USC tries to keep bowl hopes alive against No. 13 BYU

Adam Grosbard (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — With two games left in the season, the calculus is very simple for 4-6 USC: Win the last two, and make a bowl game. Lose either, and stay home during the postseason.

It’s a tenuous position for the Trojans, especially as they host a top-25 opponent in No. 13 BYU on Saturday for the final game at the Coliseum this season. And it’s not a usual one for a program with as storied a history. But it’s the hole USC has dug for itself.

It’s been a slow, painful spiral for USC this season that started with Clay Helton’s firing after Week 2 followed by a series of historic losses, capped off last weekend with a pummeling at the hands of UCLA.

As the spiral has worsened and the coaching search dragged on, USC’s 2022 recruiting class has taken hit after hit, including Wednesday’s de-commitment by four-star quarterback Devin Brown.

There’s little redemption to be had as USC waits for Helton’s successor to be named. But USC can give its seniors a final postseason appearance if it can shake off the disappointment of last weekend’s loss and rally first against the Cougars (9-2) and then Cal.

“The way that we started practice today we definitely didn’t bounce back. It was definitely slow so I had to get on a couple guys and fire guys back up,” interim head coach Donte Williams said on Tuesday. “As the practice kind of went on I felt a little more sense of urgency, I felt guys starting to pick it up, but at the same time coaches don’t lead teams to prominence and dominance. It has to be player-driven and right now we need some of those leaders to continue to step up.”

When BYU has the ball

During fall camp, it appeared as if the strength of this team would be its defense. The unit dominated most scrimmages and made it difficult for the USC offense to move the ball.

But that has not been the reality since games started. The Trojans are on pace to give up more points and yards per game than any USC team in history, and are struggling with the basic fundamentals of tackling and angles to the ball.

“You get beat on stuff and you’re in position to make it and you try to correct it,” defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. “It’s just a handful of critical mistakes. It’s hard to gather it all up at times because the why is sometimes just so small.”

The Cougars average 187.1 yards per game on the ground, led by Tyler Allegeier, who is fifth in the FBS in rushing yards per game (118.0) and second with 18 rushing touchdowns.

When USC has the ball

The last time USC played BYU was in 2019 in Provo. At the game was a lanky high school junior by the name of Jaxson Dart. The Trojans’ future quarterback had no rooting interest; his dad played at Utah, so he wasn’t particularly fond of either team growing up.

Two years later, the first thing he remembers from the game is not the overtime thriller itself but seeing USC punter Ben Griffiths on the field.

“I just remember thinking, ‘That is the tallest punter I’ve ever seen in my life,’” Dart quipped this week.

From a schematic standpoint, in that game BYU harassed USC quarterback Kedon Slovis into a multitude of issues by dropping eight in coverage. With another freshman quarterback leading the Trojans this season, it stands to reason that Dart could see similar coverage on Saturday.

“When they drop eight, it’s not like they’re going to get a lot of pressure on me so I’m gonna have some time and I just gotta take what the defense gives me and we’ll just slowly march down the field if that’s what it takes,” Dart said. “So I would just say the biggest thing is be disciplined with my eyes and my reads.”

No. 13 BYU at USC

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Coliseum

TV/Radio: ESPN / 790 AM

ocregister.com

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