USC Football: Opening win leaves more questions than answers

The Good

There’s no doubt that the most positive takeaway from Saturday’s opener for USC fans is that RB Ronald Jones II looks much improved and primed to be the lead running back in this year’s offense. He carried the ball 18 times for 159 yards and three scores while trucking and juking members of the Broncos defense all over the field.

As explosive as Jones II looked, true freshman RB Stephen Carr looked the part with seven carries for 69 yards and two scores of his own. Much of this came on his 52-yard run in the fourth quarter, but his downhill running style looks like it will solidify him as the backup behind Jones II.

In the passing game, WR Deontay Burnett rose to the occasion and looks like he is the clear number one wide receiver in the USC offense. He had seven catches for 142 yards, including some key catches in third down situations. Senior WR Steven Mitchell Jr. also looked like he was on the same page as Darnold, hauling in four catches for 39 yards.

Defensively, Rasheem Green led the Trojans with nine tackles and one for a loss. He battled with top NFL prospect Chukwuma Okorafor all day and managed to hold his own. Linebacker Porter Gustin had USC’s only sack all afternoon, as he filled the shoes of captain Cameron Smith who was suspended for the first half.

Speaking of Smith, he made his presence felt in the second half with six tackles and two for a loss. He really showed his value to this USC defense with his sure tackling and vocal leadership that the Trojans were clearly missing in the first half.

The secondary played well, only allowing 94 passing yards to a Western Michigan team that thrived in the passing game last season. Marvel Tell III led the way with eight tackles and the pick six to seal the win.