USC football looked like a bored and disinterested teamagainst Louisiana on Saturday night. That doesn't seem like a harsh verdict because it's plainly true. USC was highly focused and very sharp against Fresno State. That was a game in which USC stayed fully engaged the whole way and pitched a shutout on defense. This Louisiana game was not that. You can tell the Trojans are sick of playing cupcake games. They want the real thing. Oregon is two weeks away. Here's our report card for the ugly win over the Ragin' Cajuns:
Jayden Maiava: C-minus
Jayden Maiava is not fully healthy, so it's not as though this is the product of a full-strength quarterback. He could be seen shaking out his right throwing arm in the first half, clearly still feeling the effects of the shoulder
injury suffered against Fresno State. Lincoln Riley needs to be honest with his quarterback. Maiava needs to be healthy for Oregon (and Washington, and Penn State). If he has to sit at Rutgers, USC can beat the Scarlet Knights without him. It's not a crisis if he misses Rutgers and comes back feeling better against Oregon.
Running backs: C-plus
We still aren't seeing the home-run plays this unit will eventually need to produce. Of course, it also means that another position group isn't maxing out, either:
Offensive line: C
Kilian O'Connor being absent from this line clearly matters, but it remains that the Trojans aren't dominating inferior defensive lines the way they should. The running game has to get better for this team to reach its goals.
Trent Mosley: A-plus
The dude just keeps making spectacular plays, the kinds of plays which change games.
Mark Bowman: A-plus
Bowman the Showman, baby. The tight end finally stepped up and looked like a super-duperstar, just in time for the Oregon game. He gave the Ducks more to think about.
Defensive line: C-minus
On a night when the defense did nothing special, the defensive line did nothing special. Jahkeem Stewart did not play. He needs to get some work in versus Rutgers so that he has a real chance to make an impact for the Oregon game.
Linebackers: C-minus
Louisiana scoring 30 points required the linebackers to be much less than imposing. Of course the point total flowed a lot from the backups being thrown into the fire in the second half and not being up to par. This isn't a verdict on the USC starters. Nevertheless, the standard set versus Fresno State was not matched - not even close.
Secondary: C-minus
What can be said about the linebackers also largely applies to the secondary. After all the good work done against Fresno State, the collective performance level declined. USC needs to build back against Rutgers and prepare itself to be great (or at least good) against Oregon.
Special teams: C-minus
Trent Mosley's kick return was great, but the roughing the kicker penalty essentially wiped it out. That can't happen against better teams.
Gary Patterson: C
Patterson aced Fresno State but watched his guys struggle to attain consistency against Louisiana. Of special importance is the need for Patterson and staff to develop the backups, who continue to struggle. If injuries occur and backups have to be called upon, USC is in real trouble. The Trojans have to get better.
Lincoln Riley: C-minus
Jayden Maiava played through obvious pain against Louisiana. I really would have preferred to see Jonas Williams get a lot more reps to prepare him for a possible crisis situation in the event Maiava's injury gets worse. I think Maiava didn't need to play nearly as much and should have been rested as much as possible. Maiava needs to be as healthy as he can be for Oregon. Playing him more, not less, doesn't seem to pursue that goal. Riley has to think long and hard about whether Maiava needs to play at Rutgers, since USC should not need Maiava to beat Rutgers.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football report card vs Louisiana: Lots of C-minuses for Trojans
