Freshmen give USC needed depth


With a typically obnoxious case of the stomach flu keeping me bedridden for the past few days, I took to mindlessly perusing social media as a means of occupying my time. Shockingly, this undertaking didn’t fit into my mom’s suggested remedy of sleep, fluids and, “You shouldn’t go out so much!” It did, however, help shed some light on the Trojans’ consistently exciting, yet consistently inconsistent, performance on the football field thus far. If my illness was good for anything, it was good to help me remember this simple fact: At USC this season, it’s all about the freshmen.

Let’s back up a little. While taking a look at wide receivers coach Tee Martin’s Instagram account — how I got there is still unclear — I discovered a post-game photo of freshman wideout JuJu Smith and legendary rapper Dr. Dre. The photo struck me as odd, but not for the reasons you might think. Dre is a well-known USC supporter and one of the namesakes of the school’s Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy. Seeing him on the Trojans’ sideline is as normal as noticing celebrity regulars such as Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg.

No, for whatever reason, it was Smith who seemed out of place. This made hardly any sense, considering that aside from established standout Nelson Agholor, Smith has the most receptions of any Trojan this season. Though Smith’s face might not be recognizable to most USC fans just six games into his college career, his name is. But, the more I considered how quickly the youngster has transitioned from being just another name in a promising recruiting class to the linchpin of an underrated receiving corps, the more I realized that I had taken his youth for granted.

Smith is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s versatile cornerback/wide receiver Adoree’ Jackson, stud tight end Bryce Dixon, human mountains at the offensive line in Viane Talamaivao and Toa Lobendahn, wide receiver Ajene Harris and key rotational pieces in the secondary such as John Plattenburg and Jonathan Lockett. All of them contributors. All of them true freshman. And I might as well have forgotten.

It all started in the season opener against Fresno State. Leading up to the game, it was unclear how much any of these freshmen would contribute. Over the summer, my fellow columnists and I debated this exact question. I felt Dixon would be a major factor in the passing game, which he has been of late. I also theorized that Smith would have to fight for playing time in crowded groups at defensive back and receiver. Shows how much I know. Smith had four receptions for 123 yards against the Bulldogs, while Dixon and Jackson both caught touchdowns. Lobendahn, Talamaivao and fellow freshman guard Damien Mama all saw time on the offensive line, a historic moment for a program that prides itself on earning everything you get. Though it wasn’t always at the flashiest positions, there was a legitimate youth movement at the Coliseum.

Still, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the Trojans’ freshmen. The experienced Stanford defense frustrated Smith. Lobendahn, Mama and Talamaivao have paved the way for redshirt junior tailback Javorius “Buck” Allen all season but struggled to keep redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler off of the turf against Boston College. Harris lost his starting position before the Fresno State game and still has only four catches on the year. But if these freshmen have been right there for USC’s worst moments of 2014, they’ve also been there for the best. Dixon and Smith pulled down three of Kessler’s school-record seven touchdown passes against Colorado on Saturday. Lockett and Plattenburg fearlessly relieved Jackson in the fourth quarter of a crucial win over Arizona. Jackson racked up a career-high seven tackles in the same game before going down to injury.

Maybe there’s a reason why I’ve taken all these freshmen for granted. They contribute, sure, but they aren’t flashy. They don’t complain about playing time or make mental mistakes. They just go out and do what they can to help the team. As a unit, their strongest asset is that they don’t play — or act — like freshmen at all.

So thank you, Tee Martin. Thank you, Instagram. Thank you, stomach flu and its subsequent medicinal haze. Now I know what I should’ve known all season: As the class of 2014 goes, so goes the USC football team — and it will be like that for years to come.

 

Will Hanley is a junior majoring in political science and communication. His column, “Sports Willustrated,” runs Thursdays. To comment on this story, visit dailytrojan.com or email Will at [email protected].