With its running back depth still depleted and Oregon showing some vulnerabilities against the pass in recent weeks, it stood to reason that USC would come out aggressive through the air on Saturday.
But this aggressive?
Freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis set a USC single-game record with 57 pass attempts, completing 32 for 264 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and a red zone fumble in the 56-24 loss to the Ducks.
Slovis had 42 pass attempts in the first half alone while the Trojans handed the ball off just 10 times to that point.
Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was asked after the game if in hindsight he thought USC should have tried to run more.
"No. I thought we moved the ball really well in that first half," he countered. "I think some of it has to do with we don't have healthy running backs on the roster, more to do than their run defense. But I thought, again, that first half we came out with 17 points, but we're inside the 5 and we turn the ball over, we moved the ball all night and just didn't take care of the football."
USC did put up 211 yards in the first half, but missed opportunities undermined the Trojans as they settled for a field goal after an interception set them up at the Oregon 8-yard line, and Slovis then had three straight drives end in an interception, fumble at the Ducks' 5 and a pick-6.
His first interception came on a ball deflected up in the air off wide receiver Drake London's hands, but it wasn't a good pass. On his second, he seemed to not see the Oregon defender dropping into coverage, though coach Clay Helton suggested he was hit on the throw. And on the third, in the second half, wide receiver Tyler Vaughns fell down after glancing contact with a defender as the ball was already on its way.
"A couple of those were unfortunate, obviously," Harrell said. "He had a tipped ball, TV gets knocked down. You've just got to find a way to take care of the ball. But what I told Kedon was, 'Keep playing, keep playing, play the next one, keep doing your job and good things will happen.' That's kind of my message to everyone."
Here's how PFF College graded the Trojans' offensive performance Saturday, as well as our weekly deep dive into the advanced stats.
RELATED: See how PFF College graded the Trojans' defensive performance vs. Oregon
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**PFF College analysts grade every player on every snap based on a range of factors -- not just outcome of the play. The data is then converted into a game score on a scale of 1-100, where 50 and below reflects backup-level performance, 51-59 is a below-average starter, 60-69 is an average starter, 70-79 is an above-average starter, 80-89 is a standout and anything higher is elite.**
