This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1980s, Sharrieff Shah fit the profile of a University of Utah football prospect.
Not good enough for USC, in other words.
So no one better understands the aura of the Trojans than Shah, who once loved USC and longed to become part of the school's tradition, and is now the Utes' cornerbacks coach and southern California recruiter. As he stood on Utah's practice field this week, Shah delivered a transcript of composite conversations with high school athletes from L.A., now that the Utes are 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country:
"Good job, coach. You guys are doing awesome. But we still love UCLA, we still love USC. Win a national championship, and maybe we'll consider you."
Shah concluded, "And that's just the truth."
That's the reality of competing with Trojans, as the Utes will do Saturday. By kickoff time, Ute coach Kyle Whittingham will have stated some variation of a sentence with the phrases "USC" and "talent" about a thousand times.
That's part of the fun. In their fifth Pac-12 season, the Utes have improved their personnel considerably — although I maintain their 2008 team, with 16 players who would be drafted and/or have extended NFL careers, was better stocked. The point is, for as well as Utah has recruited lately, USC always will have better personnel. Yet the Utes beat them last October, and may not need another last-minute drive to do so Saturday.
"USC is USC … They control southern California. They always have and always will. That's just how it is, and I don't see it changing," said Ute running backs coach Dennis Erickson, who has competed against the Trojans with four Pac-10/12 programs over nearly 30 years.
But right here and now, Saturday at the Coliseum, who would you rather be? Utah, with players who were expertly discovered and developed, or USC, with ready-made talent that has underperformed and been mismanaged?
My two-part answer: Utah is growing to a point where this program will be able to line up and play respectably against the Trojans every year. But the Utes had better take advantage of this opportunity to catch USC in disarray. Beating the Trojans this week would give them two wins in five years, which is a logical percentage — if not somewhat ambitious, based on Erickson's history.
As a respected coach of Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona State, Erickson had fun playing against USC and "beat 'em a couple times, lost a lot of times," he said, smiling. The exact numbers are two wins and eight losses, with the victories as kind of career bookends. In 2000, his OSU team broke a 26-game losing streak in the series with a 31-21 upset of a No.8-ranked USC team — which served as an audition, because USC unsuccessfully pursued him for its coaching vacancy later that year. In 2011, his ASU club beat the No. 23 Trojans 43-22. That win contributed only to a great start that ultimately became his downfall, when he was fired after a poor finish.
In any case, Erickson's record with programs on the rise shows how tough it is to compete with USC. Whittingham is not being condescending toward the 3-3 Trojans. Their personnel is outstanding, and this supposedly was the year when the program would deliver, having lived through NCAA sanctions. Instead, USC is regrouping with three losses, playing for a second interim coach in three seasons after Steve Sarkisian's firing this month, stemming from alcohol-related issues.
Maybe the Utes should be insulted that they were not among the rivals (Oregon, Notre Dame, Arizona State) Sarkisian disrespected in his unfortunate preseason rant, or that USC is an oddsmakers' favorite this week. Regardless, Utah will continue a season that has brought a College Football Playoff berth into play and made recruits aware of the program — even in USC's stronghold. "Some kids are listening, when they otherwise wouldn't listen," Shah said. "They didn't know who we were. So that's nice. And being able to pave that type of in-road in that locale is big."
Even so, the Utes may never get athletes whom USC wants. They have to keep discovering southern California players such as cornerback Dominique Hatfield, who had no other FBS offers, according to Shah. "We just don't overlook people," Shah said.
And there's nothing like bringing those players back home and beating USC.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Erickson vs. the Trojans
Dennis Erickson is 1-1 vs. USC as a Utah assistant coach. His records vs. the Trojans as a head coach:
School Years Record
Washington State 1987 0-1
Oregon State 1999-2002 1-3
Arizona State 2007-11 1-4
Note: Washington State missed USC in the Pac-10's 1988 scheduling rotation.