Tag: Zachariah Branch USC

Photos: USC’s Zachariah Branch does his best Spiderman pose during hurdle against Utah State

Trojans Wire’s Tim Prangley covered the USC-Utah State game from the sidelines on Saturday. Seeing Zachariah Branch do his thing is an electric experience.

USC’s first home game of the season was special with the defense getting a lot of the limelight for a brilliant shut out, but there were athletes on both sides of the ball who shined. We released a a bunch of images I captured from the game against Utah State in a recent Trojans Wire exclusive gallery.  Athletes do special things and with photography that second is frozen in time — sometimes they put on quite a show.  That’s Zachariah Branch, one of those players who — when he gets the ball — creates that special feeling of expectation and possibility in the stadium other athletes don’t get. Fans know something memorable can happen each time Branch gets the ball and doesn’t fair-catch the ball on a kick return.

We know Zachariah Branch is really fast, and we know he is shifty and elusive, but he is also a high leaper in short-distance situations. It’s not just a matter of speed or stride. He can manipulate, twist, elevate, crouch, and otherwise change his body angle at a moment’s notice in traffic to weave through a pile of bodies on his way to the end zone, or at least a first down. Check out some of the Zachariah Branch defying the laws of physics during the game and a series of shots showing off a run that ends with a hurdle… and a few from the LSU game as well:

Zachariah Branch gets his big chance to break out as a USC receiver

Zachariah Branch could be the X-factor for the USC offense.

USC Trojan wide reciever and kick returner Zachariah Branch is hugely talented. You have heard a lot about USC receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane in August preseason camp. Don’t forget about Branch, who is already an elite and proven kick returner but who has a lot of room to grow as a receiver.

Branch was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List earlier in August. In its 14th year, the Paul Hornung Award is rewarded to the most versatile, high-level performer in college football.

This summer, Branch was also named to the 2024 Athlon Sports Preseason All-American First Team (as a punt returner), Phil Steele Preseason All-American First Team (as a punt returner), Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten First Team (as a kick returner and punt returner), Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten First Team (as a punt returner).

Branch led the nation in punt returns this past season, averaging 20.8 yards per return. He finished No. 3 in combined punt and kickoff return yards, with 774. Branch also returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns.

He also collected 31 catches for 320 yards (10.3 avg.) with a long of 36 yards and scored 2 TDs. Branch also rushed for 70 yards on 9 carries (7.8 avg.). If Branch can “branch out” and become a devastatingly effective receiver who gets open consistently within Lincoln Riley’s scheme, USC’s offense could really take off in 2024.

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How special is Zachariah Branch? Consider all the players compared to him

Zachariah Branch elicited comparisons on social media to several memorably great college football players. We have proof.

Zachariah Branch made his USC debut a spectacular and memorable one.

It’s hard to make more of an impression than Branch did in his first game as a Trojan. A 96-yard kickoff return and a 25-yard touchdown is quite a one-two punch for a first game as a college freshman. Branch electrified the Los Angeles Coliseum and had USC fans singing his praises.

When a great football player plays on the offensive line, fans appreciate the consistency and quality, but the whole point of an offensive lineman is to make sure the skill players can make the dazzling plays. A freshman offensive lineman having a great debut will be noticed by the coaches on film, but it doesn’t jump off the page the way it does for other players on a team.

It will always be more of a story when a freshman kick returner and receiver has a splashy debut, because fans can see the excellence in a much more obvious — and dazzling — way. So it was for Zachariah Branch.

One of the many signs Branch’s performance resonated so deeply is the number of great college football players he was compared to in his first USC game. Just one game had Branch associated with great players from Pac-12 football history.

We have proof of these comparisons, so sit back and enjoy:

USC football report card for San Jose State

Football games are back. That means Sunday grades for #USC are back. Alex Grinch’s grade? It isn’t good, let’s put it that way.

Class is in session for USC. Coaches and players are in the midst of a crash course in teaching the game of football. The Trojans beat San Jose State on Saturday, 56-28, in a game which should have fans moderately concerned.

We say “moderately” because it’s too early to panic. First games will be rough and sloppy. We need to see if bad trends persist before getting really worried. However, after a full offseason, and given the increased depth USC established on defense in the transfer portal, even the most pessimistic Trojan fans had to be disapproving of this performance.

Fans grumbling about this USC defensive effort are not overreacting. Let’s put it that way. Coaches were clear in saying they had more talent, they had more depth, they had more bodies, they had more pieces. The coaches did not back away from saying they had something better on defense this season.

Need proof and documentation? Here’s one link.

Here’s another.

The message could not have been clearer this season: No excuses. Get it done on Saturday.

The USC defense did not “get it done” on its first Saturday of the season.

With that, we’ll lead you into our first USC report card of the 2023 campaign:

Twitter reaction to Zachariah Branch’s electric USC debut

In a city where people love a great show, Zachariah Branch was must-see entertainment. He captured the hearts of #USC fans.

Zachariah Branch knows how to make a strong first impression. The USC freshman wowed the Los Angeles Coliseum crowd in his first game as a Trojan. He made several eye-popping plays, but the crowning moment was a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown which had the whole stadium jumping.

We wrote:

“A medium-long punt return by Branch was exciting, but it was only the beginning. Branch then delivered a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a short Caleb Williams pass. He then brought the house down with his main act, a 96-yard kickoff return which gave USC a 42-21 lead midway through the second half and gave the Trojans a cushion in their season opener.

“Caleb Williams is the man at USC, but Zachariah Branch — don’t call him Zach! — is going to be the man at USC in the future. He certainly was the breakout star of this season’s first game for the Trojans.”

See how social media reacted when Branch unleashed his considerable natural talents on the field for USC: