Five things we learned about USC in its loss to Boston College

Ninth-ranked USC was defeated by Boston College, 37-31, on Saturday.

Here are five things we learned about the Trojans:

Too dedicated to the run

There’s dedication to running the football, and then there’s too much dedication to running the football.

USC demonstrated the latter against Boston College.

Last week in a 13-10 win at Stanford, USC’s offense was a balanced attack between its running and passing games. The Trojans rushed for 156 yards against the Cardinal and tailback Javorius “Buck” Allen credited Coach Steve Sarkisian’s dedication to running the ball for the team’s success.

But against Boston College, the running game came to a screeching halt.

And yet Sarkisian kept going to it, and going to it, and going to it.

He even went to it late in the game when it was beyond apparent the Trojans would find no breakthrough for its ball carriers.

USC rushed for 20 yards in 29 carries.

The offensive line is still young

USC’s offensive line held up well in its first two games.

But on Saturday, we were reminded they are still a very young group.

The offensive line had trouble protecting quarterback Cody Kessler, who was sacked five times.

When Kessler wasn’t on the ground, he was often under duress.

The line often looked confused and it was apparent there were missed blocking assignments.

Kessler is a fine quarterback

It’s easy to place blame on a quarterback after a loss.

But Cody Kessler’s numbers were impressive.

He completed 31 of 41 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns, while distributing the ball to eight receivers.

He has yet to turn the ball over this season.

Kessler’s biggest issue was the lack of blocking by the offensive line.

His ability to scramble is limited, and on Saturday, so was the line’s ability to block. That’s not a good combination.

Jackson is everywhere and nowhere

Freshman Adoree’ Jackson is capable of playing a role in all three phases of the game. This we already knew.

What we’re still trying to learn is where he can make the biggest impact.

Jackson caught one pass for minus-four yards on Saturday.

He made two tackles, both were for a loss.

And he returned three kicks for 81 yards, including a 50-yard return.

Jackson’s impact on offense and defense has been minimal in three games.

Is it time for Sarkisian to pick a side for the talented freshman to excel on?

Front seven less than stellar

The Trojans’ front seven entered the season as the most hyped unit on the team.

Through two games, its performance lived up to the billing.

In days leading up to the game, Boston College Coach Steve Addazio told reporters USC’s defense was one of the top five in the country. “It’s hard to run the ball on them,” he said.

But Addazio and his team tore the Trojans apart.

The Eagles rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns in 54 carries.

USC previously gave up 157 yards rushing to Fresno State and 128 yard rushing to Stanford.

Defensive tackles Claude Pelon and Delvon Simmons as well as outside linebackers J.R. Tavai and Scott Felix made little impact on Eagles quarterback Tyler Murphy, who rushed for 202 yards in 13 carries.

And standout defensive end Leonard Williams and defensive tackle Antwaun Woods were caught tackling backs who didn’t even have the football.

Linebacker and defensive leader Hayes Pullard sat out the first half while serving a suspension for a targeting penalty against Stanford. Pullard’s presence in the second half should have provided a boost to the defense but that is when Boston College began to pull away.

Questions about USC? Email me at LNThiry@gmail.com or tweet @LindseyThiry and I will answer questions in a weekly USC Now mailbag.