Time is flying. USC is under two months — under 60 days — from the start of its 2023 football season.
As of Thursday, June 29, USC is 58 days from kickoff against San Jose State on Aug. 26 in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
We will obviously have more to say about this game as it comes closer on the calendar, but let’s be clear about one thing right now: USC really has to focus for these games. Winning a ragged 41-24 game in which Caleb Williams is still playing in the fourth quarter is a bad result.
USC needs to put San Jose State to bed early. The Trojans need to crush the Spartans so that Malachi Nelson and Miller Moss and all the other high-profile backups at various positions get substantial playing time.
This is how the top programs operate: They hammer their cupcake opponents and give their younger backups lots of reps. That’s how elite programs develop players and get them accustomed to live-game action. USC can’t struggle to put this game away until the fourth quarter. That’s a wasted opportunity for this team. The San Jose State game needs to be an extended forum for the backups to get considerable playing time.
We talked about this with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:
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