University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: John McGillen
6-Points: USC 49, WMU 31
September 02, 2017 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The Trojans have now won 10 straight games.
The Trojans finished with a flourish to separate from Western Michigan on a brutally hot season-opening afternoon.
Click here for the final stats.
Unforgettable Moment
In the long and storied history of USC football, this game will soon be forgotten, but one moment will never be erased. Jake Olson, who has grown up in front of the Trojan Family, executed a perfect snap on the final PAT to bring his inspirational story full circle. "You get misty eyed at that one," said USC head coach Clay Helton. "[Olson] is the definition of Fight On. He's never used his eyesight as an excuse." Helton thanked Western Michigan and head coach Tim Lester for providing the opportunity and admired the Broncos tremendous sportsmanship as they all congratulated Olson after the play. "I tried to suppress my emotions because I had a job to do out there," said Olson. "I'll check out the videos tonight and get emotional about it. It was very special, hearing my name called over the PA system. We always say we're a family, Coach Helton says that. Being out there knowing I had the support of my team and the love I got out there. That really touches me." Helton will continue to look for chances to get Olson in the game over his remaining two seasons.
Run RoJo Run
As for the balance of the game, the Trojans suffered through many classic opening day issues, including jitters, tackling, drops, missed assignments and more, but they were bailed out by a powerful running game. "When everything seemed to go awry, we really focused on the run game down the stretch and it came through for us," said Helton. Ronald Jones II, who added more muscle to his body in the offseason, showed off his power by blasting through tacklers to the tune of 159 yards and 3 touchdowns on 18 carries.
Stop WMU Stop
On the other side of the ball, Western Michigan racked up 263 rush yards against a USC defense which missed several tackles. "I give credit to that bunch. That is a good football team that plays with a lot of confidence," said Helton about the Broncos. "The runners on their team were excellent. They had a three-headed monster and they just kept rolling them in." The Trojans badly missed ILB Cameron Smith in the first half as he was suspended for his helmet-to-helmet hit in the Rose Bowl. "It started off with us tackling. When they came in, that's what I emphasized," said Smith, who watched the first half on TV. "We have a lot of things to grow on. It's our emphasis this week to grow and get better." In 30 minutes of work, Smith made 6 tackles, including 2 for loss.
New Carr
The USC offense has a shiny new toy in the form of freshman Stephen Carr. The explosive tailback impacted the game on the ground (7 carries for 69 yards and 2 TDs) and through the air (3 catches for 23 yards). "This is exactly what I pictured," he said about his impressive debut. "Playing in the Coli, you're always going to have that nervousness but how you react on that nervousness is what makes you." While Jones was the lead back, Carr closed the show with a scintillating 52-yard TD scamper. "It honestly means a lot to me," he said about getting the ball late. "It shows that coaches really have a lot of trust in me."
Feel the Burnett
As expected, the USC passing game is a work in progress as the young receivers sort themselves out. "As we progress and get better, the whole wide receiving unit will be able to help our team," said junior WR Deontay Burnett. "We'll be one strong core." In the meantime, Burnett stepped up in the clutch, hauling in 7 passes for 142 yards. He is clearly Darnold's go-to guy. "You have to know what the quarterback is thinking," Burnett said about his chemistry with Darnold. "You just want to put him in the most comfortable situation that you can."
Telling Finish
While the game was tied with 7 minutes to go, USC ultimately won by 18 thanks to some big plays late, including Marvell Tell III's 37-yard pick-six. Tell's interception capped an outstanding day by the junior who had 8 tackles, highlighted by one massive hit. Rasheem Green (game-high 9 tackles) and Porter Gustin (7 tackles and a sack) were also defensive standouts.
Extra Point…
Stanford
USC will need to be sharper next week as Stanford comes to the Coliseum for the opening Pac-12 tilt. The Cardinal have had the Trojans number for most of the last decade. "It's an early Pac-12 game against a really good football team," said Helton. "Feels good to be 1-0 but the reality is that we've got a lot of work to do."
Click here for the final stats.
Unforgettable MomentIn the long and storied history of USC football, this game will soon be forgotten, but one moment will never be erased. Jake Olson, who has grown up in front of the Trojan Family, executed a perfect snap on the final PAT to bring his inspirational story full circle. "You get misty eyed at that one," said USC head coach Clay Helton. "[Olson] is the definition of Fight On. He's never used his eyesight as an excuse." Helton thanked Western Michigan and head coach Tim Lester for providing the opportunity and admired the Broncos tremendous sportsmanship as they all congratulated Olson after the play. "I tried to suppress my emotions because I had a job to do out there," said Olson. "I'll check out the videos tonight and get emotional about it. It was very special, hearing my name called over the PA system. We always say we're a family, Coach Helton says that. Being out there knowing I had the support of my team and the love I got out there. That really touches me." Helton will continue to look for chances to get Olson in the game over his remaining two seasons.
Run RoJo Run
As for the balance of the game, the Trojans suffered through many classic opening day issues, including jitters, tackling, drops, missed assignments and more, but they were bailed out by a powerful running game. "When everything seemed to go awry, we really focused on the run game down the stretch and it came through for us," said Helton. Ronald Jones II, who added more muscle to his body in the offseason, showed off his power by blasting through tacklers to the tune of 159 yards and 3 touchdowns on 18 carries.
Stop WMU Stop
On the other side of the ball, Western Michigan racked up 263 rush yards against a USC defense which missed several tackles. "I give credit to that bunch. That is a good football team that plays with a lot of confidence," said Helton about the Broncos. "The runners on their team were excellent. They had a three-headed monster and they just kept rolling them in." The Trojans badly missed ILB Cameron Smith in the first half as he was suspended for his helmet-to-helmet hit in the Rose Bowl. "It started off with us tackling. When they came in, that's what I emphasized," said Smith, who watched the first half on TV. "We have a lot of things to grow on. It's our emphasis this week to grow and get better." In 30 minutes of work, Smith made 6 tackles, including 2 for loss.
New Carr
The USC offense has a shiny new toy in the form of freshman Stephen Carr. The explosive tailback impacted the game on the ground (7 carries for 69 yards and 2 TDs) and through the air (3 catches for 23 yards). "This is exactly what I pictured," he said about his impressive debut. "Playing in the Coli, you're always going to have that nervousness but how you react on that nervousness is what makes you." While Jones was the lead back, Carr closed the show with a scintillating 52-yard TD scamper. "It honestly means a lot to me," he said about getting the ball late. "It shows that coaches really have a lot of trust in me."
Feel the Burnett
As expected, the USC passing game is a work in progress as the young receivers sort themselves out. "As we progress and get better, the whole wide receiving unit will be able to help our team," said junior WR Deontay Burnett. "We'll be one strong core." In the meantime, Burnett stepped up in the clutch, hauling in 7 passes for 142 yards. He is clearly Darnold's go-to guy. "You have to know what the quarterback is thinking," Burnett said about his chemistry with Darnold. "You just want to put him in the most comfortable situation that you can."
Telling Finish
While the game was tied with 7 minutes to go, USC ultimately won by 18 thanks to some big plays late, including Marvell Tell III's 37-yard pick-six. Tell's interception capped an outstanding day by the junior who had 8 tackles, highlighted by one massive hit. Rasheem Green (game-high 9 tackles) and Porter Gustin (7 tackles and a sack) were also defensive standouts.
Extra Point…
Stanford
USC will need to be sharper next week as Stanford comes to the Coliseum for the opening Pac-12 tilt. The Cardinal have had the Trojans number for most of the last decade. "It's an early Pac-12 game against a really good football team," said Helton. "Feels good to be 1-0 but the reality is that we've got a lot of work to do."
Players Mentioned
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TB
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DT
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OLB
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TB
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SNP
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ILB
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S
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