USC Defense Proves It Is Championship-Worthy Against Stanford

The USC defense showed off a championship-level clutch factor Saturday in the No. 14-ranked Trojans' 13-10 defeat of No. 13 Stanford at Stanford Stadium.

USC (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12 Conference) allowed Stanford (1-1, 0-1) just two scores despite six red-zone opportunities, overwhelming the Cardinal with a combination of physicality and athletic playmaking.

Time will tell if that championship is a Pac-12 South crown or a Pac-12 title and berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff. But the Trojans proved anything is possible on Saturday.

The old "defense wins championships" adage was true for Stanford when it rode that philosophy to back-to-back conference crowns, and the Trojans beat the Cardinal at their own game. That, combined with preseason favorite Oregon's struggles against Michigan State, should vault USC near the top of anyone's Pac-12 forecast.

USC overcame the numbers game that promises to plague the Trojans all season, as they had fewer than 60 scholarship players available Saturday, per Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times.

The USC defense also faced a time-of-possession disparity that had it on the field seven minutes and 31 seconds longer than the Stanford defense.

Stanford failed to score at all in a second half that USC played much of without its linebacker and co-captain, Hayes Pullard, who was ejected for "targeting" Ty Montgomery.

One of the challenges that USC faces in its pursuit of a championship this season is how it responds when it loses one of its leaders. The answer Saturday was rather resounding.  

In addition to Pullard's ejection, the USC defense also had to deal with its star, lineman Leonard Williams, playing less than 100 percent due to an ankle injury.

Don't worry about Williams too much going forward, however. All he did Saturday was tie Anthony Sarao with a team-high 11 tackles and record a sack.  

As Pete Fiutak of College Football News noted, the ceiling for a full-strength Williams is high:

When he's back to 100 percent, Williams will set the tone for USC's championship aspirations.  

Another bedrock for the USC defense in its season-long title pursuit will be the big play, as demonstrated Saturday.

The Trojans responded to Stanford's red-zone opportunities with big plays such as safety Su'a Cravens' deflection of a Kevin Hogan pass on a slant route. Had it been completed, the Cardinal were looking at nothing but end zone ahead.

Cravens was everywhere throughout the day, causing havoc in pass coverage, against the rush and on the blitz. He had another potential game-saving moment late in the fourth with a reach-out tackle on a 3rd-and-long screen play that, had Cravens missed, might have resulted in a Cardinal first-down conversion.

The sophomore's versatility will have him playing a key role in USC's title chances throughout the season.

Fittingly, another big play punctuated the USC defense's day. Linebacker J.R. Tavai blitzed off the edge and caught Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan on his blind side, forcing a fumble to seal the win.

Behind running back Javorius "Buck" Allen's 154-yard rushing performance and wide receiver Nelson Agholor's 91-yard, nine-reception effort, the Trojans mustered just enough offense to capitalize on the defense's stellar effort.  

USC managed just one touchdown, which came in the first quarter on running back Justin Davis' goal-line carry. Just about everything came at a premium for the Trojans offense, as Scout.com's David Lombardi noted:

However, that can be seen as a positive for USC's title hopes going forward.

The Trojans will face few defenses the caliber of Stanford's for the remainder of the regular season. In fact, the Cardinal rode the prowess of their defensive side to each of the last two Pac-12 championships.

Should the Trojans' new hurry-up offense face a similar speed bump as that which Stanford presented, they have seen that the defense is equipped to carry the load.  

On Saturday, that load was ending a 17-game home-win streak for the Cardinal. For the season, it could mean carrying USC back to championship glory.

Statistics compiled via GoStanford.com.