USC Football Mailbag: Who Will Emerge As the No. 2 Receiver?

How long will it take for a No. 2 receiver to emerge and who could that be?…Our weekly USC football mailbag seeks the answers.

Welcome to the Reign of Troy mailbag. This mailbag is a weekly feature, where we will answer your questions related to USC football.

If you have a question for the mailbag, send it in to @ReignOfTroy on Twitter or via email to reignoftroy@fansided.com.

Let’s get started:

How long should I be patient with these WRs? How long should I reasonably wait for a clear #2 man shows himself?— Brandon

For official reasons, you will have to wait until the season starts to make a proper evaluation; history has shown that a player may look like an All-American in practice but may not produce much on the field.

As far as a No. 2 receiver, it is an imperative that USC find one immediately if the offense wants to meet it’s true potential.

For the time being, it looks like Darreus Rogers will start opposite Juju Smith-Schuster, but don’t count out Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman as players who could push for starting jobs.

Pittman is especially intriguing because of his height, weight, speed and strength. Remember, there were some projecting him as a Sam linebacker at USC.

I saw that the Dallas Cowboys took eight days to “install.” How long will USC take with college players and a generally new staff?

USC completed all of their install in the spring, while the freshmen who were not available in spring received much of their install in the summer workouts.

In addition, the upperclassmen tutored them and showed them the ropes. The playbook is not massive, so they will pick it up quickly. That means the freshmen could make a run at that No. 2 spot.

Which would be more surprising to you: if this team went 10-2 or 5-7?— Kenneth

To be honest, neither would surprise me.

USC has Top 5 or 10 talent, but Clay Helton is arguably at the bottom of the Pac-12 in coaching. He has a lot to prove this season and if he does not win the Pac-12 title questions will be asked. If he fails to win the Pac-12 South, he will be on the hot seat.

If USC goes 5-7, Clay Helton won’t be there next season. Even during the sanctions the Trojans had a winning record. To dip below that with a full roster will be terminable.

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But, I would say it is more likely the Trojans win at least 9 games this coming season, with the potential for more.

What approach/mindset should USC take against Bama’s Offense? Stack the box and rely on DBs in man cover getting turnovers?— BigTimeFootball

That would seem to be Pendergast’s idea, he loves to load the box and blitz the strong safety.

USC has the size on defense to contend with Alabama’s offensive line, and Pendergast is an attacker.

This will especially be the case sense Alabama is breaking in another QB and will rely on the run game early to settle the new starter down.