Now that King Checkdown is gone expect numerous 40-50 point routes this season:
USC receivers expect to see passes spread around
By: Scott Wolf (scott.wolf@dailynews.com)
Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 10:51 p.m.
The departure of three-year starter Cody Kessler comes as a relief to the other USC quarterbacks eager for playing time. But perhaps just as excited as the Trojans' wide receivers, who often felt like Kessler focused too much on a marquee receiver.
Last year, JuJu Smith-Schuster caught 89 passes for 1,454 yards. The No. 2 receiver in yardage, Adoree Jackson, caught 27 passes for 414 yards. That 1,040-yard difference between the top two receivers is the greatest disparity since Keyshawn Johnson played in 1994.
"It was real frustrating," senior wide receiver De'Quan Hampton said. "We were all feeling that. In the games, JuJu had two or three guys on him and I'm running down the field wide open."
So is that a problem of play-calling or the quarterback?
"It could be a quarterback thing," Hampton said. "The coach isn't on the field. At the end of the day, the quarterback can do whatever he wants. (I would think) `Man, Cody, I'm wide open.' It is what it is at the end of the day."
