Washington vs. USC: 5 Halftime Keys to Victory for the Trojans

We should be in for a great finish as the Washington Huskies take on the USC Trojans at the historic LA Coliseum. USC leads at halftime, 23-3.

Today's matchup has definitely been a heated one, as the Trojans, led by head coach Lane Kiffin, are looking to finish off the Huskies and RB Chris Polk.  

Can USC come out firing in the second half and come away with this huge Pac-12 victory?

Here are five halftime keys for a Trojan victory. 

 

Stop Chris Polk 

The Trojans should expect Washington RB Chris Polk to see a lot more touches in the second half. The Huskies RB is a huge threat both as a runner and receiver and has been the backbone of Washington's offense this season. 

If USC can contain Polk's expected offensive explosion in the second half, they should have a clear path towards victory. 

Solid Linebacker Play

USC's young LBs need to step up in the second half. In Washington's first scoring drive, QB Keith Price was able to complete a number of easy passes over the middle of the field.

The Huskies have a solid receiving TE in Austin Jenkins and if the Trojans want to win this game, their LBs need to lock down the middle of the field. 

Out-Coach Sarkisian  

As much as football is about the players on the field, today's game is very much about the coaching dynamic between Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian. In the second half, the Trojans need to continue to 'out-coach' Sarkisian.

These two coaches know each other very well, and thus far, Kiffin has the upper hand. The Trojans should expect Sarkisian to come out firing in the second half and in order to keep their lead, Kiffin needs to keep being one step ahead of the Huskies' coach. 

Wrap Up

This seems to be a recurring theme with the Trojans defense.

USC's defenders need to keep their heads up and make the first tackle. Yards after the catch and broken tackles will be the death of the Trojans' D if they do not wrap up in the second half. 

Attack the Secondary 

The Huskies have had some glaring problems in the secondary throughout this season. Conversely, the Trojans have two dynamic offensive threats in QB Matt Barkley and WR Robert Woods.

In the second half, USC needs to keep taking shots deep and look for soft coverage in Washington's secondary.