USC Football

USC's future looks set at quarterback after Kedon Slovis' historic performance in Saturday's 52-35 win over UCLA. 

The freshman star set a school record with 515 passing yards. He also completed at least 70 percent of his passes for the third straight week (37-of-47) and had four touchdown throws. 

With 508 yards and counting, freshman QB @KedonSlovis now has the most pass yards in a single game in USC history! #FightOn pic.twitter.com/yR0hyjCBNe

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) November 23, 2019

Matt Barkley was the previous record holder with his 493-yard effort against Arizona in October 2012. Slovis surpassed that mark with a 21-yard completion to Stephen Carr midway through the fourth quarter. 

This was the latest feather in Slovis' cap during his breakout season. The Arizona native set two USC records in a Sept. 7 win over Stanford. He became the first quarterback in the program's history to throw two touchdown passes in his first career start and put up the most passing yards by a true freshman in his first start (377). 

Slovis was an unheralded prospect coming out of Desert Mountain High School. He was rated a 3-star prospect and the No. 26 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class by 247Sports.

Since taking over as the starter when JT Daniels injured his ACL and tore his meniscus in USC's opener against Fresno State, Slovis has thrown for 3,242 yards with 28 touchdowns in 11 games.

USC finished the regular season 8-4 but will need Utah to lose one of its final two games to clinch a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.   

Urban Meyer has been continuously linked to the USC Trojans throughout the season, but the former Ohio State Buckeyes coach feels like he is in a good spot with his role as a college football analyst for Fox Sports.

"Yes, it does," Meyer told the Columbus Dispatch's Bill Rabinowitz when asked if it feels like he is where he belongs. "I knew early on that the last time I wasn't finished (coaching)."

The 55-year-old declined, however, to comment on if he was fully retired from coaching.

Meyer spent 17 years as a college football head coach, handling the responsibilities of recruiting, passing on knowledge, etc. From 2001 to 2018, there was only one year in which he wasn't on the sideline for fall Saturdays. As a result, leaving the field for the studio created some uncertainty for the longtime coach.

He has enjoyed his first year back in the studio, though, per Rabinowitz:

"I feel great. I was very concerned going into it (because it's) just something new and a little bit uncharted.

"My job is to take the viewers to places that not many people can take them. And I love it because I think there's a lot of people—how do you politically correctly say it?—that talk about the game that really don't understand it, don't understand the amount of time and work and the finer points of this incredible, complex game. And I love sharing it."

Meyer stepped down at Ohio State following the 2018 season. He went 83-9 in seven seasons in Columbus, never winning fewer than 11 games in a season. He won three Big Ten titles as well as one national championship.

He is 187-32 with three national titles in his coaching career.

When Meyer announced his retirement in December, he revealed he did so in part because of health concerns, as he had been dealing with a cyst in his brain in recent years.

He also let it be known: "I believe I will not coach again."

That hasn't stopped speculation that Meyer will ultimately return to the sideline—and Meyer himself has done little to quiet the buzz surrounding the Trojans:

I'm sure this will quiet down any Urban Meyer to USC speculation. https://t.co/kw55NVbEFV

— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) September 21, 2019

As of now, the USC job is not available. Clay Helton has led the Trojans to four wins in their last five games, resulting in a 23rd-ranking in the latest College Football Playoff standings. They are still in the mix for the Pac-12 South title.

Helton is 39-21, winning double-digit games in both 2016 and 2017, at USC.

As he gave his introductory press conference Thursday, USC athletic director Mike Bohn indicated he'll take his time to weigh the job status of Trojans head football coach Clay Helton.   

"We all understand the importance of football; it's very similar to every institution that I've been a part of," Bohn said, per ESPN's Edward Aschoff. "It'd be premature to be talking about coaches or any situation when I just arrived and am in the process of learning and trying to listen. But I have a good sense of really quickly being able to connect and find out how we're doing and where we're going, and I want to impact recruiting."

When Lynn Swann resigned as AD in September, many wondered whether Helton was on borrowed time. USC finished 5-7 in 2018, and the Trojans assembled the No. 20 recruiting class ahead of the 2019 season, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Things have only marginally improved on the field. The team started 3-1 and upset No. 10 Utah 30-23 on Sept. 20 before dropping three of its next five games. Starting quarterback JT Daniels might be out for the year, but the fanbase remains disgruntled all the same.

More damning than anything, USC's 2020 recruiting class sits 66th with zero 5-star recruits and two 4-star recruits so far. Chip Kelly isn't considered a master recruiter, but he has UCLA 32 spots higher on the list.

With three games left in the regular season, firing Helton now wouldn't make much sense. The Trojans would probably have to wait until the end of the year to approach the top candidates on their list.

Plus, USC still has a path to the Pac-12 title game. It's one game behind Utah and would have the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Utes. Even if Bohn ultimately plans on making a change, one could argue Helton has earned the opportunity to possibly pull off a miracle.

The University of Southern California announced the hiring of Mike Bohn as the school's new athletic director Thursday.

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports first reported the news Wednesday.

Bohn has previously served as the AD at a number of universities: Idaho, San Diego State, Colorado and Cincinnati. The 58-year-old was hired by Cincinnati in 2014.

In 2017, Bohn hired former Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell to lead the football program. Fickell has proceeded to guide Cincinnati to an 11-2 record in 2018, including a Military Bowl victory, and a 7-1 mark this season, putting the team at No. 20 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. The Bearcats' lone loss came to the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on the road.

The Bearcats' basketball program, meanwhile, won 22-plus games in each of Bohn's five seasons at the school. In April, he hired former Northern Kentucky coach John Brannen to replace Mick Cronin, who left for UCLA.

USC has been searching for a new AD since Lynn Swann resigned in September after three years on the job. The Trojans have been at the center of the college admissions scandal, resulting in a number of firings and resignations.

Carol Folt was named USC's 12th president in March.    

USC freshman wide receiver Bru McCoy was reportedly involved in a fight at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house near the USC campus Oct. 26.

According to Sam Arslanian of Annenberg Media, the police report stated two students got into a "physical altercation" because one was "trespassing at the location." While the alleged trespasser was not named, a source told Arslanian that it was McCoy.

Nobody was detained, and no arrests were made as a result of the altercation.

McCoy is redshirting this season and will not make his on-field debut until 2020 after an undisclosed illness kept him out of practice until September.

Had McCoy been healthy, he would have required a waiver from the NCAA to play this year since he transferred from USC to Texas and then back to USC again.

After racking up 80 receptions for 1,430 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior season at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, McCoy was one of the most highly sought after prospects in the 2019 recruiting class.

247Sports gave the 6'3", 210-pound wideout a 5-star rating and ranked him as the No. 9 overall recruit in the class.

Since USC could lose its two leading receivers in Michael Pittman Jr. (senior) and Tyler Vaughns (junior) after this season, McCoy figures to be a significant part of the Trojans offense in 2020.

If USC decides to part ways with head football coach Clay Helton, Urban Meyer will reportedly be at the top of the school's list of candidates. 

Per Brett McMurphy of Stadium, sources said Meyer is "undoubtedly" the Trojans' preferred choice to take over, and they will do "whatever it takes to get him."

Speaking to Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch in June, Meyer reiterated that he's retired from coaching but seemed to leave the door open for a possible return.

"I learned my lesson long ago," Meyer said. "All I'm going to say is I believe I'm done. I think I'm done."

Helton started this season on the hot seat coming off a 5-7 record in 2018. The 47-year-old has already matched that win total through eight games this season, but the Trojans lost back-to-back marquee games against ranked opponents Washington and Notre Dame. 

McMurphy noted in September, following USC's 2-0 start, that Helton's job status appears to be tenuous following Lynn Swann resigning as athletic director. 

"After the news of Swann's resignation broke, the school announced that they'd start a national search for their next AD, which is traditionally a horrible omen for a coach since the new hire often wants to bring in their 'guy,'" McMurphy wrote. 

Per The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, Cincinnati athletic director Mike Bohn is nearing a deal to take the same position at USC. 

Meyer spent seven seasons at Ohio State from 2012-18 and retired following the team's Rose Bowl win over Washington in January. The 55-year-old went 83-9 with the Buckeyes, winning three Big Ten championships and a national title in 2014. 

USC receiver Bru McCoy will not play during the 2019 season.  

"Right now, Bru is not going to play this year," head coach Clay Helton said Tuesday, per Chris Trevino of 247Sports. "He's doing a great job academically, doing a great job in strength and conditioning. He'll be ready for spring." 

The true freshman battled an unspecified illness and eligibility issues earlier this year, and that kept him off the field. It is now apparent he will go the entire year without appearing in a game before returning as a redshirt freshman in 2020.

McCoy was considered the top athlete in the country and the No. 9 overall player in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports. 

He initially committed to USC and enrolled in school last January but transferred to Texas before switching back in June.

While he was set to compete for playing time, McCoy then suffered a mysterious illness that kept him off the field. According to his father, even doctors were stumped about the cause of the problem.

"They cannot figure it out," Horace McCoy said in August, per Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times. "I cannot tell you how many specialists we've got him in front of, just to try to figure this damn thing out."

The issue has been enough to keep him off the field throughout the season. But fortunately, he will return by the spring.

Even with McCoy unavailable, USC does have plenty of depth at the position. Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown all have at least 40 catches and 400 receiving yards on the season despite playing without injured starting quarterback JT Daniels.

Still, McCoy will be valuable next year and beyond with a lot of young talent already on the roster.

Jake Garcia won't help USC's current quarterback crisis, but the 5-star recruit provided the Trojans with some good news Monday.   

Garcia announced he has committed to USC:

COMMITTED✌🏼❤️💛 #FightOn pic.twitter.com/ThSWvfi6Mk

— Jake Garcia (@JakeGarcia14) September 24, 2019

A native of Harbor City, California, he's the No. 3 pro-style quarterback and No. 14 player in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Alabama, Auburn and Miami were among the schools chasing him.

Garcia explained his decision to USCFootball.com's Chris Trevino:

"It felt like home. It's a testament to the coaching over there when you have two new quarterbacks to the system step in and take over without missing a beat, just play and take over the team as a leader," Garcia told USCFootball.com. "That was really impressive to me. I get a long with the coaching staff real well, Coach (Graham) Harrell, head coach Clay Helton. They have athletes over there. A lot, a lot of athletes....and a lot of my family can go to the games. I grew all around USC stuff when I was little. My whole family are SC fans so that's really cool."

The Trojans are already down to their third quarterback through four games. JT Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener against Fresno State. The team then placed backup quarterback Kedon Slovis in the concussion protocol after he exited last Friday's upset of 10th-ranked Utah. 

Jack Sears would've come into the picture at some point had he not entered the transfer portal in August after Daniels was named the starter. Instead, Matt Fink is the No. 1 option for the time being.

This season has shown USC can't have enough depth at quarterback. Even though Daniels (sophomore) and Slovis (freshman) have plenty of eligibility remaining, Trojans head coach Clay Helton needed to get another marquee passer for 2021.

The big question is whether Helton will be around to coach Garcia.

Helton had one of the hottest seats in college football coming into the year, and many wondered whether athletic director Lynn Swann's resignation made his future a fait accompli.

In addition to the program's general on-field struggles—capped off by just five wins in 2018—USC's profile was taking a big hit on the recruiting trail. After sitting fourth in 247Sports' composite team rankings for 2018, the Trojans slipped to 20th in 2019. They're 62nd for 2020 but have time to turn things around.

Bryce Young, the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in 2020, decommitted from USC on Sunday and quickly announced he was going to Alabama instead.

Although Helton and his staff still need to address the lack of top-end talent coming into the team for next season, Garcia points to what should be a bright future in Los Angeles.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer has gone on the record multiple times to say he does not believe he will return to the sidelines in the future, but he has done little to quiet the speculation surrounding a potential fit with the USC Trojans.

Now a college football analyst for Fox Sports, Meyer was in attendance for USC's 30-23 upset of 10th-ranked Utah on Friday night. Junior quarterback Matt Fink led the way for the Trojans with 351 yards and three touchdowns.

USA Today's Dan Wolken took to social media after the game to share his thoughts:

That’s a big win for Clay Helton’s next job

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) September 21, 2019

One Twitter user took things a step further:

And Urban Meyer is thinking now I will have a quarterback to work with

— Carl Balch (@Hitman206) September 21, 2019

Interestingly, that tweet was "liked" by Meyer:

I'm sure this will quiet down any Urban Meyer to USC speculation. https://t.co/kw55NVbEFV

— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) September 21, 2019

A "like" does not necessarily mean anything—but it's certainly something that catches the eye in this scenario. Especially since it comes approximately a week after Meyer told Cleveland.com's Doug Lesmerises "we'll see" in regard to him possibly returning to coaching.

The USC Trojans won their second game against a Top 25 opponent this year after shocking No. 10 Utah 30-23 on Friday in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

USC quarterback Matt Fink, who began 2019 as the third-stringer on the Trojans' depth chart, led his team to victory after Kedon Slovis suffered an undisclosed first-quarter injury and did not return.

The Trojans, who moved to 3-1, have somehow persevered since starting quarterback JT Daniels suffered a season-ending torn ACL and meniscus against Fresno State in Week 1.

Outside of a 30-27 loss to BYU, the Trojans racked up a 31-23 victory versus Fresno State and a 45-20 win over No. 23 Stanford.

As for the 3-1 Utes, the result is undoubtedly disappointing given their strong start to the season and their status as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12. The season is certainly not over with at least eight games remaining, however.

              

Notable Performers

• USC QB Matt Fink: 21-of-30 for 351 yards, three touchdowns and one interception
• USC WR Michael Pittman Jr.: 10 catches, 232 yards and one touchdown
• USC WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: 5 catches, 68 yards and one touchdown
• USC WR Tyler Vaughns: 4 catches, 49 yards and one touchdown
• Utah QB Tyler Huntley: 22-of-30 for 210 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions; 18 carries, 60 rushing yards
• Utah RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole: 4 carries, 31 rushing yards; 1 catch, 8 receiving yards and one touchdown
• Utah TE Cole Fotheringham: 3 catches, 23 yards and one touchdown

       

Matt Fink Finds a Way

Fink was thrust into the spotlight after Slovis landed hard following a first-quarter hit from Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu.

Remarkably, Fink had no trouble dissecting the Utah defense with explosive plays, tossing touchdown passes of 29, 31 and 77 yards, the latter of which went to a phenomenal Michael Pittman Jr.

4/5 and a 29-yard passing TD

Third-string QB @FinkMattfink needed no time to warm up after stepping in for Kedon Slovis 🔥✌️ pic.twitter.com/9CrFqKVFbQ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2019

HOW?! 😱

@USC_FB QB Matt Fink miraculously escapes from a sure sack and throws for his second TD of the game! pic.twitter.com/Qj9uEvqmJJ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2019

Go up and get it big fella!@MikePitt_Jr catches a 78-yard TD for @USC_Athletics 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/fYOYbonQT6

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2019

Fink's chemistry with Pittman showcased itself all night. Ryan Young of Rivals referenced their on-field success and off-field friendship:

Michael Pittman is one of Matt Fink's closer friends on the team and was a big supporter of his during his transfer portal process. They have had some nice connections tonight. I'm thinking, though, that just throwing the ball up to Pittman should be a go-to play call.

— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) September 21, 2019

USC almost didn't have the luxury of turning to Fink, as he entered the NCAA transfer portal and nearly left for Illinois in May before changing his mind in June.

A few months makes a world of difference, as Ryan Abraham of USCFootball.com pointed out:

A few months ago Matt Fink was in the transfer portal. Now he is 8 of 9 for 138 yards and 2 TDs in the 1st quarter against the No. 10 team in the country.

— Ryan Abraham (@insidetroy) September 21, 2019

Others were left quite impressed with Fink's work:

Matt Fink is the third string QB? He is better than a lot of teams first string QBs

— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) September 21, 2019

If you don't know who Matt Fink is ladies and gentleman, tonight is the night to

— Eduardo M. Gonzalez (@edmgonzalez) September 21, 2019

Matt Fink having his star turn. And, by extension, so is Graham Harrell.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 21, 2019

Fink may have gotten a little lucky at times, as a few long-ball prayers in contested coverage were answered. Of note, the signal-caller was picked once on an underthrown pass.

However, Fink just led the Trojans to 30 points against the nation's No. 10 team, which had allowed just 29 points in its first three games. If Fink is the starter next week, that bodes well for USC as it looks to continue its momentum.

               

Utah's Vaunted Defense Comes Up Small

As good as Fink was Friday, Utah's pass defense was particularly puzzling.

Utah finished with the No. 17 scoring defense in Division I FBS last year and entered Friday with the No. 6 scoring defense this year. The Utes' pass defense also entered the season with high expectations, as Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel tweeted:

This has been a rough, rough night for a Utah secondary where both corners (Blackmon and Johnson) were first team preseason All-Pac-12.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 21, 2019

However, the Utes gave up more than 300 passing yards after Fink found Pittman for a 77-yard score just 5:06 into the third quarter.

Fink and Slovis combined to complete 71.9 percent of their passes for 11.5 yards per attempt. Explosive plays significantly hindered the Utah defense, as it allowed completions of 29 or more yards to three different USC receivers.

Numerous analysts noted Utah's pass defense issues:

Utah DBs keep freezing when the ball gets close. It’s wild to watch. Not normal for that program. These guys are usually well coached - they look lost rn

— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) September 21, 2019

Graham Harrell runs the "500" version of the Air Raid*

*ONLY 90s KIDS WILL UNDERSTAND

— Ben Kercheval (@BenKercheval) September 21, 2019

This isn't a dig at Fink but I think this is why USC tried that fade on third-and-1. Harrell is just telling Fink to throw it up there it doesn't matter how long it takes b/c the WRs are going to come down with it. Utah's DBs are getting embarrassed.

— Ben Kercheval (@BenKercheval) September 21, 2019

https://twitter.com/DanGreenspan/status/1175232315854925824

Perhaps Friday evening was an anomaly, but Utah will need to shore up the back end if it is to contend for the Pac-12 crown this season.

               

What's Next?

The Trojans will look to knock off another ranked conference opponent next Saturday when they travel to face No. 22 Washington in Seattle. A road date with No. 7 Notre Dame then looms on Oct. 12 after a bye week.

The Utes will continue their Pac-12 schedule by welcoming No. 19 Washington State to Salt Lake City next Saturday.