USC Offense: Downfield Air Raid Must Be Unleashed
The USC offense did not impress against a young and inexperienced Arizona defense in week two. Even with great field position throughout, the Trojans struggled to score until the last five minutes of the game for the second straight week.
With the short passing game being used early and often, there’s one adjustment that can make this Trojan offense maximize its potential. It’s time for takeoff, and to allow Kedon Slovis to utilize the air raid downfield attack.
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While Slovis’ arm didn’t look great against the Wildcats, the lack of deep passing allowed Arizona to play the short game all afternoon. This shouldn’t be the case with the Trojans receiving core that has four unique and standout talents. This includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Bru McCoy and Tyler Vaughns.
Not to mention the three starting-caliber running backs in the back field with Vavae Malepeai, Stephen Carr and Markese Stepp. It’s time for the Trojans to unleash their offense against a younger Utah defense.
The Utes lost nine defensive players to the NFL this offseason, and USC must take advantage. Slovis and this group of pass fathers need to overpower the young defensive backs of Utah, as two of the starters on Saturday will be freshmen. Utah lost cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and safeties Terrell Burgess and Julian Blackmon in the 2020 NFL draft.
In the game against Arizona, of Slovis’ 325 passing yards, 143 of them came during the final two drives. During the last two offensive possessions for USC, Slovis completed 13/14 pass attempts. Prior to the last 7:42 of the game, Slovis only averaged 6.3 yards per attempt, which needs to increase against Utah so the Trojans don’t have to put together another miraculous comeback.
Kyle Whittingham has yet to lose a home opener while at Utah, and the Utes will look to keep that unbeaten streak alive. It’s apparent that USC needs to let its talented gun-slinging QB survey the full field, and allow him to find openings deep in the secondary. USC will have to open their playbook from the get-go, not just when they're trailing in the fourth quarter. It's time to let that offense go air-raid Clay Helton, and trust your all-American caliber quarterback to win the game.
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