USC ends losing streak: Lessons learned from Trojans' win over Rutgers

LOS ANGELES — The pattern emerged again.

So many USC games followed the same script: The offense stagnates a bit in the third quarter, the defense gives up a point and suddenly the opponent has some life. On Friday night, USC's offense ended its first series at four in the third quarter. Then the defense gave up a touchdown and a two-point conversion to Rutgers.

USC had a 19-point lead in the first half. With 8:11 left in the third quarter, the lead was only eight. Another collapse was certainly on the minds of many Trojans fans.

But on the first play of USC's next possession, Miller Moss threw a pass just out of reach of a Rutgers defender and into the hands of sophomore receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon spun upfield and was eventually pushed out of bounds at the 5-yard line.

It was a 70-yard gain that set up a touchdown four plays later and allowed USC to pull away from Rutgers – something it has struggled with so much this season – and claim a 42-20 victory.

USC (4-4, 2-4 Big Ten) is now two-thirds of the way through the regular season. There's nothing to care about except pride as we head into the home stretch with games remaining against Washington (away), Nebraska (home), UCLA (away) and Notre Dame (home).

The way the Trojans respond to their current situation and tough setbacks – both on the field and with injuries – will say a lot about this program. Lemon's rise will be one of the things to watch over the final four games.

Here's more on that and other developments to watch in the final month of the regular season.

Lemon's breakout game

USC's receiver group is led by four sophomores – Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja'Kobi Lane and Duce Robinson. This quartet has a lot of potential. Nobody has developed into a true No. 1 receiver yet.

Lemon could be on the way. It wasn't hard to imagine this scenario during training camp.

“He played every day in camp,” said redshirt senior Kyle Ford, who caught four passes for 45 yards and a score on Friday night. “Honestly, he was the MVP of the camp in my eyes. He played great. It’s cool to see how that translates.”

Lemon had some opportunities early in the season – he caught four passes in the first two games – but was pushed out of the lineup after suffering a hit to the head against Michigan.

Since his return, he has gradually become Moss' most reliable target. It started slowly with three catches for 37 yards against Minnesota. This was followed by six catches for 73 yards against Penn State and eight for 89 yards against Maryland. Then on Friday night, he caught four passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in a breakout performance against the Scarlet Knights.

It was the best game by any USC receiver this season.

“I don’t know if he’s great at anything yet. He’s really good at a lot of things,” coach Lincoln Riley said after the game. “Route running, all those things – he has a lot of room to develop as a player. His skill set, there aren't a lot of things that you look at, 'Well, he just can't do that.' He's a very versatile receiver. He still has a few yards left after the catch. He is strong and will continue to get better.”

Branch, Robinson and Lane may have unique skills that are more impressive than anything Lemon does. But when it comes to being a pure receiver, he's probably the best of the bunch.

He has safe hands. He is a smooth route runner. He simply knows how to find gaps in the defense, which is why Moss often looks his way. On Friday he impressed with his vision and cutting ability.

He also had a new role against Rutgers, replacing Branch as the primary kickoff returner. Riley said the staff wanted to allow Branch to focus solely on punt returns.

The move paid off. Lemon returned a kick 80 yards, setting up USC's second touchdown of the first quarter.

Once again he showed that he is capable of reducing something.

Makai Lemon just kept going. 😤 pic.twitter.com/rkwmjXq1IX

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 26, 2024

Lemon finished the game with 256 all-purpose yards and became the first USC player with an 80-yard return and 70-yard reception in the same game since Marqise Lee did so against Oregon in 2012.

Lemon is still young, so his game needs time to mature. But if he can live up to the potential he's shown so far, he could be the No. 1 target the Trojans have been looking for.

The defense has its back against the wall

It wasn't the prettiest or cleanest performance from the USC defense. Rutgers managed 434 yards, its highest total against a Power 4 opponent this season.

However, the Trojans limited the Scarlet Knights when they needed to and did enough to win. Rutgers scored just 20 points.

But it will be a difficult road for the USC defense. This was never a unit that had elite talent or great depth. At its best, it's a defense that highlights the skills of its best players, plays hard on every shot and is fundamentally sound.

That has been put to the test recently by injuries. Linebacker Eric Gentry was USC's best defensive player through the first month of the season. He is out for a year after suffering multiple concussions. Anthony Lucas was the most disruptive defensive lineman. He is out for the season with a leg injury.

Kamari Ramsey is USC's top defensive back and top tackler. Jaylin Smith is his best corner. Both missed Saturday's game due to injuries, as did two other starters in the secondary (corner Jacobe Covington and nickel Greedy Vance).

Then during the game, defenseman Nate Clifton had to leave the game with an injury and was seen wearing a walking boot after the game.

That's seven starters who were recently injured. As a result, USC is giving expanded roles to players who likely aren't ready for these types of opportunities.

Some will do well. For example, Kameryn Fountain, a true freshman defensive lineman, recorded his first career sack on Friday night. There will be growing pains in other areas. Like the depleted secondary that gave up 313 yards to a subpar Rutgers passing game.

“I thought today was just a good representation of the true identity of our defense,” linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said. “Play physical for four quarters in a row. We don't really take our foot off the gas. … Not everything was perfect tonight, but I think we just played physical, played fast and hard and (that showed).”

Despite all of these issues, the Trojans defense has been solid all season.

They are allowing 21.8 points per game, a huge increase from the 34.4 they allowed last season. And that's for a group that isn't particularly talented and lacks depth.

The offense is playing better

USC didn't give up a sack against Rutgers. Moss had plenty of time to throw the ball and find open receivers. As a result, he completed 20 of 28 passes for 308 yards and two scores. He also didn't commit the untimely turnovers that have plagued him in recent weeks.

The offensive line has rightly taken a lot of criticism this season. But only two sacks have been allowed in the last three games. It seems like the coaching staff is working on the pass protection issues.

Run blocking has also improved week to week. The rushing attack has been the most consistent part of the offense for several weeks. Running back Woody Marks ran for 94 yards and three touchdowns against Rutgers.

Offensive line coach Josh Henson has been a major target of frustration among the fan base. Here too it is understandable. But this young, inexperienced offensive line seems to be finding some momentum, and Henson has had some good wins on the recruiting trail lately.

We'll see if that continues next month and what it means for Henson's future.

The ability to close

USC's response as Rutgers cut the deficit to eight was strong. Especially after so many of those situations have gone in the opposite direction for the Trojans this season.

“There hasn't really been any panic with this group in any of these games,” Riley said after his team survived a three-game losing streak by a combined 11 points. “That didn’t exist tonight, and I thought we had a great attitude and did a great job finishing it off.”

Rutgers is an average football team, as its 4-4 record suggests. Any team that remains on USC's schedule will likely pose a greater challenge. So how will the Trojans respond if they find themselves in a crucial situation again?

It's abundantly clear that this team is still learning how to win. There just aren't many players on the roster who won at a high level in college. And Riley admittedly didn't train well for these situations.

Championships are no longer in play. So if you're a fan, you want to see growth as we move forward. Developing winning habits and improving situational football will be crucial if the Trojans want to salvage their season.

(Photo by Makai Lemon: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)