Raiders’ Carroll keeps the faith, harkens to USC coaching seasons

The Raiders’ trip to Los Angeles over the weekend represented a homecoming for coach Pete Carroll.

It was in the City of Angels, after all, that the trajectory of Carroll’s career made a complete turnaround when he oversaw one of the great college football runs as the coach of USC.

Everyone remembers the greatness of the Trojans during Carroll’s nine seasons, so it’s easy to forget the hard times. The fact is USC stumbled out of the gate by losing five of its first seven games in his opening season.

Despite the slow start, Carroll saw the progress of the seeds being planted. What ultimately emerged from it was a dominant run that included two national championships and three Heisman Trophy winners.

At 2-10, the Raiders seem miles away from a significant turnaround. But Carroll is nothi