USC Trojans

USC vs Utah State Report Card: Grading the Trojan Offense

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

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USC vs Utah State provided the chance for the Trojan offense to prove they have a pulse in 2016 and they did just that, scoring five touchdowns against the Aggies.

USC’s offense didn’t score a touchdown in the season opener, but the home opener was another story.

The Trojans found the endzone five times on offense, coming away with six scores on six red zone appearances.

Here’s how each offensive unit graded out against the Aggies:

Quarterback

Standout, Max Browne

It was an efficient performance from Max Browne in just his second ever start for USC. That’s all the Trojans needed.

Browne completed 76 percent of his passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He found JuJu Smith-Schuster with more regularity and threw a strike to Steven Mitchell in the back of the endzone.

The low yardage figure could be flagged as a concern, particularly as Browne seemed to short arm his longer attempts — one of which was picked off by an Aggie defender. Still, there was nothing glaringly wrong with the performance.

The Trojans made better use of Sam Darnold against Utah State, giving him several opportunities in the redzone. His first touchdown was a credit to Deontay Burnett, but the pass zipped in to Smith-Schuster for his second touchdown from 15 yards out was exceptional.

Running Back

Standout, Justin Davis

While USC’s run blocking still leaves something to be desired, the Trojan running backs made the most of their carries against Utah State.

Justin Davis totaled 106 all-purpose yards, fighting through the defense for an average of 4.4 yards per carry.

With Ronald Jones II limited by injury, Aca’Cedric Ware held a greater share of the carries. He scored his first career touchdown and averaged 5.2 yards per hard fought carry.

Receiver

Standout, Darreus Rogers

Three different Trojans caught touchdown passes on Saturday while four receivers had multiple receptions on the day.

That’s a credit to the quarterbacks for finding a variety of receivers, but also to the pass catchers themselves for making themselves available and getting better separation this week.

Darreus Rogers in particular seemed to be Browne’s favorite target, logging a career high seven catches for 82 yards. It’s not just that he had so many catches though, he also did an excellent job of generating yards after the catch.

Smith-Schuster hauled in more touchdowns in Week 2 than he had catches in Week 1 and laid the hardest block a receiver will lay all season.

But it wasn’t just the top two receivers who impressed. Mitchell had a score while Burnett caught the first touchdown pass of his career in style, sliding past a crowd then extending his body fully to cross the pylon.

Offensive Line

Standout, Chad Wheeler

It remains hard to get a true gauge on the Trojan offensive line.

It started disastrously, with starting left tackle Chuma Edoga being ejected for shoving a ref after the first drive. That forced Chad Wheeler, who is still recovering from a foot injury, to play another full game ahead of schedule.

USC also had back up center Nico Falah in the mix thanks to Toa Lobendahn’s season-ending knee injury.

The result was another inconsistent performance in the trenches. Browne was sacked twice on third down while the running backs too often had to side step defenders in the backfield.

Overall, it was a stronger outing than Week 1 against Alabama, but missed assignments and a leaky line remain a concern.

Coaching

Standout, Tee Martin

Utah State’s defense isn’t close to Alabama’s level, so the level of difficulty for Tee Martin and the offensive staff was a good deal lower this week.

Martina and company took advantage by spreading the ball around to multiple weapons, getting Smith-Schuster involved while also feeding Rogers, giving Jalen Greene and Ajene Harris opportunities in unique formations, and letting Darnold expand his role in the redzone.

Despite five offensive touchdowns, Martin’s grade isn’t higher because the Trojans still lack the kind of flow and rhythm that an elite offense should display. The absence of tempo and tight ends remain talking points.