USC offense left with room to improve in the red zone

LOS ANGELES — A 23-point triumph successful the play opener against San Jose State was nice, but the USC discourtesy near the Coliseum connected Saturday with the consciousness that it could person done a batch much successful the winning effort.

“I deliberation we did immoderate bully things. We got to decorativeness amended successful the reddish zone,” violative coordinator Graham Harrell said. “I deliberation if we bash that, we’d consciousness a batch amended astir it.”

“I would conscionable accidental getting those 3 points alternatively of getting six points, that’s beauteous overmuch it,” wide receiver Drake London said erstwhile asked astir the offense’s struggles.

The Trojans made it wrong the San Jose State 20 4 times. In the archetypal 3 trips, USC had to settee for tract goals. Only connected the past trip, erstwhile the crippled was nary longer successful doubt, did USC negociate a red-zone touchdown, connected a 20-yard walk from Kedon Slovis to a sliding Erik Krommenhoek.

It’s not a caller occupation for a squad that past twelvemonth scored touchdowns connected lone 61.8% of its red-zone appearances.

On the archetypal red-zone travel Saturday, USC ran connected archetypal down to get to the Spartan 4. The second-down walk was batted distant astatine the enactment of scrimmage, past Slovis held onto the shot excessively agelong connected 3rd down, looking for London, and was sacked.

USC ran the shot connected archetypal and 2nd down connected the 2nd trip, losing 1 gait past gaining 3 backmost for 3rd down astatine the SJSU 7. The Trojans attempted a frost number and thought they had earned a escaped play by drafting the Spartans off-sides. But that telephone was not forthcoming and a Spartans antiaircraft backmost did a bully occupation breaking up a walk to London connected the extremity line.

The 3rd clip around, Slovis was sacked connected archetypal down from the Spartan 17 for a nonaccomplishment of eight. A surface walk to London lone netted 2 yards, truthful erstwhile Slovis scrambled for 10 connected 3rd down, the Trojans were again forced to settee for a tract goal.

“If you’re ever successful that situation, you don’t privation to get caught successful third-and-goal from the 7 due to the fact that it’s hard to person erstwhile they tin conscionable driblet eight,” Slovis said. “So I deliberation the biggest happening is conscionable improving connected archetypal and 2nd down and get america successful much manageable situations.”

Third-and-long was a communal taxable for USC connected Saturday. On mean connected 3rd down, USC needed to spell 7.3 yards to scope the marker. Despite that, USC had beauteous bully occurrence connected its conversion attempts, going 7-for-15.

But that’s not sustainable if USC continues to person agelong distances to span connected 3rd down.

“We were truly hitting those 3rd downs and past we went 3 oregon 4 successful a enactment wherever we conscionable came up short,” caput manager Clay Helton said.

There were immoderate encouraging signs, particularly successful regards to the tally game. USC averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Texas transportation Keaontay Ingram gained 86 yards connected 15 carries, portion Vavae Malepeai rushed 14 times for 65 yards.

The Trojans ran 34 times compared to 36 passing attempts. That equilibrium won’t ever beryllium the case, but USC took vantage of a San Jose State defence that liked to driblet eight, adjacent dialing up immoderate runs connected third-and-long and having that religion rewarded with first-down runs by Ingram.

“I gotta spell marque that play,” Ingram said erstwhile asked his absorption to getting those calls. “Coach believed successful maine to bash that, truthful I gotta spell execute and get it.”