Know the Opposition: USC

Mascot: Trojans
Stadium: LA Coliseum (92,000)
2008 Record: 12-1 (Rose Bowl Champions; defeated Penn State 38-24)
2009 Ranking: AP #3; USA Today #3
Series History: USC leads 12-9-1 (has won the last six)
Head Coach: Pete Carroll (ninth year at USC, 89-15; 1-0 vs. OSU)
Lettermen Returning: 59 (20 lost)
Returning Starters: Offense - 9, Defense - 3, Specialists - 0
Base Defense: 4-3
Base Offense: "I" Formation
Returning Stars: RB's Stefon Johnson and Joe McKnight, FS Taylor Mays

Notable Alumni: 

Ron Howard - actor and director
Neil Armstong - astronaut; first man on the moon
George Lucas - filmmaker
Mark McGwire - baseball star of home run fame
Lisa Leslie - WNBA star
Pat Nixon - former First Lady
LaVar Burton - actor, especially known for starring role in Roots
Lynn Swann - NFL Hall of Fame receiver; TV analyst
O.J. Simpson - Heisman trophy winning RB and lousy criminal

Cheerleading Scouting Report:

USC Overview:

The big news coming into Saturday, is that the Trojans will have star freshman quarterback Matt Barkley at the helm. Obviously losing a leader like Mark Sanchez (3207 yards and 34 TD) hurts, but Barkley showed in week one against San Jose State that he knows how to command the offense.

In that game he went 15 of 19 for 233 yards with one touchdown. On top of that, it is clear that Barkley has some serious talent because he beat out two top ten recruited quarterbacks on his own team (Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain).  

The nice thing for Barkley is that the offense does not hinge on him. This USC squad, unlikely many before it, is a power running offense. Not only do the Trojans return their entire two deep on the offensive line (that helped them rush for 195 yds a game last year), but they also go five or six deep at running back.

None of these guys eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark last season, but do not let that fool you. This unit is led by junior Joe McKnight (659, 2 TD in 2008), who went for 145 yards and two touchdowns last week against San Jose State. A

fter McKnight, the Trojans will rotate in quite a few different runners starting with Stafon Johnson (705 yards, 9 TD in 2008). Also watch for Marc Tyler, C.J. Gable, and Allen Bradford.
 
With all the attention on running back, it would easy to forget star fullback Stanley Havili. You may remember him as the guy who burned Marcus Freeman for a touchdown in last year's game.

Havili is the scary combination of blocking, running, and receiving. Especially watch for the Trojans to throw the ball his way. He actually had 324 yards receiving and three touchdowns last season, and brought in three more receptions in week one against San Jose State.
 
At wideout, the man to watch is Damian Williams, who was the leading receiver in 2008 with 869 yards and nine touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Trojans, there is not much depth outside of him. Patrick Turner departed last season, and expected starter Ronald Johnson is out for a big part of the season.

That puts junior David Ausberry in the other starting role. He only had six catches all of last year, but did have two receptions for 37 yards last week. Maybe who Buckeye fans should fear more than the wideouts is tight end Anthony McCoy.

The Trojans always love using the tight end, and proved that again last week as McCoy has three receptions for 64 yards. The Buckeyes have been gashed by tight ends in big games, and the Trojans will try to exploit that.
 
On defense, USC is much less experienced than on offense. They lost five of their top six tacklers from last season, including linebackers Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews. They do return superstar safety Taylor Mays, who had 53 tackles in 2008 and should put together a stronger campaign this season.

Despite losing so much talent from a year ago, don't feel sorry for the Trojans because they reload better that anyone. Malcolm Smith, Chris Galippo, and Michael Morgan have stepped into the three linebacker spots, and they each are incredibly talented.

On top of that, junior Everson Griffin steps into one of the two DE spots. Griffin was rated as one of the top defensive ends coming out of high school, and last year managed 4.5 sacks from a back up spot.


Game Outlook:

On defense the Buckeyes are going to try to stop possibly the best offensive line/running back combination in the country. If their 342 rushing yards last week against San Jose State is any indication, the Trojans could easily be a team that averages more than 200 rushing yards a game. What will be interesting to watch is the battle in the trenches between OSU's defensive line, and USC's offensive line.

Both have been slated to be the strong point of their units, and whoever gets the big edge in this battle will most likely win the game. The linebacking core will be a huge part of stopping the running game as well.

Last week really didn't tell much, but Rolle, Spitler, and Homan need to get ready to run sideline to sideline. Missed tackles and bad position will only result in big gains for the Trojans. 

The other story for the Buckeyes on defense is pressuring Matt Barkley. This is no easy task because this same offensive line only gave up 18 sacks last year. Gibson, Heyward, and Williams are huge keys to gaining success in this game, and the Buckeyes need to rattle the youngster.

The Buckeyes cannot allow the Trojans to get into a rhythm, and the best way to disrupt that is to disrupt Barkley. The Buckeye secondary is way too green to allow Barkley to have time to pick his targets.     

On offense, all eyes will be on Terrelle Pryor. His decision making will be a huge key to winning the game, and holding on to the ball too long will only result in sacks. Yes, Pryor showed how tough it is to sack him in the Navy game, but the Trojans will not bounce off in the same way.

Expect lots of short passes in the flats (like against Navy and in the Spring Game), to try to get Pryor in a rhythm early on. Protection for Pryor is also key. The Buckeyes do have a very talented receiving core, but they can't get the ball if the line protects like a year ago. Andy Miller especially has a huge task, because Pryor has shown that getting to his backside is very possible.

Like with every Tressel team, you can count on him trying to establish the run at some point early on. The one-two punch of Herron and Saine has some incredible potential, but once again holes must be opened. The line looked very average against Navy, and hopefully will be a little more motivated in such a big game.

Then there is a obviously No. 2! Pryor's running ability is hard to predict, but one has to think he will depend a lot more on his feet in such a big game. USC was very quick and started to slow Pryor from getting big gains a year ago, but the Buckeyes should be much more balanced this time around.
 
Overall, expect the Buckeyes to give up some big plays on the ground, as the defense has struggled in recent years with runners coming outside the tackles. That is USC's bread and butter, so expect the defense to get gashed a few times. What should bail the Buckeyes out is turnovers. USC showed they can cough the ball up last week, and Ohio State showed they can force turnovers.

This very well could be the equalizer, and the Buckeyes must win the turnover battle. On offense the Buckeyes will struggle at times getting the running game going, but Pryor is going to have a big game. His arm and his feet will keep a less experienced defense guessing, and will help keep drives going.

This game will definitely be different this time around, and a rowdy crowd in the Horseshoe will only help matters. No doubt the Buckeyes will come out with some serious adrenaline as they did against Penn State and Texas at the end of last year, but the key is capitalizing on early success.

Tressel should have a few tricks up his sleeve, and those must produce touchdowns not field goals!

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle:   

Dave: USC 34-24
Drew: OSU 27-21