USC Trounces Fresno State to Begin the Sark Era
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the USC football program entering Saturday's season opener with off the field issues, one thing is for sure: the Steve Sarkisian offense is quick and efficient. The Trojans knocked off the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 52-13 behind an explosive offensive performance in the new head coach's Trojan debut.
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Feeding off of the booming energy supplied by the Trojan faithful in the Coliseum, the highly anticipated USC defense forced a quick three-and-out to get the offense back on the field. Back-to-back deep pass plays got the Trojans back into striking distance in time for the dynamic duo of Kessler and junior wide receiver Nelson Agholor to hook up for a 10-yard aerial touchdown to raise the lead to 14-0.
Kessler and Agholor were not done for the night after one. Following another speedy Bulldog possession, the Trojans marched straight down the field setting up a pretty déjà vu moment for a 5-yard touchdown reception for the projected Heisman trophy finalist Agholor.
Finishing the first quarter without facing a single fourth down, USC stretched out to a 24 point advantage before Fresno St. junior running back Marteze Waller stumbled across the goal line to get the Bulldogs on the board.
However, it did not take long for a USC response coming from a new face in town. Regaining momentum for the Trojans, redshirt senior Gerald Bowman picked off a Bulldog pass. Just minutes later, true freshman Adoree Jackson found his way on the opposite side of an 18-yard toss from Kessler to secure his first career touchdown. The five-star recruit made a splash in his collegiate debut in all facets of the game, posting stats as a wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner.
Complimenting Jackson's performance was another true freshman JuJu Smith, who posted a game high 123 receiving yards in his Trojan debut. Smith, a key element to USC's talented freshmen class, is also expected to see time on the defensive side of the ball. In Smith's collegiate debut, he had more receiving yards than Robert Woods, Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor had in theirs combined.
Coming out of the locker room trailing 31-7, Fresno St. changed quarterbacks and with it, came a change of production. Junior quarterback Brian Burrell took over control of the Bulldog huddle and led the team on a 65-yard drive capped off by Waller's second score of the night.
Not wanting to let the visitors gain any extra momentum, the Trojans took to the ground game to spark offensive production. After making yet another trip to the red zone, Allen took a handoff and bustled his way through defenders for a nine-yard touchdown. Allen finished his night with a game-high 139 yards rushing.
Needing a big play to remain in contention, Burrell attempted a deep pass down the middle that was tipped and intercepted by redshirt junior linebacker Anthony Sarao, the third of four Fresno State turnovers on the night. Back in control, Kessler made easy work of the Bulldog defense and connected with yet another true freshman in tight end Bryce Dixon. The Trojan slinger tied a career-high four touchdown passes, also done against the Bulldogs in last season's Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl.
Three straight incomplete passes by Burrell returned possession to USC and the Trojans made quick work of the Bulldog defense as redshirt junior fullback Soma Vainuku pounced into the endzone to produce a 52-13 USC advantage.
With 394 passing yards in the books, first year head coach Steve Sarkisian pulled the reigns on Kessler and put in highly-touted redshirt freshman Max Browne to close out the game. With the ball in the rookie's hands, the Trojans sealed the books on their 2014 season-opener in stupendous fashion with a 52-13 victory.
