USCfootball did not do a good job convincing anyone the Trojans are a different football team this past week against Rutgers. All the negative traits of Lincoln Riley's past USC teams showed up Saturday. That spells trouble heading into a game with Oregon this Saturday.
Here is what we learned about USC football in Week 3:
Road woes continue for USC
USC's poor play on the road showed up once again against Rutgers. Winning teams can be the same exact team on the road. USC has not been that since joining the Big Ten. Games like Penn State and Wisconsin on the road look very concerning on the schedule after the disappointing showing against Rutgers.
The receiver room is still talented enough for the offense to succeed
Losing Trent Mosley during this stretch of games is a huge blow. However, the Trojans have more than enough talent to win ball
games. Corey Simms stepped up and made a big play. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is a star and the number 1 receiver on this team. Tanook Hines is still a guy who can make plays. The Trojans still have everything they need to score with Oregon.
The penalties need to be cleaned up
The Trojans not only did not play well on offense or defense, but there were so many penalties. USC had 6 penalties in the first half, and Rutgers just could not capitalize on that. That cannot happen against any team USC faces coming up. USC finished the game with 8 penalties, and that is just undisciplined football. That is not the recipe for a winning team, and USC will not become a winning team until they become more disciplined. It starts with the penalties.
The defense is a huge concern
Rutgers had more offensive production against USC than they did against UMASS. That is a big problem. Rutgers has two NFL players on offense, but this team is nowhere near the level of Oregon or any other high-caliber Big Ten offense. USC allowed them to play to that level, though. The Trojans not getting any pass rush other than Luke Wafle is also a huge concern. If they give Dante Moore nearly as much time as they did the Rutgers quarterback, this week's game will get very ugly. Allowing the Oregon rushing attack to succeed will position the Ducks' offense to play USC's defense off the field. The Trojans' defense was bad all across the board, and that will not cut it against Oregon.
The Trojans aren't ready for Oregon
The Trojans gave Rutgers their best performance offensively of the season. If it wasn't for Rutgers being a bad football team, they would have pulled off the upset against USC. Oregon may not be the title favorites many thought they would be, but USC cannot replicate their defensive performance last week this week and expect to win. The Trojans need to come out as a different team against Oregon, or else they will get blown out. Last week's game showed that USC is not ready for Oregon yet. There is still a chance USC can pull it together and prove me wrong, but this team looked just like all the previous Lincoln Riley USC teams.
Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC can't bury old and negative narratives unless it beats Oregon
