As mentioned in my last note, I was able to attend the game last Saturday and as always, it was a pleasure to be in The Coliseum. Given the early kickoff time, we setup for breakfast and bloody mary’s at the Peristyle. I truly enjoyed the Trojan walk as the team arrived led by Coach Helton and Zach Banner, but a special moment came when I saw longsnapper Jake Olson walking towards the stadium. I’m inspired by Jake’s story and it was so neat to see him walking in, one hand on his teammates shoulder and other holding his guide dogs leash. Jake, if you happen to read this thanks for adding a memorable moment to our gameday experience. You can read more about Jake here
Game Notes
The Good
- USC wins 45-7.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster scores twice and lays a massive block back against a Utah State defender (video below)
- Max Browne and Sam Darnold throw their first TD’s at home
- Over 400 Yards of total offense
- Defense allows only 49 rushing yards
- Adoree Jackson is spectacular and returns punt for TD
The Bad
- Defense allows 200 yards passing
- 5 penalties for 51 Yards
- A crowd of only 62,000 attended
The Ugly
- Chuma Edoga is ejected for swinging at a referee.
In review, it was a good solid win for Coach Helton and the Trojans. Expectations must be tempered though as a visit to Stanford awaits this weekend. The one thing that was most worrisome about our seeing this team play was that they did not necessarily pass “the eye test.” While there were plenty of highlights and the score was largely in our favor, there is still much work to be done to return to elite status as a program. The Trojans can upend my previous statement entirely with a win in Palo Alto and I sure hope they do. I really feel that we have the players to play at a high level but it will take some serious discipline and proper coaching to get there. Here’s to BEATING THE FARM Saturday and lord help us against the Christian McCaffrey.
The Late Game 
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