Orange County Register

If it’s Monday, it must be time to grade USC’s performance against Cal. I’ve done it. You can do it, too.

OFFENSE

• The good: USC achieved the balance it had been seeking, passing for 283 yards and rushing for 174 for a total of 457 — the most since the opener against San Jose State. … In USC’s first game without Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight had a career-high 20 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns (plus, no fumbles!).
• The not-so-good: Three times the offense entered the red zone and failed to score a touchdown, resulting in field goals of 28, 25 and 23 yards by Jordan Congdon. … The offensive line gave Allen Bradford no room to run on a fourth-and-2 rushing attempt that came up woefully short at the end of the first quarter.
• The grade: B

Your turn:

DEFENSE

• The good: Led by the linebacker trio of Chris Galippo, Shane Horton and Michael Morgan — who combined for 17 tackles, including 2.5 for losses — the Trojans limited Cal tailback Jahvid Best to 52 total yards on 16 touches. … Safety Taylor Mays intercepted Kevin Riley in the end zone to spoil the Bears’ opening drive, the start of a miserable night for Riley, who completed just 15 of 40 passes and suffered three sacks.
• The not-so-good: The defense allowed Cal to race down the field on that opening drive, requiring Mays to bail the unit out. … The usually rock-solid secondary allowed some receivers to roam free, and a better quarterback might have been able to exploit that.
• The grade: A-minus

Your turn:

SPECIAL TEAMS

• The good: Damian Williams‘ 66-yard punt return for a touchdown — USC’s first since Reggie Bush did it in 2005 — really busted the game open and shattered the Bears’ fragile psyche. … Congdon again proved that he’s money from close range, making all three of his attempts, all from inside 30 yards.
• The not-so-good: The kickoff return unit still hasn’t gotten going, as C.J. Gable averaged just 19.5 yards per attempt. … Jacob Harfman didn’t hit the ball quite as well (40.0-yard average) as in his punting debut the previous week, although the wind was gusting up to 20 mph.
• The grade: A

Your turn:

COACHING

• The good: Pete Carroll and Jeremy Bates showed newfound faith in Matt Barkley and the passing game, allowing him to throw in third-and-long situations. … The staff kept the team focused and level after a difficult week spent dealing with Johnson’s horrific weightlifting accident.
• The not-so-good: The play call on the failed fourth-and-2 play referenced above was unimaginative, enabling Cal’s defense to snuff it out. … Nursing a 23-0 lead early in the fourth quarter and facing second-and-11 from the USC 17-yard line, Bates had Barkley throw deep, resulting in an interception.
• The grade: B-plus

Your turn:

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: Trojans’ defense takes ‘reloading’ to new level
• USC football: Ronald Johnson expected to practice Tuesday
• USC football: Trojans hold steady at No. 7
• USC football: 5 observations from Trojans-Bears
• USC football: Complete wrapup of Trojans-Bears
• USC football: Jeff Tedford–Mr. September
• USC football: Quitter U.
• USC football: The up$ide of Cal’s loss
• USC football: Trojans 30, Bears 3 (final)
• USC football: Why is Barkley still in game?

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