USC 49 - Hawai'i 10

Predicted: USC 49 - Hawai'i 17
Final: USC 49 - Hawai'i 10

The game seemed to follow the script that most people expected, with USC's talent simply overwhelming Hawai'i. The Trojans got their blowout win without having to try very hard -- witness all of the dropped passes, missed tackles and missed assignments.

What did USC miss on?  Well Aundrey Walker failed to get out fast enough to the sideline on one block; Soma Vainuku blew a block on a pass rusher; Marqise Lee and Robert Woods dropped several catchable balls; Hayes Pullard was out of position which ironically led to his interception off a tipped ball; Silas Redd let the defender punch the ball out of his hands because he was holding it loosely; special teams coverage overran the ball allowing the runner to cut back, requiring the punter Kyle Negrete to tackle the runner.

What did USC get right?  Both offensive and defensive lines looked good, but the defensive line impressed.  The last time the front four pushed this hard, was 2008.  The coaches had been playing it coy I think, about how the d-line was a major concern, especially with regard to depth.  But the two-deep roster performed extremely well.  Breslin had four solo tackles and two for a loss including one that was a sack, and broke up two passes; I think it's an understatement to say that getting him to change his mind about going to UCLA was a huge gain for USC.

There is no way you can play both Marqise Lee and Robert Woods one-on-one at the same time.  So of course Hawai'i's defenders chose the safer of two options: grab and interfere to prevent the touchdown giveaway -- 5 passing interference penalties.  Kiffin put true freshman Nelson Agholor as #3 receiver, and we saw a bit of RS freshman Victor Blackwell and George Farmer, too.  It almost feels unfair to be this rich with talent.  I still think they should install some Air Coryell plays and put four wide outs on the field at the same time.

There wasn't much of a chance for Hawai'i, not with the Barkley-Woods-Lee combo.  It turns out though, that USC's defense is darn good, too, so trying to keep up was an impossible task.

Grades

Offense: B-
Defense: B+
Special Teams: B