ROUND UP:
USC beat Hawaii 49-36 in a game that showcased both offenses and left both defenses exposed.
Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley threw for 257 yards and five touchdowns, tying a school record. Wide receiver Ronald Johnson caught three touchdown passes, also tying a school record, and returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown, while running back Mark Tyler amassed 154 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown.
Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz passed for 269 yards and one touchdown, but left the game with an apparent concussion late in the third quarter. Shane Austin, the Warrior's third string quarterback, finished the game with 141 yards through the air and two touchdowns, both long bombs behind the secondary.
The Warriors had two potential touchdowns affected instant replay. The first was called down at the one yard line and upheld. The second was ruled a touchdown by the officials on the field, but overturned in the booth.
WHEN was the game decided:
Ronald Johnson's punt return for a touchdown.
While Hawaii hung around, just within striking distance until the very end, RoJo's return put USC back into a comfortable lead. All threats by Hawaii after this point were quickly and easily quelled by the hot Trojan offense.
WHO stood out:
Matt Barkley looked good. Really good. The numbers say a lot, but even they don't tell the whole story. He was confident. His throws were, for the most part, crisp and he hit his targets accurately. Unlike last year, when he forced throws into dangerous places fairly often, there were practically no near interceptions or blatant throws into double or triple coverage.
Barkley's favorite target on the night, Ronald Johnson, was a man among boys. From the ease with which he tore apart the Warrior secondary to the gutsy (some might say ill-advised) way he fielded a punt in traffic and took it to the house with ease, he shined in every possible way. He is very clearly the go-to receiver this season and will be a force to be reckoned with...if he can stay healthy.
Speaking of staying healthy, Marc Tyler showed exactly why the coaches elected to give him the start over senior Allen Bradford. Running with power, speed, and instinct, Tyler cut through the Hawaii offense like butter. The best way to describe number 26 between the tackles: slippery.
Lost in all the praise of the skill players was the performance of the offensive line. Barkley had plenty of protection for most of the night and they opened up plenty of holes for the running backs.
WHERE do we need to improve:
Defense. Defense. Defense.
And did I mention defense?
Specifically, the secondary got torched. In fact, they got torched, then fire department came and put out the blaze and then they got torched again.
Hawaii had touchdown passes down the middle for 30, 56 and 65 yards. And that's just the ones they completed. On a handful of other occasions Warrior receivers beat the coverage deep and only failed to score because of bad throws or an inability to make the catch.
On top of that, receivers were open going across the middle all night and there was a general lack of good coverage. Freshman corner back Nikell Robey seemed particularly unable to keep up with the quick Hawaii offense, but even veteran Shareece Wright didn't do enough to slow the aerial attack.
Needless penalties also plagued the defense as the inexperienced players failed to make plays for the ball and instead gifted Hawaii pass interference and other calls at important moments.
WHAT did we learn:
Very little that we can be sure of.
The offense clearly has a ton of potential. The play-makers like Barkley, Johnson and Tyler showcased what makes each of them special, but it will remain to be seen how they will perform against a quality defense.
The defense clearly has a ton of question marks. But lucky for them (and us fans), they won't be facing a spread offense like Hawaii's every week. Improvement is a must no matter what. However, this one dismal performance is not necessarily indicative of what we might see from the defense on a regular basis.
WHY this game will be remembered:
It was the first game of the Kiffin era. More importantly it was a reprieve from a difficult off-season and fans finally got some sense of what this team might do or not do this season.
Things that made you go HUH:
Two point conversions - Did Kiffin and company just decide to have some fun and take chances on the conversions? Were they testing out different strategies? Were they getting extra reps in for red zone plays? Was it all part of a giant Kiffin conspiracy to be a jerk? Did Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin ask, "what's your deal?"
Kiffin never smiles - Most coaches look pleased after a touchdown. Pete Carroll often looked jubilant. Lane Kiffin looked downright angry.
NEXT WEEK
USC faces the Virginia Cavaliers at the LA Memorial Coliseum on September 11th.
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