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USC's passing attack took off over the second half of last fall, peaking in the regular-season finale against UCLA when the Trojans had four different receivers each top 100 yards through the air.

It had never been done in program history -- heck, it likely hasn't been done in the history of most programs -- but offensive coordinator Graham Harrell did not look at the feat that day as some statistical rarity.

"Offensively, that's what it's supposed to look like," he said matter-of-factly.

Sure, the Bruins had a porous defense and it was the fourth time that season they'd given up 530 or more yards, but it's also true that the Trojans' offense was building real momentum over the second half of the schedule while truly embracing Harrell's Air Raid roots (in part out of necessity due to a dearth of healthy running backs).

And there's just something about that comment -- a bold if not brazen commentary that such performances aren't so much outliers but rather the goal.

For the optimistic USC fan, considering the high end of what's possible in 2020 starts with the thought that maybe the offense might be even better this year, now that the players have a command of Harrell's system and that they won't be breaking in a true freshman quarterback this time.

If the Kedon Slovis who averaged 404.6 passing yards over the final five regular-season games is the version the Trojans have for the full season -- or if JT Daniels ends up starting at any point, he too is a third-year veteran now -- it's easy to see this offense being even better overall this fall.

More to the point, that's the internal expectation.

"To me, the biggest difference of why the jump is [significant] from year 1 to year 2, it’s the second year in the system for the quarterback. When he gets really comfortable and starts understanding kind of the freedoms in the offense because it’s so simple, that’s where the biggest jump is," said USC tight ends coach John David Baker, who has worked with Harrell since his time at North Texas. "... That's the biggest thing, that quarterback gets a whole 'nother year in the system, he makes the biggest jump and it elevates everybody around him."

All of that is a long way of getting back around to the wide receivers.

The offensive system is conducive to big numbers, yes. Slovis is a major talent capable of getting the most out of that offense (and the same should be said for Daniels), for sure. But it's USC's depth of top-end WR talent that truly makes this one of the most intriguing offensive units in the country in 2020.

Even without Michael Pittman.