Tenth-ranked USC (6-1 overall, 4-1 in Pac-12) comes off its bye week Saturday and enters the second half of the season with a road game at Arizona. So far, the Trojans have exceeded expectations under first-year coach Lincoln Riley.
Everyone assumed USC would be better than last year’s train wreck, but expected some time for the new roster to jell. Largely, USC hasn’t needed much time at all.
But there have still been some growing pains and regressions as the season has progressed. With five games remaining and at the very least a bowl game waiting on the other side, here are two questions that will determine the success of USC’s season.
Can the defense stop teams from moving the ball?
The defense faced a litany of questions during the offseason – most of which have been answered in the affirmative. Can USC take the ball away? Absolutely. Can USC get pressure on the quarterback? Yes. Can USC get red-zone stops? More often than all but four teams in the country, it turns out.
But ‘Can USC stop teams from moving the ball?’ has been a strong ‘no’ through seven games. Teams are averaging 381.6 yards per game against the Trojans, which is the sixth most in the Pac-12. The rushing defense ranks 77th nationally.
Which begged a new question: Can USC win if it stops forcing turnovers and stops bringing down the quarterback?
Against Utah, that question was put to the test. USC recovered one fumble and recorded no sacks. Utah proceeded to rack up 562 yards and score six touchdowns. Then the Utes had the confidence to go for the winning two-point conversion rather than opting for overtime.
Getting three yards against the USC defense seemed like the safer bet, and they were right on a night the Trojans missed 18 tackles as a team.
So the bye week was a time for reevaluation for the defense as coaches scoured the film for the answer as to why USC’s tackling was lagging behind other areas of progress.
“Certainly it’s not want to,” Trojans defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. “We’re putting pads on people; we gotta make sure one of the things we always talk to the guys about is come up with a body part. You throw shoulders at people, absolutely, we’re going to be physical that way. But you got to make sure we’re wrapping and wrapping strong that way.”
Can the pass attack find some consistency?
Even with the odd down game, the passing attack has been a strength of the USC offense in 2022. The Trojans are third in the Pac-12, averaging 293.1 passing yards per game. Quarterback Caleb Williams is 18th nationally in passer efficiency. Riley’s schemes and game plans keep defenses guessing and fans entertained by their creativity.
But after three strong performances to start the season, USC has gone cold-to-hot the past four games. Twice, the Trojans failed to throw for 190 yards, let alone 200. Neither performance resulted in losses, but the last against Washington State left Williams and the receiving corps frustrated regardless of the result.
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But Williams was much stronger last week against Utah, completing Riley’s wish list of things to improve on from the previous week. Now the question becomes about finding that elusive consistency. Once Williams does, there will be few teams that can keep up with USC’s ability to score points.
“You can see kind of with each time he goes out there he’s getting, I think, more and more of a feel for that,” Riley said. “You gotta be proud of the steps taken; they’re there. We gotta keep taking them.”