Syracuse vs. USC: 5 Key Players for Trojans

The Trojans have kept their two games closer than comfortable, with a 19-17 victory over a horrible Minnesota team and a much-closer-than-the-score-would-imply 23-14 victory over the Utah Utes.

The Syracuse Orangemen are in a similar situation, with their two wins coming over two terrible teams in Wake Forest (overtime) and FCS Rhode Island (17-16).

Both teams hope to keep their perfect season alive, but only one will emerge the victor.

Here are the five key players for the Trojans today.

Robert Woods

USC’s dynamic sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods has been absolutely impossible to defend in 2011.

So far, Woods has caught 25 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, putting him only 54 yards short of first in the FBS.

Syracuse’s weak secondary will have their hands full trying to slow down Woods and USC’s potent passing attack.

Expect Woods to catch at least seven passes for well over 100 yards and a touchdown. Not even double-teaming will stop Woods from getting his typical numbers.

Nick Perry

The Syracuse Orangemen rank 107^th out of 120 teams in the FBS in rushing with a pitiful average of 78.5 yards per game.

USC has one of the best defensive linemen in the Pac-12 in Nick Perry coming off the edge.

It will be key for Perry to put pressure on the quarterback, cause disruption and slow down the running game. USC has a clear line advantage.

Expect Perry to record a sack and force a fumble on the day.

Chris Galippo

Southern California has one of the nation’s most underrated linebackers in Chris Galippo. With Syracuse’s weakness running the football, they will try to pass the ball more often than not. With that said, Syrcause isn’t loaded at quarterback with Ryan Nassib (49-of-65 passing, 495 yards, six touchdowns) at the helm. Nassib’s numbers make his production look better than it actually is.

Nassib has gone against Wake Forrest and FCS school Rhode Island in his first two games, and USC’s speed on defense is something Nassib will have no idea how to attack. Look for short passes by the Cuse, where Galippo will be in coverage. Expect Galippo to record over 10 tackles and pick off a pass on the day.

DaJohn Harris

As mentioned in the previous slides, Syracuse’s inability to run the ball will force them to be one-dimensional and throw the football. USC’s secondary is stacked so look for short dump-offs over the middle and screen passes. 

The battle of the line of scrimmage will decide Syracuse’s fate, and USC’s huge defensive tackle, Dajohn Harris (6-4 305), will cause havoc for Syracuse’s poor O-line.

Marc Tyler

Note: This last slide is assuming Tyler’s hamstring injury is not going to hinder his play or keep him out of the game.

USC’s explosive running back Marc Tyler has missed a lot of action so far in 2011. He missed the first game of the season against Minnesota for comments made in the offseason, then got injured near the end of USC’s second game against the Utah Utes.

It’s unclear if Tyler will be able to go, but the ability to run the football and keep the offense multi-dimensional is key. We all know how good Matt Barkley is at quarterback, but leaning too much on the passing attack of Barkley and Woods can get predictable, leading to turnovers and double-coverage.

Look for Tyler, and the rest of the USC running backs, to put over 250 yards on the ground and four touchdowns.