Football keys on consistency

With the season opener against Fresno State just two days away, the energy among the USC football team is high.

The Trojans emerged from Wednesday’s practice with a renewed sense of vigor and focus for Saturday’s game. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast’s unit, which ranked an abysmal 59th in the nation last season, is looking to re-establish its authority in the Pac-12.

“We see a lot of wide open teams in this conference,” Pendergast said. “Every week is going to be based off of how we feel our matchups are … We’ve been able to go into a fourth year of recruiting different types of bodies to play different types of defense. I feel like we’re at the point now where we can do that.”

The Trojans seem confident in their ability to take on Fresno State’s relatively inexperienced offense. The Bulldogs’ senior quarterback Jorge Reyna has never started a game with Fresno State and has only passed for 111 yards and a touchdown in his college career.

“[The team’s confidence] is at an all-time high,” redshirt senior defensive lineman Christian Rector said. “It’s right where it needs to be.”

Despite Fresno State’s apparent weakness behind center, Rector emphasized that the Trojans will not be taking their opponent lightly. He said that the Bulldogs’ discipline and smart coaching make the team a force to be reckoned with. Head coach Jeff Tedford has revived Fresno State from a 1-11 program to the Mountain West conference champion in just three years.

Pendergast, who worked with Tedford from 2010 to 2012 at Cal, echoed Rector’s sentiment.

“He’s always evolving with his offensive scheme and system,” Pendergast said. “You can see the differences from where it was when we worked together at Cal. One thing I know about him is that he’s always going to utilize his players.”

In response to Tedford’s offensive strategy, Pendergast plans to use his defensive players in a myriad of placements. He has moved redshirt sophomore cornerback Greg Johnson to the nickelback position, citing his versatility, coverage skills and physicality as main reasons for the change. Johnson has become a leader on this young defense, which lost captains Cameron Smith and Porter Gustin to the NFL after the 2018 season.

Rector has also taken it upon himself to show new players the ropes. 

“It’s been great to step up and become a leader for this team,” Rector said. “We have a lot of talented guys, so that makes my job really easy. Being in that [leadership] position isn’t totally new to me, but it is a fun position to be in.”

The Trojans’ main focus on both sides of the ball will be simplicity and consistency. New offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has significantly simplified the offensive playbook, narrowing the players’ repertoire down to about 20 plays. This should allow sophomore quarterback JT Daniels to make quicker decisions in the pocket and more readily connect with his receivers.

The Trojans will arrive at Saturday’s game with one of the fiercest wide receiving squads in the NCAA. Their four best receivers from 2018 — sophomore Amon-Ra St. Brown, redshirt juniors Tyler Vaughns and Velus Jones Jr. and senior Michael Pittman Jr. — will once again be options downfield for Daniels.

In order to succeed this Saturday, the Trojans will certainly need to rely on their passing game. Daniels averaged 243 yards passing and -13.5 yards rushing per game in 2018, and Harrell’s Air Raid strategy takes advantage of the quarterback’s clear strengths while minimizing his weaknesses.

No matter how prepared the Trojans seem, the players are acutely aware of the expectations of fans who were disappointed in the team’s performance last season.

“I’m confident in [our team],” Rector said. “But that doesn’t mean anything until you see us go out and play.”