USC has seen multiple offensive line combinations throughout this season and the last, and yet the offense as a whole has remained one of the most efficient in the Big Ten Conference.
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The Trojans rank first in third-down conversions as well as fourth-down conversions and are second in overall offense with 462.4 yards per game. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been sacked only seven times through seven games.
There are a few common denominators between last season’s performance in the trenches and this season’s, starting with position coach Zach Hanson.
“He’s a very steady guy,” head coach Lincoln Riley said during a Zoom call on Thursday as the 16th-ranked Trojans (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) prepare for Saturday’s game at Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1). “He’s not somebody that fluctuates a lot day to day, and I think our players feed off of that. And so, I think there’s a steadiness about our group.”
Hanson, a former lineman himself, is in his second season of coaching the Trojans’ big men after previously coaching the tight ends from 2022-2024. His history with Riley dates to 2019, when he was a senior offensive analyst for an Oklahoma team that reached a College Football Playoff semifinal.
The steadiness that Hanson provides has trickled down to his players. Freshman Vlad Dyakonov stepped in for Elijah Paige at left tackle with the calmness of a veteran for the Penn State game, and Tobias Raymond seamlessly moved to center at the start of the season when Kilian O’Connor suffered a season-ending injury.
Kaylon Miller has taken over duties at left guard after an injury to Hayden Treter, who has now missed two straight games.
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“That’s just how coach Hanson’s been coaching (us),” right tackle Justin Tauanuu said. “Last year, we went through a lot of O-lines. We had a lot of different combinations as an O-line, so he’s just really prepared us for a next-man-up mentality. We always prepare to be the starter for that week.”
None of these players are transfers, which gives the whole group a strong sense of continuity under Hanson.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that were kind of homegrown here in this program,” Riley said. “We got a good, healthy young group. And Zach’s obviously had a big role in helping to put that entire group together.”
Riley also pointed to multiple offensive linemen when asked which freshmen are standing out to him. Keenyi Pepe, Breck Kolojay and Esun Tafa have all made an impression on the head coach.
“Our scout teams are pretty competitive right now,” he said. “I think that’s helped this team improve. There’s a lot of these guys behind the scenes that are working that’ll be big-time contributors in this program going forward.”
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