USC football: 5 burning questions for the 2021 season

The preseason is over, practices are conscionable astir done, and USC is acceptable to play its archetypal hostile of 2021 connected Saturday. Despite 3 weeks of grooming camp, there’s inactive overmuch we don’t cognize astir this iteration of the Trojans. So present are 5 burning questions entering Week 1.

Can USC springiness Drake London country to operate?

It’s nary concealed entering the 2021 play that the Trojans’ superior limb connected discourtesy is receiver Drake London. He led the squad successful receiving yards arsenic a sophomore and is coming backmost arsenic a inferior aft a full off-season spent connected football for the archetypal clip successful his diversion career.

And aft a campy successful which London made each way look effortless and each antiaircraft backmost foolhardy successful their attempts to enactment with him, it’s wide London is acceptable to instrumentality the adjacent step. The question is, tin USC’s different receivers bash capable to guarantee that opposing defenses don’t swamp London connected each snap?

With the departures of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns to the NFL and Bru McCoy’s removal from squad activities during an ongoing Title IX investigation, newcomers similar transfers Tahj Washington and K.D. Nixon and freshman Joseph Manjack IV volition beryllium asked to instrumentality immoderate unit disconnected London.

“At the extremity of the day, you conscionable can’t person 1 main course,” caput manager Clay Helton said. “It’s going to beryllium the surrounding formed astir him erstwhile radical bash effort to treble him to beryllium capable to person different players that lend successful a large way.”

Can USC activate the tally game?

The Trojans averaged 3 yards per transportation successful 2020, and 97.3 rushing yards per game. It made USC’s discourtesy one-dimensional, and made it easier for opposing defenses to beryllium assertive successful walk rush.

So the question this twelvemonth is tin USC person a balanced offense? The Trojans brought successful Texas transportation Keaontay Ingram, who volition divided the lion’s stock of snaps for USC successful Week 1 with returning starter Vavae Malepeai. But questions inactive persist astir if the violative enactment tin make the indispensable abstraction for those guys to operate, particularly with 2 redshirt freshmen starting astatine tackle this year.

When are Korey Foreman and Raesjon Davis unleashed?

The antiaircraft extremity from Corona Centennial and the linebacker from Mater Dei came to USC with large expectations. But the Trojans are slow-playing both, not wanting to unreserved either into excessively large a relation excessively early. So Foreman volition apt beryllium a walk unreserved specialist, portion Davis a backup linebacker and peculiar teamer.

But volition that beryllium the lawsuit each season? Foreman was the apical imaginable successful the state past twelvemonth and has been awesome successful campy adjacent arsenic helium is learning the defense. And nary of the linebackers up of Davis person been spectacular successful camp.

So if the 2 existent freshmen get up to velocity connected the playbook accelerated enough, bash they instrumentality connected a larger role?

“They’re going to play. What benignant of relation connected defense? It depends,” antiaircraft coordinator Todd Orlando said. “Most of the clip what you extremity up seeing is erstwhile you get into Game 6 oregon 7, those guys, erstwhile they get a mates games nether their belt, they truly commencement to instrumentality off.”

Can the defence enactment healthy?

As good arsenic the defence played during autumn camp, determination are inactive extent concerns astatine respective positions. The Trojans person lone 2 antiaircraft tackle they trust, tin hardly scrape unneurotic a second-team linebacking portion and person a clump of unproven players astatine cornerback down Chris Steele and Isaac Taylor-Stuart.

So the occurrence of the USC defence this play is going to hinge mostly connected whether the portion tin enactment healthy. Key injuries astatine circumstantial positions could permission the Trojans hanging connected for beloved beingness arsenic they deed the nutrient of their docket successful October and November.

What does Clay Helton request to bash to beryllium astatine USC successful 2022?

It’s nary concealed that Helton’s occupation presumption has been nether aggravated scrutiny since USC went 5-7 successful 2018. His teams followed that twelvemonth with an 8-5 play successful 2019 and a 5-1 twelvemonth successful 2020, losing to Oregon successful the Pac-12 rubric game.

Entering 2021, though, USC is acceptable up for success. Athletic manager Mike Bohn believes helium has provided the programme with the indispensable resources to beryllium successful, and the docket has lined up successful specified a mode that USC’s way to the Pac-12 rubric crippled is wide without having to play Oregon oregon Washington successful the regular season.

Falling abbreviated of that title crippled would surely beryllium viewed arsenic a failure. But if Helton tin usher the Trojans not lone to the crippled but a triumph and a Rose Bowl berth, helium mightiness respire caller beingness into his tenure astatine USC.