LOS ANGELES — Things were off to a weird start for the Trojans. First of all, the Trojan faithful did not show up. Chalk it up to the rain? But I admittedly expected more from an attendance standpoint. After USC marched down the field and scored, the Nevada Wolfpack responded with their own score. There was a wave of “Oh no, here we go again,” but the Trojans never looked back after that. Williams was in complete Heisman form, looking like a boy amongst men. The crowd, although small, was mighty, as they surrendered the types of ‘oohs & aahs’ you’d expect to see at a David Blaine show for their QB1.

In a day where Sanders (of Colorado), Penix (of Washington), and Nix (of Oregon) all balled out, Williams reminded the Nation why he’s the top dawg. The defense still gives up too many chunk plays for my taste, but it was good to see them play hungry and active. Let’s head to the specifics.

Things were off to a weird start for the Trojans. First of all, the Trojan faithful did not show up. Chalk it up to the rain? But I admittedly expected more from an attendance standpoint. After USC marched down the field and scored, the Nevada Wolfpack responded with their own score. There was a wave of “Oh no, here we go again,” but the Trojans never looked back after that. Williams was in complete Heisman form, looking like a boy amongst men. The crowd, although small, was mighty, as they surrendered the types of ‘oohs & aahs’ you’d expect to see at a David Blaine show for their QB1.

In a day where Sanders (of Colorado), Penix (of Washington), and Nix (of Oregon) all balled out, Williams reminded the Nation why he’s the top dawg. The defense still gives up too many chunk plays for my taste, but it was good to see them play hungry and active.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Let The Boys Play

It’s hard to complain about the USC offense, as it’s mesmerizing to watch play in and play out, but I wish we saw more from the dynamic RB duo. I stated earlier on Saturday that the Ohio State Buckeyes may have the best RB duo, with Miyan Williams & TreVeyon Henderson. Jones, Lloyd, AND Joyner could make me eat my words. Again, this is unbelievably nit-picky, but I wish Riley would unload these guys more. There’s so much burst for either back in the ensuing games vs. the flamethrowers mentioned above (Sanders, Nix, and Penix); running the ball could be an ace in the hole for the Trojans. Fingers crossed for next week. Now if we are going to title this point ‘Let The Boys Play,’ We have to give props to coach Riley who’s not shied away from playing freshman studs, Duce Robinson and Zachariah Branch, early. Branch looks like the Tyreek Hill of college football, and Robinson looks like a created player in Madden; both unreal for freshman.

You Get A Car, You Get A Car, and You Get A Car!

Many people will peg Caleb Williams as the top pick due to his “Mahomes-Style” highlights. I find myself blown away by how effective QB1 is at spreading the football. Five of his touchdowns went to four different receivers. For further context, he went four touchdowns to four different receivers last week. Williams is spreading the rock like hummus on a pita. Everyone getting touches also highlights how talented the Trojan Wide Receiver group is and how deep it is. It looks like Tahj is his go-to guy, especially for the long ball (which is looking as gorgeous as ever), but it’s looking to be pick your poison through two weeks. Screens to Williams, Lloyd up the seam, Branch deep one on one…May god have mercy on the opposing DB’s souls.

Let’s Not Forget: Defense Wins Championships

Last year, the Trojan offense was phenomenal. So the fluffing in takeaways one and two should come as no surprise. It was the defense that did them in. Last week vs. San Jose State, Cordeiro ran pretty wild on the Cardinal & Gold defense. Outside of two chunk pass plays to bookend the start and stop of the contest, the Trojan’s defense was much more sound and active than last week. Jamil Muhammad looks like an absolute steal in the transfer portal, again making big plays. The Trojans put up 50+, partly to a scoop and score from Stanley Ta’ufo’ou. Former 3-star recruit Jaylin Smith looks like a stud on the Trojans defense. It was a great find and an even better development there. It’s nice to see the Trojans’ defense improve from last week. They’ll have less time to ease into a groove ahead of what I deemed their toughest test (Notre Dame) as they see Colorado at the end of September. Again, this is a definite improvement, but Grinch and Co. need to either find a way to create more pressure early or design better coverage. Too many long balls were given up to a weak Nevada team.