USC has the best wide receiver in college football -- maybe the best player in the game -- in junior Marqise Lee.
Behind Lee, however, there just isn't a whole lot there in the passing game. The Trojans have five scholarship wide receivers and three tight ends available in fall camp, leaving head coach Lane Kiffin to consider every possible option. Redshirt senior Kevin Greene is getting a look at tight end, while freshman Darreus Rogers is in the mix as the third receiver behind Lee and sophomore Nelson Agholor, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"He's kind of made a significant play every day, and we're really excited about how he looks out there," Kiffin said of Rogers.
Rogers signed with USC as part of the Class of 2012, but he didn't actually join the team until December because of delays getting cleared by the school and NCAA.
Greene had been a reserve defensive end the past three seasons, recording eight tackles and one fumble recovery, but he moved to outside linebacker in new coordinator Clancy Pendergast's 5-2 alignment.
It should all add up to a dramatic but necessary change in philosophy for Kiffin, having to lean on the running game in a way he never has in his previous three tumultuous years at USC. Kiffin called pass plays on 53.4 percent of snaps the last two seasons after a 51-49 run-pass balance in 2010.
Kiffin is going to have to rely on stone-age football to carry the day, utilizing Penn State transfer Silas Redd, converted linebacker Tre Madden and promising freshman Justin Davis and Ty Isaac. And if Lee were to go down for any length of time, Kiffin could have to do everything short of installing the triple option just to field an offense.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
