Chow familiar with Trojans, offensive schemes could hatch problems

One for the roses and one look to shrivel those roses.

On Saturday, USC will try to win their season-finale against crosstown rivals, UCLA, with a win over their neighbors, the Trojans will clinch a Rose Bowl berth and their seventh straight Pac-10 title, but the Bruins look to shrivel those buds, before they blossom into roses.

This year, for the first time, a former coach will root against them and coach against them, UCLA’s offensive coordinator, Norm Chow, a savvy offensive specialist who studies his X’s and O’s. He’s one of the top offensive coaches in football history, and will strive to prove he’s still the expert of installing a productive offense, with an inferior program.

Chow is identical to USC’s recruiting expertise, Pete Carroll, an architect who installed his passing offense with a thick playbook. For Chow, leading his subjacent offense against his former team might react a bit differently.

With Chow’s familiarity, after spending four seasons as offensive coordinator at USC, he understands Carroll’s game plan and style of coaching. He knows Carroll’s playbook as if it’s his old playbook that he left behind when he left the Trojans for a better opportunity.

After leaving USC, Chow advanced to newer heights, taking his game plan to the NFL, to join the Tennessee Titans’ staff, where he served as offensive coordinator for the past three years. At Tennessee, Chow built Vince Young into a shrewd quarterback, when he had just made his transition from college to the professional level.

For Chow, the game will be an emotional one, on an afternoon when he will reunite with his former colleague from a separate press box, where he’ll call his brilliant plays to befuddle his good buddies at USC. Although, UCLA isn’t playing for much, they can still prevent the Trojans from clinching the Rose Bowl and clinching their seventh straight Pac-10 title.

And, Chow’s successful offensive tactics is the best alternative to accomplish the upset over the Trojans. He knows every gimmick that Carroll will throw at him, and he surely will throw them back at the Trojans if capable.

Chow’s offensive capabilities will probably be limited against a fierce Trojans defense that has amassed historic numbers this season, only allowing 10 touchdowns in 11 games and an NCAA-low 7.8 points per game this season.

The Trojans are the lone team in the nation to yield fewer points per game in any of the last 13 seasons. This is the year the Trojans defense was ranked the top in the nation, in which they have proven.

And, the Trojans have won eighth straight games since losing in an upset against Oregon State in the conference opener on Sept. 25. The Trojans are eying their top challenger, Oregon State, for the conference crown after their meltdown last Saturday, which put the Trojans in the driver seat for another Rose Bowl appearance on Jan. 1 in Pasadena.

But, with Chow’s well awareness on the Trojans schemes, it might be a tough outing, but then again it might be another breezy victory and another Rose Bowl appearance, particularly since UCLA has inconsistent freshman quarterback, Kevin Craft, who’s very careless when the Bruins have possession. He has thrown 19 interceptions and just has seven touchdown completions on the year.

Yes, UCLA’s head coach Rick Neuheisel, who asked Chow to join his coaching staff, and Chow, have a huge challenge against USC, but the Trojans have a slight challenge as well, facing their one time offensive whiz who’s now their offensive rival.

It isn’t tough to predict USC to come away with the win, but it’s tough to predict Chow’s schemes. One for the roses, while the other attempts to cause a major upset. This time, Neuheisel and Chow looks to cause a major upset, while USC looks to remain the best in the crosstown rivalry.

With Chow, property of the Bruins, the rivalry enlarges. And, the Trojans on offense will enlarge, to break down Chow’s offense, at least for this season.