Still room to improve
Trojans want to build on last week
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even after Southern California won its season opener by 49 points, coach Steve Sarkisian returns to the Coliseum this week thinking the Trojans can do much better.
They get another chance against another Sun Belt team before the big-name opponents start to pop up on the eighth-ranked Trojans’ schedule, and they’re determined to make more strides Saturday night against Idaho.
USC is a prohibitive favorite with good reason against the Vandals (0-1), who gave up 489 yards in a home loss to Ohio last week. The Trojans (1-0) still see plenty of areas in which Idaho could provide a test.
“We all know that they are not the heck of a group that we are going to see from here on out, but we can’t look at them like that,” USC safety Chris Hawkins said. “We have to look at them as if they are the best, as if we’re playing Ohio State or Alabama, so that we can do our jobs and create turnovers.”
Hawkins made an interception and recovered a fumble in the Trojans’ 55-6 win over Arkansas State last weekend, yet the defense also gave up 208 yards rushing to a regular bowl team.
The Vandals are not a regular bowl team — in fact, they’re 2-22 under coach Paul Petrino.
Sarkisian has a checklist of areas in which the Trojans must improve. He wants his veteran offensive line to allow fewer than five sacks, and he wants quarterback Cody Kessler’s offense to run more than 64 plays. He wants better than 30 percent success on third downs, which should fall on playcalling offensive coordinator Clay Helton along with the players.
Sarkisian also will use the game as another chance to build experience for his young players after 23 Trojans made their debuts last weekend.