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Pro Football Focus: Drake London's dominance at USC by the numbers

SimonGibbs_UserImageby:Simon Gibbs•10/05/21•

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Dustin Bradford/Getty Images.

Wide receiver Drake London is having a terrific season for the USC Trojans, emerging as not just the No. 1 target in USC’s offense but also one of the top receivers in the country.

Through five games, London has tallied 670 receiving yards on 48 receptions, averaging a whopping 14.0 yards per reception, and he’s scored four touchdowns as well. But perhaps no statistic does Drake’s dominance justice quite like Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Focus revealed on Tuesday that London has 13 contested catches this season, meaning 27 percent of all passes he’s reeled in came with a defender — or multiple defenders — draped on him. To put things in perspective, London’s 13 catches paces the country, and it’s not even close; no other college receiver in the country has reeled in more than seven contested catches.

Whether it’s Kedon Slovis or Jaxson Dart under center, London has been a force, and his abilities were on full-display in Saturday’s 37-14 win over Colorado.

As the Trojans took over at their own 36-yard line Saturday, Slovis looked for his star receiver. London separated from the Colorado defender and slid to the ground with a catch, cutting in front of the onlooking safety for his first highlight play of the drive.

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That wasn’t his only highlight-reel catch in traffic — he did it again, this time with one hand, later on the drive for a touchdown.

In the first quarter of Saturday’s game alone, London accounted for five catches and 96 yards with a touchdown. He finished the game with nine receptions for 130 receiving yards and a touchdown. The performance came just one week after another eye-opening game against Oregon State; although USC lost, London tallied ten catches for 165 receiving yards and a touchdown.

London’s dominance is a bright spot in what has been a tough season for USC, as head coach Clay Helton was fired in his seventh season at the helm after an upset loss to Stanford. His performance has even caught the eye of USC legend-turned-NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, who won the Heisman Trophy and was recently inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame.

“Drake London is obviously a phenomenal talent,” Palmer said, via WeAreSC. “But Drake, man he’s this new breed of big, physical talent. You see guys who I played against like Megatron, Calvin Johnson, who has that frame at 6-foot-4, kind of power forward-style frame. It seems like he’s that kind of athlete that has that pull-away speed. And we keep seeing him catch all these jump balls and back-shoulder throws, but he’s got the ability to get over the top of a DB and catch the long ball in stride. I think the sky’s the limit.”