Take a deep breath Trojan fans, we are 1-0. It was not entirely pretty but we got it done. There were certainly some shining stars, and some areas to be improved upon, but overall, I am glad game 1 is behind us and we’re onto a big challenge in week 2.
Against WMU, our ground game came to play. Behind 159 yards of rushing by Ronald Jones, who is affectionately referred to as The Breeze or The Texas Tesla, USC rolled to 6 rushing touchdowns. None came at a better time than true freshman Stephen Carr’s 52-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter. He is something special there is no doubt and I look forward to him getting increased touches in the coming games as he grows comfortable in the offense. It should be noted that over 100 of Rojo’s yard came after contact and he is looking like a stronger runner after gaining weight in the offseason.
Our receiving corps showed their youth which was largely to be expected. Deontay Burnett led the group by a large margin while the younger guys all failed to eclipse 40 yards individually. All in all, we caught 23 balls for 289 yards, and Sam Darnold went 23 of 33. Like I said earlier, not beautiful, but not bad either.
Defensively, I was not impressed. Cam Smith’s first half absence was felt tremendously. We looked out of sorts, and bit off the pace. It was interesting to see us use few down linemen against a team that we knew to be very run heavy. I’m confident the guys have a lot to learn in film study this week. When Cam did return to the field, we looked like a much more cohesive unit. His leadership is paramount to our success not only against Stanford but in future games as well.
I must also recognize the play of blind long snapper Jake Olson. Jake who has received a ton of press this week is not new to the USC program and one of the hardest workers on that team. His story is inspirational and it took a great amount of class from WMU to allow this play to happen. I applaud his tenacity and Coach Helton for getting him in the game. I am hopeful it is not the last we see of him on the field.
Looking ahead to Stanford, I feel ok about the game. Our raw talent is there no doubt, and it’s just a matter of increasing our snap counts for our younger players to get comfortable in the Coliseum. So how do we increase the snap counts? We must avoid the penalties. We committed 9 penalties for 94 yards against WMU. Stanford is so well coached, that if we give them free yards, we’re just giving them free points. The key to this game will be execution and knowing an individual’s role within the playbook. If our players stay on their assignments and avoid chasing the play, we will look like a good football team on Saturday. USC has a wonderful opportunity to end this ten-year drama against Stanford and cement themselves in the top 5 of College Football.
I’ll have the good fortune of being at the game this weekend and look forward to a great day at the Coliseum. As always, comments/criticisms/disagreements are welcome on this blog and please share with anyone you think would enjoy reading it.
FIGHT ON & BEAT THE FARM
The Late Game 
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