On its bye week, USC is 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. The pair of losses have in effect eliminated the Trojans from contention for the College Football Playoff, and their up-and-down performance has reinvigorated skepticism among fans about the long-term future under Clay Helton, who is now in his third full season.
Despite some of the frustration, the Trojans ended September in similar fashion as last season, when they won the Pac-12 Conference for the first time in the expansion era. Their conference record again sits 2-1 at this point on the calendar. Last fall, USC would win its final six conference games, finishing 8-1 in conference to capture the South Division, earning a trip to the conference championship game, where it prevailed over Stanford.
USC has a pretty clear path toward another division title and returning to Santa Clara. For argument’s sake, let’s say the Trojans need to finish 7-2 to win the Pac-12 South outright. It was 8-1 last season, but was two games ahead of Arizona State. That means they need to win five of their final six Pac-12 games. The schedule goes:
- Oct. 13 vs. Colorado
- Oct. 20 at Utah
- Oct. 27 vs. Arizona State
- Nov. 3 at Oregon State
- Nov. 10 vs. Cal
- Nov. 17 at UCLA
That’s pretty manageable. Not to mention two of the six games are outside the Los Angels area.
To be sure, winning the Pac-12 South isn’t much of a feat. It’s likely the worst Power 5 Conference division this season. However, a return trip to the conference title game for the Trojans would offer a rematch with Stanford or their first matchup with Oregon or Washington since 2016. Coupled with the regular-season finale against playoff-contending Notre Dame, the two-week stretch would serve as a useful barometer of where the program sits in the landscape.
Let’s get to some questions and assess a few more things. In the future, you can send questions to me on Twitter @joeyrkaufman or through an email at jkaufman@scng.com.
What can be done about the penalties. Asking for thousands of Trojan fans
— Joel Shiffman (@joels5370) October 1, 2018
It’s a common topic in the program this week after the Trojans were flagged 18 times at Arizona, their most in a game since 1999.
When coaches and players met for their team meeting on Monday, Helton replayed clips of all penalties to offer corrections. The hope is that the review and added focus would suffice.
Helton has mentioned at several points in recent days that there were three types of penalties: administrative (i.e. offsides or illegal formation), fundamental-technique (i.e. holding) and decision-making (i.e. personal foul for unnecessary roughness).
Among the three varieties, Helton thought that issues such as holding could be corrected in practice. Some of them may be due to inexperience as well. Two of the four personal-foul penalties committed at Arizona were by true freshmen, including cornerback Olaijah Griffin and safety Talanoa Hufanga.
But I’m skeptical this issue will fade much. The Trojans were heavily penalized under Pete Carroll and in more recent seasons as well. Only once this decade has USC not been in the top quarter of the most penalized teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Under Helton, it was the fifth-most penalized team in the nation last season and eighth-most in 2016. So far this season, it’s right in that ballpark. The Trojans are the sixth-most penalized team.
Rewatched the game. The team actually played well for the first 3 quarters plus. Then the wheels came off. Coaches/players have any insight on that?
— Tom T (@TTolman) October 2, 2018
This is a good observation. USC, basically, fell apart in the fourth quarter, the only period in which it was held scoreless. Through the first three quarters, it averaged 7.7 yards per play, including an average of 7.0 yards per rush attempt. In the fourth quarter, they averaged 2.9 yards per play with an average of 2.3 yards per rush attempt.
A few things likely contributed. The Trojans rarely attempted a pass in the fourth quarter, and their running game appears to be aided by the threat of quarterback JT Daniels’ arm talent. They also had costly penalties, including a pair of false starts, setting them back, and even more critical turnovers, twice fumbling in their own territory at the onset of drives. Daniels was strip-sacked on a second-and-10 at their 33-yard line. Tight end Josh Falo fumbled near midfield on the next drive.
Helton has cited turnovers as the biggest inhibitor. The Trojans could have also led 31-0 at halftime had they not botched a snap in the red zone near the end of the second quarter. It’s hard to win on the road when you finish with a minus-2 turnover margin, but the Trojans did and should’ve routed the Wildcats had they not been as sloppy late.
“We got to cut the mistakes out and have a clean game,” Helton said a day after the game. “If you do, you’re going to have a four-quarter game there, and there’s going to be tremendous separation. It didn’t happen because of the mistakes. It’s a learning deal.”
What’s the deal with Daniel Imatorhobhebe (or his brother for that matter). Will we ever see them on the field again?
— ClipperPed (@clipperped) October 2, 2018
Wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe has not played this season due to a high ankle sprain, but he has practiced since last week on a limited basis and appeared to make strides in his recovery, including a catch in 7-on-7 drills on Tuesday.
Daniel Imatorbhebhe, the redshirt junior tight end, is more of an enigma, as he has not returned to practice this season due to a nagging hip flexor injury. Helton said the elder Imatorbhebhe has shown progress and has not ruled out his return for later this season.
“I’m crossing my fingers that he gets better each and every week, and my main priority for him is to be healthy and for him to be full speed,” Helton said this week. “We’re committed to that. Whether that’s next week or next year. I’m committed to make sure that he’s comfortable in his body and his own health.”
It’s worth recalling Daniel Imatorbhebhe’s availability from last season. He appeared in the opener against Western Michigan, but was then shut down until he returned for Week 8 at Notre Dame and played the rest of the season. Perhaps a similar path could unfold this fall.
Helton has mentioned a few times that he needs to feel “comfortable,” so I asked if there was at all a mental hurdle for the tight end to overcome.
“Any time that you deal with an injury that holds you out for a period of time, there’s obviously a confidence level that comes with that,” Helton said. “I’ll tell you what, he’s a kid that’s the first one in every day, trying to get better. He works with (Associate Athletic Director for Sports Science and Performance) Dr. (John) Meyer. And I appreciate that. He’s working to try to get back for his brothers. When it’s right, it’s right.”
Whatever happened to USC’s offensive lineman pipeline? Seems like no one after Tyron Smith.
— kingcambie (@kingcambie) October 2, 2018
It’s thin on top talent, an issue I’ve touched on previously. The last time a USC offensive linemen was selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft was left tackle Matt Kalil, who was selected fourth overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. You can cite a range of factors, most likely poor talent identification or poor player development. The concern isn’t likely to go away either. Although the Trojans feature three senior offensive linemen, it’s possible none will be drafted. The website WalterFootball.com lists 70 offensive tackle, guard and center prospects for next year’s draft. Neither Chuma Edoga, Chris Brown nor Toa Lobendahn are included.
Bubba Bolden did an Instagram post that he is back.
Any updates ?— Traci Mars (@TraciMars) October 3, 2018
Sophomore safety Bubba Bolden, who has been away from the team since Aug. 30, has posted six times on his Instagram page in that span, teasing a potential return to the field. Bolden, though, has not been back on the practice field at any point, and Helton has not commented on when, or if, Bolden might return. As a general rule, I don’t recommend reading much into social-media posts.
Just out of curiosity how is our recruiting class for next year shaping up? Who are some big targets you think we have a legitimate shot in getting and do you think they’ll have an immediate impact to our program?
— michael madden (@michaelmadden08) October 3, 2018
Probably a good time to take a recruiting question. With the bye week, USC’s coaches will be making some recruiting trips this weekend watch some prospects. The recruiting class for 2019 currently ranks 23rd nationally in the 247Sports Composite with 14 commits, including seven four-star prospects and seven three-star prospects. The Trojans typically make a mad dash at the finish line, so this is about on par with previous seasons.
One player to keep an eye on is uncommitted Mater Dei two-way star Bru McCoy, who could make an impact at wide receiver or at linebacker should he opt to play for the Trojans. His former teammates Daniels and Amon-Ra St. Brown certainly have. Earlier this summer, friend of the mailbag Mike Piellucci profiled McCoy for Bleacher Report, and the feature ends with the question of whether Daniels can persuade McCoy to pick USC.
“I’d put money on it,” Daniels told Piellucci.
The Mater Dei pipeline has worked out lately.