USC kicked off its season in exciting fashion last Saturday in its 66-14 rout of Rice. Trojan fans came away with optimism that’s been lacking in prior years.
The defense looked stout as it single-handedly outscored Rice, allowing just 14 points and scoring three pick-sixes itself. The offense punted only once, which came in the fourth quarter, and had 538 total yards. USC’s 66 points were its most in a single game since 2008.
Does this performance mean USC is just that good? Or is it more indicative of Rice simply not being a great team? Or perhaps both?
Only time will tell.
The Trojans’ next test is in the Pac-12 opener against Stanford and should be a closer matchup.
This will be USC’s first road game. Head coach Lincoln Riley was asked on Tuesday about playing on the road.
“As a program, if you want to be at a championship level, you’ve got to embrace going and playing on the road,” Riley said.
Stanford is certainly not a team to be taken lightly. Stanford beat Colgate last week handily 41-10 in its first game of the season. The Cardinal are an experienced team with a dangerous offense.
Junior quarterback Tanner McKee looked impressive and primed for a breakout season. He threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns. His receiving corps looked strong as four players had four or more receptions.
Riley talked highly of McKee, stating he was a high-level quarterback and coverage needs to be sharp in order to keep Stanford’s offense in check.
Junior Stanford running back E.J. Smith had 118 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. On the first play of the game, he exploded for a spectacular 87-yard touchdown run.
Last week, USC struggled at times stopping the run and Riley said moving forward they need to be more consistent in the run game.
As for Stanford’s defense, USC will definitely be a tough matchup. The Trojans’ offensive line has a size advantage against Stanford’s defensive line. USC will look to establish the run game early with its three talented backs, one of whom is former Stanford running back Austin Jones.
USC’s capable running backs should open up one-on-one opportunities for the receivers. The Trojans’ wide receiver depth will likely cause problems for Stanford even without one-on-one matchups.
Last year’s second game was also against Stanford and ended in a 42-28 loss.
But this year is different. USC will look to utilize all of its new talent to get revenge against Stanford this Saturday at Stanford Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on ABC.