USC vs. Utah 5 things to watch: Trojans to 'attack it harder'

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Behind closed gates and high walls, everything looks great for USC. Emboldened by their first loss of the year, the Trojans returned to the practice field with “a little more edge,” offensive lineman Jonah Monheim said, “a little more fire.”

But Monheim knows just being the team that practices well when no one is around to see it won’t make noise on game day.

“When the results aren’t there, it doesn’t really matter how [practice] went,” the redshirt junior said. “You gotta change it, you gotta attack it harder, do it better, dig deeper.”

After weeks of declining game-day performances culminated in an embarrassing loss to rival Notre Dame, No. 18 USC (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) will try to steady its season against No. 14 Utah.

In retrospect, the Trojans were “maybe asleep at the wheel a little bit” during preparation for Arizona, coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday. They needed triple overtime to survive in the Coliseum. But after a strong week of practice, USC flopped against Notre Dame.

Pushing into the second half of the season, there aren’t many wholesale changes that can be done to the practices, Riley acknowledged. But the Trojans have created more opportunities for “competitive work” amid a difficult schedule that has three ranked opponents and a crosstown rivalry game in the next five weeks.

“We’ve got to carry over what we’re doing on the practice field and go turn it loose and go cut it loose and just play,” Riley said. “That I think is a bigger issue for us right now than maybe the preparation.”

Here are five things to watch in USC’s game against the Utes (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) at the Coliseum on Saturday at 5 p.m. PDT (Fox):

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Ongoing battle up front

USC offensive lineman Mason Murphy (76) and teammates look up to the scoreboard during a win over Stanford on Sept. 10.

The Trojans are exploring possible lineup changes on the offensive line after giving up a season-worst six sacks against Notre Dame, which followed four sacks against Arizona.

Monheim, in his first year at left tackle, has been the most consistent lineman, offensive line coach Josh Henson said. But no one else is safe from possible position moves, the assistant coach added.

Mason Murphy and Michael Tarquin are already battling at right tackle, where Murphy has finished each of the last two games after Tarquin struggled in the starting role. Henson also highlighted sophomore Kilian O’Connor, the walk-on backup center, as someone who is pushing for a larger role behind starter and team captain Justin Dedich.

“He’s a tough-ass kid, man,” Riley said of O’Connor. “He works hard. He has a great approach. He’s a fighter.”

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Dorian Singer lost in the shuffle

USC wide receiver Dorian Singer catches a pass against Nevada on Sept. 2.

Dorian Singer was a star at Arizona. At USC, he has somehow turned into an afterthought.

The transfer receiver has just 14 catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns in seven games with the Trojans. Last year, he had four games of 100 yards or more en route to a career-high 1,105 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 66 catches for the Wildcats.

Quarterback Caleb Williams was targeting Singer in the first half against Notre Dame when a mistake and a tipped pass resulted in the quarterback’s second interception of the game. While Singer joined the team as the only transfer receiver among several returners hoping to step up after Jordan Addison’s departure, “it’s fair to say [Singer and Williams] haven’t been completely on the same page,” Riley said.

While Singer works to secure a larger role, other receivers are moving toward larger roles, like Michael Jackson III, who led the team with six catches against Notre Dame. The junior missed the first game of the season, but has 14 catches for 138 yards and one touchdown this season.

“Dorian’s a good weapon, he’s a really good player,” Riley said. “We feel like he’s really close to breaking through because he does a lot of things that excite you, but like all of us he’s fighting the consistency battle and he’s got to get more consistent, as does obviously Caleb and the rest of the offense.”

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Zachariah Branch is back

USC wide receiver receiver Zachariah Branch dives for the end zone against Stanford on Sept. 9.

When Zachariah Branch met with reporters after practice Tuesday, the dynamic freshman was still catching his breath after running extra sprints. The additional workouts were penance for committing the ultimate sin.

Getting caught from behind on a punt return.

“I can’t do it again,” Branch said, who was chased down on his 60-yard punt return at Notre Dame by Fighting Irish punter Bryce McFerson.

Despite the blooper that garnered razzing from Branch’s own father, a speed and track coach who sent his youngest son extra workouts, the freshman’s dynamic return was a welcome sight for the Trojans. He missed the previous two games because of an undisclosed injury suffered in the first quarter against Arizona State.

With the Trojans in need of any dynamic play-making, Branch showed his versatility with two catches for 17 yards and, in a flashback to his middle school running back days, lined up in the backfield for two carries for 17 yards. His biggest impact was on special teams, where he had 46 yards on three kick returns and 86 yards on four punt returns. The Trojans had 89 total punt and kick return yards in the previous two games without Branch.

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Defensive progress, but USC needs to improve

USC safety Calen Bullock follows a play during a win over Arizona on Oct. 7.

The critics were, for a rare week, hushed. But even a season-best 251 yards allowed didn’t ease defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s worries about his defense because the most important stat was still the scoreboard where the Trojans took their first loss of the year.

“I absolutely did [see progress],” he said, “but those are hollow words.”

The Trojans still gave up 5.1 yards per play as Notre Dame scored three touchdowns on short fields caused by USC interceptions. Riley lamented the offense’s ineffectiveness that put the defense in bad positions. Defensive players didn’t accept the excuse.

“At the end of the day, they still gotta score points and if we let them in the end zone, that’s on us also,” safety Calen Bullock said. “So they put points up on us, even if the offense did turn the ball over, we still gotta get the ball back to them.”

Although they entered the game as the nation’s leader in tackles for loss, the Trojans tallied just one against Notre Dame, and for the first time this season, didn’t notch a sack.

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Tackett Curtis clicking into place

USC linebacker Tackett Curtis tackles Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the Trojans' win on Sept. 30.

He got leveled by an opposing running back, ejected for targeting and missed more assignments than most would care to revisit. But each of Tackett Curtis’ mistakes, and every subsequent correction, led him to his best game yet: a career-high eight tackles as one of the few bright spots of a dreary loss to Notre Dame.

The one every-game starter of a rotating inside linebacker group, Curtis may finally be finding his footing. After relying on his veteran teammates to explain the scheme, he can now answer their questions. From second-guessing his understanding of the system, Curtis is now playing at full speed, showing the natural instincts that turned him into a highly touted four-star prospect.

“It’s all part of the process,” Curtis said. “It’s going to be good, some bad. … There’s stuff that I messed up on over and over and over and over again and then one practice, it just finally clicks and it just stays and you never mess up on it again.”

Coaches have been unflinching in their belief of the freshman. At first, he rose into the starting lineup because of injuries to veterans such as Eric Gentry and Shane Lee. But as the season progressed his gradual improvement has kept him at the front of the line.

“Credit goes to him to just keep swinging,” Grinch said. “I think you saw glimpses of what that kid’s going to be.”

USC vs. Utah five things to watch: Trojans plan to ‘attack it harder’ after loss

Ongoing battle up front

Dorian Singer lost in the shuffle

Zachariah Branch is back

Defensive progress, but USC needs to improve

Tackett Curtis clicking into place

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