COLUMN: USC has prime opportunity vs. Arizona to find an offensive identity

Earlier this week, when was asked what he expected from Arizona's defense, USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell had a telling response.

"It's hard to say anymore because what you see on tape isn't ever what you see on gameday, it doesn't seem anymore. We'll figure it out," he said.

Because of the consensus excitement among both USC offensive players and recruits in the spring and summer for Harrell's offense, it was easy to forget or perhaps overlook that he had only been a coordinator for three seasons at North Texas prior to taking the job.

Expectations were collectively high for what this offense could be, how USC and its ballyhooed receiving corps would pile up yards through the air and how the Trojans' pace would wear defenses down. Head coach Clay Helton suggested the offense would be getting 80, 90 or more plays a game, and he and Harrell both said the Trojans would need at least eight receivers to handle the volume that awaited the unit.

Well, halfway through the season USC ranks 85th nationally in plays per game (67.8), 51st in total offense (428.8 yards per game) and 71st in scoring (29.0 points per game). And there's been almost no rotation at receiver -- Michael Pittman, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns have 94.6 percent of the receptions by wideouts -- because, again, the volume simply hasn't been there.

Whether he'd say it or not, from listening to Harrell reflect on it all this week, it seems a logical conclusion to say that he's been at least somewhat surprised by how everything's played out this fall -- and by extension, perhaps by the transition from North Texas to USC in general.

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