USC Football: Report Card Grades for USC vs. Syracuse

The evolution of this year's version of the men of Troy took another step forward, albeit a sometimes bumpy one, as quarterback Matt Barkley put on a show in the Trojans 38-17 victory over a game but out-matched Syracuse Orange Saturday in the Coliseum.

In a game that USC needed to win easily to preserve both their fans and their own sanity, the Trojans rode the golden arm of their junior quarterback and a dizzying collection of receivers to subdue an Orange team that alternated between good and awful for most of the game.

However, this was not the "complete game," that USC Coach Lane Kiffin had been looking for.

Still a one dimensional offense with issues in the defensive backfield, the Trojans have yet to put together that elusive package that signals a return to the glory of the recent past.

Yet, for a team that understands that maturation takes time, the primary goal is to just get better and the Trojans did that against the 'Cuse, at least in some areas.

Now let's find out which units excelled and which are still a work in progress.

Quarterback

Well, we still don't know for sure how Matt Barkley will respond in the second half of close games, but Trojan fans are just fine with the question not being answered if this is how Barkley plans to attack the rest of the season.

After going 27 for 40 for 326 yards and five, yes, five touchdowns, Barkley removed the "nervous factor" that had accompanied the Trojans' first two victories of the year with an amazing array of pinpoint passes to a bevy of receivers.

Speaking of receivers, perhaps the most scintillating aspect of Barkley's day was the way he spread the wealth.

Connecting with eight different receivers, Barkley had the Orange defensive secondary on their heels all game long and to make matters worse for Syracuse's beleaguered pass defense, he hooked up with five different receivers for touchdowns.

All in all, a masterful performance and one that covered two halves instead of just one like recent performances.

Grade: A

Running Backs

On the surface, USC's 175 yards on 33 carries looks pretty darned good.

Look closer though and you will see that until the fourth quarter, the Trojans struggled against a good but not great Orange defensive line.

When the Trojans needed to establish the run in the first half, that portion of the offense was non-existant.

With all of 24 total yards rushing at the intermission, USC had to rely on Barkley and his cohorts to put up points all game long and this will not do as the Trojans move forward in the 2011 season.

Of course, as will be addressed later, running backs can't run through non existent holes but even with that, the lack of production was alarming.

Eventually, after the game was out of hand, some Trojans, specifically Curtis McNeal, began to assert themselves as the Orange found itself on their collective heels but even that was tempered by D.J. Morgan's unfortunate fumble in his only carry.

Grade: C-

Receivers

Pity the poor Syracuse defensive secondary.

Even with the magnificent Robert Woods having a fairly ordinary (by his standards) game, the Orange cornerbacks and safeties still had no answer for the myriad of receivers the Trojans ran out at them.

While Woods' eight receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown led the Trojans, he was by no means the target for quarterback Barkley.

Joining Woods in the fun was Brandon Carswell and Rhett Ellison who each had five receptions and five other Trojans who caught at least one pass from the generous Mr. Barkley.

Altogether, five different Trojans caught touchdown passes including true freshman Marqise Lee who stretched the Orange defense for a 43-yard strike to help put the game away.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Despite all of the good feelings the Trojans took away from this game, the performance of the offensive line was not one of them.

Unable to get the running game going when the Trojans needed to establish offensive balance, the O-line showed that they still have a ways to go in order to get USC where they want to be.

A week after running back Marc Tyler tore up a good Utah defensive line with impressive runs borne by gaping holes opened by the men in the trenches, in this game, finding room to run—at least in the first half—was tough to say the least.

The Trojans will have to do much better than the 24 yards gained on the ground in the opening session if they expect to excel this season, and this will be a focus once again for Lane Kiffin and line coach James Cregg as they prepare for the Trojans' first road game against Arizona State.

Of course, starting a true freshman, Marcus Martin, at left guard, didn't help matters as his growing pains included at least two penalties and a series of missed assignments.

Grade: C-

Defensive Line

In the defensive trenches, USC's big guys had a good but not great game.

As usual, the Trojans D-line held their opponent to minimal yards rushing (73 yards and 3.5 average) but despite coming up with three sacks, Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib often had plenty of time to pick the Trojans struggling defensive secondary apart.

Throwing for 258 yards, Nassib was often able to look off primary receivers and wait for others to uncover which put additional pressure on the inconsistent defensive backfield (more on them later).

This led to another troubling statistic as the Orange was able to convert on more than 50 percent of third down conversions (8 for 15).

Letting teams off the hook on third downs has been a sore spot for the Trojans all season and this will also have to improve as the Trojans move forward in 2011.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

Much like the defensive line, the Trojans linebackers had a solid if unspectacular game.

Mirroring the lines effectiveness in stopping the run, the 'backers often found itself wanting as Syracuse receivers exploited the middle of the field for medium gains which often resulted in first downs.

With Dion Bailey registering a sack and Hayes Pullard continuing his startling growth, the Trojans linebacker corps did some nice things but will need to find more consistency especially on third downs.

While Bailey and Pullard were steady, middle linebacker Chris Galippo's name was rarely heard although true freshmen Tre Madden and Lamar Dawson had decent games in limited action.

Grade: C+

Defensive Secondary

Still the weak spot of the Trojan defense, the secondary struggled against Syracuse receivers who were markedly less athletic than those USC will face in the future.

Of course, as mentioned previously, Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib had a lot of time to find uncovered receivers as the Trojans defensive line often failed to deliver the pressure that would have made their job much easier.

After giving up 258 yards and two touchdowns (granted one of those TD's came on a trick "double pass" play), the defensive backfield will need significant improvement for USC's defense to become the juggernaut they hope to be in 2011.

Grade: C-

Special Teams

Special teams Coach John Baxter had to be proud of the overall game his charges delivered against Syracuse Saturday night.

Punter Kyle Negrete bounced back from a poor Utah game to average 41.5 yards on his two tries and place kicker Andre Heidari made one of two field goals.

Kickoff coverage was excellent as they held the Orange to only 14 yards per in their seven returns and zero yards on those punts.

If the Trojans can provide this kind of consistency throughout 2011, special teams will be one unit USC can count on throughout the year.

Grade: B+

Intangibles

The Trojans are still unable to win the turnover battle as both they and the Orange each lost a fumble.

A lack of interceptions must be addressed as USC's defensive secondary has been unable to secure a pick with any consistency despite being thrown at a ton of times in 2011.

As mentioned previously, the defense is struggling with third down conversions which has been an issue all season, especially when that third down is of the longer variety.

On offense, the big uglies upfront are still struggling to find an identity, especially in the running game.

Grade: C+

Coaching

Give Lane Kiffin credit.

Despite having an almost non-existent running game when it counted, the Trojans were able to gain 510 yards against a Syracuse defense that was ranked eighth in the country last year.

If he can figure out how to get some consistency from the rushing side of the offense, the Trojans could be formidable in 2011.

On defense, Monte Kiffin's crew had a good but not great game.

Though they had three sacks, Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib often had all day to throw and a lack of perimeter pressure allowed Nassib to roll out to gain time while waiting for receivers to uncover.

Perhaps a corner blitz or two might have been helpful to contain Nassib and allow pocket pressure.

Brade: B-

Conclusion

As has been the case with all of USC's victories in 2011, there were both good and bad things to come out of this defeat of an over matched Syracuse Orange.

For once, the Trojans were able to avoid yet another nail biter but USC's rushing attack will have to improve significantly for USC to have a complete offense.

To be sure, this game was made easy because Matt Barkley had an outstanding game but without a solid run game, these results can't be expected week in and week out.

Meanwhile, the defensive secondary continues to be a sore spot for Monte Kiffin.

Too many third down conversions and a lack of a consistent pass rush offers too many opportunities for opposing offenses and this will have to be tightened up as the Trojans move forward this season.

Still, this was a three touchdown win for a team that needed an easy contest as they try to catch their collective breath before they embark on their first road trip of the season next week at Arizona State.

For that, they get their best grade of the year for their effort against the Orange.

Grade: B-