USC vs. Arizona Complete Game Preview
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 11; 10:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Arizona Stadium; Tucson, Arizona
TV: ESPN2
Out of the polls for the first time this season, USC visits No. 10-ranked Arizona with what head coach Steve Sarkisian described as "sick feeling in [its] gut."
The Trojans lost to Arizona State in Week 6 on Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici's Hail Mary touchdown to Jaelen Strong.
"What a game! Check out the unbelievable highlights from #ASUvsUSC! @drpepper #oneofakindplays https://t.co/TLyqmw6XTN
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2014"
Conversely, one of Arizona's five wins came on a Hail Mary when quarterback Anu Solomon completed one to Austin Hill to beat Cal in Week 4.
"#HillMary http://t.co/iSOdUAY2gy #BearDown RT @ESPN_Pac12blog: Poll: Pac-12 play of the week http://t.co/6mrv3ZP03p
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) September 21, 2014"
For one team to win in dramatic fashion, another has to suffer heartbreak. It's the yin and yang of football that has the Trojans and Wildcats on opposite ends of the spectrum coming into this Saturday's nighttime showdown in the desert.
If Arizona can keep its good fortune rolling, it will have the inside track on the South's berth into the Pac-12 Championship Game. A USC win, however, puts the Trojans right back in the forefront of the race.
USC Keys to Victory
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Capitalize on Opportunities
A loss decided on a single play such as USC's against Arizona State magnifies the misfires inherent over the course of any football game.
USC had opportunities to put more points up against the Sun Devils. A promising opening drive stalled when wide receiver Darreus Rogers dropped a would-be first-down catch on third down in Arizona State territory.
Rogers had another crucial drop when he leaked behind the Arizona State secondary with nothing but end zone ahead of him, but quarterback Cody Kessler's throw went between his hands.
The Trojans' margin for error this upcoming Saturday is just as narrow as it was the previous week; thus stalled drives and unforced mistakes must become a thing of the past.
Finish
USC led Arizona State for almost 24 minutes of the second half last week, pulling ahead with a tenacious run defense that kept the Sun Devils out of the end zone much of the way.
But the Trojans ceded two different nine-point leads in the final four minutes, giving up 20 points over the course of just three Sun Devils possessions.
Sarkisian talked after the game about playing a complete 60 minutes and reiterated the stance on his weekly conference call Sunday.
“Unfortunately the final three minutes, we didn’t play great," Sarkisian said. "Arizona State made the plays they needed to make and ultimately came out with a victory."
Arizona's another team that can erase a deficit in a hurry. Rich Rodriguez's uptempo style is designed to score points in a hurry, which is precisely what the Wildcats did to erase an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit against Cal.
Arizona Keys to Victory
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Don't Believe the Hype
As the Pac-12's sole unbeaten and highest-ranked team, Arizona is in an unlikely position as pace-setter. The Wildcats, once playing with the proverbial house money, become the new target in the South.
Arizona must play with the same attitude it exhibited as an underdog against Oregon to avoid becoming the conference's latest upset victim. That's easier said than done given the collective youth up and down head coach Rich Rodriguez's roster.
Quarterback Anu Solomon and running back Nick Wilson are both first-year players. Wide receivers Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant are true sophomores. So too is defensive leader Scooby Wright.
The young Wildcats have commanded a level of attention not attracted to Arizona in quite some time. Saturday is the first time they'll be expected to perform under the spotlight.
Make the Big Plays
The USC defense's tendency to surrender big plays was its undoing in each of the Trojans' two losses. Boston College scored on plays of 25, 54 and 66 yards, while Arizona State reached the end zone on plays of 21, 46, 73 and 77 yards.
Arizona's uptempo brand of offense is capable of producing similarly explosive plays.
The Trojans have been solid from snap-to-snap, but surrendering those big-yardage plays has hurt them mightily.
"Justin Wilcox's #USC defense is allowing 5.95 yards per play in 2014. Monte Kiffin's USC D allowed 5.91 in 2010, 5.44 in 2011 & 5.3 in 2012.
— Max Meyer (@TheMaxMeyer) October 6, 2014"
Rodriguez's offensive style is predicated on big plays, and the Wildcats have ample weapons to attack the Trojans with either the run or pass.
Arizona needs Solomon or running backs Terris Jones-Grigsby and Wilson to exploit any gaps in the USC defense and rattle off big yards.
USC Players to Watch
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OFFENSE
WR Nelson Agholor
Following USC's 35-10 win over Oregon State, Sarkisian said he was pleased with quarterback Cody Kessler's distribution. Kessler completed passes to nine different targets, though just three went to the Trojans' most explosive playmaker, Nelson Agholor.
Sarkisian said he wanted Agholor more involved in the offense, and against Arizona State, Agholor delivered. He caught nine passes for 85 yards and returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown.
Arizona coordinator Jeff Casteel's defenses have been burned by USC wide receivers in the last two seasons. Marqise Lee went for a conference record 345 yards in the Trojans' last visit to Arizona Stadium.
Agholor didn't quite reach those kind of numbers, but he did abuse the Arizona defense to the tune of 161 yards and a touchdown a season ago.
Coming off his best performance of 2014, look for Agholor to have another marquee showing this week.
OL Viane Talamaivao
Freshman offensive lineman Viane Talamaivao has seen an increase in his workload over the last few weeks with teammate Damien Mama playing at not quite 100 percent.
Talamaivao made the start last week at guard, and the freshman sometimes struggled picking up delayed blitzes from the Arizona State defense.
Similarly timed pressure is a hallmark for the Arizona defense. Talamaivao must do his part to contain these blitzes, or the Trojans risk surrendering multiple sacks. The Sun Devils got to Kessler three times last week, via USCTrojans.com.
DEFENSE
LB Hayes Pullard
The Trojans' defensive leader, Hayes Pullard, set the tone for what was a solid effort through 56 minutes against Arizona State. His nine tackles led the way.
But Pullard came one statistic shy of giving USC the win—specifically an interception. He was in line to grab Bercovici's Hail Mary attempt before Jaelen Strong cut in front of him to make the play.
As a senior and team captain, Pullard's ability to shake off the miscue this week will set the tone for the entire Trojans defense.
CB Kevon Seymour
Opposing offenses have attacked Kevon Seymour in recent weeks, which has produced results. Two of the few big plays the Oregon State offense mustered in Week 5 came at Seymour's expense, as quarterback Sean Mannion connected with wide receiver Richard Mullaney on a pair of long passes with Seymour in single coverage.
Arizona State also beat Seymour on a long play when Bercovici hit Cameron Smith for a 73-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
Arizona's explosiveness at wide receiver promises to test the USC secondary once again. The Trojans need a big night from Seymour to be competitive.
Arizona Players to Watch
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OFFENSE
WR Cayleb Jones
Arizona State's big, physical receiver Strong caused the USC secondary headaches in Week 6, catching 10 passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns.
The Trojans get no relief this week, as Arizona's Cayleb Jones presents a similar kind of challenge.
The 6'3", 215-pound Jones is Solomon's primary target with 32 catches for 525 yards and six touchdowns. But USC defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox cannot simply go double-coverage on Jones—the matchup problems Jones creates opens the field for the rest of Arizona's wide receiving corps, which is one of the deepest in the nation.
QB Anu Solomon
Arizona's redshirt freshman quarterback seemed to grow up over the course of five quarters. After three sluggish quarters against Cal, Solomon came alive in the final period to lead the Wildcats on five scoring drives, culminating with his Hail Mary bomb to wide receiver Austin Hill.
Against Oregon, Solomon's on-the-fly decision-making forced the Ducks defense back on its heels and resulted in four second-half touchdowns for the Wildcats.
Solomon is not a run-first quarterback in the vein of Boston College's Tyler Murphy, whose 191 yards vexed USC in Week 3. But Solomon will take off running as the situation dictates, evident in his 244 yards on the season.
His dual-threat ability is difficult to cover, as Solomon is particularly adept at dumping off passes on the move. In particular, he has a knack for connecting on the pop pass.
DEFENSE
S Jared Tevis
Jared Tevis is something of a jack-of-all-trades in Casteel's 3-3-5 defensive formation. The senior rover is vital to Arizona's pass coverage but can be effective as an additional run-stopper.
Tevis was active in the Wildcats' defeat of Oregon, recording eight tackles. He's Arizona's second-leading tackler on the year with 45 and also has an interception and two pass deflections.
Tevis' ability to play all over the field allows Casteel flexibility in his calls without having to alter the Wildcats' personnel groupings too dramatically.
LB Scooby Wright
The sophomore standout of an improved Arizona defense was integral to the Wildcats' upset of Oregon. Scooby Wright stripped Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota on the Ducks' final possession, sealing the win and capping his night with seven tackles, a sack and the all-important forced fumble.
Wright is the engine that drives Arizona's defense. He plays a sideline-to-sideline style that makes him difficult to block and has resulted in a team-high 58 tackles.
In addition to leading Arizona's run-stopping defense, Wright is also the team's leading pass-rusher. He has five sacks and eight tackles for loss on the season.
What They're Saying
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USC
“You go look at the film after a guy like that, quite honestly, it doesn’t get any better. ... The same things that frustrate you in person, frustrate you when you look at the film. I feel bad for our team, because I feel like we played a very good football game," - Sarkisian on looking back at the loss to Arizona State.
“In all of this, like we’ve been faced with many different things this season from training camp to this point, we’re going to find out a lot about ourselves this week as we get ready to play the No. 10-ranked team in America," - Sarkisian on regrouping for facing Arizona
Arizona
"Well, we’re 5-0. We’re one win away from bowl eligibility, I guess. I think it’s hopefully a shot of confidence that we can play against a really good team. We still have a lot of things to clean up," - Rodriguez on where Arizona is after the Oregon game, via GoDucks.com.
"Getting that win shows that we can play 60 minutes. We knew we were going into a battle, but that’s Arizona football," - Jones-Grigsby on beating Oregon, via GoDucks.com.
Prediction
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The Trojans head into Week 7 in what could accurately be labeled desperation mode. A win this week at Arizona puts USC back on equal footing with the rest of the South's contenders, as Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Utah would all join the Trojans with at least one loss.
A loss, however, puts USC in an 0-2 hole in the division. A loss also means a .500 record at the midway point.
Sarkisian talked about the Trojans playing with pride coming off the shocking Arizona State loss. This week's contest will put that pride to the test.
This matchup is the proverbial get-off-the-mat moment for USC. In much the same way it reversed its course against Arizona last year, beginning the path to a 10-win campaign after starting just 3-2, USC has an opportunity to do likewise Saturday.
Rodriguez is one of the godfathers of the zone-read-based offense, which has given the Trojans problems in the past. The Wildcats will score, so the Trojans must be prepared to put together their best offensive performance yet.
They have not quite shown the consistency to rely on that just yet, so any score that sees both teams in the high 30s favors Arizona.
Prediction: Arizona 38, USC 35
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics compiled courtesy of CFBstats.com.
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