USC’s receivers get higher grades against Stanford

Right after USC’s Week 1 game ended, after answering a few minutes of questions about what was wrong with USC’s receivers, Deontay Burnett got his hands on the game film and watched.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Burnett said this week.

Burnett, quarterback Sam Darnold and the rest of USC’s offense had made similar claims all preseason. The problem was, they’d never proved it.

Enter this two-play stretch in USC’s 42-24 victory over Stanford on Saturday. Driving at the end of the first half, USC was backed up, facing second and 20. So Darnold lobbed a perfectly placed heave right into the arms of a diving Steven Mitchell Jr. for a 49-yard completion.

On the very next play, Burnett made a highlight reel catch, a full-extension dive, for a 25-yard touchdown and a 28-17 lead.

USC’s passing game showed improvements throughout the entire game against maybe the conference’s best secondary. The ball didn’t touch the ground until Darnold’s 12th pass attempt of the game, after almost 25 minutes of play. Mitchell surpassed his Game 1 receiving totals in the first half.

Mitchell caught four passes for 94 yards with two touchdowns. Burnett finished with 121 yards on nine catches, also with two for touchdowns.

Imatorbhebhe out

Tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe warmed up with teammates before Saturday’s game but appeared before kickoff out of uniform. He would not play against Stanford.

The scratch signaled a setback for Imatorbhebhe’s recovery from a hip flexor injury that nagged him throughout training camp. He played in Week 1 in a limited capacity. And it showed that the injury could continue to be a problem well into the season for one of Darnold’s favorite targets.

After USC’s opener, Imatorbhebhe said he felt close to fully healthy and could’ve played a bigger role.

“I don’t know how it limited me,” Imatorbhebhe said. “I think it limited the plays they called when I was in there. It’s whatever.”

Coach Clay Helton had said last week that Imatorbhebhe’s hip flexor felt 95% healthy. This week, he downgraded it.

“He’s probably 85-90% going in,” Helton said Tuesday. “He always tells me, ‘Hey, Coach, I’m 95.’ If you look at him, he wasn’t all the way.”

But Helton didn’t indicate that he expected Imator-bhebhe to miss the game.

Quick hits

Defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu became the first member of USC’s freshman class to start a game Saturday, not counting on special teams. Tuipulotu took the spot of Malik Dorton in the starting lineup. ... When USC safety Chris Hawkins walked to midfield for the coin toss, he did it wearing a new accessory, a patch that said “GRADUATE.” It’s a new addition to USC’s uniforms, given to players who already have an undergraduate degree. ... Right tackle Chuma Edoga injured his wrist in the first half, but returned the next series. He was briefly replaced by freshman Andrew Vorhees. … Mike Brown, who handles kickoffs but not placekicking, left the field limping and was carted to the locker room. He later returned to the sidelines on crutches and with his left knee in a brace. …. The temperature at kickoff was 78 degrees — a 20-degree difference from a week ago.

zach.helfand@latimes.com

Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand