USC Football: Lackadaisical Performances Will Doom Trojans in Coming Weeks

Southern California has been quite underwhelming so far despite winning their first two games of the season.

After barely holding on against Minnesota in the season opener, the team looked just as sluggish in the second game of the season.

Had USC not blocked what would have been a game-tying field goal in the final seconds, they would have headed to overtime against an inferior Utah team.

Not taking anything away from the Utes or Gophers, but the Trojans are significantly more talented.

However, even with solid offensive numbers on the year, the Trojans have failed to put points on the board.

Starting quarterback and potential first-round pick, Matt Barkley, has completed 70 percent of his passes for 568 yards and four touchdowns, with just one interception. On the other hand, the run game has been a bit more inconsistent.

The team averages 109 yards rushing per game, which is good for 98th in the country. Marc Tyler and D.J. Morgan have led the charge, but not good enough to this point.

One major problem for the Trojans thus far has been their fourth down conversion rate. They have gone for it on fourth down four times in two games and failed on three occasions.

The Trojans need to step their game up in the coming weeks, as the schedule doesn't get any easier. They can't afford to continue missing out on opportunities to score, and need to convert their drives into points.

They face Syracuse this week, but head on the road to take on No. 22 Arizona State next week. If they don't figure things out in the next week, they could find themselves being knocked off by ASU at Sun Devil Stadium.