Daily briefing: On USC’s zero turnovers, Cal’s talented freshman and SEC division supremacy
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
USC is taking extremely good care of the ball
If you’re a USC fan looking for some good news about your offense after the Trojans rode their defense to a 17-14 comeback victory at Oregon State on Saturday night, consider that USC is the only FBS team that has yet to turn the ball over. The Trojans have run 269 offensive plays in four games and finished every single one with the ball, especially good with a new coach who has installed a new offense. Of course, Lincoln Riley’s playbook is not new for sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams. But a Williams stat stands out as well. Williams has a streak of 188 passes – six full games – without an interception. He last threw a pick on his last pass against Iowa State in a 28-21 Oklahoma victory on November 21, 2021. By the way, USC has generated 14 turnovers; the Trojans’ plus-14 is five better than anyone else in the nation.
Introducing Jaydn Ott
Nothing in California running back Jaydn Ott’s first three games as a college football player suggested what he achieved Saturday. Ott, an On3 Consensus four-star prospect, debuted with 104 yards against FCS UC Davis, but he rushed for a combined 85 yards against UNLV and Notre Dame. Sounds like a talented freshman – up, down. But on Ott’s first carry against Arizona, he scooted around left behind the blocks of pulling linemen Sioape Vatikani (a three-star true freshman) and Brian Driscoll and raced 73 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Ott cut back and ran up the middle for a 72-yard score in the fourth quarter, and added an 18-yard touchdown on second (and third) effort between them. Ott finished with 274 yards on 19 carries, and suddenly he’s the leading rusher in the Pac-12 (115.8 yards per game) and the leading freshman rusher in the nation. Suddenly, Cal has its best running back since Jahvid Best.
Could the East be the best in the SEC?
It has been a long time since the SEC East could claim primacy over the SEC West. I’m not ready to award the trophy to the East yet, but for the first time in nearly a decade, there’s at least a debate. Three teams from the East are in the top 10 of the AP Poll: No. 1 Georgia, No. 7 Kentucky and No. 8 Tennessee. The West has No. 2 Alabama, and then no team until No. 14 Ole Miss. The East last had three teams in the top 10 in the 2013 preseason poll. There remains a sizable gap between Georgia and the rest of the East, but based on the first month of the season, there remains a sizable gap between Georgia and everyone. We’ll get a good idea of the relative strength of the divisions soon: The Wildcats play at Ole Miss on Saturday, and after a week off, the Vols play at LSU on October 8.