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USC Football: Five Key Facts Going into Arizona Game
October 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs the ball against the defense of Colorado Buffaloes linebacker Jimmie Gilbert (98) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The 2016 USC football team got back to .500 last week with a win over previously 21st-ranked Colorado. But they learned a few lessons in the process, which should bode well for this Saturday’s game vs. Arizona.
Saturday’s game at Arizona is yet another Pac-12 South elimination game for the Trojans, who are out to rid themselves of their early season setbacks.
Rich Rodriguez’s Wildcats aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders, losers of three-straight games and without many key contributors due to injury.
At the same time, USC hasn’t had a run of dominant play in Tucson and they’ve yet to prove that all of their faults are gone.
This is what we do know, however…
USC Can Win When Darnold Isn’t Sharp
Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold accounted for 380 yards of total offense and threw three touchdowns in the Trojans’ win over Colorado. But it was far from his best performance, and more indicative of his youth.
Hasty decisions, forced passes and lackluster ball control led to two lost Darnold fumbles and an interception. It prevented USC from busting the game wide open in the middle quarters, despite controlling the run of play on both sides of the ball.
Add in a fumble from senior running back Justin Davis, and the Trojans’ four turnovers were the most in a win since 2012.
Even on the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, it took a miraculous effort from Darreus Rogers to save Darnold’s errant play. The senior receiver took away a would-be interception from the hands of Colorado defensive back Chidobe Awuzie for a gain of 46 yards.
Plays like that ultimately wound up being the story, as USC found a way to win despite it not being their most efficient effort on offense.
It was a direct contrast from Darnold’s first start at Utah, when the Trojans coughed up the ball on their first three drives, and allowed Utah to erase a 14-point second half lead. Saturday, the defense that picked up the slack, holding Colorado to just seven points off of turnovers.
“It is really good to see that as a team, as a full unit, that we’re able to function like that,” tight end Tyler Petite said. “The offense is still able to put points on the board, but our defense is able to just hold their own and have an incredible outing.”
With a rookie quarterback at the helm, USC has to be ready for more freshman mistakes, but the Trojans have shown they can overcome those hiccups.
The good news is, while the Trojans have been a turnover machine in two of the last three games, their next opponent isn’t exactly a turnover-generating behemoth.
Taking into account just conference play, Arizona is dead last in the Pac-12 in turnover margin at minus-5. They’ve only forced a single turnover in three games: an interception of Washington’s Jake Browning.
For USC, that has to bode well. Turnovers have theoretically been the only thing preventing them from winning all of the last three games by large scores, Utah included.
October 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe (88) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Tight Ends Open Up the Pass
After Saturday’s game, Tyler Petite joked with fellow tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe that the final score was ‘Tight Ends 21, Colorado 17′, after all of Sam Darnold’s touchdown passes went to the tight ends.
Despite having the scoring to themselves, USC’s two tight ends finished the day with just four catches for 63 yards. But they didn’t need to put up Fred Davis-like reception numbers to be effective. The tight ends’ scoring threat forced Colorado’s defense to be honest.
“Safeties got to watch out for them, so that gives us man coverage on the outside,” Darreus Rogers said. “[With] the type of athletes and receivers we have, I don’t think teams will want to man us up, because we’ll make some big plays.”
Right on cue, the big day from the tight ends coincided with each one of USC’s four leading wide receivers having a significant impact on the game, against one of the nation’s best secondary units.
JuJu Smith-Schuster turned in his second-straight 100-yard performance, with four catches gaining 23 yards or more. Steven Mitchell had season highs in both receptions and yards, while Rogers’ 76-yard day was the second-most of his four-year career.
With Justin Davis expected to be out vs. Arizona with a high ankle sprain, the Trojans will need to continue being creative in the passing game. They cannot focus primarily on running the ball with Ronald Jones and Aca’Cedric Ware, as that could prove predictable.
Look for USC to get players like Dominic Davis involved, along with the tight ends to help create space by occupying linebackers, creating one-on-one coverages for the receivers and fewer engaged rushers for the offensive line.
Last week, Utah tight end Evan Moeai had a career high three catches for 81 yards vs. Arizona.
October 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez (12) runs the ball against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Defensive Line Has Turned a Corner
Going into the season, the inexperience of the defensive line was a problem USC would have to overcome. After getting mauled late in the Utah game, it looked like a potential season-long disaster, even with transfer Stevie Tu’ikolovatu performing admirably at nose guard.
Slowly but surely, the tide has turned in the last two games. The Trojans have officially formed a disruptive pass rush on the heels of strong defensive line performances.
The line entered the Colorado game ranked 73rd nationally in havoc rate, but promptly recorded 2.5 sacks and a pair of pass breakups.
“Those guys are transferring their technique and fundamentals from practice over to the field, and guys are starting to win one-on-one match ups up front,” linebacker Michael Hutchings said. “I think it’s starting to be apparent that we’re getting a lot more pressure on the quarterback because of those guys.”
The heat in the backfield limited Colorado’s Steven Montez and Sefo Liufau to just 4.8 combined yards per pass attempt, and the Buffaloes’ 96 rushing yards was a whopping 122.6 fewer than the average from their first five games.
USC’s key defensive playmaker up front? Outside linebacker/defensive end Uchenna Nwosu, who broke out with a career-high 10 tackles.
This week, the Wildcats could be down to the third string at both running back and quarterback, with injuries to starters Nick Wilson and Brandon Dawkins, who are both listed as questionable
That bodes well for USC’s defensive line line, as Arizona will likely target the perimeter of the field with in-space playmakers like converted receiver turned back Tyrell Johnson.
In the last two weeks, the Trojans’ Uchenna Nwosu and Porter Gustin have contained the edge, along with support from weakside linebacker Michael Hutchings.
Oct 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) is pursued by Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon (23) in the fourth quarter during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated Colorado 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USC is Learning From Their Losses
Not only did the Trojans overcome a season-high four turnovers and still win, but they did it in a way that proved they’re going through maturation process.
Just two weeks after citing EA Sports’ Madden as a reason for wanting to go for it on fourth down against Utah, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster took a page out of gaming by purposely not scoring a touchdown with 1:27 left on the clock.
“Colorado had one timeout, and once you get the first down, you take three knees and the game is over,” Smith-Schuster said. “I didn’t want to give the ball back to Colorado.”
He didn’t. After going down at the 14-yard line, Smith-Schuster set the stage for Sam Darnold to clinch the win with a trio of kneel downs.
It was a smart move surely motivated by USC’s Jael Mary loss to Arizona State in 2014.
With a two-point lead, Buck Allen scored on a 53-yard touchdown run with three minutes remaining, which gave ASU the ball back. They would score two more touchdowns to erase a nine-point deficit, instead of the Trojans’ methodically killing clock themselves.
After starting the season 0-2 in the Pac-12, including a loss to South foe Utah, the USC season appeared to be left for dead. The only hope is if they found away to turn everything around and become a smart football team overnight.
Arizona has struggled early in the Pac-12 season, losing three straight out of the gate. However, Rich Rodriguez’s Wildcats are the only team that has truly challenged the Washington Huskies.
Because of that, the Trojans must expect an effort in line with Arizona’s OT loss to Washington, as opposed to their struggles with the likes of Grambling State, UCLA and Utah.
Oct 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Clay Helton looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Helton Can In Fact Win a Close Game
The Trojans blew a 14-point lead against Colorado on the back of three third quarter turnovers, but fought through it, scored a late touchdown to take the lead and held on to a win over a ranked team.
It was harder than it ever should’ve been, as USC soundly outplayed the Buffaloes throughout, but for a team that has been criticized for poor coaching and folding in the face of in-game adversity, battling back after losing the lead was an encouraging sign.
More from Reign of Troy
Even given Clay Helton’s penchant for winning games by large margins at the Coliseum, that was never going to stay consistent, especially with a redshirt freshman quarterback.
Dating back to 2007, the USC-Arizona series has been extremely tight. The last nine games have been decided by a grand total of 48 points, with a margin of 5.3 points per game. In Tucson alone, the last three meetings have been settled by a field goal or less.
That includes the Trojans’ 28-26 win over the Wildcats in 2014, on a missed field goal as time expired.
Needless to say, USC must be prepared for a nail-biter.
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