Scouting report: UCLA football vs. USC

After securing bowl eligibility for the first time in the coach Chip Kelly era with a win over Colorado, UCLA football (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12) will face off with USC (4-5, 3-4) for its last road matchup of the regular season. After a last-second loss in the previous edition of the crosstown rivalry, the blue and gold will attempt to bring home the Victory Bell against a team that has been reeling since the firing of former Trojan coach Clay Helton during week two. Here’s this week’s scouting report from assistant Sports editor Francis Moon – who is currently procrastinating a paper and midterm by writing this scouting report.

USC’s offense

Offensive scheme: Air Raid
Run-pass percentage: 42.3% rush, 57.7% pass
Strength: Depth
Weakness: Consistency
X-factor: QB Jaxson Dart

Two games after losing its top offensive player, USC will now be without its lead signal-caller.

With Kedon Slovis on the sidelines because of a lower leg injury, Jaxson Dart will take over as the official starting Trojan quarterback for the first time in his career on Saturday against the Bruins.

The freshman will have a chance to right the ship for a USC passing attack that has been faltering as of late, especially after interim coach Donte Williams decided to deploy a two-quarterback game plan by alternating between Slovis and Dart without much rhyme or reason.

In the matchup against Arizona State on Nov. 6, neither quarterback could get into a rhythm. Dart completed 47.1% of his throws for 89 yards, contributing to a season-low 220 passing yards for the team. Slovis couldn’t get much going either, with 131 yards and a 57.1% completion percentage.

But when given the chance to be the sole quarterback, Dart has shown the ability to get into the flow of a game – even on short notice – for a USC team that has thrown the 17th-most pass attempts in the country despite playing fewer games than each team above them on the list.

In his collegiate debut Sept. 18 against Washington State, Dart came in for an injured Slovis and faced an early 14-point deficit in the second quarter. The freshman responded by throwing for 391 yards and four touchdowns, helping the team score 45 unanswered points to secure the victory.

His array of weapons will look different this week though, most notably with the loss of Drake London after the wide receiver sustained a season-ending ankle injury against Arizona.

While Tahj Washington has supplanted himself as the new top receiver in the Trojan offense with back-to-back games of seven or more receptions, it will be impossible for the team to replace London’s production. The projected 2022 NFL first-round draft pick led the Pac-12 in receiving yards per game at the time of his injury with 135.5 – which is 60.1 yards more than the current second place.

However, with London on the sidelines, Williams has been leaning more on the rushing attack led by running back Keaontay Ingram, who ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 90.6 rushing yards per game but falls outside the top 10 with five rushing touchdowns. It worked against then-winless Arizona, but the inconsistency of USC’s offensive line and backfield makes this an easily exploitable strategy for its opponents.

As teams adapt and focus more on shutting down the Trojans’ run game, only time will tell if Dart can adjust to playing sans the star receiver.

USC’s defense

Defensive scheme: 4-3
Strength: Forcing turnovers
Weakness: Tackling
X-factor: DL Tuli Tuipulotu

While the Trojans’ offense has at least had some high moments this season, their defense has been consistently subpar at best.

One of their main issues comes down to one of the most fundamental aspects of football: tackling. Watching only a few defensive plays during the USC versus Arizona State game a couple of weeks back, it’s not hard to notice this glaring issue, as the Sun Devils broke off large play after large play featuring numerous blown tackles.

USC ranks last in the conference with 59.4 tackles per game, and its inability to initially stop ball-carriers means this defense has a tendency to give up lots of chunk plays – both through the ground and the air.

The Trojans have given up a touchdown of 40 yards or more in three of their last four games and offer an enticing matchup for the big-play ability from the Bruins’ backfield duo of junior Zach Charbonnet and redshirt senior Brittain Brown.

The USC defense has also given up 30 or more points in six of its nine games this year, including three contests in which the opponents scored more than 40. However, it’s difficult to blame its defensive troubles on one thing.

The team ranks ninth in the conference by allowing 396.6 yards per game while the passing and rushing defenses rank eighth and seventh, respectively. But whereas the secondary struggled early in the season, its front seven has recently become a weakness, allowing 12 rushing touchdowns in its last four matchups.

Where the Trojan defense has shown an ability to excel is in forcing turnovers. In spite of the chunk plays and points allowed, it ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in both forced fumbles and interceptions and is tied for the lead with two defensive touchdowns.

USC’s talented but incohesive secondary, combined with an inability to create an effective pass-rush aside from the contributions of linebacker Drake Jackson – who leads the team in both sacks and tackles for loss – has allowed for a string of season-high performances from opposing quarterbacks throughout this whole season.

If senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson – who has averaged 442.5 total yards in his last two matchups against the Trojans – can limit his mistakes, it should be no different for him and the Bruin offense.