JT Daniels said he would grade himself at a “B” for the first half of his first season of college football. Just don’t ask him what changed from the first half of the Colorado game to the second.
“Couple missed plays and that’ll happen,” he said. “You only get three downs to convert. So one guys does the wrong thing on second down and you’re third-and-long, you’re not going to succeed.”
Daniels wasn’t in a chatty mood Tuesday, this after not speaking to the media following Saturday’s win over the Buffaloes. The freshman QB is noted for being a film junkie, and there was a lot to unpack from USC’s latest offensive output. But Daniels declined to get into specifics about a performance in which he passed for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the second quarter but 71 yards and two interceptions in the other three quarters combined.
“Probably use my eyes better,” was the lone takeaway he offered.
He was no doubt referring to USC’s first play from scrimmage, which saw Daniels intercepted on an underthrown pass to Velus Jones amidst double coverage. He says he didn’t see Colorado safety Drew Lewis but insists it was the right decision -- he just needed to wait a second more and throw it further downfield.
“The right guy to throw to, just the wrong time.”
A better question is, when is the right time to run the ball? The Trojans mustered just 51 yards on the ground last week, including zero in the first half. Offensive coordinator Tee Martin said the running backs were too often looking for big gains and not disciplined in their reads in the first two quarters. That might or might not explain why they were often swarmed before they even reached the line of scrimmage.
Martin provided a curious response when asked for his level of concern with USC’s run game on the whole. The Trojans came out of the weekend ranked No. 111 in the nation in rushing offense.
