Fansided
Fansided

USC v. Stanford stream, keys, players to watch, and more

By Eric Robinson

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Jt Daniels #18 of the USC Trojans sets to pass in the first quarter of the game against the UNLV Rebels at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Jt Daniels #18 of the USC Trojans sets to pass in the first quarter of the game against the UNLV Rebels at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Cameron Smith #35 of the USC Trojans warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Cameron Smith #35 of the USC Trojans warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

USC Keys to Victory

Sustain Drives: In 2017, Stanford was pretty bad when it came to opponent 3rd down conversions. Ranking 102nd, Stanford allowed 43.4% of third downs to opponents, an obvious outlet for teams to exploit which can keep the dynamic Bryce Love on the sideline. Against USC in two games last season, Stanford allowed an average of 7.9 yards per play and 25 first downs.

Even without Sam Darnold, this USC offense has the capability of racking up yards and points against a skilled but vulnerable Stanford defense.

Shore Up The Run Defense: Tucked neatly deep within the box score of USC’s impressive win over UNLV last week was the fact that the Trojans defense allowed 308 yards on the ground. It was easy to overlook with so much success on the offensive side of the ball. However, facing one of the elite rushers in all of college football, the Trojans must fix that issue and quickly.

Stanford was tied for eighth in the country last season in runs of 20+ yards and tied for third in the country in runs of 30+ yards. It’s no secret that the run game is the bread and butter of the Stanford offense.

Home/PAC 12