USC Football: Top 5 Underappreciated Trojans Of 2016

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Darreus Rogers (1) is defended by Utah State Aggies cornerback Wesley Bailey (8) during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

USC football has definite stars, but a key group of underappreciated Trojans were also critical to the success of the 2016 season.

USC’s turnaround in 2016 was an impressive feat, but too often the Trojans’ success gets attributed to just one or two players.

Unquestionably, Sam Darnold and Adoree’ Jackson were the stars of the show, but the men of Troy also had a strong foundation of less heralded players pulling the wagon this season.

So let’s take a look at the five most underappreciated Trojans of 2016:

Darreus Rogers

There was reason to hope that Darreus Rogers could take the next step in his final season as a Trojan, but history was working against him as the examples of a breakout senior season at receiver are rare.

Rogers bucked that trend, emerging as USC’s second-leading pass catching option. He’s caught a pass in every game this season — the first time he has accomplished that in his career. He’s also caught a career-high 51 receptions for 654 yards while adding three touchdowns.

That receiving total is just shy of passing Ronald Johnson for the most receiving yards by a senior at USC in nearly ten years.

Increased production from Rogers has taken the pressure off of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has been hampered by a variety of injuries this season.

Most importantly, Rogers’ reliability has made him a critical figure on third downs, with a perfect converstion rate on third down catches.

Rogers got a nod as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention this year, but his importance for the Trojans this season deserves more than a passing mention.

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Michael Hutchings (19) in action during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium. Alabama defeats USC 52-6. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Hutchings

Michael Hutchings stands as another senior who emerged as a regular and reliable starter for his final campaign.

Going into the 2016 season, it was far from a sure thing that Hutchings would see much playing time, let alone start every game at linebacker for the Trojans without fuss.

Hutchings’ career was dead in the water before this year, so it was a surprise when he took on a leadership role and earned himself a starting job at inside linebacker.

In that role, Hutchings hardly put a foot wrong. He stood out with 1.5 sacks against Alabama and went on to finish with six TFLs on the season. He was second on the team with 64 tackles.

There was little flashy about Hutchings’ 2016 season, but he was a steady presence for USC in a position which had the potential to be a weak link. Instead, Hutchings’ provided solidity in the middle, keeping the defense organized will providing a good example for the players around him with consistent energy and effort.

And like Rogers, Hutchings was rewarded for his efforts with an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

Oct 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Justin Davis (22) runs the ball during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Davis

There’s no getting around it — Ronald Jones II is a supremely talented running back for the cardinal and gold. But don’t forget, senior Justin Davis was the driver of USC’s running game for the first half of the 2016 season.

It’s not just that Davis was productive, as he was in 2015. He was the best running back on the Trojan roster over the course of the first month of the season, while Jones was still easing into his sophomore campaign.

Davis ran for 476 yards on 84 carries at the start of the season, good for an average of 5.6 yards per carry. He added 89 yards on ten receptions in that period as well.

Not only was Davis USC’s most potent offensive weapon against Utah — and inexplicably unused in the fourth quarter of that critical game — he followed that up with an exceptional 100-yard performance against ASU and was well on his way to another stellar outing with 92 yards on 13 carries versus Colorado before he sprained his ankle in the third quarter.

That injury opened the door for Jones to emerge as a force in the latter half of the year, while Davis’ contributions have been forgotten in some corners. That’s an injustice.

Sep 23, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes running back Zack Moss (2) runs the ball in the first quarter against USC Trojans linebacker Cameron Smith (35) at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron Smith

Considering the excitement of his freshman season, Cameron Smith’s sophomore year was a bit more muted.

Not that the drop off in attention came as a surprise, since Smith spent most of the offseason rehabbing from last year’s ACL tear.

Coming back from that injury was no easy feat. Earning back and maintaining his starting place in the center of USC’s defense despite missing all of spring practice and being limited for much of fall camp warrants praise all on its own.

If Smith’s body had broken down at any point during the course of this season, USC would have had a problem on their hands with limited options to replace him.

But Smith wasn’t just a passenger in the Trojan offense. He led USC in tackles and added a disruptive element to his game with seven tackles for loss in 2016.

The Pac-12 coaches could see it, naming him an All-Pac-12 Second Team player, though Smith hasn’t gotten the kind of praise which would normal accompany USC’s leading tackler.

The exciting thing is that Smith played much of the season below his ceiling. Bigger and better things are yet to come.

USC special teams coach John Baxter during practice at Howard Jones Field. (Alicia de Artola/Reign of Troy)

John Baxter

Let’s put it this way: USC’s special teams unit was ranked 74th in FEI last year. This year, the Trojans are ranked No. 4.

What’s the difference? Special teams coordinator John Baxter.

Baxter performed similar magic with Michigan’s special teams unit when he joined Jim Harbaugh’s staff, so it’s no surprise that he was able to whip USC into shape as well.