USC Football: 5 Key Observations in Win over Minnesota

Matt Barkley and the USC Trojans made a sunny day in Los Angeles even brighter with their 19-17 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday.

There were a lot of uncertainties heading into the season for the Trojans, with plenty of young freshman and sophomores starting on both sides of the ball. That being said, plenty of things went well for the Trojans during their opening match. However, there are still plenty of aspects of the game that they need to improve on.

Here are five key observations from the opening game against Minnesota:

No Trust in Andre Heidari

It seems like Lane Kiffin and the coaching staff does not really trust their kicking game at this stage. Twice, early in the game, they deferred the extra point and attempted a two point conversion. They failed both times. 

Also, late in the game, the Trojans were in field goal range and could've expanded the lead to five points, yet they opted to punt. Although the Trojans came away with the victory, they're going to need to develop trust in their kicker, Andre Heidari, if they want to win some games.

Kiffin's decision to go for a two-point conversation sends the wrong message to the young kicker.

It's an extra point.

Let him kick the ball and develop some confidence in his leg, especially in a season that doesn't really matter.

Heidari could've kicked those two extra points and even had a shot for the long field goal opportunity late in the game. This is a good year for him to gain some confidence so that next season when the games count, he'll be ready to deliver in the spotlight. 

It'll be interesting to see if Heidari wins over his coaches as the season progresses. 

Matt Barkley Is NFL Ready

Yes, it was only one game and it was against Minnesota, but even a casual fan could notice Barkley's poise and confidence under center. He delivered some great passes and had a fantastic game, throwing three touchdowns in the first half.

Barkley also threw for 299 yards and had a completion rate of 76.1 percent. 

There is a good chance that Barkley will bolt to the NFL after this season, especially if he puts up great numbers. So far he's doing that.

Barkley facilitated the Trojan offense and made it very easy to pick apart the Gopher offense in the first half. This bodes well for a team that will absolutely need their quarterback to perform well for them to succeed. 

Where Is the Running Game?

It's never a good thing when a quarterback throws the ball 46 times. That's what Matt Barkley did Saturday. 

This shows that the coaching staff doesn't believe that the Trojans running attack can help them win games. D.J. Morgan ran for 69 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per carry.

If wasn't for a 27-yard burst from Curtis McNeal, he would've only had seven rushing yards in five attempts. 

And it's not like the Trojans line was bad today. Barkley wasn't sacked at all. They protected him well and gave him time to throw. It's just that the running game lacks the same punch it had during the glory days. 

The Trojans don't want their offense to become too one-dimensional and predictable. If defenses know that they're going to be throwing the ball most of the time, then that's not going to be much of a challenge for opposing teams. 

It'll be intriguing to see how the Trojans try to improve their running game throughout the season. 

Robert Woods Domination: Is This a Good Thing?

Robert Woods was very noticeable Saturday night. He set a USC record for most receptions in a game with 17 and he also had 177 receiving yards. His three touchdowns capped off a wonderful day for the sophomore receiver.

As good as these stats were for Woods, was this great performance necessarily a good thing for the Trojans?

Once again, the Trojans don't want to become too one-dimensional. Other teams are going to watch film and be able to cover Woods. When the rest of the team's receivers get 123 yards and Woods alone gets 177, it becomes pretty obvious for opponents that Barkley is going to look at Woods first.

Kiffin and the offensive coaching staff need to get other receivers involved. Tight end Rhett Ellison was quiet this afternoon and Xavier Grimble was essentially a non-factor. 

Against elite defenses, the Trojans will need to get other receivers in the game in order to win. 

Unnecessary Penalties

The Trojans committed eight infractions for 75 yards. Most of the penalties came in the second half that either killed drives or gave the Gophers some life.

Penalties like snap infractions and false starts need to be limited. The offensive line may be young but at any level, these minor penalties are absolutely inexcusable. All they do is give opponents another chance. Great teams will easily take advantage of that.

The Trojans have plenty to work on this week in preparation for Utah next week. As great as they played in the first half, they played just as poorly in the second half because of penalties and missed opportunities. 

Trojan Nation will be following closely to see how they improve throughout the rest of the season.