PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers is staring at a USC passing game that has leaned hard on youth and production, and that combination has the Scarlet Knights’ attention heading into the weekend.
The Trojans’ top six receiving targets are all underclassmen, and the group has already looked polished through three games. The headliner is freshman Trent Mosley, who has 13 catches for 255 yards and four touchdowns and has flashed the kind of open-field burst that makes him hard to miss.
“They're a talented group. Not just the receivers, the running back, the quarterback,” safety Jesse Ofurie said following Wednesday's practice.
“They got a good coaching staff, good team. Quarterback is playing lights out right now. We're excited for the matchup.”
Another freshman Rutgers has to account for is Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who has 13 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Between Mosley and Dixon-Wyatt, USC already has two first-year players functioning like established weapons.
The depth behind them has shown up, too. Seven USC wide receivers have multiple catches this season, which adds another layer to a matchup that already looks difficult for a Rutgers defense that has had its rough patches.
For Greg Schiano, the answer is simple in theory and harder in practice: stay locked into assignments and don’t freelance.
“I think when we just chop our jobs and do our 1/11, we're a good defense,” Schiano said.
“It’s when we're trying to make plays where we leave our responsibility that got us in trouble. So, if we can do that over and over and over again, that's the thing called consistency, and that's the last piece to come.
USC’s freshman wave doesn’t stop at receiver. Mark Bowman, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end, has quickly become another name to know. He has 12 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and his best game came last week against Louisiana, when he posted six catches for 83 yards and two scores.
“He's athletic, big catch radius,” safety Jesse Ofurie said.
“Definitely - they're fearless. They love to play football.
You can tell they play hard. They play fast.”
While Rutgers is preparing for that offensive challenge, Schiano still hasn’t tipped his hand on who will start at quarterback this weekend against No. 12 USC.
“It’s not an easy one. I don't know if we're totally decided,” Schiano said on Wednesday.
“I think I kind of have a good idea what we're going to do. But right now, I'm not ready to announce it. I'll probably do that - I don't know when I'll do that, tell you the truth.
“I don't know if it really matters, right? But it matters to the two guys that are doing it, that's for sure.”
Lonergan was injured in the season opener and did not play at Boston College, where AJ Surace made his first collegiate start in his place.
On Rutgers’ side, Jourdin Houston has been one of the brighter early-season contributors. The sophomore wide receiver has nine catches for 82 yards, including five receptions for 40 yards last weekend at Boston College.
He’s also part of a young receiving group that includes Vernon Allen III, Dyzier Carter and Elias Coke, and Schiano said he believes that group is on the verge of taking a step.
“I’m very confident. I think that they're all young, but they're all coming on strong,” Schiano said.
“I think that they're ready to continue to improve and…what happens is usually one of them breaks through through the ceiling and they become like a confident Big Ten receiver, and then another one will follow and it'll happen with these guys. They're good.
We got to get the ball to them. We got to protect the passer better.
We got to get the ball to them, and they'll do their job. I'm confident of that.”
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