LOS ANGELES — Three games into Lincoln Riley’s tenure, and USCHe has won three blowouts. The Trojans ranked seventh beat Fresno StateGoing away, 45-17, Saturday night. A final thought on another USC triumph.
1. You could hear the voice shouting from the sideline after USC’s reserves allowed a 32-yard yard catch and run on a screen play that brought Fresno State near the red zone in the final minutes of the game.
“Clean that s— up,” was the exact quote that was directed at the defense. There was much more to come. It didn’t come from Riley, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch or any other assistant coach.
No, it was from a linebacker in the beginning Eric GentryUSC’s leading tackler, Chris Davidson, had been subbed from the blowout. It’s essentially pointless to compare this Trojans team to any we’ve seen in recent years. The roster has been rotated in unprecedented ways, and the coaching staff almost entirely new.
But there are little signs along the way that indicate the change that Riley is trying to instill with the program’s culture. As in handling business and blowing off teams, as USC did the first three weeks.
Gentry’s intensity at that particular point when he wasn’t even in the game, when USC led by four touchdowns, isn’t something that’s been seen in a while. And it’s probably more of what the program needs as it tries to establish a new level of accountability, culture or whatever buzzword you’re looking for.
Similar to last season, the Coliseum was filled at a third of its capacity when USC lost to a conference foe. On Saturday, the Trojans’ backup defense won the game with a winnable goal line stand.
“I told the team, ‘Championship teams finish. We finish,’” Gentry said after the game. “Championship teams, the starters cheer on the players to show everyone out there we’re locked in like the game is on the line. I was really happy to see (that) because like I said the standard — we’re still trying to find the standard. Just trying to do that and to be able to stop them on fourth-and-goal at the end of the game when half the stadium is gone, you think nobody’s interested, but it means a lot, 24 (points) vs. 17 means a lot.”
2. Earlier in the week, USC tweeted out a graphic that showed off Gentry’s wingspan.
Eric Gentry’s wingspan is 🤯 at inside linebacker. pic.twitter.com/CNzbey3Cq6
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 15, 2022
Gentry is 6-foot-6 and 200 lbs. Gentry is more of a receiver, with the wingspan and length of a basketball player.
This added length made it difficult to stop the Trojans in the first half. With USC up 14-0 in the second quarter, Fresno State faced a third-and-goal from the 5 with designs of cutting the Trojans’ lead in half.
Bulldogs quarterback Jake HaenerPassed to the receiver from the back of the endzone Josh KellyWho was being covered under safety Max Williams. Before the ball reached Kelly and Williams, though, Gentry stuck out his right arm and broke up Haener’s pass.
Fresno State ended up having to settle on a field goal and was never within one digit of the Trojans throughout the game.
It’s the second week in a row Gentry’s length has had some impact on the passing game. Continue reading Stanford’s opening possession in Week 2, Tanner McKeeGentry was in his passing lane, so McKee had to throw it a little high. McKee overshot Yurosek so much that the ball tipped out of his hands. Calen Bullock’s hands and into the waiting arms of Williams, who picked it off.
3.Caleb Williams threw 284 yards and two touchdowns, and completed 67.6 per cent of his passes Saturday night. He also ran for 284 yards and scored two touchdowns.
And the truth is, that might have been considered an “off” game for Williams, who created lofty standards the first two weeks of the season. Fox highlighted the fact that Williams was missing Mario Williams. Jordan AddisonOn the first drive of each game, the players were in the end zone at separate times.
Williams was off-side on a few passes during the first half, and might have held the ball too long at times.
Williams was so dynamic throughout the first two games of the season that it’s hard to remember that Saturday was only his 10th career start — a few games less than a full college season.
Williams will be in the Heisman Race if he continues his current pace. And he’s still developing, which is a frightening proposition for opposing defenses.
4. USC didn’t face a single fourth-down attempt in its first two games. In those two games, the Trojans had only 15 third downs. They were in third down twelve times and fourth down three more times Saturday.
Williams was an important reason USC converted 9-of-15 against Fresno State in those situations. He kept the ball on zone readings to convert a few fourth downs into first downs.
5.Through three games this season, USC had 15 first-half drives. Eleven of them have resulted in touchdowns. One was a field goal, one had time running out and another ended with punts.
The Trojans jump on teams early and don’t look back. USC’s outscored its opposition 87-38 in the first half so far.
6. Based on the makeup of this USC team — an electric offense and a leaky defense — I feel like it makes the coin toss and the choice that comes with it one of the more compelling aspects of the game.
USC’s elected to receive the first-half kickoff twice this season. In both games, it scored on the first drive (RiceFresno State and Stanford. Stanford won the toss in Week 2 and elected to receive — except it threw that aforementioned interception, and USC scored a few plays later.
If you’re the opponent, pace is going to matter so much when playing the Trojans. They’ve jumped out to a 7-0 lead in all three games and have yet to trail this season. Their offense is relentlessly attacking the opposing team and places them under tremendous pressure to perform in a shootout.
There’s the natural inclination to want the ball coming out of halftime, but I think whoever’s playing USC moving forward almost has to opt to take the ball first to try to grab an early lead dictate the pace of play. Oregon State and UtahTwo teams have the ability to run. We’ll see this week if the Beavers defense is capable of keeping up with USC’s offense.
The Trojans offense is so determined to score on their first series that it doesn’t matter what, Stanford didn’t, dug itself a sizable hole in the first half and then USC got the ball back to start the third quarter. Fresno State conceded a TD in favor of USC. Then, it went three-and-1 on its first possession and was soon behind 14-0.
I’ll be interested to see how Oregon State coach Johnathan Smith approaches the situation Saturday.
7.USC tied for second in the nation after three games (with Washington State) with 14 sacks, led by Tuli Tuipulotu Solomon Byrd, who’ve notched three apiece. With 26 tackles for losses, the Trojans rank 11th in FBS schools. Tuipulotu is home to six.
And they’re tied for fourth in takeaways with 10 after forcing only 19 in 12 games last season. USC’s defense certainly has its share of issues, but so far it’s made the most of the opportunities its offensive provides and creates chaos and takes chances when it’s able to pin its ears back.
The Trojans have struggled against the run, particularly when opponents utilize some misdirection, and Oregon State uses that well in the play-action game so this will be quite the test for USC’s defense.
8. USC’s kickoff coverage left a lot to be desired Saturday. Fresno State receiver Nikko RemigioOn his four kickoff returns, he averaged 30.8 yards.
USC’s allowed an average kick return of 25.3 yards this season, which ranks 114th nationally. It didn’t matter Saturday night, but that’s an aspect of the game that could prove to be costly on the wrong night against a better team.
(Photo by Caleb Williams, Austin Jones: Kaminoncea / Getty Images
