The USC Trojans had a ton of freshmen shine in their debuts. Some jumped off the screen more than others, as in the case of Trent Mosley. There were some freshmen who had extremely high expectations but played a quiet first game of the season.
Mark Bowman got the nod as the starting tight end this year. He caught the first pass of the game and made a solid play for an 8-yard gain. After that, Bowman did not make too much of an impact in the passing game. Bowman finished the game with 3 catches for just 15 yards.
His production may have been disappointing, but if you're a good player, you can make an impact without needing the ball in your hands. Mark Bowman was a vital presence in the Trojans' run game. He was compared to be the next Brock Bowers,
but against the Spartans he looked more like George Kittle.
In Game 1, he showed how much he loved blocking, and he was creating big holes for his teammates to score. When you have your best players blocking at the level Bowman was, that will carry the offense a long way.
It was clear from the second play of the game that Bowman would be a key contributor in the passing game. For the entire game, he showed how committed he is to the dirty work, and that is what sets him apart from typical freshmen. That is the mindset your key players need to have.
If he did not already, he definitely has the coach's full trust that he can be a player this team leans on. The great production games will come from Bowman very soon, but it is performances like this that also make just as much of an impact on the Trojans' winning.
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: Mark Bowman makes a difference beyond the statistics in USC debut
