USC football report card for 56-10 win over Stanford
We have to begin with an admission of the obvious: Stanford didn’t test USC. This was not a test. This was another scrimmage, another preseason game. Backups played the whole second half. Under 20 minutes into this game, the score was 35-0 and the competitive phase of play was over.
Miller Moss frankly could have been inserted into the game that quickly, but Lincoln Riley wanted Caleb Williams and the first-team offense to play through to the end of the first half, which was reasonable enough. Moss did start the third quarter and therefore got the whole second half. He deserved it, and it’s a testament to the quality of USC’s play that Moss was able to get a whole half of work. It shows the game was put to bed early on a Saturday night.
When a team does that, it earns good grades.
But: It was still only Stanford.
Let’s go to the report card for USC:
CALEB WILLIAMS: A
He is playing college football as well as anyone has ever played it. Caleb Williams is at the height of his powers. Even though it was only Stanford, it’s impossible to give Caleb anything less than an A.
ZACHARIAH BRANCH: A
If Zachariah Branch returns a kick for a touchdown and doesn’t commit a turnover or another huge mistake, he gets an A. Those are the rules around here.
OFFENSIVE LINE: B-PLUS
Stanford so utterly failed to test USC in this game that we can’t give A grades for this performance. Caleb Williams is so obviously a straight-A student, and the same goes for Zachariah Branch as well. The offensive line will get an A when it does this against a better team and/or excels in a truly high-stress situation.
WIDE RECEIVERS: B
Brenden Rice got behind the Stanford defense. Tahj Washington was explosive and polished. He looked terrific. However, Mario Williams failed to get a first down on a play in which he easily should have been able to do so. We can’t give an A grade unless virtual perfection is attained against a low-rung opponent such as Stanford.
RUNNING BACKS: B
A good, solid outing is perfectly fine. This was a Caleb Williams game more than a running game, so it’s not as though the running backs were transcendent. That’s okay. They didn’t need to be. They were good when they were called on.
DEFENSIVE LINE: B-PLUS
Stanford didn’t really put USC in tough situations, but as far as it goes, the defensive line did very well, making splash plays early in the game and not letting up. That last point — not letting up — was in many ways the most encouraging aspect of the night for USC’s defense. The defensive line set the tone.
LINEBACKERS: B-PLUS
The USC linebackers blanketed Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek. They were also superb in run support. Let’s simply see this quality of performance against teams better than Stanford (or Arizona State). Then we will give the linebackers an A.
SECONDARY: B
There are still one or two coverage busts per game. It’s not a five-alarm fire, but there are still just enough mistakes to draw attention. The overall performance was good, but it wasn’t perfect. No A grade.
LINCOLN RILEY: A
This is where we will be willing to give out an A.
Riley had his team fully prepared to play. Everything worked on both sides of the ball. It’s hard to find any fault with Riley’s performance.
ALEX GRINCH: B-PLUS
It’s only Stanford. Do this against Notre Dame and it will be an A.
USC TEAM GRADE: A
Stanford is bad, but USC played like an elite team against a bad opponent. This is how massive underdogs should be treated. The A grade is also merited because the team’s virtually perfect first half enabled the starters to rest while Miller Moss and the backups gained valuable playing time.
