The Watch and Learn Game

Deep breath Trojan fans, we are 1-0. Now, turn to your exit buddy and convince them not to open the emergency doors, but alert them that turbulence lies ahead. We watched the Trojans open the season with a win over Fresno State and we learned a lot about the team in doing so.  

We watched JT Daniels command the offense early, connecting with six receivers on the opening drive. We also watched as he was sacked on a late first half blitz, and soon learned he would be out for the year with a knee injury. We wish him the best on a speedy and full recovery.

We watched Vavae Malepeai thunder for 134 yards on 23 carries, recording one touchdown. We also watched Stephen Carr add 56 yards and were impressed by his power, speed, and agility. We learned that our running backs just might be what keeps this whole offense moving down the road.

We watched Tyler Vaughns have a career night posting 150 yards receiving through 11 receptions. We also learned that some big weapons in our offense like Devon Williams were noticeably absent from the gameplan.

We watched Kedon Slovis take over as a true freshman on short notice. We learned that he has the potential to throw a great ball downfield, but also that he will make plenty of freshman mistakes along the way. I commend him for keeping things moving under immense pressure.

We watched freshman Drake Jackson and the defensive line disrupt Fresno State’s gameplan. We also watched our defense allow 462 yards of total offense. We watched our defense win this game for us, thanks to an interception from Isaiah Pola-Mao. We learned that our defense can be great, like John Houston was with 13 tackles, but finding consistency will be paramount to our success.

We watched Helton & staff make an embarrassing mistake on the opening play having two #7’s on the field which negated a long return from Velus Jones. We would later learn that our game and clock management are extremely poor, and our ability to close out a game is suspect to say the least.

As we put a cap on week one, don’t forget that we won a football game this week. We might not have done it in the best fashion, but we got it done. This team faced a pivotal moment watching their quarterback get hurt, and they found a way to claw out a victory. The table remains set for us to achieve every goal we had entering the year, and with an injured Stanford team coming to town we have a great opportunity to become 2-0. We’ll be watching, and we’ll be learning.

 
FIGHT ON & BEAT THE FARM.

sources: espn.com, cover image: David Crane/LA Daily News