USC vs. Cal: Trojans don’t look like title contender, but they finish

USC vs. Cal was another ugly Trojan win. After early struggles, USC doesn’t look like a national title contender, but they know how to finish and that’s a start.

Fears that USC vs. Cal could be a Trojan trap game turned out to be well-founded. A formerly 3-0 Bear team welcomed USC into Memorial Stadium and they didn’t take it easy on the Trojans. Nor did the Trojans make it easy on themselves, before notching a 30-20 victory.

Once again, USC was a double-digit favorite and once again the Trojans allowed a lesser opponent to hang around far longer than they should have.

Once again, USC’s defense started slow. Once again, USC’s offense struggled with inconsistency. Once again, the Trojans as a whole were hampered by sloppiness.

And once again, USC walked out of a stadium with a victory in spite of all those things.

Complaints after the fourth win of the season are valid and warranted. USC can only survive so many more of these type of performances.

That’s not to say there weren’t positives to take from the Cal game. There are always positives.

Freshman running back Stephen Carr has shown no signs of slowing. He gained 82 yards on a full load of 20 carries, adding 47 yards on six catches. He averaged nearly five yards per touch.

The more he plays, the more he warrants a featured role in the offense and the more USC fans can take heart in the idea that while Sam Darnold may leave after the season, the Trojans will not be left void of offensive stars to build around.

Defensively, Christian Rector continued his playmaking ways in his first career start. He had two sacks, two hurries and a forced fumble.

Another first-time starter, Ykili Ross, delivered on his ball-hawking practice performances by picking off Cal’s Ross Bowers.

Meanwhile, Jack Jones put in his best performance as a Trojan, nabbing two interceptions, and Uchenna Nwosu kept his fledgling All-American campaign going strong with another pass break up, fumble recovery and a hurry.

The trouble is, a six-turnover day for the defense doesn’t totally wipe the bad taste from the mouth of many who watched USC waste their potential for three quarters.

Even though they bounced back from a rough start, USC’s defense gave up four fourth down conversion in six tries for the Bears. They also allowed Cal’s offense to gain 416 total yards.

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On offense, the picture was even uglier. Darnold threw a seventh interception on the season and probably should have been picked another two times.

The Trojan offensive line struggled to control the line of scrimmage, contributing to Darnold’s off day by keeping him under duress. Their efforts in the run game weren’t enough to take the pressure off, either. Especially when breakdowns in the trenches contributed to USC’s 0-for-2 mark on fourth down conversions.

All in all, the No. 5 Trojans do not look like a national championship contender. But they look like a team that finishes stronger than the opposition. And that’s enough for now.

This time last year, Clay Helton’s team was 1-3. After a sluggish start, USC flipped the switch in Week 5 and never looked back.

For USC in 2017, now sitting at a much-preferable 4-0, it’s all about the next week, the next game, the next result.