USC vs. Colorado: Game Grades, Analysis for the Trojans

USC found a way to overcome its own struggles and a surprising performance from the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday night, winning 27-24 on the road to keep its slim Pac-12 South hopes alive.

The Trojans won the game, but these game grades won't reflect that after they gave a Colorado team that's now 1-6 in Pac-12 play chance after chance to notch a seismic upset.

Unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	C+
Run Offense	D	B-
Pass Defense	F	D+
Run Defense	B-	B+
Special Teams	C	C-
Coaching	D	D

Pass Offense: Inconsistency was the name of the game for USC's passing offense, once again. Cody Kessler put up three touchdowns and 204 yards but threw a pick that led to a Colorado touchdown. Save for some chunk plays by JuJu Smith-Schuster and Steven Mitchell Jr., there wasn't much there for a unit that's supposed to be dominant.

Run Offense: The Trojans' biggest issue running the ball was not committing to it. Justin Davis and Ronald Jones combined for over 140 yards on a combined 33 carries, but the coaches need to mix it up to produce more success to unleash their backs' great potential, as Dan Wolken of USA Today observed:

Pass Defense: USC made Colorado backup quarterback Cade Apsay look amazing, as he threw for two touchdowns and contributed to the Buffaloes' 222 passing yards. This is still the prime issue for the Trojans on defense.

Run Defense: With that said, the Trojans are stuffing opponents on the ground at a strong rate. Colorado's multifaceted rushing attack was shut down, producing just 59 yards on 36 carries. Paolo Uggetti of NeonTommy.com reported on their consistency of late:

Special Teams: Adoree' Jackson finally proved he knows how to fair-catch a ball, but he's still not exploding for the big plays. A big punt return by Colorado—the product of treacherous punt protection by USC—allowed the Buffaloes back into the game late.

Coaching: All of USC's games in the interim head coach Clay Helton era have included slow starts followed by strong finishes. That's not a coincidence, and he needs to figure out how to end that now before Oregon and UCLA come knocking. The Trojans won't be able to dig themselves out of big holes against those teams.