USC Offense Searching for Identity After Rushing Woes at Boston College

Struggles in the run game during No. 17 USC’s 37-31 loss at Boston College on Saturday have head coach Steve Sarkisian using the Trojans’ bye week to evaluate their offensive identity.

“What we have to assess this week as an offensive staff is understanding who we are personality-wise as a team and what gives us the best chance to be successful,” Sarkisian said on his weekly conference call Sunday. “Is it to run to set up the pass, or is it to pass to set up the run? We have to figure that out.”

Sarkisian added that “every game is going to be different,” a reality with which the Trojans have quickly become acquainted.

The run game buoyed them against a Stanford defense that allowed just 135 passing yards. Conversely, the pass was all USC could muster while rushing for a combined 20 yards at Boston College.

Striking a more consistent balance between the run and pass is vital to USC’s no-huddle offense operating effectively.

Indeed, USC was at its best in Week 1 against Fresno State with a mix of both the run and pass. Quarterback Cody Kessler passed for a career-high 394 yards, but the ball-carriers combined for 277 yards.

With that said, the Trojans were also physically superior to Fresno State up front and exploited that advantage rather freely.

Stanford and Boston College were at times able to overwhelm a young USC offensive line that is still finding its identity. True freshmen Toa Lobendahn and Damien Mama, as well as first-year starter Zach Banner, have had to learn on the job through this initial stretch of the season.

The Trojans’ youth in the trenches underlined what Sarkisian described as a three-pronged issue plaguing USC in its effort to establish the run.

“Credit Boston College. They had some good schemes...we would have liked to have attacked differently,” he said Tuesday on the Pac-12 coaches teleconference. “We left people unblocked in the hole, which is uncharacteristic of us. Thirdly, there were times we got beat one-on-one.”

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press/Associated Press

As the line struggled to contain Boston College at the point of attack, the ground game wasn’t all that suffered. Kessler threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, but his options were limited on passing downs.

The inability to run on first or second down resulted in numerous 3rd-and-longs. The Eagles’ ability to bring pressure with just three and four rushers in obvious passing situations resulted in a paltry 5-of-16 for USC on third-down conversions.

“We’re a lot better when we get first downs, and there was a period in the game [Saturday]—and it occurred last week against Stanford—where we were going three-and-out,” Sarkisian said. “When we’re going three-and-out, that makes it hard on us from a rhythm standpoint.”

Offensive line coach Tim Drevno’s unit has plenty to iron out in the bye-week preparation for Oregon State.

“It’s a combination of all those things. We all need to be accountable to that, and I believe everybody in our building is. We’re working on fixing those things,” he said.

The one-week layoff comes at a most opportune time for the Trojans. Sarkisian hesitated to say that two physical games in as many weeks took a toll on USC’s depleted roster, but the Trojans’ loss could be a case study for Fox Sports reporter Bruce Feldman’s "Body Blow Theory":

Upon regrouping over the next two weeks, USC will return to Pac-12 play against an Oregon State team it dominated with the run a season ago. In particular, running back Javorius “Buck” Allen broke out against the Beavers defense for 133 yards and three touchdowns.

Allen surpassed 100 yards in each of USC’s first two games of 2014 and was again a cornerstone of the offense in Week 3. He overcame Boston College’s stifling run defense with a career-high nine receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Sarkisian said part of the Trojans’ path to finding their offensive identity is continuing to use Allen as a receiver—with a caveat.

“We anticipated coming into the season that we’d be able to utilize him out of the backfield,” Sarkisian said. He’s got tremendous hands, he’s a really good route-runner and he can be...a difficult matchup on linebackers.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

“I don’t know that nine catches for almost 120 yards is ideal,” he added.

Allen's role is just one more piece of the entire puzzle Sarkisian and his staff are working to have in place for the conference season. Another is reintegrating running back Tre Madden into the rotation.

Sarkisian told the Orange County Register last week that Madden could be ready in time for the Oregon State game.

That additional support for the run game should help USC establish its offensive identity for the remainder of the season.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics compiled courtesy of cfbstats.com.