USC 17 - Utah State 14

Here's the quick takeaway: The defense more or less shut down one of the most potent offenses in the FBS, but the offense was so bad, it looked like we were in the first week of the season and not the fourth.

The signs that your offense stinks ...

• In the second half you're starting from your opponent's side of the field four times, but come away with just 3 points;
• You go 3 for 14 (31%) on 3rd down conversions for the game, and are currently averaging 29% for the season;
• The defense plays mostly man-on-man coverage against athletes who are some of the highest-ranked athletes in the country at their position, but you only have 5 catches over 10 yards in the game;
• The offense averages 66 offensive plays and 18 points per game, while the Oregon Ducks average 72 offensive plays a game but a whopping 61 points per game;
• Were it not for the floods in Boulder Colorado preventing the Buffaloes from playing, USC would have the lowest points scored in all of the PAC-12; as it is, the Buffs have only played two games (to USC's four), but are behind the Trojans by just 10 points;
• (In fact, I'm fairly confident that) If the Buffs had played last weekend, USC would be the only team in the PAC-12 held under 100 points, through this weekend.

I'm sure that, were I to go through all of the statistical categories, the USC offense would be at the bottom of nearly all of them in the PAC-12.  After all, they were 90th in total offense last weekend (at the bottom of the PAC-12) and what happened today will only drop them further in all offensive categories.

This is a team of highly-rated 4- and 5-star athletes whose speed, size and abilities put almost all other schools to shame.  And yet here they are struggling to move the ball and put points on the board.

After the game, they were saying that the only thing that separated them from a solid offensive game were slight issues of timing / touch.  True, there were a lot of dropped balls and missed blocks, but this is week four not week one.  Aren't you supposed to iron out those kinks in the first few games, and improve each week?  As it stands, I doubt anyone will pick USC to win at ASU next Saturday.