With dominant third quarter, Texas embarrasses USC 37-14

If USC fans were ticked off after a 17-3 loss to Stanford, how mad will they be after a 37-14 loss to unranked Texas?

USC led for much of the first half, but a 46-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter gave the Longhorns their first lead, 16-14, at halftime.

From there, the floodgates opened. It was not pretty for the Trojans.

To open the second half, Texas went right down the field — 74 yards to be exact — and expanded its lead to 23-14 with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Sam Ehlinger to freshman Joshua Moore. It was an impressive grab.

Later in the third quarter, after a Texas drive stalled with a red-zone fumble, USC had a chance to cut into the lead with a long field goal. Instead, Chase McGrath’s kick was blocked by Caden Sterns and scooped up by Anthony Wheeler for a 50-yard score.

Just like that, a potential 23-17 game became a 30-14 game.

But Texas wasn’t finished. After its defense forced another USC punt, Texas moved down the field and scored again without much resistance, this time capping it off with a four-yard Sam Ehlinger touchdown run to make it 37-14 with 1:42 left in the third.

With the offense scuffling, there would be no comeback from J.T. Daniels and company. The Trojans’ final three drives went punt, punt and a turnover on downs.

What does this mean for USC?

The Trojans have a lot of problems on offense. We knew that after they mustered only three points against Stanford, but to get shut out in the second half against Texas only drives the point home. It was always going to be a mixed bag with Daniels, a true freshman, starting at quarterback. But the fact that the Trojans could not generate a running game whatsoever is more troubling.

Against Texas, USC had minus-5 yards rushing on 16 tries. That figure includes sacks on Daniels. Without Daniels included, it was still only 21 yards on 13 carries. Does Texas deserve some credit? Of course. But it’s more of an indictment of the USC offensive line, and offensive scheme in general. Sure, your team fell behind, but a 16-to-48 run-pass ratio with a true freshman quarterback is unacceptable and something that needs to be addressed moving forward.

At 1-2, it’s too early in the year to completely push the panic button. But when you lose to back-to-back games by more than 10 points for the first time since 2000, you’re pretty close.

The Trojans started 1-2 in 2016 before going on a run to a Pac-12 title and Rose Bowl victory. But that turnaround was sparked by Clay Helton inserting a redshirt freshman named Sam Darnold (you may have heard of him) in at quarterback. Helton is going to need to pull a few more strings to get this thing turned around, especially with Pac-12 play beginning next week.

What does this mean for Texas?

Is Texas back? Eh, not quite, but this is a step in the right direction.

This version of the Longhorns looked a heck of a lot better than the team that lost to Maryland and ground out a seven-point win over Tulsa last weekend. The offense showed some flashes for sure, but still has work to do. The running game averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Ehlinger was only 15-of-33 from the field and still held the ball for too long at times. But his ability to scramble and extend plays played a big role in the victory.

So did the defense.

USC jumped out to a 14-3 lead by scoring on two of its first three possessions and converting five of its first six third downs. But Texas made the necessary adjustments, and USC would not score another point. Can the Longhorns carry its strong second-half play into next week, when TCU comes into Austin? If that happens, we could be closer to declaring Texas as back.

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