Mondays With Mora: Breaking Down USC's Defensive Strategy

Jim Mora Jr. ESPN analyst and CFB/NFL head coach breaks down the USC vs ASU game.

Mondays with Mora features ESPN and former CFB and NFL head coach Jim Mora Jr. and SI All Trojans Reporter Claudette Montana Pattison. Check back every Monday during the college football season for weekly breakdowns and analysis on USC football.

During Saturday's game it was clear that both teams looked a little rusty. Surprising? Not necessarily. After a shortened fall camp due to COVID-19, it was clear that there is room to grown for both teams. To be fair, USC only had a couple of weeks to install Todd Orlando's new defensive schemes. Fans should expect to see the defensive progression really take off in the next couple of weeks as players will become more familiar with his play calling over time. 

Turnovers hurt the Trojans especially in the red zone. USC was 4-6 in red-zone score chances. But there were a lot of things that USC did right too. They were excellent with onside kick recoveries, total offensive yards (556), and making the big plays when it mattered the most (in the 4th quarter). ESPN analyst Jim Mora Jr. is breaking down some key takeaways from the Arizona State vs. USC game, here are his thoughts below. 

Mora's take on USC's defense:

"Here are my concerns. #1. I felt like Arizona State pushed USC's front around a little bit too much. I thought Arizona State was more physical upfront than USC and that was a cause for concern for me because I did not think that would be the case. Hopefully that is something USC can get fixed. #2 Todd Orlando likes to the bring pressure. People refer to it as a blitz...typically that means you're bringing more than 4 rushers you're bringing 5, 6, or 7 rushers. I felt like in this game against a quarterback like Jayden Daniels who is very mobile, USC was a little too aggressive bringing pressure. I felt like too often in that game when they brought pressure they were exposed and they were beat. Jayden Daniels was able to tuck it and run, and make big yards, he was the leading rusher for Arizona State over 100 yards. Bringing pressure is great, bringing pressure is fun, fans like to see blitzing, you like to play aggressive defense but being aggressive on defense doesn't always mean pressure." (Mora)

Mora's take on turnovers:

"Ball security is something that every coach stresses every single day. The players understand that they can't turn the ball over like that and that they just got to be a little bit more careful. And the word careful to me is always kind of a strange word to use when you're talking about football because football is an aggressive sport so maybe instead of saying be more careful be more conscious of ball security. Interceptions are going to happen. When the balls in the air sometimes strange things happen. But the fumbles are unforced errors. So I'm sure this week in practice there will be an added emphasis on ball security drills." (Mora)

Mora's take on USC vs. Arizona game:

"Arizona is not Arizona State. Arizona State, is a really good football team. Arizona is not going to be quite the opponent that Arizona State was, so I think you're going to see a lot of improvement in a lot of areas for USC. I think defensively you're going to see big improvement and with ball security you're going to see big improvement. So I'm excited to watch USC play Arizona this week and see how much improvement they make, in particular in their run defense and their run game."(Mora) 

Mora's take on short yardage plays USC:

"That was a concern for me. I think it goes back to the physicality of their front. I felt like Arizona State was probably more physical defensively vs. USC's offensive line and vise versa. USC's defensive line got out matched by ASU's offensive line. But in particular, regarding USC's offensive line, their tight ends, their lead blockers, and their ability to convert 3rd and 4th and 1 situations they were only 2/8 and that is not going to cut it. That is not very good and I'm sure that is something Clay Helton will address with his team and coaches." (Mora)

Mora's take on Jayden Daniels & Kedon Slovis

"Well I think they are both very good young players. Both in their second year. With regards to Jayden Daniels he is more of a duel threat guy than Kedon Slovis. He is more of a runner so he can create some really dynamic plays with his legs. He is also a good thrower and he is careful with the ball and he doesn't turn the ball over much. 

Kedon Slovis has a chance to really be special. There is not much to not like about the way he plays the game. They attempted 55 passes which is a lot of throws but they also ran the ball about 40 times so [it was] fairly balanced. So if they can run it 90+ times per game they are going to have success on offense. What I like about Slovis is he was under some pressure but he was very poised. A lot of young quarterbacks look down at the rush rather than keep their eyes up the field at the route development. I saw Slovis keep his eyes up the field and he was able to find his receivers down field." (Mora)

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