Utah Looms, but Travis Dye Says USC Must Fix Energy, Focus Issues Ahead of Washington State

USC running back Travis Dye sounded the alarm after the Trojans’ 42-25 win against Arizona State. He’s seen enough from the Trojans of late to know that if they continue on the same path, their perfect record won’t stay that way for long. A huge matchup with Utah on October 15 looms in the not-too-distant future. But USC can’t get caught looking ahead. There is plenty that could trip up the Trojans right now, including admiring a perfect 5-0 record and a visit from Washington State this weekend.

Several players, including Dye and linebacker Eric Gentry, said the energy level wasn’t where it needed to be during a first half against the Sun Devils that ended with the Trojans holding a slim 21-17 lead. Head coach Lincoln Riley said USC didn’t play with the edge they need to bring to every game.

“I feel like we’re slipping on the little stuff a little bit,” Dye said after USC pulled away from Arizona State over the second half. “Winning does not come easy. It’s not something you just get used to. You have to come in, week in and week out, with everything you have. Because you’re going to get everybody’s best shot. And that’s just how it is. You go to USC with all this hype around it, you’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”

Dye said he’s seen little things crop up in practices of late in terms of energy and focus.

“I feel like we’ve been slipping a little bit in those areas,” Dye said. “We need to get right back on track.”

One of the messages Dye hopes to impress upon his teammates is that winning the first five games of a season is not something that happens everywhere or every year. These wins have been the result of a ton of hard work over the offseason, and it’s not time to coast.

“You come off a win like Oregon State, there’s almost a feeling like, okay, we got over this hump, we made it,” Dye said, adding that nothing is settled until the season is over. “The energy level was not where we need to be. And that type of energy level will get us beat by better opponents. We really have to get this straight, really fast.”

There is a lot to like about where the Trojans sit right now. USC is undefeated and the No. 6 team in the country, with more wins already than all of last season. But Dye knows wins don’t come easily at this level and in this conference. As the games get tougher, the focus and energy need to match. If that first half against Arizona State was a wake-up call, the Trojans answered the bell coming out of halftime. Dye and the rest of the team hope that same response is present all week.

Washington State Presents a Challenge

Lack of energy and a slow start could put the Trojans in a tough spot on Saturday evening. Washington State pushed Oregon for nearly 60 minutes and has a few big-time players on both sides of the ball.

“A challenging matchup on both sides,” head coach Lincoln Riley said of the Cougars during his appearance on the Trojans Live radio show. “What you would expect out of a really good football team coming in here.”

Quarterback Cameron Ward has thrown for 1,445 yards this season and more than 340 in each of his past two games.

“They’ve obviously going to put the ball in the air quite a bit and challenge you that way,” Riley said.

Defensively, the Cougars already have 46 tackles for loss, which is 10 more than the Trojans. Their 19 sacks are tied with USC. Washington State is led in both categories by standout transfer linebacker Daiyan Henley, who has four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.

“They really fly around, create a lot of negative plays, a lot of sacks,” Riley said.