Game Day Notes & Observations: USC 66 Nevada 14

When USC’s schedule was released and a 3:30 PM kickoff was set for the Labor Day Weekend, it wasn’t what Trojan fans hoped for. Mostly because the 1st weekend of September is hotter than Hades that time of year in Los Angeles. This leaves the fans with the next best choice, stay home and watch it on the PAC-12 Network.

I can’t remember the last time it rained in Southern California during the Labor Day Weekend. So I wasn’t upset when the day stayed gray and drizzly. Besides the humidity, it was a perfect day to watch USC football.

**Saw some Coastal Carolina fans walking around the Coliseum a few hours before the game. They weren’t lost. They wanted to check out the Natural History Museum before they headed over to USC’s other house in Pasadena.

**Justin Dedich and Caleb Williams are having a pregame bromance hug and they separate to work on perfect snaps with 45 minutes till kick-off. Last week Williams dropped a perfect snap that led to a TD. This week, the not-so-perfect snap had a different result with a loss on the play.

**Gino Quinones and Miller Moss are doing the same without the pregame hug. On a more somber note, during the game, Quinones went down with what looks like a right knee injury.

**Lincoln Riley and the medical staff were on the field before he was eventually helped off the field under his own power. Following the game, Riley said there was no update on the injury but they’re hoping for the best. But it was obvious he could not put any weight on the leg.

**Friday night, Scott Schrader dropped a hint that Raesjon Davis could get the start at linebacker. It was anticipated that Eric Gentry would be a snap count, but Mason Cobb was also out for the game. Both linebackers showed off their leadership during the team stretch giving out “attaboy” support taps and handshakes.

**Riley was able to sit the pair of backers because USC’s depth is much better in year 2, although I wonder if he would have made the same game-time decision had he known that Tackett Curtis was going to be ejected for targeting. He started alongside Davis.

**Curtis will be forced to sit out the first half of next Saturday’s contest against Stanford. Solomon Byrd said after the game that even he felt the hit from the collision’s impact. Byrd had another very strong performance. The stat sheet says 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, and a forced fumble.

**During the team’s Trojan Walk you sort of get a sense of the players’ personalities through the fashion statement. Kyron Hudson was wearing overalls but the pant legs were shorts. The freshman Elijah Hughes just turned 18 at the end of June, however, the big defensive end has an old soul and he’s wearing a Golden Girls T-shirt.–“Thank You for being my friend.”

**Once a Trojan, always a Trojan John Jackson III wears jersey No. 14 for the Wolfpack as I watch him go through warmups. I hope he has a great game. Postgame edit: JJ3 had 3 catches for 52 yards.

**It’s another late-arriving crowd with 30 minutes till kickoff. Even the student section is slow to fill the stands.

**The band Depeche Mode had a hit song called Get the Balance Right. And I understand DJ Malski has a job to do assisting the crowd get warmed up for the game. But it’s overwhelming and way too loud when you can’t even hear the Spirit of Troy enter the stadium. What makes it even more intolerable is when Malski is not screaming into the microphone or playing music, the commercials being shown on the giant scoreboard, the volume is cranked up drowning out the Trojans’ drumline.

**Where is the balance and the game day feel and atmosphere?

**Lincoln Riley tells the crowd before the game recognizing the Coliseum’s Centennial Birthday “100 years of great memories and it’s a blessing for all of us.”

**Eddie Czaplicki had his first touchback of the season during warmups. I’m kidding, but he did take one last kick from the 35-yard line while the rest of the team went back to the locker room for the final time.

**Cheryl Miller is the tunnel captain for the game. Cheryl still has that Trojan spirit with her fire-up-the-crowd speech

**Duces are wild with Romello Height and Brenden Rice leading the team sprint.

**I know it’s a tradition to boo the opposing team but when they’re riding a 10-game losing streak?

**Jordan Addison hanging out on the USC sideline before the game. I bumped into him near the end of the game on my way to the field.

**Nevada won the coin toss and deferred to 2nd half which means they should get the ball trailing 7-0.

1ST QTR.

**Zachariah Branch is standing deep and Tahj Washington is the up man to his left.

**The Nevada game plan was to kick it short with some direction during the game. Branch took the opening kick at the 10-yard line and only got to the 20. His overall punt return numbers were neutralized by not allowing clean catches. Also, the Wolfpack only kicked off three times all game, and Branch could only field one punt cleanly for 12 yards.

**Branch had just 41 total return yards, however, he did score a TD a few plays later. He got USC’s 1st TD with a 22-yard catch from Williams. It took USC just 4 plays to go 79 yards, and all 4 plays were passes, with Mario Williams targeted twice, one to Dorian Singer, and then Branch for the TD.

**Czaplicki’s first kick went to the goal line, and then Chris Thompson Jr. brought the BOOM with a shot that staggered the Wolfpack return man who was wobbly coming off the field.

**It took the USC just 4 plays to take a 7-0 lead.

**Nevada said, “defer to this.” It took the Wolfpack just 4 plays to go 85 yards and tie the score, and they did it in just 1:39. Domani gave up the big play of the game with a 72-yard completion. USC was in 0-Coverage with no deep safety help, leaving the corners on an island.

**MarShawn Lloyd rumbles for 30 yards before the horse collar takedown with no call. The big gain on the ground was followed up with a high snap from Dedich that was secured and shuffle-passed quickly to Lake McRee.

**Caleb’s next pass falls incomplete his 1st of the game a deep throw on 1st down.–Then another deep incomplete sideline route to Kyron. On 3rd down & 10 Caleb holds the ball too long before the ball is knocked away. Loss of 8 and a sack.

**What killed the drive was after Lloyd’s run, the next two throws were low-percentage that led to the fumble recovery by Caleb.

**USC’s defense is faced with a 3rd & 9 at the Wolfpack 11 and then Jamil Muhammad got the sack that he wanted so badly last week. The defense responded when the USC offense sputtered. It would be the first of 5 sacks on the game for USC’s defense.

**USC is moving the ball on their 3rd offensive series but Caleb is taking his time at the line of scrimmage inside Nevada territory. Two plays in a row the play clock got down to zero, and the second time Riley needed to call a timeout to avoid the delay of game penalty.

**It worked out for the Trojans. Coming out of the timeout Lloyd ran the ball again, this time 24 yards to the house. USC led 14-7 with 5:18 to play in the quarter.

**The Trojans can at will on the Wolfpack if they want. Lloyd has 59 yards on 3 carries.

**USC’s defense secured consecutive 3-and-outs. Punting to Branch who is standing at his 28 is returned 12 yards with a 15-yard facemask added on at the end. That would be the last kick that Branch fielded cleanly.

**When USC entered the La Victoria Red Zone, Dedich was called for a snap infraction penalty and that was before his 10-yard holding penalty. Justin had a rough 1st quarter but it didn’t stop the Trojans from scoring another TD when Caleb found Washington for a 22-yard TD. Unfortunately, this was the play when Gino was lost for the game.

**It was another 4-play scoring drive and a 21-7 lead with 2:13 still left in the 1st quarter. The Trojans have 225 yards in the quarter.

**The defense with another 3 and out. Bear Alexander disrupted the play at the snap and Jaylin Smith cleaned it up with the TFL. USC’s defense has given up just 89 yards in the quarter, with 81 through the air, and 75 on one play that went for a TD.

**Key stat: USC has 13 1st downs to Nevada’s 1. When the game was over, USC had 27 1st downs to Nevada’s 12.

2ND QTR.

**USC’s 1st play of the 2nd quarter is a Caleb QB-keeper that went for 46 yards. The entire time Williams is sprinting I think to myself, this is the exact run and part of the field when he pulled his hamstring.

**Michael Jackson III has an easy TD catch over the middle and he finished the score with a cool Michael Jackson impersonation in the end zone including the “Billie Jean” hat tip. The rout is on with a 28-7 lead and 14:08 to play.

**With over 10 minutes still to play in the half, USC is now down 3 linebackers because Curtis is ejected for targeting. There was nothing cheap about the hit, but it was targeting.

**Despite missing 3 main guys at linebacker, Shane Lee and Davis are doing great, and Lee looks much quicker than the previous season.

**Another holding call on the Trojans offensive line, their 3rd of the game. A couple of these are being helped along by Caleb holding onto the ball too long, making the Olinemen a little hand-grabby. It almost feels like Caleb is being too patient missing quick checkdowns, and focused on the big play more.

**Trojans lead 35-7 with 6:17 left in the half. Each of the scoring drives took 4 plays, however, No. 5 took just 3 plays to go 64 yards.

**All nine of USC’s touchdowns came on drives under 3:00 minutes (including the fumble recovery for a touchdown). The lone scoring drive by USC over three minutes was the 10-play, 79-yard drive which ended with a 37-yard field goal and took 4:42.

**Caleb is now 13-16 for 251 & 4tds, which means this week’s YAY or NAY is looking good right about now.

**USC got the ball back with 3:59 to play in the half and 42 points in one half feels inevitable. USC scored 5 TDs that took just 4 plays, and 1 series that took 3 plays.

**Head scratching play call.–Why did Lincoln just call a trick play up 35-7 against Nevada?

**The trick play goes for no gain, then on 2nd down Caleb forced a pass over the middle when McRee was wide open in the flat. The offense was thrown out of synch trying to get cute leading 35-7, and only used 48 seconds on the clock. Nevada did nothing to stop USC. USC stopped USC with an unnecessary trick play call against an inferior team.

**With a big lead it feels like the defense is playing loose and sloppy. Domani almost got beat again and a bogus Jack Sullivan roughing the QB penalty extends the drive. Eventually, the defense tightened things up when Calen Bullock knocked the ball away on a 4th and long. “Sticks” covered some ground with the deep help, while Raesjon Davis also had a strong series getting pressure.

**During the 2-minute drill at the end of the half, USC’s coaching staff is showing a lot of trust in running back Quinten Joyner who is in the game.

**It looks like the defense had a solid 1st half with a bunch of “three-and-outs” that also forced a long goal attempt of 54 yards that landed well short. Nevada tried this again later in the game, and Erik McKinney and I said, “Put Branch back there to catch the free kicks!”

**The defense gave up 181 yards in the half, with 75 of those yards coming on the TD pass while the run defense has allowed just 35 yards. When the game went final, the Trojans’ defense had given up just 49 rushing yards compared to the 190 from a week before.

3RD QTR.

**Nevada’s decision to defer did not make a difference. When the Trojans’ defense faced a 3rd & 1, they bowed up and got the stop. To be honest, I would have challenged the spot if I was the Nevada head coach.

**They’re kicking away from Zachariah on the punts toward the sideline.

**Miller Moss is warming up near the sidelines while Kliff Kingsbury is talking with Caleb in the huddle during the TV timeout.

**Coming out of the timeout USC took a 42-7 lead with a 45-yard pass on Washington’s 2nd TD catch of the game. Tahj got behind his defender and then found an extra gear. USC took their time on this drive when it took 7 plays and 2:59.

**Moss is coming in with the USC leading Nevada 42-7 and 3:12 left in the 3rd quarter. He had a great entrance too when the student section started chanting “We Want Miller…We Want Miller!!” The head cheerleader was Caleb Williams who finished with a stat line of 18-24, 319 yards, and 5TDs.

**Moss’s 1st play is handed off to Darwin Barlow for a 23-yard rumble and stumble.

**For the game, USC could have run the ball on every down.

USC Rushing 

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG0LLOYD, M77613010.921JOYNER,Q46514716.313WILLIAMS, C3420461422BARLOW, D220023106JONES, A2190129.5TMTEAM1-300-34WILLIAMS, M1-400-46 RUSHERS2021524710.8

4TH QTR.

**The game is well in hand and the offensive line backups are playing sloppy and undisciplined picking up penalties setting up a 1st down & 30.

**Denis Lynch gets a chance for a 37-yard FG attempt, his first of the season too. Lynch’s kick was perfect extending the lead to 45-7.

**The point spread was 38.5 before the game kicked off, so by this time, the crowd was heading for the exits.

**Maybe the crowd is tired of the piped-in music that makes the Spirit of Troy nothing more than a section of backup dancers while the Village People is playing YMCA.

**Super Freshman Braylan Shelby gets credit for a sack and forced fumble right into Stanley Ta’ufo’ou’s waiting arms for the pick-six. With the turnover, it makes USC even in the turnover battle for the season.

**USC leads 52-7 with 12:05 to play.

**Nevada is not going to go howling silently into the night. They just scored another TD with 11:18 to play and both of the TDs came on 75-yard passes.

**This time Anthony Beavers was beaten by his guy lined up in the slot position.

**Trojans lead 52-14, however, the Wolfpack lead in the time of possession from 27:44 to 21:16.

**Major Props to the Nevada cheerleaders who can dance to everything, including the YMCA song and the Spirit of Troy’s Conquest when they get to interrupt the DJ’s music.

**Quinten Joyner is special. He just went for 45 yards and the TD but not before he broke a tackle and turned on the finishing speed.

**Speaking of finishing speed! The game’s final score happened when Moss found Duce Robinson open down the seam. Perfect throw and catch at the high point, and then all 6′-6″ 225 lbs ran like a deer pulling away from the defenders chasing him. USC 66, Nevada 14.

**The No. 6 ranked Trojans did what they were anticipated to do when they played a team like the Wolfpack.

**There were lots of recruits on hand to watch the game and after the game, I was watching Annie Hanson play her version of “duck, duck, goose” as she tapped certain recruits on the shoulder to join the USC team in the locker room.

The post Game Day Notes & Observations: USC 66 Nevada 14 appeared first on On3.