Tag: Ja’Kobi Lane

Ja’Kobi Lane steps up, becomes the elite receiver USC needs

Ja’Kobi Lane stepped up with Duce Robinson no longer on the team. Lane and Makai Lemon should give USC two elite receivers in 2025.

During the 2024 season, USC’s wide receiver room was largely a mixed bag. The Trojans had a bunch of good players at the position, but no one player truly stepped up as a go-to option. During the Las Vegas Bowl Friday night, however, that finally changed. With three of USC’s top five wide receivers in the transfer portal, that left more targets for the guys who stayed. One player in particular took advantage of those extra reps for USC football: sophomore Ja’Kobi Lane.

Against Texas A&M, Lane caught seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. For his performance, he was named the game’s MVP.

It was the type of performance that the Trojans had been looking for all year. After losing top 2023 wideouts Tahj Washington and and Brenden Rice to the NFL, USC turned its wide receiver room over to a relatively young core. While each of those players showed flashes at moments in 2024, none of them truly took over a game.

That was, until Friday night.

Now, USC heads into 2025 with a clear and strong 1-2 punch at wide receiver in Lane and Makai Lemon. While there are still questions regarding who will be throwing them the ball, the Trojans should not lack for weapons next season.

USC can’t allow opponents to set school records in 2025

USC put multiple Notre Dame defenders in the school’s record books. Next year, other teams can’t fatten their historical achievements at USC’s expense.

USC football watched its two-game winning streak end in its final game of the regular season with a 49-35 loss against Notre Dame on Saturday while failing to cover as a 7.5-point home underdog. The year concluded on a fitting but frustrating sour note. Notre Dame set school records against USC. When a team is allowing its opponents to set records, that says a lot about the season USC had.

The Trojans went pound-for-pound against the No. 5 ranked Fighting Irish, being tied 21-21 up until midway through the third quarter. The offense then stalled and went down by two touchdowns by the end of the third, but started to mount a comeback with a 6-yard Ja’Kobi Lane touchdown to close the gap to 35-28.

It was at that point that quarterback Jayden Maiava fell apart dramatically, throwing back-to-back goal line pick sixes that happened to be two of the longest interception returns for touchdowns in Notre Dame history. A 99-yard pick six from cornerback Christian Gray, the fourth-longest in school history, was followed by a 100-yard pick six from safety Xavier Watts on the next possession, tied for the longest touchdown interception return in the Fighting Irish’s history.

The failure of the Trojans to execute late seemed to be a fitting end to their mishap of a season. They failed to take care of business and left many questions that will need to be answered by Lincoln Riley and company over the offseason.

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USC’s big moment vs UCLA was a pass, but not by the quarterback

The fact that USC used a trick play to beat UCLA shows Lincoln Riley is at his best when he is creative, not predictable. Everyone can agree we haven’t seen enough of that.

For the past few weeks, much of the discussion surrounding USC football has surrounded the quarterback position. The UCLA football rivalry game offered a fascinating plot twist connected to big-play passing for the Trojans.

Following the loss to Washington, head coach Lincoln Riley elected to bench starter Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Through two games, the move has shown mixed results. Maiava has not exactly lit the world on fire, but he has played well enough for the Trojans to defeat both Nebraska and UCLA.

On Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, USC’s biggest play of the game was indeed a pass. It just wasn’t thrown by Maiava.

Midway through the third quarter, the Trojans trailed 13-9, and had not been able to get much going offensively. So Riley decided to pull one out of his bag of tricks.

Facing second down and 4 at the UCLA 43 yard line, Maiava took the snap and threw a backwards screen to wide receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon caught the ball and dropped back to pass himself, delivering a 39-yard dart to Ja’Kobi Lane, setting USC up with first and goal at the UCLA 4.

If the play looked at all familiar to you, that’s likely because the New England Patriots pulled off a similar trick nearly a decade ago in the AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, with former college QB Julian Edelman playing the role of Lemon.

Following Lemon’s big throw, the Trojans punched the ball into the end zone on the next play to take a lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the night.

The play had a huge outcome on USC’s win probability. Prior to Lemon’s double pass, the Trojans had just a 37.6% chance to win the game, per ESPN analytics. After that play, it jumped to 58.6%.

We will never know what would have happened in the game had the trick play not been successful. But given how poorly the Trojans’ offense had looked prior, it was undeniably their most important one of the night.

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National columnist says Miller Moss is taking the fall for Lincoln Riley at USC

Miller Moss is not the problem with the USC Trojans’ struggles, rather Lincoln Riley is covering up his own failure.

After starting the season 3-1 and moving up to No. 11 in the AP Poll, the USC Trojans plummeted with losses to Minnesota, Penn State, and Maryland. The Trojans are just 1-3 in their last four games, but the weight of the struggle seems to have fallen on the wrong shoulders.

It was announced earlier this week that quarterback Miller Moss lost the starting job to transfer Jayden Maiava, but Moss and the offense are not entirely the problem. The Trojans have scored 21 or more points in eight of their nine games this season while scoring 28 or more in three of their last four.

This season, Moss has a 64.3% completion rate with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Four players — Woody Marks, Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, and Ja’Kobi Lane — all have 32 or more receptions, while Lane (5) and Lemon (3) are amongst the teams’ top TD targets.

The Trojans rank fifth in points scored this season in the Big Ten behind Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana.

While the offense surely has room to improve, it is clearly still performing at high levels, which begs the question: Is Lincoln Riley just using Miller Moss as a scapegoat to cover up his atrocity of a season?

College football columnist Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire makes a good point when he notes that the quarterback is far from the only reason USC has struggled in 2024. This is not a one-man problem:

Moss didn’t play particularly well in their last game against the Washington Huskies, turning the ball over with three interceptions. Moss doesn’t have terrible numbers by any stretch but this feels like someone having to take the fall. Maiava could provide a spark for this team but even when the quarterback play has been good, this team has found ways to lose.

USC has lost as a team this year, meaning that in the games USC lost, the blame generally couldn’t be placed on any one player or position group. Some position groups have been more disappointing than others, but a little bit of everything has gone wrong in these games. To an extent, the move to Jayden Maiava might be Lincoln Riley’s way of hoping that the other USC players will step up to help their quarterback.

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USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane’s 1-handed, spinning TD grab is a catch of the year candidate

WHAT A CATCH!

USC wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane made one of the best catches you’ll see in college football this year on Saturday on the road against Maryland.

As Lane was facing tight coverage from defensive back Perry Fisher on a route to the end zone, Trojans quarterback Miller Moss threw it up to give Lane a chance to bring the ball down.

Lane somehow found a way to snag the touchdown with one hand as he spun around and fell to the ground for the score.

It was an absolutely stunning catch from Lane, one that we feel we’ll be seeing on replay for the rest of the season.

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Photo gallery from Wisconsin’s disappointing loss to No. 13 USC Trojans

Photo gallery from Wisconsin’s disappointing loss to No. 13 USC Trojans

The Wisconsin Badgers football team lost to USC 38-21 on Saturday. It was the second straight blowout loss for Luke Fickell’s squad.

Wisconsin was coming off of their bye week and quarterback Braedyn Locke took over as the full-time starter following Tyler Van Dyke’s season-ending knee injury versus Alabama on Sept. 14.

The Badgers took advantage of three first h-lf turnovers from the Trojans, taking a 21-10 lead into the break with running back Tawee Walker scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter.

The second half was the complete opposite story for Wisconsin as they fumbled a punt return, which led to a USC touchdown on the following possession. They also failed to convert on fourth down deep in Trojans’ territory in the third quarter.

USC quarterback Miller Moss hit his stride following halftime, throwing for two touchdowns in the second half, while also adding a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.

Braedyn Locke finished his day with 180 passing yards and a touchdown, while also throwing a pick-six to Mason Cobb in the fourth quarter. Tawee Walker compiled 55 yards and two scores on 12 carries.

For USC, Miller Moss produced 308 passing yards and three touchdowns while adding 17 rushing yards and a score on five rushes. Wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane had a monster day, reeling in 10 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

The Badgers will look to get back on track when they host Purdue at Camp Randall on Saturday in Week 6. In the meantime, here are some of the best pictures from Wisconsin’s Week 5 loss to the Trojans:

Eerie parallels between LSU’s new defensive coordinator and Alex Grinch

LSU is placing a lot of faith in its corners and safeties in ways which offer a parallel with Alex Grinch. This could get interesting.

USC plays LSU in Week 1, as you know. LSU Wire recently posed a concern about the Tigers’ young cornerbacks’ ability to hold up in man coverage in new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme. There’s a parallel with Alex Grinch involved. Here’s what LSU Wire had to say:

New defensive coordinator Blake Baker will play an aggressive style of defense. That could put stress on an inexperienced secondary, specifically LSU’s group of cornerbacks.

At Missouri, Baker had two of the best corners in the SEC with Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw. Both playing at an elite level was a big reason why Missouri’s defense was among the best in the country.

Now at LSU, Baker has the talent, but it’s unproven. Ashton Stamps looks to be LSU’s top corner right now. As a true freshman last year, he played 51 snaps in man coverage, Stamps struggled, allowing a perfect NFL passer rating of 158.3, according to PFF.

LSU is boosted by the return of CB Zy Alexander, but his season was cut short by injury last year and the ramp up this summer has been slow. Ohio State transfer JK Johnson is set to see time too, but he’s also returning from injury after missing the entirety of 2023.

For LSU to take the needed step forward, at least one of these guys needs to emerge as an SEC-level player in man coverage.

This should make the hair on the back of Trojan fans’ necks stand up. One of the fatal flaws of Alex Grinch’s defense was the pressure it applied to the corners and safeties, often placing them on an island.  If the pass rush doesn’t get home, it puts a lot of pressure on the secondary.  In 2022 Mekhi Blackmon was a first-team All-Pac-12 cornerback, but without him in 2023, the USC defense was much more susceptible to chunk plays.

The Trojans’ strength on offense is at wide receiver, led by the talented second-year wide receivers Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, Duce Robinson and Zachariah Branch. Lincoln Riley and his receivers might make the Tigers pay if they have unproven cornerbacks cover them in man defense on the outside.  Look for Riley and Miller Moss to try to capitalize on one on one matchups outside that favor the Trojans.

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Miller Moss talks about young USC receivers, who are ready to make their mark

Miller Moss has every reason to be excited about his wide receivers.

USC football has produced a lot of great receivers, year after year. The Trojans are one of the best college football programs in the United States in terms of developing elite receivers who make big money in the NFL. Michael Pittman, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Jordan Addison, Nelson Agholor, Marqise Lee, and the list just keeps going on and on. Now Miller Moss — USC’s 2024 starting quarterback — has another promising group of receivers to throw to, the latest Trojans ready to become top-tier wide receivers who will eventually play on Sundays and become a force in the NFL.

From the 3:00-5:00 mark of this video, Miller Moss has a lot more to say about a USC receiver group which — it is important to note — spent a lot of time practicing with Moss last year as part of the “twos,” the backups on the roster. While the starters got game reps with Caleb Williams, the backups were able to spend a lot of time with Moss. Developing continuity last season, on the practice field and then in the Holiday Bowl, could really pay off for USC on the field this fall.

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Lincoln Riley challenges Zachariah Branch to be more than a special teams weapon

Lincoln Riley sent a clear message to Zachariah Branch.

On the USC football team, sophomore receiver Zachariah Branch stands out as a rare talent who captivates college football fans with every touch of the ball. Last year, Branch made history by becoming USC’s first true freshman to earn All-America honors, showcasing his exceptional abilities as both a punt and kick returner. He led all punt returners in the nation in 2023 with 20.8 yards per return.

During the recent Big Ten media days event, USC head coach Lincoln Riley reflected on Branch’s impressive freshman campaign, highlighting his potential for even greater achievements in the upcoming season.

“Zachariah Branch had really an exciting freshman year for us. He’s an explosive player. Even when you’re used to being on the college football field and really talented players are somewhat the norm, he’s a little bit different in the way he moves and also his strength. He had a great year for us last year, especially as a returner. [He] was one of the most dominant returners in the country, if not the most.”

Riley is now ready for Branch to step up as a sophomore and become the receiving threat he was at Bishop Gorman High School before joining the Trojans.

“Yeah, we’ve really challenged him this year to become a bigger part and a more consistent part of our offense. That is really going to be part of his evolution. He had some really good moments for us offensively last year, but he wasn’t as impactful as he was on special teams. And certainly, I think he’s growing as a receiver, as a ball carrier, understanding offenses, understanding route running, understanding defenses, how we’re trying to attack people. There’s just a maturity and a growth process that we’ve really pushed him on, and I think he’s handled it well.  We’ve got a really talented group of receivers there that got a chance to showcase their skills in the bowl game”

The talented, young wide receivers Riley referred to: Duce Robinson, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Makai Lemon, who joined USC’s 2023 recruiting class alongside Branch. Last season, Branch tallied 31 receptions for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Riley and Trojan fans are optimistic that wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons can facilitate a sophomore leap, a common phenomenon among elite talents. Branch adding wide receiver to his All-American pedigree would significantly aid first-year starting quarterback Miller Moss and the Trojan offense in their first year in the Big Ten.

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Receiver Ja’Kobi Lane earned high marks in USC spring football camp

Ja’Kobi Lane earned rave reviews at USC spring football camp.

The USC football program has concluded its spring practices. Players will try to stay in shape and study behind the scenes before August preseason camp opens, leading into the big season opener versus LSU on Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas. Of all the Trojans who participated in spring practices, receiver Ja’Kobi Lane stood out in the eyes of many teammates and coaches. USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, who is likely to be a starter on the Trojans’ defense in 2024, identified Lane as the “MVP” of spring camp.

Lane’s emergence is critical for a number of obvious reasons. One is that Miller Moss needs all the help he can get this season. He’s not a Caleb Williams superman-style quarterback who can make all sorts of improvisational plays. Moss needs to make plays from structure, with his teammates getting open for him.

Another central reason Lane needs to become a factor for USC in 2024 is that in 2023, receivers Dorian Singer and Mario Williams did not perform that well. The Trojans need four receivers to play well on a consistent basis. Last year, only two — Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington — became particularly reliable weekly targets. If Lane steps up and joins Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Kyle Ford, and hybrid tight end-receiver Duce Robinson as consistent producers, Moss should have a big year, and USC will be in position to thrive.

A third reason Ja’Kobi Lane needs to be elite for USC: LSU, the Week 1 opponent, had a Swiss cheese secondary last year. USC has to exploit the LSU secondary. Lane could be a central vehicle for achieving that goal.

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