USC Football: Donte Williams assesses Kedon Slovis play
Kedon Slovis impressed his head coach with his best performance of the season yet. Following his team’s 37-14 victory over Colorado, Trojans head coach Donte Williams spoke glowingly about Slovis.
“One thing I will say is you can see the look in his eyes, in his game. From the beginning to the end, and it was a different look. It was a person that had command of the team. A person that had a killer instinct,” stated Williams on Trojans Live. “I mean, he’s a veteran. He’s been a three-year starter. It’s a guy that you expect to have that look, expect the team to follow and him to lead. And he did that this past game.”
Slovis led the Trojans to victory, completing 19 of 29 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target was star wide receiver Drake London, who caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.
Moreover, Slovis rebounded well from a tough start against Oregon State the week prior. Against the Beavers, the Trojans quarterback was picked off three times in a 45-27 loss at home.
While USC’s program is in flux at the moment, Slovis is attempting to perform well enough to raise his NFL Draft stock. After once being considered a sure-fire first rounder, the USC quarterback has fallen down draft boards.
Moving forward, Slovis looks to put together more performances similar to Saturday. If he can, he’ll gain attention from more than just Donte Williams.
Williams challenges Drake Jackson
Kedon Slovis wasn’t the only USC Trojan to have a big performance on Saturday. On the other side of the football, defensive end Drake Jackson was also a force.
Following a two-sack performance against Colorado, Williams says he’s come to expect that level of performance out of Jackson.
“I expect him to make those plays anytime someone tries to single block him,” Williams said of Jackson on Trojan Live. “They try to single block this dude, he should have two sacks every game and just cause havoc. And if he’s not getting those sacks then they should be doubling or chipping hum. It’s putting other guys like Tuli (Tuipulotu) or Jake (Lichtenstein) or Nick (Figueroa) or Korey (Foreman), it’s putting them 1-on-1. And I’ll take those guys 1 on 1 against anyone. So either Drake’s going to make the play or he’s going to demand a double team.”
It hasn’t been the season that anyone at USC expected, but even through a 3-2 start to the season, Jackson has played at a high level. In five games, the junior has 17 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one interception.
While Drake Jackson and Kedon Slovis may be overlooked due to USC’s lack of success, the duo are upping their draft stock with each great performance.