USC 7, Syracuse 0 in the 2nd Quarter

Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

The USC Trojans’ trip to New Jersey to take on Syracuse has gotten off to a slow start, as seen with a scoreless first quarter.

In the first quarter, the Trojan had just 71 yards on offense and were forced to go for it on fourth down three times, converting just once.

Repeated use of screen passes to Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, combined with a lack of push up front limited the offensive production for USC, and it wasn’t until the first drive of the second quarter that the Trojans were able to get leverage up front.

Curtis McNeal found gaps and Marqise Lee was wide open on a slant over the middle for a score, as the Trojans put it together to take a 7-point first half lead. On the drive, McNeal had three carries for 42 yards, and looked the best he has in 2012 to date.

Defensively, the Trojans have kept Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib in check so far, as he’s just 5 of 12 for 35 yards on the day, in addition to throwing an interception to Dion Bailey early in the first quarter. Morgan Breslin had his second sack of the season in the first quarter, despite Wes Horton returning to the defensive line.