The Trojans are back
USC falls short in Pac-12 Championship despite a successful season
LOS ANGELES — Following an impressive 11-1 regular season, USC's dreams of playing in the College Football Playoff were crushed after coming up short in the Pac-12 Championship.
Still, the Trojans surpassed expectations in Lincoln Riley’s 1st season as Head Coach, restoring the winning culture synonymous with USC Football.
USC was expected to win 10-plus games — which they did — but how they won impressed millions around the country. USC football was must-see TV thanks to an explosive offense and barn-burning scorelines.
Riley’s offense averaged 41.1 points per game, fourth overall in the FBS, largely due to the play of Heisman-favorite quarterback Caleb Williams and his chemistry with the Trojan receiving core.
The Oklahoma transplant took his game to another level this season, throwing for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns, good for third and first respectively among all FBS quarterbacks. Williams only had four interceptions all season and tallied 372 rushing yards and ten touchdowns on the ground.
But despite his impressive stats, the eye test showed how Williams is in a league of his own.
A dynamic playmaker that possesses game-breaking potential and outstanding arm talent, Williams seamlessly escapes pocket pressure and makes the impossible look easy. Defenses look foolish trying to take him down thanks to his exceptional athleticism and agility.
The comparison between Williams and NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes is legit, and the D.C. native should definitely win the most prestigious award in all of college football soon enough.
By the way, he has one more year left in college.
Williams’ favorite target was Pitt transfer Jordan Addison, who slashed defenses for 875 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Receivers Tahj Washington and Mario Williams also caught five touchdowns each, adding 676 and 596 receiving yards, respectively.
In addition to the high-flying passing game, the USC running game was crucial to the Trojans' success this season.
Running back Travis Dye averaged over 6 yards per carry, running for 884 yards and nine touchdowns before going down with a season-ending injury. Stanford transfer Austin Jones stepped up in Dye’s absence, contributing 644 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Freshman Raleek Brown was also decent.
While the offensive line did give up 30 sacks, they did a good job protecting their golden boy. Left guard Andrew Vorhees earned 1st Team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus alongside his star quarterback.
Defensively, the Trojans were extremely underwhelming besides lineman Tuli Tuipulotu who led the FBS in total sacks with 12.5 and is on his way to the NFL.
USC surrendered over 400 yards of offense per game, including 150 rushing yards — far from a winning formula. The defense struggled to tackle and limit big plays — both ended up being big reasons USC lost the Pac-12 Championship.
The lone bright spot for the defense was turnovers, as USC forced 19 interceptions and recovered nine fumbles — the reason why USC led the nation in turnover margin (22).
In addition to the Riley coaching transplant, the Trojans were undoubtedly the biggest benefactor of the transfer portal this season, which has become reminiscent of free agency in professional sports. Between Williams, Addison, Dye, Jones, and more, USC transformed its program in one year, and the Trojans should expect more talent to transfer in going forward.
Looking to 2024, transfers will be even more crucial to long-term success when the Trojans will join the Big10 conference, and playing on a national stage will drastically increase USC's visibility for potential recruits and transfers.
As long as USC continues to compete and win, the recruits and transfers will come, and moving to the Big10 will pay dividends.
In the Pac-12 championship, USC struggled against a tough Utah team. The Utes were the only team to conquer the Trojans this season going into this game, but following a 47-24 Utah victory in Las Vegas, the Utes swept the season series and ended all hopes of a CFB birth for USC.
During a volatile 1st quarter, Williams reportedly “popped” his hamstring and never looked the same. The Utes even scored 24 straight at one point.
In the end, the difference makers were USC’s 3rd down efficiency (1-12), inability to tackle (missed 22 tackles), and yards allowed after contact (191).
Despite a disappointing Pac-12 championship, the Trojans have much to be proud of this season. They surpassed expectations in spite of overwhelming pressure, contending for the Pac-12 title and CFB Playoff in just President Lincoln’s 1st year as head coach.
The Trojans are officially back, and USC looks poised to contend for years to come.