Three Takeaways From USC's 2020 Season
The 2020 season has officially come to a close for the USC Trojans. And instead of heading down south to play in the Alamo Bowl, the Trojans will spend the holiday season with their families, after a challenging season of sacrifice, dedication and grit.
While we commend the entire coaching staff and players for their discipline playing football during a global pandemic, we can't wrap up the 2020 season without giving some takeaways and feedback on the Trojans play.
Here are three takeaways from USC's 2020 CFB season:
4th Quarter Comebacks Only Take You So Far
One constant theme for USC this season was their ability to fight through adversity and finish late in the game. The Trojans had three comeback victories this season all with two minutes on the clock against Arizona State, Arizona and UCLA.
- ASU with 1:20 left in the game.
- Arizona with 0:25 left in the game.
-UCLA with 0:16 left in the game
Despite the Trojans making a handful of mistakes early on in each of these matchup's their errors seemed to be overshadowed by the thrilling last minute victories.
In the Arizona State game the Trojans went 7-19 on third, 5-8 on fourth, 5-59 on penalties, and had four turnovers. Against Arizona they went 5-13 on third, 1-2 on fourth, 7-80 on penalties with one turnover. And against UCLA they went 11-18 on third, 0-0 on fourth, 5-60 on penalties and had two turnovers.
During the Pac-12 Championship game against Oregon, USC struggled to make the same mistakes they had been making all season. However, this time, against a strong Oregon defense, they found themselves beat. The Trojans went 9-90 on penalties and had three turnovers, one late in the fourth quarter which solidified the score once Oregon regained possession.
What fans saw last Friday was an example of the Trojans luck running out. 4th quarter comeback victories can only take you so far. That is not to discredit USC's heart and fight that was displayed until the clock hit 0:00, but taking care of small mistakes early on is what helps you win football games.
USC's Offensive Line Needed To Setup
If you watched the Pac-12 Championship last Friday, you may have noticed that USC's offense didn't have their best game. Three interceptions, 28/52 completion attempts and an offensive front that was out-beat on all cylinders, gave the Ducks a clear advantage over USC.
Maybe it was the result of playing three games in 13 days, but the Trojans had a tough time protecting Slovis' in the pocket and supporting their skill position players. Oregon's coverage was well executed and planned out. They were able to contain USC's ground game as well as pressure Slovis' all night long and gain three sacks on the QB which wore him down.
Going forward, USC's offensive line needs to be able to execute better and provide protection for their young QB. The Trojans need to be able to react to fast and explosive defense's (like Oregon) and make quick adjustments when needed.
Trojans Run Game Could Improve
“It's something that we always want to improve on. I think it's a mark of a good offense, to be able to run the ball when needed" said Clay Helton when talking about USC's run game mid-season.
USC's run game is notably a work in progress, as they definitely default to their pass catchers to make a majority of their plays. However, dominant teams find a way to run the football.
Taking a look at some stats from 2020 thus far, Alabama has 2,088 rushing yards, Ohio State 1,654, Notre Dame 2,394, Clemson 1,802.
The Trojans finished the 2020 season with 584 yards rushing and 1,916 yards passing.
If USC is able to find consistency, stabilizing a solid run and pass balance, their offense could be even more weaponizing with the talent on their roster.
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