USC's Drake London: 'I feel like the sky's the limit at this point'

Speaking back in August, Drake London was asked what play or moment from his freshman campaign stood out most to him. The intent of the question was to focus on one his highlight catches, one of the signature moments in his breakout second half of the season.

That's not where London's mind went, though.

"What I'm proud of or just one play that's stuck in my head?" he asked, already fixated on the answer that would come.

"The Washington play. I feel like after that play it kind of flipped a switch in me. I just didn't ever want to feel like that again, and I told myself 'I don't want to feel like that ever again,'" he continued, in an exclusive interview with TrojanSports.com. "So I just went back to practice, put my head down and just tried to grind. And things started opening up. So I just don't ever want to feel that type of pain and hurt again."

The play in question, presumably, was the interception from quarterback Matt Fink lobbed toward London a couple yards in front of the goal line late in the fourth quarter against the Huskies. USC was down 28-14 on the road with less than 2:30 remaining with a play that started at the 28-yard line, and theoretically a touchdown there would have kept the Trojans in it, but Cameron Williams got position on London and leapt up in front of him for the pick to effectively seal the game. (Watch it here)

London finished with 0 catches on 4 targets that day, including a Fink misfire over and behind him that went for another interception early in the game and a fourth-and-goal incompletion with 4:47 left in which London tried to reach back around defensive back Myles Bryant in the corner of the end zone but was too well defended to corral the pass.

That loss was in no way on London's shoulders -- Fink was 19-of-32 passing for 163 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs with starter Kedon Slovis out with a concussion -- but that's how it felt to him.

"It was just that it was at a big stage, all eyes are on you and you couldn't seize the moment -- so I just don't want to feel that again," London said.

So it's not a coincidence then what would follow.

After totaling just 3 catches for 62 yards through the first six games, including that frustrating day at Washington and a catch-less game to follow at Notre Dame, London went on to pile up 36 receptions for 505 yards and 5 touchdowns the rest of the season, scoring in each of the final five games and helping the Trojans' offense find another level down the stretch.