Wide Receiver U. Or Wide Receiver Who?

Last night’s game was another glaring example of the wide receiver problems that exist once you get past Deontay Burnett and Steven Mitchell. Don’t forget USC has around 13 receivers on scholarship. I’m not sure why Joseph Lewis doesn’t play more, who caught a pass last night. If the others aren’t ready, then it’s time for a coach to admit it instead of pretending each week they might emerge.

Whatever happened to the days when a true freshman (Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, JuJu Smith-Schuster) was game ready to start the season?

34 thoughts on “Wide Receiver U. Or Wide Receiver Who?

  1. Hey wolf, do your job as a journalist,. Approach the coaches and ask the questions that need answering. Isn’t that the way it works. I thought this site was called “InsideUSC”, which is very misleading

  2. It’s not time for the USC coaches to admit anything, at least not publicly.

    We’ve got one great and one good WR. The rest are all either hurt or disappointing. That’s why you need to sign so many of these guys. It’s the box-of-chocolates position of football. Hopefully another WR will start to show he can actually catch and become a threat.

    I trust the coaches are doing all they can do to promote the advancement of USC’s WRs. From what I saw last night, it’s a talent problem that doesn’t have anything to do with coaching. You don’t teach college players how to catch, so if Jalen Greene doesn’t pick it up soon, I hope he starts sitting so another WR gets to prove he can add to Darnold’s interception total too.

  3. Scott you need to be fair – It wasn’t just the receiving corps it was the entire offense last night. As soon as the opening drive imploded and then the awful stuffing on the next possession at the 1 yd. line the stuffing was all over the place. The confidence slowly began to seep out with momentary flashes of engagement.

  4. Darnold is amazing … Can get his team points from anywhere at anytime. How bad will the program fall when he leaves.

      • As good as Sam is I expect that as the season unfolds he will realize that he needs more seasoning and stay another year.

        • Or he realizes he doesn’t want to end up like Matt Barkley who was just released by the woeful 49ers and is out of football after a sad NFL career as a clipboard holder.

      • True. Cal is 3-0 with 2 P5 wins [UNC & OleMiss]. Better not take them lightly, especially since Wilcox would like nothing better than to show Helton who’s the better coach. With Jehyl&Hyde O-line, I’m not sure what to expect on offense.

  5. Here are the problems with our ball catchers: Tyler Vaughns is a player, but he needs to get stronger; Velus Jones is fast, but he doesn’t have great hands and seems stiff; Tyler Petite is also stiff and has no finesse in his hands or his game; Daniel I. is hurt and we need him badly; Michael P is hurt and we need him badly and Joseph Lewis seems like he’s ready to play, but he doesn’t get reps.

  6. I think Texas just played lights out on defense and it caused the Trojan offense to sputter especially in the running game. Penalties keep coming on the O-line. If Texas had a more experienced QB, I don’t know if the game would have ended the way it did. No matter how good a team is, luck is involved in winning a game or two.

    • Look at TX’s remaining home/away schedule – it’s set for a smooth glide

      @ IA St. 28th Sept.
      @ Baylor 28th Oct.
      @ WV 18th Nov.

      The rest are home (Austin or Dallas) OK, OK St., TCU, KS St., KS and TX Tech.

      This game (USC vs. TX), aside from OK and OK St. was TX’s toughest game aside from that home loss to MD and it was their toughest road game flat out.

    • If Texas was more stable at QB we would’ve lost. They’ll be a handful next year at home.

      • If we had Rasheem Green, Porter Gustan, Chuma Edoga for the whole game we might of pulled away. Our team is finding ways to win. They are hungry

        • They are all good players for us, but the game would have been close regardless. They were missing personnel too.

  7. Give Joe Lewis more downs. He was a 5-star receiver in HS. At minimum, that means he can run a route and catch a ball. Are his practice performances sub-par?

    • Mare important than that is that he’s not scared. He just needs to see more action and maybe part of that is him doing a better job of getting open.

  8. Lewis was pulled shortly after his one catch because his ribs got injured. I’m on the east coast and know this, but Scott was in the stadium and didn’t?

  9. “ I’m not sure why Joseph Lewis doesn’t play more, who caught a pass last night. ” Have you thought about taking up another line of work that doesn’t require cogent thought?

  10. Wonder if Lewis has had fumbling issues during live contact scrimmaging. Another turnover would have been fatal last night. Maybe he doesn’t have the mental readiness to be thrust into a tight game like last night’s. The Trojans definitely need a tall possesion receiver who will win more 50-50 balls. Darreus and JuJu used their large frames to shield defenders to catch balls. None of this years’ receivers have this or can do this. A tall, deep threat who can stretch the D would help too.

  11. Should we be worried that now there’s a lot of film now on Sam Darnold and other defenses are gonna start to figure him out?

  12. Their defense took away the run with blitzes and schemes this team had not seen before. They executed a defense to neutralize Sam Darnold

  13. These kid-WRs (and Greene) are going to cost Darnold the Heisman, if they haven’t already.

  14. Is it fair to say the Receivers need an actual receivers coach on the sideline to help them throughout the game.

  15. I honestly agree with Scott ( need to cleanse my pallet). The hallmark of our past glory “the wheel route” was so dynamic, #7 is the perfect candidate. Obviously now anyone with a half a brain should know is if we send receivers deep and keep the tight end for pass blocking coverage and delay Jones & Carr out of backfield screens and middle of field open as witness by the tremendous block by Mitchell to spring “ROJO”. It seems that Sam is his own worst enemy (6 int/ 3 games) when he moves out of pocket his timing/ judgement is better than ” sitting in the pocket” Sam is phenomenal & I am grateful he’s a Trojan, he possesses strength & makes better decisions ” on the run”. It’s amazing every game I’ve seen him play, it reminds me of Fran Tarkington. Our receivers to develop may need more help to get started- Sam scrambling/ receivers break off their routes to aid Sam. Receivers seem to focus & concentrate & become less worried about making mistakes. Our receivers need the opportunity to make a spectacular play to instill the mentality necessary to become successful.

  16. This is pretty much on the nose. Texas didn’t respect USC’s WRs to go deep, then pressed and played 90% of the game with 8 in the box, they only time they stopped that is during the 2 minute drill at the end of the game, and look at what happened. Give Sam time of he can make all the throws in the open windows.

    I think that this is Clay’s most glaring weakness — not playing the most talented players, but leaning too much on upperclassmen. Greene is experienced and less likely to be in the wrong sport, but why have him on the field if he can’t make plays? He can’t highpoint the ball, and he doesn’t have D Rogers hands, thus, two deflected balls off his hands for INTs in three games.

    Clay’s reluctance to play the best players is going to cost him.

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