the nine spots the Trojans plunged for their 30-27 loss at a Washington State team now ranked eighth. The Sooners are also ranked ahead of USC, which climbed one spot to No. 13 after an unspectacular 38-10 win over Oregon State.
Hawkins believes USC needs to be even more emphatic in victory to earn respect, drawing parallels with Oklahoma to make his point.
“They had a thriller with a (Baylor) team that hadn’t won any games. Then they lost today to Iowa State, another unranked team, so we going to see how they feel,” Hawkins said Saturday. “We lost to a top-20 ranked team at their house and we dropped from No. 5 to 14. We’re going to see when the ranking come out this week and it’s going to show you how they really feel about us.
“It seems like the college football world takes us lightly no matter if we win by a little or a lot, so we just got to start dominating teams.”
USC’s next game against Utah on Saturday would be the perfect time to put that declaration into action. A win at home would effectively remove the Utes from contention in the Pac-12 South, as they still have games against the Cougars and No. 5 Washington.
USC has yet to play a division opponent this season, and the other three viable challengers in Utah, Arizona and rival UCLA all visit the Coliseum.
As far as how USC starts dominating, it will likely rest with quarterback Sam Darnold cutting down on turnovers. Darnold lost one fumble and threw one interception against the Beavers, giving him 11 turnovers in six games. His nine interceptions this season matches his entire total as a redshirt freshman.
Darnold doesn’t think he is playing any differently than last season when he led USC to a win in the Rose Bowl, but did say his eye discipline can improve. His latest interception came when Darnold stared down a receiver and never saw the linebacker dropping into coverage.
The giveaways are getting so bad Darnold’s fumble came when the ball slipped out of his hand while attempting a pass, something that had never before happened to him in a game.
“I think we’re just a couple plays away, a couple turnovers away,” Darnold said of Hawkins’ declaration to dominate. “I think, honestly, I’m stopping the offense a little bit right now with the way I’m turning the ball over and it’s never good, so I just got to be better.”
Hawkins likes how the defense is playing, and it is reflected in how they are shutting down those sudden-change opportunities. Excluding a pick-six against Texas, USC has only allowed three points after a turnover.
That is close to control Hawkins is seeking to impose, but he has a very specific vision of what it will ultimately look like.
“50-0, USC versus UCLA back in the day,” Hawkins said. “That was domination.”
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