USC vs Cal Report Card 2016: Grading the Trojan Offense

Thursday night’s USC vs Cal game saw Sam Darnold and Ronald Jones put together strong showings, as the Trojans’ offense scored 40 points for the third time in four games.

Clay Helton’s Trojans won their fourth-straight game Thursday night on the back of the biggest offensive performance of the season.

USC set highs in plays, rushing yards, total yards and first half splits, as Cal couldn’t stop an offense that made it look awfully easy at times.

Here’s how each offensive unit graded out in the 45-24 win over the Golden Bears:

You can’t throw for five touchdowns and complete 72 percent of your passes without grading out highly. Darnold did just that on 18-of-25 passing for 231 yards and an interception.

He put the ball in tight windows, hooked up plenty with Darreus Rogers and JuJu Smith-Schuster and had a few slick scrambles in the first half.

But it wasn’t perfect. A pair of second quarter fumbles cost the Trojans big time, taking a 21-0 lead that looked destined for a massacre, and gave Cal life with 10 points off turnovers. It was a repeat of what happened against Colorado, and to a lesser extent Utah.

Although Darnold didn’t let a total red lining occur this time. USC continued to finish off drives, and neither fumble was a careless mistake.

The first was a strip sack by former Trojan defensive end Devante Wilson, while the second was a miscommunication with Ronald Jones on a run-pass option play.

Even still, Darnold has to be cleaner going forward. Not every defense is going to be as porous as Cal, and with a difficult trip to Seattle looming, three-turnover nights need to be cut down immediately.

USC’s running game against Cal was their best in a while. Scratch that– a very long time. Not since 2005 have the Trojans amassed as many rushing yards, finishing the night with 398, to go with an 8.3 yards per carry average.

Ronald Jones had the night of his life with 223 yards, Ware put together a stellar 130-yard night and the Trojans once again showed no signs of missing starting running back Justin Davis.

All told, USC’s 718 rushing yards in the past two games combined is the most for the Trojans in a two-game span since 2005, when the team recorded 738 in the iconic Reggie Bush games vs. Fresno State and UCLA.

That said, Cal’s rush defense was a disaster going in, and had the Trojans not put up a ton of yards, it’d have been a disappointment. But USC did what good teams are supposed to do, and took advantage of big running lanes, made defenders miss and ran all over the Bears.

Sam Darnold threw five touchdowns, but it didn’t feel like a pass-game onslaught for USC’s receivers vs. Cal, completing just 18 passes.

Having said that, the Trojans’ top two options of Darreus Rogers and Juju Smith-Schuster performed admirably.

For Rogers, Thursday was a career night with six catches for 97 yards, including his first ever two-touchdown performance. Smith-Schuster bounced back from a back spasm scare against Arizona with a sold six catch night himself.

The only ding on the receiving corps? A lack of distribution, which is every bit on Darnold as the receivers. But when you’re running the ball at an 8.3-yard clip, racking up a ton of receptions isn’t exactly the priority.

Deontay Burnett, who took over for the injured Steven Mitchell at slot receiver only caught one pass for the second-straight week. And just like against Arizona, it went for a score.

Any time the running game finishes with 398 yards on the ground, the offensive line is going to get a ton of credit up front. USC’s line deserves just that, carving large running lanes for Trojan running backs Ronald Jones and Aca’Cedric Ware.

Led by a strong game from both Nico Falah and Zach Banner, the offensive line had success driving the run game from right to left with clean out blocks on the backside, making it easy for the backs.

In pass protection, it was more hit and miss as it’s been all year. While they were bailed out with Sam Darnold’s feet at times, the first turnover the game could be credited to left tackle Chad Wheeler.

The senior got beat off the line by Bear defensive end Devante Wilson, leading to a blindside strip of Sam Darnold. The Trojans couldn’t jump on the football and it led to Cal’s first points of the game, a 22-yard touchdown pass to Tre Watson moments later.

USC ran 73 plays against Cal, with run-pass ratio of 43:30, if you count Sam Darnold’s five credited carries as pass plays. That’s the ideal run-pass balance the Trojans should strive for, especially against a team like the Bears, who have struggled mightily to stop the run.

While in past games, Tee Martin’s offense deployed a drive by drive running back rotation that could be stagnant at times with three backs splitting duties, USC went simple Thursday night, alternating solely between Ronald Jones and Aca’Cedric Ware.

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The result was that both backs were able to get in a rhythm, while also maintaining their freshness throughout, combining for 38 carries.

The question remains what will happen to USC’s running back rotation once Justin Davis comes back from a high ankle sprain. The senior likely won’t get Wally Pipped out of his starting job, but the Trojans’ run game has been stellar with out him, and seemingly more efficient given the simplicity of the rotation.

In the pass game, Martin’s mix of intermediate and long shots downfield worked, taking advantage of lulls in Cal’s secondary.

Though USC didn’t connect on deep balls to Darreus Rogers and JuJu Smith-Schuster at times, the plays were executed and well-timed within the attack. They would have resulted in points, had Darnold’s passes led his receivers.