USC's offense impresses in Lincoln Riley’s debut
The defense leaves much to be desired
LOS ANGELES – The USC Trojans routed Rice University 66-14 during the opening weekend of the College Football season.
Expectations are incredibly high for USC this year after hiring head coach Lincoln Riley and bringing in a plethora of talent during the offseason, so the pressure was on heading into their first game.
USC was favored by over 30 points, and anything less than a blowout would’ve been a severe disappointment against a non-power five university.
Thankfully, very little went wrong for USC against Rice; however, concerns about the Trojan defense were validated.
The defensive recorded four sacks but failed to generate consistent pressure early against a lackluster Rice pass protection. They need to improve in this area against quality opponents, as giving better quarterbacks and offenses more time will come back to bite USC in the future.
The run defense was also underwhelming. Rice found success running the ball, and going forward, the Trojans must strengthen this area if they hope to win nine or more games. Specifically, the linebackers need to step up and support their D-line.
While USC did force four turnovers, including three interceptions returned for touchdowns, week one confirmed the doubts and concerns about the Trojan defense — it’s a work in progress.
Although it was against Rice, the Trojans silenced the critics with their ferocious offensive performance. They scored the most points in a game since 2008 when Pete Carroll was head coach.
The offense fired on all cylinders, scoring 45 points on nine drives and booming for eight passing plays of 15+ yards and nine rushing plays of 10+ yards. They were efficient on both first and third down and converted TDs on five of six red zone trips.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was nearly perfect in his Trojan debut. Williams threw for 249 yards and two TDs, only recording three incompletions of his 22 passing attempts. The Oklahoma transfer looked very comfortable with his new team, even leading the team in rushing yards. His play is encouraging for the Trojan faithful.
Success this season will be contingent on protecting the Williams, so it was nice to see the Trojan O-line only allow one sack on the day.
USC’s wide receiving core of Jordan Addison, Mario Williams, Tahj Washington, and Kyron Ware-Hudon thrived against Rice. Their rapport with quarterback Caleb Williams was harmonious, and they will be difficult for opponents to manage.
Running backs Travis Dye, Austin Jones, and Raleek Brown all impressed against Rice, with Dye tallying 41 all-purpose yards and the latter two recording over 70 all-purpose yards each. Their involvement in the passing game was encouraging, and any productivity on the ground will help take the pressure off their star QB.
The Trojans were also fairly disciplined, committing six penalties.
Overall, the Trojans should maintain a level of cautious optimism heading into their week two matchup – a more formidable Pac-12 opponent in Stanford will test them on both sides of the ball.
Let’s hope the defense is up to the task.