Written by Robert Henry
This coming Saturday evening in Palo Alto, California will prove to be a pivotal game for the University of Southern Cal. If the Trojans can power through this very important Pac-12 game and pull out the win against the hard-hitting Stanford team, they may be able to prove that the Alabama fiasco was a just a stroke of bad luck. With a win for the Trojans on Saturday, they might just be able to show the rest of the nation that they are still an upper echelon team in the Pac-12.
The Trojans are taking on a tough Stanford team. A team that has not only been the better team between the two in the last decade but a Stanford team this is also ranked number 7 in the nation. The USC offensive line will have to be at their best to help give Max Browne or Sam Darnold time to find all-star receiver JuJu Smith-Shuster. Stanford will most likely be relying on using Christian McCaffrey to break down the USC defense.
The questions many alumni and other USC fans are curious to know is weather or not Browne will start or will they continue to rotate through Browne and Darnold. USC needs to establish the run game early to help move the chains down the field. Pushing the chains with the run game could help confuse the strong Stanford defense and help get JuJu open for big plays. USC can utilize the play action especially if they can establish the run game early and fool the defense.
The Stanford Cardinal, although they are the projected winner they are also facing a strong USC team coming off a big win against Utah State. With that momentum for the Trojans and them needing to prove themselves after the Alabama loss, this Stanford team will have to be ready at 100% full throttle. However, with Burns at the helm for the Cardinals and in one of the first few starts of his college career, he shows potential to pick apart this Trojans defense. If Burns can get the ball in the hands of McCaffrey and the Cardinals offensive line can hold the defense we will see a high scoring Stanford game. Hopefully, the three new offensive linemen for the Cardinals can help open those opportunities for McCaffrey.
Overall we will see a battle between two Pac-12 rivals that should make for a very interesting game. The all-time series between the USC and Stanford is lead by USC 60-31-3. Although the statistic would seem that USC should beat Stanford, Stanford has won the last six of the eight meetings between the two. Including the 41-22 Pac-12 Championship game where the Cardinals took the win last season.
The Trojans are taking on a tough Stanford team. A team that has not only been the better team between the two in the last decade but a Stanford team this is also ranked number 7 in the nation. The USC offensive line will have to be at their best to help give Max Browne or Sam Darnold time to find all-star receiver JuJu Smith-Shuster. Stanford will most likely be relying on using Christian McCaffrey to break down the USC defense.
The questions many alumni and other USC fans are curious to know is weather or not Browne will start or will they continue to rotate through Browne and Darnold. USC needs to establish the run game early to help move the chains down the field. Pushing the chains with the run game could help confuse the strong Stanford defense and help get JuJu open for big plays. USC can utilize the play action especially if they can establish the run game early and fool the defense.
The Stanford Cardinal, although they are the projected winner they are also facing a strong USC team coming off a big win against Utah State. With that momentum for the Trojans and them needing to prove themselves after the Alabama loss, this Stanford team will have to be ready at 100% full throttle. However, with Burns at the helm for the Cardinals and in one of the first few starts of his college career, he shows potential to pick apart this Trojans defense. If Burns can get the ball in the hands of McCaffrey and the Cardinals offensive line can hold the defense we will see a high scoring Stanford game. Hopefully, the three new offensive linemen for the Cardinals can help open those opportunities for McCaffrey.
Overall we will see a battle between two Pac-12 rivals that should make for a very interesting game. The all-time series between the USC and Stanford is lead by USC 60-31-3. Although the statistic would seem that USC should beat Stanford, Stanford has won the last six of the eight meetings between the two. Including the 41-22 Pac-12 Championship game where the Cardinals took the win last season.