Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
College GameDay is coming to town for what's shaping up to be the biggest matchup of the season as USC takes on Stanford this Saturday. The Trojans got to work at practice today and they aren't phased by the hype...
- The injury report looks promising considering USC will need all the depth they can get come Saturday. Silas Redd and Randall Telfer are listed as questionable (although Orgeron said Telfer looked good in practice today). Xavier Grimble and Leonard Williams are probable.
- The team was exceptionally focused and locked in as they began Week 10. Quarterback Cody Kessler said it's a testament to the maturity of the team and their development thus far in the season to be able to come out on a Tuesday and start working on the specific game plan for Stanford.
- "I think you can feel the electricity in the air," said Orgeron. "I think it's really good for our football team but I think it's really important that we're focused in on the task at hand. We take it one game at a time."
- The task at hand against the Cardinal is working on improving play at the line of scrimmage. There's no doubt it's going to be a battle at the line of scrimmage. Stanford has accumulated 30 sacks for 219 yards this season and their offensive line has only given up nine sacks for 50 yards. Orgeron has already seen improvement in the communication within the offensive line, noting the leadership of captain Marcus Martin.
- Last week, Stanford held Oregon to 62 total rushing yards. Orgeron said the Trojans understand the challenge that lies ahead of them but are focused on playing their game. "It catches our attention," he said. "Our guys respect Stanford. But we also have confidence in what we're doing and what we can do."
- Cody Kessler said games like these are what college football is all about. "Obviously it's a big game, College GameDay is coming, but we aren't more fired up than normal and we're still treating this as if it's any other game," he said. "Stanford is a very good football team. It's going to be fun. We are excited for the challenge. This is the atmosphere that you play college football for. This is what makes you enjoy the game."
- Both Coach O and Kessler explained the importance of bringing excitement back to the Coliseum, hoping that they play in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday. "We see the games from '03, '04, '05 and there's not one empty seat in the Coliseum," said Kessler. "We want people to get excited about USC football like that again. I think we really have this team on the right track. These guys have bought in 100%. Hopefully the Coliseum will be packed. Hopefully it will be like the old days."
- Here's the full post-practice presser with Coach O...
