USC is only three games into the season, but the Trojans have already learned plenty about where they look sharp and where the drop-off hits hard.
The most glaring issue so far has been the defense after the starters leave the field. That showed up in a big way against Louisiana.
When USC’s starting defense - with Elbert Hill IV and Marcelles Williams rotating at cornerback - was together, the Trojans held the Ragin’ Cajuns to 2.7 yards per play and 59 yards on 22 snaps. Once USC began mixing in second-string defensive linemen, linebackers and safeties, Louisiana exploded for 299 yards on 30 plays, a blistering 10.0 yards per snap.
The split was especially clear with Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield. His running ability was part of the game plan, but USC’s starters mostly took that away.
Against the starting defense, Winfield rushed six times for just 17 yards. Against backup defenders, though, he had seven carries and a sack that went for 74 yards, with 70 of those coming on three big scrambles.
That included his 32-yard touchdown run on Louisiana’s opening drive of the fourth quarter. Overall, Winfield finished with 91 rushing yards on 14 carries, including a sack by reserve defensive end Zuriah Fisher.
With the season already a quarter complete - USC opened in Week 0 against San Jose State and has since added Fresno State and Louisiana to round out the non-conference slate - the Trojans’ first three games have given a useful snapshot of where the team stands. To dig deeper, we looked at usage position by position and measured individual success through yards per play, a team-based metric that shows which players are on the field when USC is thriving and when it isn’t.
Because one play can swing the numbers quickly, the stat isn’t perfect on its own, so it was paired with each player’s overall grade from Pro Football Focus through three games. That combination offers a clearer picture of how USC’s players are performing both individually and as units through the first quarter of the season.
In Other News...
USC Escaped Rutgers But One Troubling Issue Still Lingers
USC survived a tense battle with Rutgers, pulling out a 42-35 win that was far less comfortable than the ranking suggested. The Trojans needed big days from redshirt sophomore Miller and redshirt-freshman Riley Wormley to keep the offense moving, with both players supplying key runs and touchdowns as Rutgers stayed within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
The result will count, but it also left a familiar concern hanging over the Trojans. USC leaned heavily on individual playmakers, and the offense still had stretches defined by penalties and uneven passing, the kind of issues that can make even a win feel like a warning sign. Rutgers kept forcing USC to answer, and the bigger question now is whether the Trojans can clean up the rough edges before a tougher spot in the schedule turns those flaws into something more costly. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stayed Unbeaten But One Problem Looms Before Oregon
Southern California escaped its Big Ten opener with a 42-35 win over Rutgers, a game that looked more comfortable on the scoreboard than it felt on the field. Jayden Maiava threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, King Miller added 102 rushing yards and a score, and the Trojans did enough to stay unbeaten even as Rutgers Dylan Lonergan pushed back with 272 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The bigger concern now is what comes next. USC gets Oregon at home, and the Ducks will be a far different test than a Rutgers team that hurt itself with turnovers, including a 99-yard interception returned for a touchdown. The Trojans survived this one, but the margin for error gets a lot thinner from here. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Wont Like How USC Kept That Drive Alive
USCs first road trip of the season had the kind of third-quarter sequence that tends to linger long after the final whistle. In the middle of a pivotal drive against Rutgers, an inadvertent whistle wiped out a completed third-down pass, forcing the down to be replayed and turning one clean conversion into a fresh round of pressure for the Trojans.
From there, the drive took a winding path, with USC failing on the replayed third down before going for it on fourth and eventually hitting a 32-yard completion to keep things moving. It was the sort of break-and-response sequence that can swing a road game, and the No. 12 Trojans made enough of those plays to leave New Jersey with a win and a 4-0 record. [Read more 🡒]