USC win over Cal reminds what Air Raid is supposed to look like

BERKELEY — This was the kind of night USC knew it was capable of. The kind of night it was looking for when it made the switch to the Air Raid offense during the offseason.

Over 400 yards through the air. Deep shots down the field for 45 yards, 50 yards, 45 yards again. And a win in which USC never took the foot off the gas in a 41-17 rout of California on Saturday night.

And even USC’s second 40-point performance of the season didn’t have the Trojans feeling entirely satisfied.

“I think it just shows what our offense is capable of. Obviously I think I can play better even after a game like this,” quarterback Kedon Slovis said. “I think it’s just a testament to what this offense can be in the future.”

Slovis was his typical aw-shucks self even after his third 400-yard performance in four games. But he was able to do it without a run game, as Cal took that away and dared Slovis to beat the Bears himself.

And that’s what he did. The true freshman danced around in the pocket while his receivers ran the scramble game to perfection, getting open as Slovis bought time behind the line of scrimmage.

The numbers were gaudy, with Slovis throwing for 406 yards and four touchdowns on 29-for-35 passing. The Trojans didn’t go into the game expecting to throw the ball deep, but that was what the coverage dictated and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell unleashed Slovis.

But of all the big stats, USC head coach Clay Helton preferred a smaller digit.

“My favorite number is that zero; zero interceptions,” said Helton, who pointed out Cal had allowed only nine passing TDs prior to this game. “That’s a really good defense and I think Justin Wilcox is one of the better defensive coaches in the country. I’ll never forget being here and Sam Darnold having one of his hardest days because of how they mixed up coverages, pressures and things like that.”

And it helps when you have some “big monsters” at wide receiver, as Harrell put it.

Though receiver Tyler Vaughns played a couple of early snaps, his sprained ankle clearly limited him and he wasn’t a factor all game. But the Trojans still had their other two top targets, Michael Pittman Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The senior Pittman surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in a season for the first time in his career with 11 catches on 12 targets for 180 yards and a touchdown. St. Brown won a jump ball for a 50-yard gain and finished with five catches for 85 and a TD.

But it was another true freshman, Drake London, who stepped up in Vaughns’ place to complete USC’s receiving Cerberus. He had his first 100-yard performance and scored a touchdown for the third game in a row. He caught all six passes that went his way.

“I think confidence-wise you see him getting more excited. He tried to hurdle someone so definitely more confident than he was a few weeks ago,” Slovis joked of his roommate.

That started to build after London had a critical drop in the early-season loss to Washington. Pittman said he challenged London after that game, and the freshman has responded by playing more like a veteran than a first-year player.

“He has the opportunity to be as good if not better than any of the guys we have, to be honest with you,” Harrell said of London.