Scout the
Trojans

USC is a balanced offense that leans slightly pass-heavy overall but commits hard to the run in scoring situations and when protecting leads. Their defense is below average in success rate allowed and gives up manageable but real chunk plays at a 12.5% explosive rate. At 63.3 plays per game they are not a hurry-up team, so pace is not a major concern.

Every scrimmage snap split by down and distance. Run rate and pass rate are heat-shaded on a Maryland-red scale so the strong tendencies jump off the page. The top row is all downs combined.

The same run/pass tendency, re-cut by where the ball sits, the score on the board, and which half it is. Counts are real charted snaps; thin splits are flagged honestly. Run % and pass % are heat-shaded on the same Maryland-red scale.

Drive for drive: what USC does with the ball, next to what their defense gives up. Points per drive are estimated from the drive result (touchdown counts as seven, field goal as three). Everything here is computed from real CFBD drive data.

How the man calling it for USC thinks on fourth down, drawn from every fourth-down snap his offense has taken this season. "Went" means they ran a play (rush or pass); "kicked" means a field goal or a punt. The split is then cut by field zone so you know where he gets aggressive.

• ★Force third and long early by stopping their 57.4% first-down run tendency. If we win first down we take the game away from their preferred script.
• ★Our offense should attack their 45.8% success rate allowed with our base run game and short passing attack. There is no reason to get cute. They give up yards consistently.
• ★Get a lead and watch them become a passing team. At 42.5% run rate when trailing 7 or more, a lead puts them in obvious passing situations and lets us pin our ears back.
• ★Their 43.1% third-down conversion rate allowed lines up as a chance for us to stay on the field. If we convert third downs at a rate near or above that number we control the clock and the game.

This is the charting layer. CFBD play-by-play does not carry coverage shells, blitz, or pressure, so the rates below stay blank until a game is broken down on film or pulled from Telemetry. The sample row shows the shape only, not real numbers.

This is the charting layer. Personnel groupings and formation families are not in CFBD play-by-play; they are tagged off the film or pulled from Telemetry, then drop straight into these tables. The sample row is illustrative shape only.

The numbers above come from charted play-by-play. The detail a coordinator wants next, special-teams maps, opponent media quotes, and player grades, comes off the film and the Telemetry feed. Each item below drops straight into this report once charted.

• Coverage and blitz tendencies by down and distance (Telemetry / PFF charting).
• Special-teams punt and kickoff location maps.
• Opponent media quotes from the weekly press conferences.
• Player grades, pressures, and coverage data from Telemetry.