The USC Trojans walked out of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. with a hard-earned victory over the Syracuse Orange, 42-29, but USC fans immediately wondered whether the game should have been that close in the first place.
There were rough patches in a few areas for USC on Saturday, including in the secondary, where Torin Harris and Anthony Brown were beat on a handful occasions. The guys over at Conquest Chronicles highlighted the hole the departure of Isiah Wiley had created.
Since Isiah Wiley is no longer with the program, a bevy of prospective cornerbacks have been trying to earn the spot next to Nickell Robey. Well, it hasn't gone too well. Anthony Brown and the returning Torin Harris looked incredibly rough today. As Joey tweeted, no Wiley could be a bigger problem than previously anticipated.
Among the strong points of Saturday's victory — including quarterback Matt Barkley's six touchdown passes — was USC's run game. Running backs Curtis McNeal (63 yards) and Silas Redd (107) produced strong showings.
Silas Redd and Curtis McNeal looked sharp carrying the rock. McNeal shouldered the load on the Trojans' first scoring drive, recording 42 yards. Redd went over 100 yards for the first time in his ‘SC career, the highlight being a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter to allow Barkley and Marqise Lee to score their final touchdowns of the day.
For more USC football coverage, make sure to check out Conquest Chronicles.