USC safety T.J. McDonald in the Trojans' 2010 game at Minnesota.
The USC Trojans are three touchdown favorites for their season opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but they’re not letting it go to their heads.
“Number one because we’re not very good,” Kiffin told reporters on Wednesday. “And number two, because [the Gophers] are very, very well-coached and have a dynamic playmaker touching the ball every snap,” he said.
No one will know how good the Trojans really are (or aren’t) until the game, but last year’s 32-21 win in Minneapolis was much closer than the final score shows before Robert Woods’ 93-yard kickoff return in the third quarter sparked the ‘SC offense.
Minnesota has a spark of its own this season in new quarterback Marqueis Gray, a junior who was the number two wide receiver for the Golden Gophers last year. Gray has never started a college game at quarterback, but he had 42 catches for 587 yards and 5 touchdowns last season (to compare, at quarterback, he was 8 of 23 for 86 yards with a TD and an INT).
He’ll be replaced at wide receiver by senior Da’Jon McKnight, who let Minnesota with 48 catches for 750 yards and 10 TDs last season, and junior Brandon Green, who missed most of 2010 with a knee injury. Senior tight end Eric Lair will also be a regular target. Gray’s still readjusting to quarterback though, and is reportedly still working on his accuracy, so there might be an interception or two on the stat sheet by the end of this weekend. (My hypothetical money is on USC sophomore Nickell Robey or safety T.J. McDonald – or both – to snag an errant pass.)
Gray is an incredibly gifted athlete, with the kind of speed and mobility that’s caused major problems for USC’s defense in recent seasons, and he’ll be a valuable piece of a Minnesota offense that’s expected to become more run-heavy under new head coach Jerry Kill.
Kill took over the program from Tim Brewster after last year’s 3-9 campaign, and Trojans’ coach Lane Kiffin and his staff have been watching tape of Kill’s teams from Northern Illinois to help prepare for opening weekend. In last year’s meeting, the Trojans outrushed Minnesota, 216-83, thanks in large part to Allen Bradford’s 131 yard performance.
In 2010, USC alternated between Bradford, a senior last year, and Marc Tyler for much of the year, depending on who was in Kiffin’s doghouse each week. So far, this year’s starting tailback is just as much of a mystery. Tyler is suspended for several offseason incidents, which ever-so-slightly narrows the list of options to D.J. Morgan, Curtis McNeal, and Dillon Baxter. (True freshman Amir Carlisle, who excelled in fall camp, will likely stay on the sidelines as a redshirt.)
McNeal, who was academically ineligible last year, will play – but will he start? Or will it be Morgan, a redshirt freshman who has struggled with knee issues since ACL surgery his senior year of high school, but who has wowed since his return this fall? Baxter is the most experienced option, though he fell short of the ridiculously high expectations many had for him after his highlight reel run in a scrimmage went viral on YouTube. His struggles off the field last season were more notable than his lack of yards on it, but he’ll have the chance to redeem himself and possibly earn the starting job even if he’s not penciled in for this weekend.
The defense was the crux of USC’s problems last season (and it won’t be helped by the abrupt resignation of secondary coach Willie Mack Garza), but it’ll be interesting to see how the offensive line holds up. Trojans’ quarterback Matt Barkley threw his first two interceptions of the year in last year’s game with Minnesota, and the Gophers are expected to focus on blitzing more than their secondary. It’ll be an early test for a young, almost makeshift, offensive line that returns only junior Khaled Holmes (in a new role as center) and stellar left tackle Matt Kalil.
The Gophers D, on the other hand, looks to be stronger than in 2010, with a deeper linebacking corps and the return of starting safety Kim Royston, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.
