NFL
By George Lopez
The USC Trojans return to action this Saturday as they host former Trojans coach Clay Helton and the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Trojans will look to build on their momentum following their impressive 73-13 victory over Missouri State in week one. The 73 points were the most scored by the Trojans since 1930. Georgia Southern is looking to bounce back following their 42-14 week one defeat to Fresno St.
In their victory over Missouri St., Trojans quarterback Jaden Maiava had an impressive season debut. Maiava completed 15-18 passes for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns. Maiava also added a rushing touchdown. What made this more impressive was the fact that Maiava put up these numbers in just one half of the game. With a large halftime lead, the Trojans were able to play their highly regarded freshman quarterback, Husan Longstreet, in the second half. Longstreet went a perfect 9-9 and 1 touchdown, and rushed for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns in the second half. Both Maiava and Longstreet were able to spread the ball around, completing passes to 14 different receivers. Leading the team was Makai Lemon with 7 receptions for 90 yards. Look for head coach Lincoln Riley to continue spreading the ball around to multiple receivers in his passing attack.
The Trojans’ final stats showed a balanced offensive attack, with 27 pass attempts and 30 rushing attempts. The Trojans were able to amass 233 rushing yards on their 30 carries. The top three running backs, Waymond Jordan, Eli Sanders, and Bryan Jackson, accounted for 86 yards on 15 carries and 2 touchdowns. Look for the Trojans to continue using a balanced offensive attack against the Eagles this week.
Defensively, the Trojans held Missouri St. to 224 yards of total offense. The Trojans’ run defense held Missouri St. to 65 yards on 29 carries. The defensive front was able to get off their blocks quickly and close up inside running lanes, while the linebackers showed lateral quickness while maintaining their run discipline and limiting the opportunity for Missouri St runners to get to the outside. The Trojans’ pass rush was able to put pressure on the Bears quarterback throughout the game, accounting for 5 sacks and forcing 2 interceptions. The Trojans’ secondary did have some lapses in pass coverage, particularly leaving a Missouri State receiver unaccounted for in the end zone on an endzone 4th down play that allowed Missouri State to score their only touchdown of the game. During practice this week, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and his defensive coaching staff were hard at work addressing this issue to limit the mistakes that can hurt the Trojans in future games.
Offensively, Georgia Southern is led by quarterback JC French IV. In the game against Fresno St., French completed 17-28 passes for 158 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. French was not able to stretch the field against the Fresno St. secondary, as the top receiver for the Eagles accounted for 55 receiving yards. Fresno St. did not register a sack against French, but look for the Trojans’ defense to be aggressive with their pass rush to put pressure on French. In terms of receptions, Camden Brown and Josh Dallas led the Eagles with 4 and 5 receptions, respectively. Look for the Trojans’ secondary to key on Brown and Dallas to limit their productivity in the Eagles’ passing game.
The Eagles rushed for 84 on 21 carries against the Bulldogs. O.J. Arnold led the team with 41 yards on 9 carries. David Mbadinga was second on the team with 20 yards on 4 attempts. Look for the Eagles to work on establishing the run early against the Trojans’ defense in an attempt to slow down the pass rush. The Trojans’ defensive front will look to get off their blocks and close up the inside running lanes, and maintain outside containment to force the Eagles’ runners back inside.
Georgia Southern is looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Fresno State, while the men of Troy will look to build on their impressive 60-point opening weekend win over Missouri State. Look for the Trojans to use a balanced offensive attack and swarming defense to improve their record to 2-0 this season.
