USC finds hidden depth at receiver
Steven Mitchell Jr. hobbled onto the field to join his USC teammates before Saturday’s game against Oregon. He was not in uniform, and he walked with a significant limp, the result of a ligament tear in his knee sustained two games ago.
Not far away, Deontay Burnett was running through the last of his pregame warmup routine.
He was the player picked to fill Mitchell’s spot. It appears the Trojans have found a suitable replacement.
Burnett led all receivers Saturday with seven catches for 87 yards and one touchdown.
“What a bright future we have,” USC Coach Clay Helton said, “to be able to see Deontay go out there and really blossom as a receiver.”
It was a surprising outburst for a player who was not expected to attend USC at all. Burnett, the son of two Trojans fans, grew up admiring Reggie Bush. But his diminutive size, at 5 feet 11, did not make him a hot recruit, and USC initially did not aggressively pursue him. He committed to Washington State.
At a signing-day ceremony at Garden Serra High, he shared a podium with USC-bound teammates with more stars affixed to their names. Burnett went last. Drama was not expected.
But Burnett announced that he’d be a Trojan, too.
The move has paid off. Burnett impressed in training camp, and worked his way into the rotation at receiver despite not starting. He now has 31 receptions for 329 and four touchdowns.
On Saturday, he probed the vacancies in Oregon’s secondary and made himself available to quarterback Sam Darnold early.
“He did a really nice job of finding the middle of the field,” Helton said.
On a late drive in the second half, he motioned across the line of scrimmage, leaked out to the sideline and caught a two-yard touchdown pass. He’d set USC up near the goal line when he scampered down the sideline and appeared to score, only for his foot to be ruled out of bounds at the two-yard line.
“I always just have to be ready for my opportunity,” Burnett said. “I’ve just had to lock in and make the most of them.”
Another young receiver, freshman Michael Pittman Jr., also enjoyed one of the best games of his season. He was USC’s second-leading receiver, with four catches for 61 yards.
Helton called Pittman “tremendous,” but he remains behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darreus Rogers, USC’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers.
“He’s just playing playing behind two really good players,” Helton said.
Same Jones, different Davis
The combination of Davis and Jones at running back was an effective one, as it has been for much of the season. It just wasn’t the same Davis and Jones.
Justin Davis, the starter for much of the season, has been out since a win over Colorado in October with a high ankle sprain. The third option, Aca’Cedric Ware, sprained his ankle during this week’s practice. Neither was in uniform Saturday, though Davis did take several handoffs while USC warmed up.
So Dominic Davis was the backup to starter Ronald Jones II, though a lightly used one. He took six carries for 28 yards. James Toland IV had eight carries late in the game and rushed for 49 yards.
‘Too much yellow’
After accruing 13 penalties for 125 yards nine days earlier against California, USC’s bloated penalty yardage had almost nowhere to go but down. Except it didn’t.
Somehow, the Trojans surpassed that total against the Ducks. They were whistled for 13 penalties once again, this time for 129 yards.
“Way too much yellow out there tonight,” Helton said. “And we’ve got to get that cleaned up.”
Breaking down USC’s 45-20 victory over Oregon, plus looking ahead to the Trojans’ game next Saturday against Washington. For the record: Washington led California 21-20 in the second quarter at time of taping.
Tight ends rolling
When Taylor McNamara caught a pass in the flat and rumbled into the end zone in the third quarter, the score probably mattered more to his fellow tight ends than to the game’s outcome.
It was McNamara’s first touchdown this season, and it also extended a streak: USC’s tight ends have scored in four straight games.
Quick hits
Defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu limped off the field in the second half and didn’t return. Helton said he tweaked a ligament in his knee but it was not considered serious. Cornerback Iman Marshall (hamstring) and linebacker Michael Hutchings (calf) were pulled from the game as a precaution. . . . Former USC receiver Steve Smith led the Trojans onto the field.
Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand
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