Future looks very bright at USC with Steve Sarkisian at the helm

At the conclusion of the 2009 Rose Bowl, Steve Sarkisian, having just coached in his final game as a USC assistant coach, said his goodbyes to friend, boss, and mentor, Pete Carroll.

The assistant was heading to Seattle the next day to begin his tenure at the University of Washington as head coach.

Before leaving the stadium following USC's 38-24 win over Penn State Carroll had some final words for him.

"Go be you," Carroll said.

Sarkisian took the advice and ran with it. He even beat his mentor in their only head-to-head meeting the following season. In Seattle the first-year head coach took over a winless program, made it respectable again, and over the course of time -- like many other things in life -- he evolved. 

The most noticeable change in the evolution was offensively. All of a sudden, his offense at Washington didn't look like the one he was a playcaller of while with Carroll at USC. 

Sarkisian's unit had evolved into one that was fast paced, without a huddle and primarily out of the shotgun.

It looked more like what was happening throughout the rest of the country in college football.

USC's offense, which was guided by Lane Kiffin following Carroll's departure to the Seattle Seahawks, continued to look more traditional. Naturally, when Sarkisian was named the head coach at USC just over a year ago, there were questions.

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The biggest: What would USC's offense look like? 

Would Sarkisian go back to a more traditional offense similar to what he called plays for while at USC and during the beginning of his tenure at Washington? Or would it be the offense that evolved during the latter part of Sarkisian's tenure with the Huskies? 

Recalling, his last conversation with Carroll before leaving for the University of Washington, Sarkisian knew he needed to be him. The coach who had evolved in Seattle brought the offense to USC that evolved right along with him. 

It was important that he did so. 

"When I took this job I made it really clear to (athletic director) Pat (Haden) in the process that I want to do it the way I think is the best way to do it, not necessarily the way it's always been done before," Sarkisian said. "I've never tried to do things because I was supposed to do it a certain way. I've always done it the way I believe is the right way to do it and what fits me and my personality and, ultimately, our team's personality.

"I feel like that's the way you have to do it."

In 2014, the offense has produced a quarterback who has thrown 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions. It's produced a 1,300-yard tailback and it's allowed a bevy of young wide receivers show glimpses of just how talented they are and the type of impact they can have.

The offense has slowed down since the beginning of the season. The pace isn't as fast as it once was but that doesn't mean it won't be faster in the future or that it won't continue to evolve.

"We're just scratching the surface right now of what we're capable of being and doing," Sarkisian said.

With the pieces in place and an offseason to fine tune some things, next season could be even better

"We're going to be really good next year," Sarkisian said. "I don't have any doubt about that."