2015 USC Trojans football team
The 2015 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. USC played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and were members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. On November 30, 2015, Clay Helton was named USC's permanent head coach.
Personnel
Coaching staff
Roster
Returning starters
USC returns 31 starters in 2015, including fifteen on offense, twelve on defense, and four on special teams.Key departures include Javorius 'Buck' Allen, Nelson Agholor, George Farmer, Randall Telfer, Aundrey Walker, Leonard Williams, J. R. Tavai, Hayes Pullard, Josh Shaw, Gerald Bowman, Andre Heidari.
Other departures : Ricky Town, Bryce Dixon, Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick, Charles Burks, Rahshead Johnson, Lamont Simmons, Devian Shelton, Peter McBride.
Offense (15)
Defense (12)
Special teams (4)
- : Co-Started in 2014
Depth chart
Freshman : Freshman
Double Position : #
Injured : +
Recruiting class
Scholarship distribution chart
| Position | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | 2016 signed |
| QB 3 | Sam Darnold | – | Matt Fink | ||
| TB 5 | Ronald Jones II Aca'Cedric Ware Dominic Davis | – | Justin Davis | ||
| FB 2 | – | – | – | Jahleel Pinner | |
| WR 10 | | Juju Smith-Schuster Ajene Harris | Darreus Rogers De'Quan Hampton | George Katrib * | Josh Imatorbhebhe Michael Pittman |
| TE 3 | Tyler Petite | – | – | ||
| OL 14 | Chuma Edoga Roy Hemsley Cole Smith | Toa Lobendahn Damien Mama Viane Talamaivao | | Max Tuerk | Nathan Smith |
| DE 5 | Christian Rector Rasheem Green | – | – | | |
| DT 9 | Noah Jefferson Jacob Daniel Kevin Scott | | |||
| OLB 7 | Porter Gustin John Houston Jr. | Uchenna Nwosu | Su'a Cravens Quinton Powell | – | |
| ILB 6 | Cameron Smith Osa Masina | Olajuwon Tucker | Michael Hutchings | | – |
| CB 5 | Isaiah Langley Iman Marshall | Adoree' Jackson Jonathan Lockett | – | Kevon Seymour | |
| S 5 | Ykili Ross Marvell Tell III | John Plattenburg | Leon McQuay III | – | C.J. Pollard |
| SP 6 | – | | Zach Smith * | – |
/ / * : Former walk-on
– 85 scholarships permitted, 80 currently allotted to players.
–
–
– With four blueshirts, USC can sign 20 players in the class of 2016.
2015 NFL draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL team |
| 1 | 6 | Leonard Williams | Defensive end / Defensive tackle | New York Jets |
| 1 | 20 | Nelson Agholor | Wide receiver | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 4 | 120 | Josh Shaw | Cornerback / Safety | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 4 | 125 | Javorius 'Buck' Allen | Running back | Baltimore Ravens |
| 6 | 198 | Randall Telfer | Tight end | Cleveland Browns |
| 7 | 219 | Hayes Pullard | Middle Linebacker | Cleveland Browns |
| UFA | – | J. R. Tavai | Outside Linebacker | Tennessee Titans |
| UFA | – | George Farmer | Wide receiver | Seattle Seahawks |
| UFA | – | Gerald Bowman | Safety | Baltimore Ravens |
| UFA | – | Aundrey Walker | Offensive tackle | Miami Dolphins |
| UFA | – | Andre Heidari | Kicker | Los Angeles Kiss |
- * : Projected Round
Schedule
Game summaries
Arkansas State
- USC – #7 Steven Mitchell Jr. 14 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 14–0
- USC – #23 Tre Madden 65 yard run, – USC 21–0
- USC – #48 Taylor McNamara 2 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC28–0
- Arkansas State – #34 Michael Gordon 9 yard run – USC 28–6
- USC – #23 Tre Madden 8 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 35–6
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 44 yard run, – USC 42–6
- USC – #58 Osa Masina 46 yard fumble return, – USC 48–6
- USC – #28 Aca'Cedric Ware 6 yard run, – USC 55–6
Idaho
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 1 yard run, – USC 7–0
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 7 yard run, – USC 14–0
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 50 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 21–0
- Idaho – #5 Austin Rehkow 21 yard Field Goal – USC 21–3
- USC – #23 Tre Madden 7 yard run, – USC 28–3
- USC – #23 Tre Madden 10 yard run, – USC 35–3
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 24 yard Field Goal – USC 38–3
- Idaho – #13 Bobby Cowan 10 yard pass from #10 Matt Linehan – USC 38–9
- USC – #15 Isaac Whitney 28 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 45–9
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 41 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 52–9
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 1 yard run, – USC 59–9
Stanford
- USC – #23 Tre Madden 1 yard run, – USC 7–0
- STA – #18 Austin Hooper 15 yard pass from #8 Kevin Hogan, – USC 7–7
- USC – #7 Steven Mitchell Jr. 6 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 14–7
- STA – #34 Conrad Ukropina 42 yard Field Goal – USC 14–10
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 54 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 21–10
- STA – #22 Remound Wright 1 yard run, – USC 21–17
- STA – #89 Devon Cajuste 17 yard pass from #8 Kevin Hogan, – STA 24–21
- USC – #7 Steven Mitchell Jr. 1 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 28–24
- STA – #22 Remound Wright 1 yard run, – STA 31–28
- STA – #22 Remound Wright 1 yard run, – STA 38–28
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 36 yard Field Goal – STA 38–31
- STA – #34 Conrad Ukropina 46 yard Field Goal – STA 41–31
Arizona State
- USC – #2 Adoree' Jackson 80 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 7–0
- USC – #7 Steven Mitchell Jr. 27 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 14–0
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 4 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 21–0
- USC – #4 Chris Hawkins 94 yard fumble return, – USC 28–0
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 10 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 35–0
- ASU – #4 Demario Richard 1 yard run, – USC 35–7
- USC – #15 Isaac Whitney 10 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 42–7
- ASU – #4 Demario Richard 4 yard run, – USC 42–14
Washington
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 34 yard Field Goal – USC 3–0
- WAS – #48 Cameron Van Winkle 21 yard Field Goal – USC 3–3
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 21 yard Field Goal – USC 6–3
- WAS – #82 Joshua Perkins 27 yard pass from #16 Marvin Hall, – WAS 10–6
- WAS – #9 Myles Gaskin 1 yard run, – WAS 17–6
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 1 yard run, – WAS 17–12
Notre Dame
- USC – #6 Cody Kessler 3 yard run, – USC 7–0
- ND – #7 Will Fuller 75 yard pass from #14 DeShone Kizer, – 7–7
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 42 yard Field Goal – USC 10–7
- ND – #20 C. J. Prosise 25 yard run, – ND 14–10
- ND – #17 Kris Albarado punt blocked, #3 Amir Carlisle 5 yard run, – ND 21–10
- ND – #19 Justin Yoon 32 yard Field Goal – ND 24–10
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 75 yard pass from #10 Jalen Greene, – ND 24–17
- USC – #2 Adoree' Jackson 83 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – 24–24
- USC – #48 Taylor McNamara 4 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 31–24
- ND – #20 C.J. Prosise 4 yard run, – 31–31
- ND – #88 Corey Robinson 10 yard pass from #14 DeShone Kizer, – ND 38–31
- ND – #19 Justin Yoon 32 yard Field Goal – ND 41–31
Utah
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 9 yard run – USC 7–0
- UTAH – #18 Britain Covey 30 yard pass from #7 Travis Wilson – 7–7
- UTAH – #8 Bubba Poole 2 yard run – UTAH 14–7
- USC – #31 Soma Vainuku 1 yard run – 14–14
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 18 yard run – USC 21–14
- USC – #35 Cameron Smith 54 yard interception run – USC 28–14
- UTAH – #39 Andy Phillips 53 yard Field Goal – USC 28–17
- USC – #6 Cody Kessler 1 yard run – USC 35–17
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 25 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 42–17
- UTAH – #18 Britain Covey 66 yard pass from #7 Travis Wilson – USC 42–24
California
- CAL – #1 Bryce Treggs 6 yard pass from #16 Jared Goff – CAL 7–0
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 13 yard run – USC 7–7
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 22 yard Field Goal – USC 10–7
- USC – #23 Tre Madden 2 yard run, – USC 17–7
- USC – #2 Adoree' Jackson 46 yard interception run – USC 24–7
- CAL – #2 Daniel Lasco 6 yard run – USC 24–14
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 43 yard Field Goal – USC 27–14
- CAL – #89 Stephen Anderson 9 yard pass from #16 Jared Goff – USC 27–21
Arizona
- AZ – #6 Nate Phillips 9 yard pass from #12 Anu Solomon – AZ 7–0
- AZ – #4 David Richards 2 yard pass from #12 Anu Solomon – AZ 14–0
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 25 yard Field Goal – AZ 14–3
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 72 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – AZ 14–10
- AZ – #41 Casey Skowron 37 yard Field Goal – AZ 17–10
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 5 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 17–17
- AZ – #41 Casey Skowron 41 yard Field Goal – AZ 20–17
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 9 yard run – USC 24–20
- AZ – #41 Casey Skowron 44 yard Field Goal – USC 24–23
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 74 yard run – USC 31–23
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 15 yard run – USC 38–23
- AZ – #1 Cayleb Jones 1 yard pass from #12 Anu Solomon – USC 38–30
Colorado
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 22 yard Field Goal – USC 3–0
- COL – #23 Phillip Lindsay 4 yard run – COL 7–3
- COL – #22 Nelson Spruce 9 yard pass from #15 Cade Apsay – COL 14–3
- COL – #10 Diego Gonzalez 28 yard Field Goal – COL 17–3
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 41 yard Field Goal – COL 17–6
- USC – #38 Jahleel Pinner 4 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – COL 17–13
- USC – #48 Taylor McNamara 2 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 20–17
- USC – #9 Juju Smith-Schuster 36 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 27–17
- COL – #18 George Frazier 1 yard pass from #15 Cade Apsay – USC 27–24
Oregon
- ORE – #2 Bralon Addison 48 yard pass from #3 Vernon Adams – ORE 7–0
- USC – #1 Darreus Rogers 27 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 7–7
- ORE – #81 Evan Baylis 52 yard pass from #3 Vernon Adams Jr. – ORE 14–7
- USC – #82 Tyler Petite 12 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 14–14
- ORE – #7 Darren Carrington 37 yard pass from #3 Vernon Adams Jr. – ORE 21–14
- ORE – #29 Kani Benoit 30 yard pass from #3 Vernon Adams Jr. – ORE 28–14
- ORE – #41 Aidan Schneider 37 yard Field Goal – ORE 31–14
- ORE – #88 Dwayne Stanford 21 yard pass from #3 Vernon Adams Jr. – ORE 38–14
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 12 yard run – ORE 38–21
- USC – #2 Adoree' Jackson 41 yard punt return – ORE 38–28
- ORE – #6 Charles Nelson 26 yard pass from #3 Vernon Adams Jr. – ORE 45–28
- ORE – #41 Aidan Schneider 22 yard Field Goal – ORE 48–28
UCLA
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 30 yard Field Goal – USC 3–0
- UCLA – #24 Paul Perkins 19 yard run – UCLA 7–3
- USC – #6 Cody Kessler 1 yard run – USC 10–7
- UCLA – #18 Thomas Duarte 19 yard pass from #3 Josh Rosen – UCLA 14–10
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 21 yard Field Goal – UCLA 14–13
- USC – #2 Adoree' Jackson 42 yard punt return – USC 20–14
- UCLA – #24 Paul Perkins 1 yard run – UCLA 21–20
- USC – #94 Rasheem Greene 31 yard fumble return, – USC 26–21
- USC – #1 Darreus Rogers 21 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 33–21
- USC – #48 Taylor McNamara 8 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – USC 40–21
Pac-12 Championship Game
- STA – #34 Conrad Ukropina 30 yard Field Goal – STA 3–0
- STA – #8 Kevin Hogan 11 yard pass from #5 Christian McCaffrey, – STA 10–0
- STA – #34 Conrad Ukropina 23 yard Field Goal – STA 13–0
- USC – #39 Alex Wood 40 yard Field Goal – STA 13–3
- USC – #38 Jahleel Pinner 1 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler – STA 13–9
- USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 27 yard run – USC 16–13
- STA – #8 Kevin Hogan 7 yard run – STA 20–16
- STA – #90 Solomon Thomas 30 yard fumble return, – STA 27–16
- USC – #6 Cody Kessler 12 yard run – STA 27–22
- STA – #5 Christian McCaffrey 28 yard pass from #8 Kevin Hogan, – STA 34–22
- STA – #5 Christian McCaffrey 10 yard run – STA 41–22
Holiday Bowl
- WIS – #10 Rafael Gaglianone 28 yard Field Goal – WIS 3–0
- WIS – #6 Corey Clement 6 yard run – WIS 10–0
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 1 yard run – WIS 10–7
- WIS – #10 Rafael Gaglianone 33 yard Field Goal – WIS 13–7
- WIS – #2 Joel Stave 4 yard pass from #46 Austin Traylor, – WIS 20–7
- USC – #22 Justin Davis 4 yard run – WIS 20–14
- USC – #1 Darreus Rogers 7 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, – USC 21–20
- WIS – #10 Rafael Gaglianone 29 yard Field Goal – WIS 23–21
Rankings
Statistics
Team
As of 11/22/2015.Non-conference opponents
Pac-12 opponents
Offense
Defense
Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FF: Forced Fumbles, FR: Fumbles Recovered, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : TouchdownSpecial teams
Awards
College Sports Madness All-American Team
- Second Team
- Third Team
USA Today Sports Freshman All-America Team
- First Team
Iman Marshall- CB – Freshman
Pac-12 All-Conference Team
- First Team
Zach Banner – OT – Junior
Antwaun Woods – DT – Senior
Su'a Cravens – LB – Junior
Adoree' Jackson – CB – Sophomore
- Second Team
Delvon Simmons – DE – Senior
Soma Vainuku – FB – Senior
Adoree' Jackson – RS – Sophomore
- Honorable Mention
Justin Davis – TB – Junior
Ronald Jones II – TB – Freshman
Damien Mama – OG – Sophomore
Cameron Smith – LB – Freshman
Pac-12 All-Academic Team
- First Team
Connor Spears – TE – Sophomore
- Honorable Mention
Pac-12 Freshman
- Defensive Player of the Year