Oct 31, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (2) returns an interception for a touchdown against the California Golden Bears in the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Bears 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Part of the recent narrative around USC is that the play of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson has dropped in his sophomore season.
Seems a bit harsh because he’s one of the most athletic players in the country, but it’s also true that few players get spread thin more than Jackson. He has played 411 snaps on defense, 131 as a receiver on offense and 100 on special teams.
He twice has played more than 90 snaps in a game.
On defense, he has only two pass breakups after making 10 last season. He has allowed two touchdown passes in the past month or so, after not yielding any to his man through the 2014 regular season.
So, what gives?
Nothing, said interim head coach Clay Helton.
“For every catch that Adoree may give up, I bet you there’s 10 that he stops,” Helton told reporters this week. “You may see the catch one time, but then you come back and when you watch the tape, you go, ‘Wow, this kid is making stop after stop after stop after stop.’
“I thank God he’s on our team, because I would never want to play against the guy.”
Jackson had a three-game stretch in midseason when he played 96 snaps on offense. But that has been cut back. Jackson has only 14 snaps at receiver in the past three games, including just one snap last week in the team’s 27-24 escape at Colorado.
Jackson would do well to keep his attention this week on defense as 22nd-ranked USC (7-3 overall, 5-2 Pac-12) plays at red-hot No. 23 Oregon (7-3, 5-2) on Saturday. The Ducks are back to being explosive again with healthy quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., and receivers Charles Nelson, Darren Carrington, Bralon Addison among others. Oregon beat Stanford 38-36 last week.
The Trojans, after last week’s events, are tied with Utah for the Pac-12 South lead and control their destiny with two games to go — at Oregon and vs. UCLA.
USC has won four in a row after losing at Notre Dame, its first game under Helton after the firing of Steve Sarkisian. The past two games — against Arizona and Colorado — were much closer than expected, though.
“We all know in the back of our minds we’ve got Oregon and UCLA and have to play a full game,” tailback Justin Davis said in the L.A. Daily News.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–DT Delvon Simmons is coming off a big game, with two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He has been USC’s most productive defensive lineman this season with 43 stops, including 7.5 for loss. Tough task this week corralling Oregon QB Vernon Adams Jr. and a running attack led by RB Royce Freeman.
–WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was chosen as one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top receiver. No surprise there, since he’ll bring in All-American awards after the season. He has been playing with pain in the past two games, though, after surgery to repair a fracture in his right hand. He had a season-low three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown last week at Colorado.
–RB Ronald Jones II, a true freshman, has been playing an increasing role, sometimes dazzling. He had a team-high 19 carries last week at Colorado but for just 61 yards. For the season, though, he’s averaging a healthy 7.1 yards on his 108 carries.
