LOS ANGELES — USC overcame an 11-point halftime deficit with a dominant second half and pulled away from Wisconsin for an impressive 38-21 victory on Saturday afternoon. There is plenty to discuss, so let’s sort through some final thoughts from the Trojans’ victory.
1. Naturally, we have to start with USC’s offensive line since that was one of the big topics of discussion (as far as on-field matters go) this past week.
The Trojans stuck with the same starting line that struggled against Michigan with one exception. Redshirt freshman Amos Talalele started at right guard instead of sophomore Alani Noa. But Talalele and Noa alternated series in the first half, and Noa played more snaps (53 to 29) overall, per TruMedia.
After rewatching the game, it’s pretty clear the offensive line played better than it did against Michigan. The stats back that up. But there are still some issues. According to Pro Football Focus, quarterback Miller Moss was pressured on 29.8 percent of his dropbacks (down from 42.9 percent against Michigan) and USC allowed 14 pressures.
For the most part, the line held up fine against a four-man rush. Wisconsin’s blitzes gave the unit some issues, and that’s something that’s plagued the line since the LSU game.
Noa’s struggles stood out. There were some missed blocks and a critical false start that prevented the Trojans from going for it on fourth-and-1 in Wisconsin territory and forced them to settle for a field goal.
So, clearly, there are things the line still has to sort out. I realize backup center Kilian O’Connor remains out with an injury, but I wonder if the staff will turn to senior Gino Quinones, who is serving as the backup center right now, at right guard at some point.
The tackles are a bit inconsistent and so is the right guard. The Trojans need to patch up a hole somewhere because Moss is taking too many hits.
2. USC is a third of the way through the regular season, and it’s been fun to learn more about Moss as a player. Remember, this is his first stretch of extended playing time since his junior season of high school, back in 2019.
As I wrote after the game, his toughness stands out. So does his accuracy. That first-quarter touchdown pass to Ja’Kobi Lane required perfect placement, and Moss nailed it — and give credit to Lane for an outstanding catch.
There are some other, smaller things that stand out about Moss. One is how he utilizes the cadence to his advantage. He used a hard count in the fourth quarter against LSU to draw the Tigers offsides, and Moss threw the go-ahead touchdown to Lane on the free play.
He also got both Michigan and Wisconsin to jump offsides. It’s a small detail that can potentially impact the game.
And the other is how Moss keeps USC on schedule. With the exception of the disastrous first half against Michigan, the Trojans just haven’t been in third-and-long situations very often this season. Moss consistently takes what the defense gives him and generally keeps the offense out of unfavorable down-and-distance scenarios, which is critical with this offensive line.
The Trojans rank 23rd nationally in third-down conversions at 49.1 percent. They were 11 of 17 on third down against the Badgers.
As long as USC can keep Moss upright, it should be fine at quarterback.
MILLER!!!!
📺 @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/C0GSX8kaZ5
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 28, 2024
3. When you have those favorable third-down situations, it’s easier to control the clock like USC did on Saturday. There was a four-play sequence early in the fourth quarter when the Trojans picked up gains of 13, 10, 21 and 14 yards on consecutive plays.
It was clear Wisconsin’s defense ran out of gas. Through the first three games, the most plays the Badgers defense faced was 56 against Alabama. USC ran 82 plays on Saturday and controlled time of possession — 40:07 to 19:53. That was a critical aspect of the game.
“That’s a big turnaround from last week,” defensive lineman Nate Clifton said. “So obviously keep both sides of the ball kind of fresh. Defense is not always on the field the majority of the game, (we) get our legs back underneath us and always be able to come back to the sidelines and make adjustments as well.”
4. The other big topic this week was defensive lineman Bear Alexander, who decided to redshirt and sit out the remainder of the season. With Alexander out, USC needed someone to step up in its interior defensive line rotation.
Clifton, Gavin Meyer and Kobe Pepe have been constants on the inside for the defense. Against Wisconsin, Devan Thompkins played 18 snaps. That was the fourth most among the interior defensive linemen, so it’s likely Thompkins will step into that role.
No other interior D-lineman played, but USC’s defense was on the field for just 51 plays. Freshman Jide Abasiri figures to be a part of the rotation down the road.
5. I thought Wisconsin generated some good push against the Trojans defensive line in the first half. USC’s front was more stout against the run in the second half.
Again, the Trojans weren’t on the field a ton, but they are going to need more from the pass rush against better teams. USC failed to record a sack on Saturday for the second time this season.
The Trojans have five sacks through four games, which is tied for 110th nationally. That needs to improve.
6. Redshirt sophomore safety Zion Branch was on the field for a season-high 25 snaps against Wisconsin.
There was a third down in the first half in which Branch displayed some good closing speed to corral the Wisconsin ball carrier short of the sticks. That’s the sort of play many envisioned Branch making when he was a four-star recruit during the 2022 recruiting cycle.
Branch has been hampered by injuries, but it’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he will have on this defense if he remains healthy. He finished with two tackles and had some positive flashes.
7. CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell reported during the second half that USC’s athletic training staff checked out linebacker Eric Gentry for an apparent neck issue. Gentry was carted to the tunnel in the fourth quarter.
After the game, Gentry appeared to be OK. But that’ll be something to monitor as USC preps for Minnesota this week. Gentry still leads the Trojans in tackles (30), tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (two).
Eric Gentry in the tunnel after the game. #USC pic.twitter.com/FkueCufKTB
— Antonio Morales (@AntonioCMorales) September 28, 2024
8. Up next for USC is a trip to Minnesota. The Trojans opened as more than a touchdown favorite. Michigan is the only common opponent between the Trojans and Gophers, and both lost to the Wolverines by the same 27-24 score, over the past two weekends.
I’ve always believed that one of the games against Minnesota, Maryland or Rutgers was going to be more difficult than most expected.
There just aren’t many layups in the Big Ten. Is Minnesota super impressive? No, but it still has a defense that ranks sixth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.0).
Two things stick out to me about this game. USC has to be better in the first half after the way the past two weeks have unfolded — the Trojans have trailed by 11 points at halftime in both games.
And USC simply hasn’t played clean football on the road during Riley’s tenure, even against supposedly inferior teams like Arizona in 2022 or Arizona State and Cal last year.
This won’t be as tough of an environment as playing at Michigan. USC should win, but I expect Minnesota to present a solid challenge.
(Photo of Miller Moss: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
