USC WRs Gary Bryant, Kyle Ford making most of opportunities

LOS ANGELES — One of the big questions facing USC entering the 2021 season was who in the receiving corps was ready to step up next to Drake London?

Through two weeks, there weren’t any clear answers. Memphis transfer Tahj Washington had been a steady-if-unspectacular presence, but none of the younger receivers had stepped up in any meaningful way.

But Saturday’s victory over Washington State might have offered something of a glimpse at who will emerge as a reliable option for whoever USC’s quarterback is moving forward, with both Gary Bryant Jr. and Kyle Ford catching their first touchdown passes against the Cougars.

Bryant, a second-year sophomore, didn’t look quite like himself to start the season. A hamstring injury and later quarantining due to COVID-19 limited what he could do during training camp and kept him out of the opener against San Jose State. The following week against Stanford, his speed wasn’t quite there and he couldn’t get to a potential touchdown pass in the end zone.

But Bryant was back at full speed against Washington State, catching three passes for 56 yards, including his 38-yard touchdown reception on fourth down when he ran past the safety for a clear path to the end zone.

With a 3-yard touchdown run added to the mix, it was a nice bit of redemption for Bryant after his start to the year.

“I’m hard on myself so I had to drop that (Stanford) game,” Bryant said. “I look forward to the game but I don’t think ahead to the game. Just what I gotta do now at practice, make my plays at practice and I know anything will turn over to the game.”

Ford’s road to his first collegiate touchdown was a longer one. The redshirt sophomore had to battle through two ACL tears, including one from his senior season at Orange Lutheran. After participating in four games in 2019, he missed the entire 2020 season after summer surgery.

After being a healthy scratch against San Jose State, Ford made his first three career catches in Week 2. Then he made a 36-yard touchdown reception against Washington State, beating his man and turning at the right time to catch the ball from Jaxson Dart.

“Obviously it’s good to get back and obviously like I said it’s just building confidence every time I do something like that,” Ford said. “But honestly the biggest thing for me, like, I was happy about it but I’m past that so I can just keep progressing and build off that.”

“When I’m out there I try to make the most of my opportunities so I can get more of them,” Ford said, “and I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of that and I’m just gonna keep doing what I’m doing and see how it plays out.”

INJURY REPORT

Quarterback Jaxson Dart (knee) was again absent from practice on Wednesday, marking the second straight day of practice that he’s missed since his breakout performance against Washington State last weekend.

But receiver Drake London and defensive end Nick Figueroa (AC sprain) were back and full participants Wednesday after sitting out Tuesday. Offensive tackle Jalen McKenzie, who left practice late Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, was not present on Wednesday.