The USC Trojans had a 5-1 season, were the Pac-12 South champions, and were a game away from being undefeated Pac-12 champions. Their only loss of the year, however, was a big one. It came at the worst possible time in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Oregon Ducks defeated USC, 31-24. Oregon put up fewer than 250 yards of total offense and had only 135 rushing yards, but the game was never really in doubt for the Ducks until the final minute, and even then it felt like USC was still chasing the game. A big reason why the Trojans were chasing the game is that they couldn’t manufacture any semblance of a running game. 

The Trojans struggled to run the ball all year long. The Trojans managed 3.17 yards per attempt when they ran the ball. Opponents put up 4.24 yards per attempt. USC ran the ball 184 times for 584 yards and a modest eight rushing touchdowns. Anyone who watched the Trojans try to run the ball could see that they struggled mightily and were just not very good in that department. There were multiple occasions in which the Trojans needed to gain a yard on third or fourth down and were unable to do so.

The quote from Clay Helton about lining up under center loomed large in the Pac-12 title game: “It’s just not us.”

Helton said that about lining up under center. It’s something USC has done since the program was created. Harrell and offensive line coach Tim Drevno refuse to do it. The inability to get a push when they need it is an indictment of Drevno. The Trojans struggled with the basics. Teams knew what they were coming with and often stopped them long before the play could even develop. 

Drevno has a lot of work to do this offseason. He needs to find a way to get the offensive line capable of pass blocking and getting a push in short-yardage situations. If Harrell refuses to line up under center, Drevno needs to be able to complement that with blocking long enough for the play to develop.

They also need to get better at pass blocking. The Ducks primarily used only four rushers and were able to get to quarterback Kedon Slovis almost at will. If USC can’t block four rushers with five or six men, then they need to reevaluate just how effective and efficient their current plan is for them. Either way, Tim Drevno has a lot of work to do this offseason. If he doesn’t make some changes, the Trojans are going to fall short of their goal of winning championships… and playing at the standard USC fans have every right to expect.