Go beyond the scoreboard
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Lincoln Riley is telling you there’s still a chance. Now USC just has to take it.
Already out of the College Football Playoff race, USC can still make a statement in the Pac-12 against first-place and undefeated Washington on Saturday. The No. 5 Huskies are the first of three consecutive ranked opponents remaining for the Trojans, and the difficult stretch that includes No. 6 Oregon in Eugene and at home against No. 19 UCLA will decide USC’s position in the wide-open conference standings.
An undefeated finish, while improbable considering USC’s recent struggles, will have the Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) into the conference title game.
“You’ve got to bounce back and not miss these opportunities that are right here in front of our face,” Riley said, “and man, do we have a golden one right here.”
Four things to watch in USC’s game against the Huskies (8-0, 5-1 Pac-12) at the Coliseum on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (ABC):
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Battle of the Heisman Trophy candidates
(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)
They’ve jockeyed for position atop the Heisman leaderboard this season, now two of the best quarterbacks in the country will fight for Pac-12 positioning with the conference championship game less than a month away.
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. leads the country in total yards passing (2,945) while USC’s Caleb Williams ranks second with 2,646. The reigning Heisman winner’s 25 touchdown passes tops the country. Penix is one behind at 24.
“The quarterback has really good command of what they’re doing, and you can tell he and their staff are really in sync,” Riley said of Penix. “He’s really decisive with the ball.”
Penix overtook Williams for the best Heisman odds when he led the Huskies to a thrilling win over Oregon on Oct. 14 that put the Huskies in control of the Pac-12, but the redshirt senior’s chances for the coveted individual award slipped during the last two weeks. Penix threw four touchdowns to three interceptions in two close victories against Arizona State and Stanford.
Some consider USC’s Caleb Williams to be a shoo-in as the top pick in the NFL draft, but scouts say North Carolina’s Drake Maye is a candidate.
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Sack attack on Caleb Williams
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Williams built his Heisman resumé on improbable plays — near-sacks that became touchdowns; pirouettes in the pocket that turned into big gains. But the junior’s bid to become the award’s second repeat winner hasn’t resulted in the same magic.
Williams has been sacked 24 times in nine games compared to 29 in 13 games last season. Some are the product of an inconsistent offensive line that needed to integrate three new starters. Others have fallen on Williams trying to extend plays for too long. Helping the junior find the thin line that separates his phenomenal play-making from frustration has been “a constant battle,” Riley said.
“There’s times where you need to understand the situation and get the ball out of your hands … or there’s times where you know who you are as a player and you know how much work you put into plays when they break down,” Williams said. “So it’s a weird kind of challenge to be able to balance both, and I still struggle with it, I still fight it every day.”
Washington has the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 with 10 and just 4.2 tackles for loss a game, which ranks 117th in the country and 11th in the conference. The only defensive front with fewer tackles for loss is Cal, which averages 3.5 per game. The Bears hadn’t recorded a sack in Pac-12 play before dropping Williams four times last week.
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Eric Gentry makes it count
(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
After the Trojans outlasted Arizona in triple overtime, USC posted a graphic to social media touting linebacker Eric Gentry as a “difference maker.” The 6-foot-6 inside linebacker was seven-for-seven on tackle opportunities against the Wildcats and led the team in tackle, defense and run-defense grades, per Pro Football Focus.
“EG really is that guy,” the Instagram caption read.
Then he played two snaps the next game.
The junior’s inconsistent but effective playing time has been one of the major questions surrounding an inside linebacker group that has struggled to find its footing. He made a loud statement for a larger role last week, earning the start alongside Shane Lee against Cal and starring with six tackles, one for a loss, a forced fumble, an interception and two pass breakups.
But even after making his case for more playing time, Gentry was unfazed by his undefined spot in the rotation.
“I just do everything possible that I can do to get on the field,” he said Tuesday. “[Linebackers] coach [Brian] Odom told us if you get two reps, imagine all the work that you did to get those reps.”
USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch takes responsibility for the team’s poor defensive performance against explosive plays this season.
After Gentry missed all of spring camp and most of fall with an injury, he was “really, really rusty” to start the season, Riley said, which contributed to his fluctuating role. This week, Gentry confirmed his health is no longer a concern as he waits for a larger opportunity.
Gentry and Lee moving into the starting lineup for the first time this season displaced Mason Cobb and Tackett Curtis. Cobb finished with a season-high 15 tackles against Cal, including two for loss. Curtis, the freshman who had started every other game this season, had three tackles and a forced fumble and recovery on special teams.
Raesjon Davis, who appeared to be third in line at the position at the beginning of the season, had just two tackles against Cal in a diminished role.
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USC’s secondary out to prove itself
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
One team is the most explosive passing offense in the country. The other has a defense that has allowed backup quarterbacks to throw for career highs in consecutive weeks.
But USC cornerback Domani Jackson isn’t shying away from one of the most difficult matchups the Trojan secondary will face all season.
“They’re one of the top receiving corps in the nation,” Jackson said. “We’re going to prove why we’re the top DB corps in the nation.”
Washington is the only school in the country with two receivers averaging more than 100 yards receiving per game. Rome Odunze’s 113.4 yards rank fourth nationally, and Ja’Lynn Polk ranks eighth with 104.5 yards per game.
USC fans are tired of being told about what their “untrained” eyes are not seeing from Alex Grinch. As a result, Lincoln Riley is losing the fans’ trust.
The matchup will stress a depleted USC secondary that lost safety Zion Branch to a season-ending injury last week. After consecutive weeks with career-high tackles, Branch was making his first start in the place of injured redshirt senior Max Williams before suffering a left knee injury in the first half against the Bears.
Branch, a redshirt freshman, also missed all of last season because of a knee injury.
“Just terrible luck,” Riley said, “but I mean that kid is so — he’s so headstrong and so positive and so driven, he’ll come back way stronger from it.”
