USC left the field with a win, but not a clean one.
That was the story for the Trojans on a day that featured enough mistakes to make the result feel a lot less comfortable than it should have been. Against a Sun Belt opponent, USC could absorb the mess. Against a stronger team on the schedule, the same performance might have turned into a loss.
The warning signs were everywhere. USC piled up too many penalties, and one of the ugliest came on roughing the kicker - a mistake the source material calls inexcusable because it directly led to a touchdown. The defense also had trouble handling a dual-threat quarterback, and the secondary showed some issues that were hard to ignore.
There were problems on offense, too. Maiava threw an interception early, then later put up a touchdown pass that was badly underthrown and could easily have become a second pick while the game was still hanging in the balance. USC also wasted opportunities with a dropped pick-six and another drop that ended a drive.
And then came the late-game defense, which slipped again. An overmatched opponent still managed to score three touchdowns in four possessions, a finish that only added to the sense that USC was living dangerously.
None of that erases the good USC showed, because there was plenty of it. That’s what you’d expect when a far more talented team lines up against a Sun Belt opponent. The source material notes that Clay Helton and Paul Hackett could beat Sun Belt teams, and while Louisiana is not being dismissed entirely - Lunch Winfield is described as pretty good, and the team has some speed - the talent gap between the programs was obvious.
That’s the part USC has to keep in mind. A sloppy game can still be survived when the roster edge is huge. But as Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon have already shown, being better on paper doesn’t protect you if you’re not sharp enough to finish the job.
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With Big Ten play looming, Riley made it clear the next phase will demand more from USC than the first three games have. He talked through the lessons already learned and the players who have helped steady the start, but the bigger question now is how the Trojans hold up when the competition changes and the margin for error gets much thinner. [Read more 🡒]