Opponent Insider: USC's Top Offensive Players

A look at the top players for the USC offense

No. 9 Notre Dame (4-1) takes on USC (3-2) this weekend in a matchup of long-time rivals. USC will bring an offense with a lot of firepower, and when it has been healthy and locked in this season it has been potent.

USC went on a 35-0 run to beat Stanford by a 45-20 score, and the Trojans averaged 7.1 yards per play during a 30-23 upset win over then No. 10-ranked Utah.

The Trojan offense will certainly present the Irish defense with a lot of problems, and the players below are the most dangerous:

#6 Michael Pittman, Wide Receiver

2019 Stats: 35 receptions, 501 yards, 14.3 YPC, 4 TD’s

Pittman has tantalized USC fans with his immense tools from the moment he stepped foot on campus, but the first two and a half years of his career were more about potential than production. That started to change late in the 2018 season, when he hauled in 30 passes for 549 yards and five touchdowns in the final five games of the season, which included seven catches for 91 yards in USC’s season-ending loss to Notre Dame.

The 6-4, 225-pound wideout is off to a hot start in 2019, racking up 35 catches for 501 yards and four touchdowns in the first four games, which includes a monster game against Utah in which he hauled in 10 passes for 232 yards. The senior is on pace for 84 catches, 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season.

Pittman is a dangerous downfield weapon thanks to his athletic skills but also his ability to use his length to out-play defenders for the football. USC will move him around the offense in an attempt to get him isolated in favorable matchups.

#21 Tyler Vaughns, Wide Receiver

2019 Stats: 31 receptions, 414 yards, 13.4 YPC, 2 TD’s

Pittman is the most productive USC wideout and sophomore Amon-Ra St. Brown gets a lot of attention, bringing five-star tools to the offense. Vaughns often gets over-looked, but I would argue he is the most consistent and steady wideout on the roster.

Vaughns isn’t the explosive athlete that St. Brown is and he’s not as big, strong or quite as dynamic as Pittman. His all-around game, however, is really good. Vaughns is a quality route runner, has enough speed to beat a defense deep, he’s solid after the catch and he makes plays on all three levels (short, intermediate, deep). His suddenness helps him quickly get into and out of his breaks, and also let him make plays after the catch at times.

The veteran wideout is a savvy pass catcher that enters this game with 146 career catches for 1,897 yards and 13 touchdowns. When teams focus too much time on Pittman and St. Brown he is more than able to take over.

#8 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Wide Receiver

2019 Stats: 24 receptions, 238 yards, 9.9 YPC, 3 TD’s

St. Brown had a strong freshman season in 2018, hauling in 60 grabs for 750 yards and three touchdowns. He was excellent against Stanford (8 catches, 97 yards, 2 TD’s), but overall his sophomore season hasn’t been up to the same standard. St. Brown enters this matchup with 24 catches for just 238 yards in five games.

Despite his overall lack of production, St. Brown remains a dangerous player in this offense. His talent makes him always capable of having a monster game, and keeping him from doing so will be a key for the Irish. St. Brown spends a lot of time in the slot for USC, where he uses his speed and quickness to get open against slot players, linebacker and safeties.

St. Brown makes a lot of catches in the quick game, which is why his yards per catch numbers are low. He is capable of doing damage after the catch, which means the Irish defense must be sound tacklers in this game. The defense also can’t be too aggressive with him, because St. Brown has enough speed to get by a linebacker or safety that is either playing downhill or trying to flat-foot him when he releases.

#75 Alijah Vera-Tucker, Left Guard

I went into my film breakdowns of the USC offense expecting to see left tackle Austin Jackson as the team’s best offensive lineman. While Jackson has been good (see below), the blocker that continued to catch my eye early on was Vera-Tucker at left guard. The more I watched him the more obvious it was that he is currently playing the best up front.

USC isn’t a very good rushing offense, but Vera-Tucker has been their best run blocker … by far. He’s a physical blocker that plays with good pad level, drives his feet through contact and has an edge to him. Vera-Tucker is also a quality athlete that gets off the line well, can work to the second level and thrives in the zone schemes.

According to Pro Football Focus, Vera-Tucker has allowed no sacks or hits on the quarterback in 200 pass snaps, and opponents have had just three total pressures against him.

#73 Austin Jackson, Left Tackle

Jackson has been good in pass protection, giving up just one sack and one hit on the season, and both came against Utah. Jackson is a long and agile blocker that does his best work in the pass game. He can be bull rushed, but the way USC runs its pass game executing a bull rush often takes too long to actually impact the quarterback.

What separates Vera-Tucker and Jackson right now the run game. Vera-Tucker has thrived while Jackson has not been as effective. He doesn’t get much of a push in the run game, but he’s athletic and able to beat defenders to spots in the run game.

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