Harrell’s offense prepares for tough Utah front


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Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell runs a pass-heavy offense that will look to incorporate the run game more Friday against the visiting Utah Utes. (Photo courtesy of USC Athletics)

With only six days between their disappointing defeat at BYU and their upcoming match against No. 10 Utah, the Trojans have taken advantage of every second of practice this past week. 

“I loved how they jumped right back out here and jumped right back into work,” head coach Clay Helton said Monday. “[The team is] looking forward to the next opportunity to compete against a good Utah football team.”

To call the Utah team talented is an understatement. Led by a pair of seniors, quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss, the Utes have crushed all competition so far this season. The 3-0 team shows no areas of apparent weakness — it has scored 96 points this season while allowing just 29.

With offensive coordinator Graham Harrell at USC’s play-calling helm, the name of the Trojans’ game will be comfortability and execution.

“You’ve gotta figure out, what does the quarterback execute at a high level?” Harrell said. “What does he feel comfortable with? What does he see well? And if you call those plays, they usually work.”

Freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis appeared to be out of his element last week facing BYU’s rush-three, drop-eight defense. The Cougars forced Slovis into tough situations, leading him to throw two interceptions in the first quarter and one more in overtime. On top of his passing woes, the young quarterback seemed unprepared to hand off the ball in times of need. 

This week, the coaches said the team will incorporate the ground game within Harrell’s typically pass-heavy offense. They claim Slovis is prepared to face Utah’s dominant defense.

“When you’re talking about this Utah front, you’re looking at four or five [future] NFL players,” Helton said. “It’ll be a great challenge for our offensive line. I told our guys in the team meeting right off the bat, this is going to be a big man’s game. I think that whoever controls the offensive and defensive fronts will win the game.”

While the USC team doesn’t quite match Utah’s for size, the Trojan offense brings confidence and discipline into Friday’s home faceoff. 

“No matter what the situation is, no matter what the play is, we have to be disciplined enough to continue to adjust our reads,” Harrell said. “We’ve got to be disciplined enough to just do our job and focus on our job every single snap.”

If the Trojan offense can focus on its job rather than the unfavorable odds, it may have a chance to pull out an upset at the Coliseum. Slovis will need to rely on his formidable rushing squad, namely junior Stephen Carr and redshirt junior Vavae Malepeai, to infiltrate the Utes’ drop-focused defense.

The team must set its sights forward this week in order to avoid a mid-season slump. Slovis remains confident in the team’s ability to rebound from last week’s trap loss to BYU.

“It’s no different,” Slovis said. “In every level of football, I’ve faced some form of adversity … It’s a learning curve, and you’ve got to adjust and get better.”