Offensive Production - The Receivers

by Paragon SC on Jul 20, 2008 10:00 AM PDT in USC Football Comment 3 comments

To me when it comes to the receivers things just haven’t been the same since the loss to Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl Game. We have seen it in the production but it becomes more of an issue when you look at the talent that SC has brought in the past couple of years.

Fair or not the receivers has been the brunt of a lot of criticism the past few years particularly last season.

Perhaps no group on the USC football team received more criticism last season than the wide receivers.

General lack of consistent production and some drops plagued the young group.

A year older, stronger, wiser and faster, though, and the group is intent on erasing any bad memories from last season, replacing them with a much-improved 2008 campaign.

The talent is there no question and we have seen glimpses of what can be achieved. And with the additions of Arkansas transfer Damien WIlliams and RS freshman Brandon Carswell the presure is really going to be on the receivers to step up production in 2008.

Looking back on the past few seasons you can see how production has fallen off. Jarrett and Smith did some remarkable things in 2005 but that is understandable when look at the juggernaut that was the USC offense that season.

2005	Rec.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Jarrett	91	1,274	14.0	16
Smith	60	957	16.0	5

Pretty impressive numbers!

But things changed significantly in 2006 when Jarrett and Smith were pretty even in their production. Two things stand out here; 1) The loss of Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and LenDale White, you don't replace that kind production over night. 2) Jarrett's early in the season shoulder injury against Arizona which seemed to hamper him the rest of the season.

2006*	Rec.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Smith	54	833	15.4	6
Jarrett	51	668	13.1	7
Turner	21	215	10.2	2

* I didn't add Davis' numbers here on purpose.

Jarrett started out a little slow in camp to the point that then offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin publicly called the receivers out , particularly Jarrett for his lack of fire. While Jarrett was out Chris McFoy was a capable replacement but his only standout game was against Wazzu in Pullman. Patrick Turner made his way onto the scene with an impressive showing against Arkansas but as we have seen he doesn't make the big or clutch plays that Jarrett or Smith did and he has had trouble hanging onto the ball. Hazelton wasn't even on the radar screen in forms of production, only hype.

2007 saw the departure of both Jarrett and Smith so it became Patrick Turner's unit to lead the question was would he step up? Well, right out of the gate he was injured in practice when he took a monster hit from Rey Maualuga. Why this happened and its effects can debated later but Turner wasn't the same for the rest of the season, he just didn't seem to have the spark that we were used to seeing in other receivers.

We wanted to see both Turner and Hazelton really take control of the game while being able to mix some things up with David Ausberry who was a redshirt in 2006 and incoming freshman phenom Ronald Johnson.

2007	Rec.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Davis	62	881	14.2	8
Hazelton	50	540	10.8	4
Turner	48	569	11.9	3
Ausberry	26	240	9.2	2

It's pretty ominous and kind of hard to miss the fact that Tight End Fred Davis was leading receiver last season. If it wasn't for his production I'm not sure how well SC would have done last season. Ausberry had a bit of the drops as well as PT and VH and Johnson showed us just how special he is going to be with some of his play on special teams and some of the catches he made last season.

The receivers need to do better than what we have seen if SC is going to continue to dominate the Pac-10. Sanchez may provide the swagger needed to fire this unit up and his leadership is going to be key to getting these guys to step up.

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Last season

was some what of a rebuilding season for the receiving corps with the loss of Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith to the pros. Now that Vidal and PT have one year of starting experience under their belts they can put their growing pains behind them and become the best WR tandem in the Pac-10.

With guys like RoJo and David Ausberry serving as back ups you can call either one up for speed or size, depending on the situation. If any of you have actually stood next to Ausberry you can tell that he is MASSIVE and will be a big target for Sanchez down the line. Also let’s not for get about Arkansas transfer Damian Williams, after sitting out for a year due to transfer rules he’ll be itching for playing time and make a name for himself.

Now that JDB has moved on to bigger things the biggest question mark regarding the passing game is the QB. One of the reasons why Sanchez was named the starter so early in spring was so that the coaches could establish who would be the leader of the offense and allow him to gel better with the offense as a unit. Apparently the coaches’ strategy has worked because he doesn’t get carried away with the constant media barrage and he exercises his leadership position at summer work outs and passing camps.

Now I’m no quarterback expert but I think that Sanchez is a better pure athlete than Palmer, Leinart or Booty, he’s quick with his feet and this will help him get out of touch jams if the line breaks down.

by sharpie20 on Jul 20, 2008 11:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Sanchez will be a step up, both in terms of leadershp and athleticism. He has a big arm, although it will be hard to beat JDB’s accuracy. The biggest question, IMO, is not Sanchez but the O-line. Young, inexperienced, and unproven. How quickly can they gel? Will they be dominant when they gel? It really may take them 1/2 the season or so to start playing consistently well as a unit, which means we could really struggle with a loaded, experienced OSU team early on. As for WRs, Aus probably had the most embarrassing drops last year and really needs to improve. I think Vidal and RoJo will be much better. But, I predict that Damian becomes the leader of the group. He is a proven commodity. And, you mentioned Carswel, but failed to mention the return of Travon. I think Travon may emerge as our most dangerous deep threat, something that we have been sorely lacking the last few seasons. Not sure if PT steps up, or is passed over. Overall, WRs should be much better and I like Sanchez, but no team can pass without solid O-line play. How quickly will this unit gel…....that is the biggest question mark.

by DFWTrojan on Jul 21, 2008 9:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

From what I hear

Patrick Turner is a step slower than anyone on our defense. Hes a possession receiver and not fast enough to be a deep threat. I look forward to Damian Williams to make a big contribution this season.

by frak on Jul 21, 2008 12:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs