Reporter Roundtable: Predictions and perspective for USC-Utah

1. The first two games have exposed plenty of flaws in this USC team. What is the most fixable of those at this point?

Ryan Young: "Let's see. I think the offensive line is what it is going to be. It might have some better days ahead in favorable matchups, but I don't expect a substantial improvement. The linebacker play is interesting. I fully bought into the narrative of that unit being significantly better than a year ago, because of Todd Orlando's track record with the position and the perceived talent and untapped potential there. But the reality is we're more than a quarter of the way through this unusual, truncated season, so I'm hesitant to invest any further in that unit at this point -- but I also won't rule it out. (I do think Orlando will make an impact there in time -- I'm just not sure if there is enough time left this season). So for the purposes of this question, I'll roll the dice on the short-yardage struggles. Not in the sense that I think USC will develop some dominant physical push up front in obvious short-yardage rushing downs -- I just have to imagine that Graham Harrell and Co. will get creative and find a way to fix the problem. Plus, it's just statistically hard to get stopped on third- and fourth-and-1 as consistently as this team has, so at the least I expect it to balance out a bit."

Tajwar Khandaker: "The Kedon Slovis situation, whatever it is, I think might become resolved overnight. Whatever the issue causing the noticeable hiccups in his passes, it seems to be minor enough that neither he nor the coaching staff seem particularly pressed about it, and it’s not as though he’s been off on every play. For about half the time, he’s seemed like his normal self. The fact that he is still able to make the plays that require the entirety of his arm talent, albeit inconsistently, is promising. Although it’s still cause for concern, I wouldn’t be surprised if something clicks suddenly and he delivers at his usual level consistently once again. I don’t know how or when that would come about, but with more weeks of game experience and practice under his belt I wouldn’t bet against the issue getting fixed -- instantly jump-starting the Trojans offense."

Erik McKinney: "I don't think there's any reason to buy the idea that USC is suddenly going to be a great short-yardage team in this offense, so I see the third and fourth-and-short struggles either continuing or not getting completely fixed. But Todd Orlando's defenses have typically been strong against the run and I don't see the Trojans finishing 101st in the country in run defense. I buy the idea that not having a spring ball severely limited how quickly this defense could get up to speed, and while Utah might not be the opponent I'd prefer to see on the schedule when I say I think the run defense will improve, that's the area in which I can see general improvement as the season goes along."

2. Many fans have seemingly jumped off the Todd Orlando bandwagon already. What's your expectation and chief concern for the defense moving forward?

Ryan: "I have been amused at the 'Now you see why he was fired by Texas' commentary that emerged in full force last week. The man has a 15-year track record as a defensive coordinator and most of it is really, really good. I'm going to put my stock in that over a wonky season at Texas that was beset by injuries and a slow start at USC after, you know, not having spring ball. I really don't seek to be an excuse maker on behalf of anyone, but I am very fond of logic and reason, and it's only logical and reasonable to conclude that this defense probably isn't the best version of what it's going to be yet. I'll give Orlando more than two games in the year of COVID to prove himself here. As for my chief concern, as I said above, it's the linebackers. I think if Palaie Gaoteote's full potential was going to be suddenly unlocked, we would have seen it more clearly the first two games. Now he's in the concussion protocol and likely to miss this game, and suddenly almost half of his season is gone. I'm going to maintain optimism about the long-term upside of Ralen Goforth, and nobody in that unit works harder at the craft, per all accounts. But he's learning college football on the fly after not getting much opportunity last year, and that might not be an overnight fix either. Kana'i Mauga will get the chance to start next to Goforth this week, and that's two players who have clear talent but have also been consistently inconsistent so far in their Trojans careers, so that does worry me against a physical team like Utah."

Tajwar: "It’s been a mixed bag so far for the Trojans on the defensive side of the ball. I’ll start with the good. The defensive front looks promising; Marlon Tuipulotu has been sensational, Drake Jackson is starting to look like his usual self and Nick Figueroa has been a pleasant surprise thus far. Throw in the potential return of Brandon Pili this week from his finger injury, and things don’t look so bad on the D-line. The secondary has been middling, held down by Olaijah Griffin’s excellent play at his cornerback spot, but there have been flashes of good play from most of the players on the back end and potential for more consistency. The most concerning unit on the defense has to be the linebacking corps, whose play has been a liability for this team. In two consecutive weeks, the group has tackled miserably and appeared completely out of it, taking bad angles and getting lost in coverage. Nothing I’ve seen so far gives me reason to be optimistic there; Gaoteote’s absence won’t help, and Goforth and Mauga have been subpar to say the least. The Trojans' weakness there will continue to hurt them through the course of the season unless there’s a major turnaround somehow."

Erik: "I think the defense will be good, but I don't think we'll be talking about it as an elite group. The overall concern is speed, and we've already seen a couple situations where a slight hesitation leads to a huge play because there aren't enough guys out there who can chase down or make up for a mistake. And I don't know if there's enough top-end talent at inside linebacker this year to make that a true impact position. Ultimately though, I think it does enough to at least keep USC in every game this season."