What We Learned: How BYU grounded USC's Air Raid

If there was any tug-o-war Saturday over play-calling between Clay Helton and Graham Harrell, neither party is so much as hinting at such. Monday was Harrell’s turn to address the situation and he chuckled when asked if he called every play against BYU and if all those calls were then run.

“Yeah, yup,” Harrell laughed. “I called them all.”

It’s a compliment to USC’s first-year OC that so many would be cynical of this matter. It also speaks to the polarity of the Trojans’ past two performances. A week after being virtually unstoppable for three quarters against Stanford with a pass-first attack, the offense never reached fourth gear against BYU amid a shift to running the ball on early downs.

USC appeared to pick up where it left off against the Cardinal on the game’s opening drive, as Kedon Slovis completed six of seven passes in marching the offense down the field for a TD. Harrell said BYU, which was already dropping eight defenders in coverage, didn’t make any notable adjustment thereafter.

“They did the exact same thing almost every snap the entire game,” Harrell noted.

The biggest change came from USC following a pair of Slovis interceptions in the first quarter. After attempting 15 passes in the opening frame, he threw just 19 more the rest of the game. Harrell noted he needed to take some of the load off his freshman QB. After hearing Harrell lament the loss Monday -- he didn't address the media Saturday postgame -- it’s likely that the turnovers had a resounding effect on how he called the game.

“They made one more play than we did all night,” Harrell said. “If we take care of the football, we probably win the game, it’s probably not even in overtime.”

Regarding that final period, Harrell said he simply called what he felt. That included consecutive run plays to begin USC’s lone drive, which would support the notion that his trust just wasn’t quite there with his rookie quarterback. But throwing on third-and-6 presents its own risks because it’s a clear passing situation.

Harrell revealed that Malepeai missed a hole in the A-gap on first down, though a defender might have misdirected him by blowing through the backfield. Even in hindsight, Harrell said he wouldn’t change any of his three calls.

“No, I like them all,” he said. “That’s why I called them.”

With that said, Harrell attributed the offensive struggles to BYU’s defense as much as USC’s execution.

“I thought they did a really good job of being physical,” he said. “They deserve a lot of credit for that. I thought the D-line did a good job. If you’re only going to have three down there, they’ve got to do a really good job of holding points (of attack).”

BYU also tackled really well. Only two of USC’s 79 plays from scrimmage went for more than 15 yards. All five of its scoring drives required at least nine plays. That’s been a trend now over the first three games, and it suggests the Trojans lack breakaway speed among their skill players.

“I think they had a good game plan against us,” Harrell said. “We had long fields most the night. If you have long fields, you got to play pretty good to go score, if they’re not going to give you explosives. I think that was probably their game plan, to take away explosives.”

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It’s a blueprint that is sure to be dissected and duplicated in the weeks to come by future USC opponents. Harrell, whose confidence seems unyielding, expressed no concern about beating such a defensive alignment in the future, however.

“I think if they’re going to do that, we just got to dominate up front,” he said.

The offensive line’s stalemate in the trenches against a light BYU front would help explain the nearly two-yard disparity between USC’s three running backs across 41 attempts. The 230-pound Markese Stepp was able to impose his will enough to tally 5.9 yards a carry. The smaller but bullish Vavae Malepeai produced 4.2 yards a carry. Stephen Carr, whose style is prone to being patient more than hitting the hole, came away averaging just 2.4 yards a run.

Harrell provided his toughest critiques to the other position groups.

“I think as an entire unit, we got undetailed on some things,” he said. “With O-lineman, it’s usually steps, with receivers, a lot of the time it’s the depth of the routes, and I think with quarterbacks, when they get undetailed, you see it in decision-making. They kind of start guessing and skipping reads. That’s what I told him. No matter what happens, no matter what the situation is, we have to be disciplined and continue to go through your reads every single snap. …

“That was my message to not only Kedon but to the entire offense. We got to be detailed, and that comes down to being disciplined. That’s who we said we are.”

What they actually are is an intriguing but inconsistent 2-1 team, and everything they say and do will come into question until they prove otherwise.

Sometimes the only answer is winning.

FOOTNOTES

Freshman Wide receiver Bru McCoy participated in warmups, left the practice field for strength and conditioning and then returned to watch the final periods. Helton was clearly encouraged by his presence.

“It’s just the beginning. It’s going to take a while to get him back,” he cautioned. “… He’s a long way off from being where you need to be but it’s so good to see him healthy, see him smiling.”

McCoy’s eligibility waiver still has not been filed to the NCAA.

Defensive end Christian Rector (ankle) returned to practice.

Defensive back Greg Johnson is in the concussion protocol following a hard hit in the BYU game. Chase Williams took first-team reps at nickel.

Guard Andrew Vorhees is out indefinitely with a foot injury.

Sources tell me Monday’s practice was heavy on fundamentals but did not include tackling, which is similar to last week. Interim athletic director Dave Roberts briefly attended practice and addressed the team.

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