Steve Sarkisian Using More Trojans to Jump-Start the USC Offense

A bye week between No. 16 USC's loss at Boston College and win over Oregon State gave head coach Steve Sarkisian additional time to tinker with the Trojans offense.

More preparation time meant more Trojans involved in the game plan, which translated to more yards and more points.

Sarkisian said in the week leading up to USC's 35-10 rout of Oregon State that diversifying the offense was crucial after the Trojans' Week 2 and Week 3 struggles.

USC scored just 13 points with quarterback Cody Kessler completing passes to just four targets at Stanford, while Boston College limited the Trojans' rushing attack to 20 yards the following week. 

Opponent	Carries	Rushing Yards	Pass Comp./Att.	Passing Yards
Oregon State	48	200	24/33	261
Boston College	29	20	31/41	317
Stanford	37	156	15/22	135
Fresno State	64	277	28/41	424

Sarkisian's plan to incorporate more players paid off. Nine different receivers caught passes from Kessler Saturday, while sophomore running back Justin Davis helped rejuvenate the run game with 82 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. 

"I love the fact we got Justin Davis more involved," Sarkisian said on his conference call Sunday. "I think that helped [redshirt junior running back Javorious "Buck" Allen]."

Indeed, with his backfield partner sharing carries, Allen shook off the frustration of a 31-yard effort at Boston College to gain 115 yards against Oregon State. 

"I've just got to be patient—it's going to come sometime," Davis described as his approach to breaking out despite a slow start to the 2014 season. 

As a freshman in 2013, Davis had games of 74, 96 and 122 yards rushing and scored six touchdowns before an ankle injury cut his season short. He was slow to get going through USC's first three games of this campaign, averaging 2.5 yards per carry against Fresno State and Stanford and just 1.67 yards per carry at Boston College. 

But after Saturday's breakthrough performance—which also included a receiving touchdown of 16 yards—Davis said he feels more comfortable.  

"Hopefully I never look back from here," he said. 

This week, Davis faces an Arizona State team against which he had a career night a year ago, rushing for 122 yards and three touchdowns. He's regaining his stride at the right time. 

Sarkisian hopes Davis won't look back either. The head coach said his aim is for the two-pronged run game to remain a bedrock of the USC offense going forward. 

Tight Ends, Harris Factor into Passing Game   

As crucial as a multifaceted run game is to the USC offense, so too is a multidimensional look via the pass. 

"When the ball's getting spread around, we're much more difficult to defend," Sarkisian said. 

Kessler didn't just find nine different targets on Saturday night—he connected with eight the previous game and nine in Week 1. 

Different this time was that eight of the nine caught multiple passes, including a few Trojans whose role in the passing game was previously limited. 

Tight ends Bryce Dixon and Randall Telfer both had a pair of catches. Dixon's first was a diving grab of 31 yards on third down, vital to USC's first offensive scoring drive of the night. 

Sarkisian said calls for Dixon and Telfer were made in previous weeks, but "the coverage told us the ball shouldn't go there.

"We called similar stuff [against Oregon State] and the ball went their way, and they were able to make plays," he added.  

Freshman Ajene Harris also made some plays for the first time on the year, catching three passes for 30 yards. 

Harris was given his first real look at slot receiver, a position junior Nelson Agholor manned previously this season. Sarkisian made the decision to move Agholor to the outside, which opened the door for Harris. 

"Ajene showed up. What a huge third-down catch that was over the middle," Sarkisian said, adding with a laugh: "I wish he would have thrown that double-pass better." 

Harris took the ball on a reverse and heaved a pass to the end zone that just missed. But it was one of the few misfires on the night for a wide receiver who figures to have a growing role as the season develops. 

Walker Bolsters Offensive Line 

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Both the run and pass games benefited from more Trojans working into the offensive line rotation as well. Senior Aundrey Walker made his presence known for the first time on the season, playing 28 snaps.

"Outlook for him is to continue on a positive path," Sarkisian said. "Aundrey's done that. He's healthy from his [ankle] injury."

Walker was slow to reintegrate in preseason camp. Sarkisian told Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News in August that Walker "[was] not bouncing back the way we hoped." 

His return gives the USC front much-needed depth. Sarkisian mentioned that Walker's 28 snaps meant redshirt sophomore Zach Banner's load was lightened to 50 plays. 

Walker is also a rare veteran on a line leaning heavily on three true freshmen in Toa Lobendahn, Damien Mama and Viane Talamaivao. He was a starter for much of the 2013 campaign.

Starting Early  

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The focus for the offense now is parlaying the strong finish of the more balanced USC offense a week ago into a faster start this week against Arizona State. 

Kessler said there was an initial feeling-out period the Trojans had to adjust to in Saturday's win.  

"The first couple of drives we were getting used to what they were going to give us the whole game," he said. "They've been playing teams different." 

However, scoreless spells have plagued USC in each of the last three contests: After a first-quarter touchdown against Stanford, the Trojans didn't reach the end zone again; they went 40 minutes between scores at Boston College; and against Oregon State, USC went the entire first and third quarters without offensive scoring drives. 

Continuing to spread the ball throughout the roster will be key to USC keeping pace with the many explosive offenses the Trojans will see in the upcoming Pac-12 schedule. Five of USC's remaining opponents currently rank No. 36 or better nationally in points per game.

Sarkisian said following Saturday's win that having everyone ready in practice is key to that end.

"As a staff, we're going to look to how we can tweak things, and we're going to look to how we can improve each individual player," he said. "We have to raise our level of play as the season goes on."  

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com.