USC Football: Final 2014 Positional Grades for the Trojans

As final exams wrap up for the fall at USC, grades will be issued in the coming days. For the USC football team, the marks out of the classroom are not the only evaluations of progress made in the last few months. 

The Trojans had their struggles and failures in head coach Steve Sarkisian's first year at the helm. They aced plenty of tests, as well. 

Just one more quiz remains in USC's 2014 term: a Dec. 27 date with Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. In the meantime, the following is how the Trojans graded out for the past season.  

Quarterbacks

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Redshirt junior Cody Kessler set records in 2014 and could reach a few more by the end of USC's Holiday Bowl date with Nebraska. That’s rather noteworthy given Kessler’s predecessors include former first-round draft picks and Heisman Trophy winners.

Certainly Kessler grades out near the top of the Trojans’ 2014 class, but is he the proverbial valedictorian? While his final numbers are impressive—36 touchdowns to just four interceptions with 3,505 yards—Kessler’s one fault was that he was not better in some of USC’s bigger games.

He threw just four of those 36 scores against opponents that finished ranked in the Top 25. Meanwhile, three of his four interceptions came in those same contests. 

Not coincidentally, the Trojans went 1-3 in said games. 

There’s no discounting Kessler's monster numbers, but he has room to grow in 2015. And the thing to keep in mind about an A-minus is that it’s just one line from becoming an A-plus.

GRADE: A- 

Running Backs

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Depth at any position came at a premium for USC in Sarkisian’s first season, but running back was one spot at which it initially seemed the Trojans were loaded. Sarkisian inherited four solid ball-carriers, all of whom made contributions in 2013.

However, bruising rusher Ty Isaac transferred to Michigan in the spring and one-time feature back Tre Madden suffered an injury just before Week 1, leading to his eventual redshirt.

That left USC with just two scholarship running backs all season, not including fullbacks Jahleel Pinner and Soma Vainuku.

Redshirt junior Javorius “Buck” Allen shouldered much of the workload and did so admirably. He put together a stretch of six consecutive games with at least 100 yards, including a 205-yard, three-touchdown performance against Pac-12 South champion Arizona. 

Allen finished the season with 1,337 yards rushing, third in the conference behind only UCLA's Paul Perkins and Utah's Devontae Booker. Add Allen's effectiveness as a pass-catcher—his 442 yards were third-most among all Trojans—and Allen was an obvious choice for first Team All-Pac-12. 

The team's only other scholarship running back, sophomore Justin Davis, ran hot and cold. When he was clicking, like in the Trojans' season finale against Notre Dame, he added a real punch to the offense. 

The unit's lack of depth ultimately showed down the stretch, however, as USC slogged through anemic rushing performances in three of the last four games. A third consistent ball-carrying option would have done wonders for this group. 

GRADE: B-

Wide Receivers

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Nelson Agholor etched his name in the annals of USC history this season, alongside the many greats USC football has produced at wide receiver. With back-to-back games of 220 and 216 yards, Agholor became the only player in program history to surpass 200 yards in consecutive outings.

Agholor earned first-team All-Pac-12 recognition for his 1,223-yard, 11-touchdown campaign.

But it wasn't just Agholor doing big things for the Trojans in 2014.

Freshman John "JuJu" Smith was every bit as good as advertised, coming into the program with 5-star recruit billing out of Southern California prep powerhouse Long Beach Poly.

Speedy George Farmer came on late in the season, scoring three of his four touchdowns in the final three games.

Darreus Rogers matched Farmer’s four scores and provided one moment no teammate can match: He hauled in a 48-yard Hail Mary before halftime of USC’s Sept. 27 defeat of Oregon State.

Farmer and Rogers worked well as complementary weapons behind Agholor and Smith, and freshman Steven Mitchell got in the action down the stretch as well.

The Trojans even got contribution from the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year on the offensive end, with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson lining up to grab seven catches and a pair of touchdowns as a wide receiver.

GRADE: A

Tight Ends

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Standout tight end play was a hallmark of Sarkisian's, both in his time as USC's offensive coordinator and as head coach of the Washington Huskies.

The surprising early departure of Xavier Grimble to the NFL draft left USC with just two scholarship tight ends on the roster, one of whom was freshman Bryce Dixon.

Dixon showed his potential as a dangerous red-zone threat; three of his 10 total receptions went for touchdowns.

The veteran Randall Telfer scored fewer touchdowns (two) but caught almost twice as many total passes (19). Even together, though, the duo was shy of the lofty numbers past Sarkisian tight ends Fred Davis and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. 

Dixon contributed on-and-off, while Telfer's greatest asset was as an additional blocker along the line. 

Integration of tight ends as pass-catchers should evolve during Sarkisian’s second year at the helm. Four-star recruit Tyler Petite's flip from Duke last week brings needed reinforcements in 2015. 

GRADE: C+

Offensive Line

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

USC played one of, if not the youngest offensive line in college football for much of the season. True freshmen Damien Mama and Toa Lobendahn started on the Trojans’ front in Week 1, while Viane Talamaivao joined them midway through the campaign.

Starting left tackle Chad Wheeler’s torn ACL at Utah on Oct. 27 forced Lobendahn to move from the interior to the edge, and sophomore Khaliel Rodgers stepped into the starting rotation.

Along with fellow sophomore Zach Banner, Rodgers was a veritable grizzled veteran in comparison to the rest of the line's kiddie corps. 

Meanwhile, the most tenured of USC’s first-stringers—junior Max Tuerk—played out of his natural position at center.

Despite its issues, the offensive line had flashes of brilliance. Sarkisian commended the play of the youngsters up front, and Tuerk earned first-team All-Pac-12 recognition.  

The inexperience and shuffling of positions showed at times.

Tuerk notably misfired on a few exchanges with Kessler, while USC as a team gave up 30 sacks. The Trojans’ worst showing came in a 38-20 loss at UCLA when Kessler was sacked six times and under heavy duress the entire night. 

GRADE: C 

Defensive Line

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Led by arguably the best defensive lineman in college football—junior Leonard Williams—USC boasted one of the more formidable fronts in the Pac-12.

Opponents averaged just 3.88 yards per carry against the Trojans, thanks in large part to the dominant play of the line. Williams’ uncanny ability to react and get to ball-carriers either at or behind the line of scrimmage was integral to those efforts.

Delvon Simmons and Antwaun Woods provided support in the middle, combining to make 80 tackles. Their respective ability to plugs gaps contributed to USC's effective run defense. 

Junior college transfer Claude Pelon’s emergence in the second half of the season improved the Trojans' tackling for loss. All 4.5 for his came on Oct. 11 or later. 

Defensive line play was indeed a strength for the Trojans, despite injuries rendering the unit thin at points in the season. Cody Temple missed one game and Greg Townsend sat out three. The group lost ballyhooed Kenny Bigelow to an ACL tear in the summer. 

Even when Williams likely embarks on his NFL career after the bowl game, the defensive line has a strong foundation on which to build beyond 2014. 

GRADE: B+ 

Linebackers

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One of the programs in contention for the moniker “Linebacker U.,” USC has been home to plenty of standouts at the position.

Team captain Hayes Pullard is one such standout, ending his illustrious college career as one of the program's all-time leading tacklers. He has 369 and counting. 

Pullard led the Trojans in total tackles for a second straight season, serving as the foundation for a unit that was one of the rare groups with considerable depth.

Six linebackers finished the regular season with at least 11 tackles; Anthony Sarao’s 70 were third-most on the team behind Pullard’s 87 and Williams’ 71.

Sarao was an instrumental part of USC’s No. 27 nationally ranked rushing defense, providing key run-stopping support along with Pullard.

J.R. Tavai and Scott Felix thrived as pass-rushers, and combination SAM linebacker and safety sophomore Su’a Cravens added a new dimension to USC’s blitz packages.

Sophomores Michael Hutchings and Quinton Powell saw opportunities to contribute. Powell in particular became a regular part of the defense in the back half of the campaign.

GRADE: A-  

Secondary

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For evidence that USC is well stocked for the immediate future, look no further than the secondary.

This group started true freshmen Jackson and John Plattenburg, redshirt freshman Chris Hawkins and sophomores Kevon Seymour and Leon McQuay. True freshman Jonathan Lockett also saw significant playing time at stretches. 

USC did not allow a passing touchdown until Oct. 4 and ranked No. 30 nationally in interceptions. However, the Trojans also gave up more passing yards than all but four Pac-12 teams—and more than 109 other teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. 

The 3,188 yards USC surrendered through the air are not entirely the fault of the secondary, but the unit's overall lack of depth and experience did play a part in the hefty passing numbers given up this season. 

GRADE: B-

Special Teams

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With Agholor and Jackson back to return kickoffs and punts, the threat of a special teams touchdown or USC’s offense being set up on a short field was always prevalent.

And indeed, each of the two ran at least one kick back for a score this season. Agholor took two punts to the house. 

The Trojans initially struggled with giving up similarly long returns on the other end, but USC's overall return coverage improved as the campaign progressed. 

Placekicker Andre Heidari missed two games midway through the season but was perfect on field-goal attempts upon returning en route to finish 8 of 10 on the year. 

The most notable flaw in USC's special teams play was in the punting unit. Punter Kris Albarado averaged a healthy 41.58 yards per attempt but was not often used on punting situations inside the 50-yard line. 

Instead, Sarkisian opted to go with Kessler for seven quick kicks. These pooch punts typically resulted in touchbacks. 

GRADE: B

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com. Recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.com.