Monte Kiffin

The fan base is howling. A star player is leaving. And some recruits are wavering. So as USC attempts to put its lost season behind and move forward, Coach Lane Kiffin said everything would be under review. The starting point is clear-cut. "You look at yourself first," Kiffin said after the Trojans' 21-7 Sun Bowl loss to Georgia Tech. Kiffin's self-examination will no doubt be aided with gusto by Athletic Director Pat Haden, who has steadfastly stood by the 37-year-old coach through a season of underachieving performances on the field and a public-relations nightmare off it. Kiffin, however, won't spend all of his time looking in the mirror.

— USC, already without quarterback Matt Barkley for the Sun Bowl, finished Saturday's practice with receiver Marqise Lee and running back Curtis McNeal in question for Monday's game against Georgia Tech. Lee, an All-American who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver, was held out of most of USC's final workout after apparently hurting his left knee during a drill. Asked whether he was optimistic that Lee would play Monday, Coach Lane Kiffin said, "I'm hopeful, that's for sure….

EL PASO - Paul Johnson likes to keep it simple, at least on the surface. Georgia Tech's coach has run the same basic offense for nearly three decades, tinkering here, adding a few wrinkles there, though never straying far from the principles of an attack that annually produces some of the top rushing yardage totals in college football. Johnson calls it a spread option, but it includes elements of the triple option, double wing, the wing T and wishbone, morphing into what some dub the flexbone.

Monte Kiffin, who will step down as USC's assistant head coach for defense after the Sun Bowl, was college football's highest-paid assistant coach, according to an analysis by USA Today. Monte Kiffin earned about $1.5 million in total compensation from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, according to the most recent tax return that USC, as a private school, is required to make public. Head Coach Lane Kiffin earned about $2.4 million during the same period. Figures for 2011 and 2012 are not available.

Lane Kiffin has said repeatedly that every aspect of USC's football program would be evaluated after the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech. But one job apparently will remain unchanged, despite the Trojans' 7-5 regular-season finish. Asked after Sunday's practice whether there would be a different offensive coordinator next season, Kiffin said no. TIMELINE: College football 2012-13 bowl schedule That means running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu will continue to be titled offensive coordinator, though the unit has been directed by Kiffin, who also serves as play caller.

Arizona moved fast, Oregon even faster. And UCLA could not be slowed down. The hurry-up offenses that confounded USC's football team this season show no signs of abating — and another is on the way. California just hired Sonny Dykes, he of the quick-paced, no-huddle "Air Raid" attack that will make the Pac-12 Conference even more harried for defensive coordinators. But USC's defensive struggles this season went beyond its inability to stop spread assaults. Stanford's offensive line punished the Trojans' front seven.

Unbuckling the mailbag: Question: Imagine how USC fans are going to feel after a 6-7 Georgia Tech team wins the game. Larry Diaz Answer: How could USC fans feel any worse? The Trojans were picked to win the national title, lost five times and have been "rewarded" with a Sun Bowl matchup against an insect-nicknamed team with a losing record. The good news for USC fans is El Paso is only an 11-plus-hour drive from Newport Beach. In fact, Newport is closer to El Paso (796 miles)

Monte Kiffin, who resigned as USC's assistant head coach for defense, said neither Coach Lane Kiffin nor USC officials pressured him to step down. "It was not forced upon me or anything like that," Monte Kiffin said in a telephone interview. USC announced last week that Monte Kiffin would pursue NFL opportunities but coach through the Trojans' bowl game. USC will learn its bowl destination Sunday. USC began the season ranked No. 1 in several polls, but finished with a 7-5 record after losing four of its last five games.

Which of the following is the worst? A. A hapless coach leading a group of very talented USC football players to a 7-5 record and the Cow Chip Bowl. B. A hopeless coach who sprints 40 yards down the sidelines to call timeout just before his team appears to score a touchdown that they don't get back. C. A clueless coach who, when short yardage is needed for a first down or touchdown, repeatedly calls for a run directly at a Heisman Trophy candidate. D. A witless coach who, when he does call a play on forth and goal other than a try up the middle, has the ball thrown to a player who has caught fewer passes in a season than several of the other players on the field catch in a single game.

Fallout from USC's collapse this season began Thursday, as Monte Kiffin, the assistant head coach for defense, resigned effective after the Trojans' bowl game, the school announced. Kiffin, the 72-year-old father of Coach Lane Kiffin, stepped down to "pursue opportunities in the NFL," the announcement said. But Monte Kiffin was under fire for the defense's poor performance during a 7-5 season. "I respect my father's decision and his desire to return to the NFL," Lane Kiffin said in a statement.