In a week when Eagle Nation should be talking about Clay Helton's return to USC, most of the talk is about how the Eagles opened the season with a withering performance. After clinging to a 14-13 halftime lead, the Eagles were thrashed in the second half en route to a 42-14 loss to Fresno State.
The Eagles were 0-1 last year after a loss to Boise State and gave up over 500 yards in both games. Both teams rushed for over 300 yards, but Fresno doesn’t have Ashton Jeanty at running back, who is currently the starter for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bulldogs managed less than two yards per carry the previous week against Kansas and the Eagles allowed nearly eight yards per carry Saturday. This week, the Eagles go up against a USC team that scored 72 points last week including six touchdowns on the ground so head coach Clay Helton is well aware the Eagles have a lot of improvements to make if they want to be competitive Saturday against the Trojans.
“We had a few things that went wrong from a defensive standpoint, including having alignment busts,” Helton said. “We had some missed assignments that cost us and we put ourselves in position to make plays and we missed tackles. Fortunately, in the first half we had the three turnovers to help us out which were huge. I think what is fixable is lining up correctly, being able to do our assignments on a consistent basis and finishing off tackles in the one-on-one situations.”
Last year against Boise State, the Eagle offense put up 45 points. Last Saturday, the Eagles only managed 14 points and were completely shut out in the second half. Helton knows this is another problem they have to address prior to Saturday’s matchup with USC.
“Our top two backs ran for almost five yards per carry,” Helton said. “In the second half we threw the ball on first down a lot and didn’t hook up and it created second and 10. I thought overall J.C.’s performance was pretty good and he protected the ball well. We needed to be a little more accurate on the early downs in the second half that and maybe running the ball a little more are areas we can work on.”
Quarterback J.C. French only threw for 158 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He wasn’t helped by a rushing attack that managed just 84 yards on the ground. French knows the Eagles have to step it up on that side of the ball to have any chance of staying with a high-octane Trojan team Saturday.
“I think us not being efficient on first down really hindered our play,” French said. “It is tough being in third and long all night especially against a defense like Fresno had where they like to walk up and drop out. I think improvement just starts with execution all around. I believe it starts with me because I am the quarterback and I need to play better and I know that.”
The poor performance Saturday has taken away much of the talk about Helton returning to Memorial Coliseum where he spent 12 years as a coach at USC. Helton has mixed feelings about returning to the place where he got his first head coaching job and is happy for the experience for his players which include his son Turner.
“One of the more special things for me this week is being able to bring our team here,” Helton said. “For these guys to get a chance to walk into such an historic place like the Coliseum and that includes my son who was here when I was coaching but he will get a chance to be on the field in uniform this time around. For me personally there is 12 years of relationships and I have so much gratitude for having been a Trojan.”
The Eagles are heavy underdogs Saturday against the Trojans and the Eagle defense knows they will have their hands full against a team that scored 72 points past week and a quarterback in Jayden Maiava who threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns in only about one half of play.
