[AncientCityIndian]

My initial impression after the debacle was that our O did not challenge the  USC D in the deep secondary where they dared us to go to the extent we should have via the pass.  I am going to walk that back some with the following reasoning.

Last year we only averaged 26.3 points/game despite controlling the ball an average of 32.47 minutes.  That comes out to approximately .81 points per minute.  Against USC, we only controlled the ball slightly over 25 minutes yet managed 24 points which is almost a point a minute.  Our O projected to score 31 point against a top flight D for a top 5 team. 

Moreover, we actually ran 26 times vs. 28 pass attempts which surprised me albeit we still did not throw downfield far enough to challenge USC`s deep secondary to suit me.

The obvious conclusion postgame is even more obvious now.  USC`s offense controlled the show, dominated our D up front and held the ball far too long with too many opportunities for success which would have been even greater if not for two spectacular interceptions.

  I was a bit hard on our O performance and in retrospect, they were pretty effective despite a strong USC pass rush and stacking of the box in the 2nd half.  We just did not have enough possessions.  My toughest criticism of the O is that early in the 2nd half, they played poorly despite an early opportunistic interception and eventually allowed a stronger team to assume control of the clock and the game.

[AncientCityIndian]

My initial impression after the debacle was that our O did not challenge the  USC D in the deep secondary where they dared us to go to the extent we should have via the pass.  I am going to walk that back some with the following reasoning.

Last year we only averaged 26.3 points/game despite controlling the ball an average of 32.47 minutes.  That comes out to approximately .81 points per minute.  Against USC, we only controlled the ball slightly over 25 minutes yet managed 24 points which is almost a point a minute.  Our O projected to score 31 point against a top flight D for a top 5 team. 

Moreover, we actually ran 26 times vs. 28 pass attempts which surprised me albeit we still did not throw downfield far enough to challenge USC`s deep secondary to suit me.

The obvious conclusion postgame is even more obvious now.  USC`s offense controlled the show, dominated our D up front and held the ball far too long with too many opportunities for success which would have been even greater if not for two spectacular interceptions.

  I was a bit hard on our O performance and in retrospect, they were pretty effective despite a strong USC pass rush and stacking of the box in the 2nd half.  We just did not have enough possessions.  My toughest criticism of the O is that early in the 2nd half, they played poorly despite an early opportunistic interception and eventually allowed a stronger team to assume control of the clock and the game.