Scout the
Trojans

USC is a balanced but slightly pass-leaning offense averaging 63.3 plays per game with a PPA of 0.4, which sits in the strong range and means they are generating positive value on a consistent basis. Their defense is a legitimate concern, allowing opponents to convert 43.1 percent of third downs and giving up explosive plays at a 12.5 percent rate, which is manageable but not dominant.

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.

• ★Attack their third-down defense early and often -- at 43.1 percent conversion allowed, if Maryland can get to manageable third downs by running the ball effectively on first and second down, the numbers say they should be able to keep drives alive.
• ★USC's defense limits explosives at 12.5 percent, so Maryland should not force the big play -- a patient, success-rate-driven approach fits exactly what this defense has shown it will give up.
• ★USC runs 55.1 percent when ahead by seven or more and only 42.5 percent when trailing -- keeping this game close or creating a deficit for USC forces them into a pass-heavier mode that Maryland's secondary can prepare specifically for.
• ★In the red zone, USC will come at you with the run at a 60.4 percent rate -- Maryland's defensive front has to be locked in on short-yardage run defense in that zone because that is not a tendency, that is a commitment.

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.