The USC defense breaks down the powerful Stanford offense with just days to go before Saturday's showdown...
- "I really love the attitude of our football team focusing on one day at a time," said head coach Ed Orgeron after the Trojans wrapped up a practice focused on turnovers and third down conversions. "We all know the importance of this game, what it means to the Trojan fans, and everything surrounding the game, but we were focused in."
- It seems like the Trojans have been preparing all season for this Saturday's matchup.The head coach explained that USC has an advantage since they feature a similar style of offense and often, a similar style of defense as the Cardinal. He noted that all year the team has been practicing with the same level of physicality they'll see on Saturday.
- Orgeron says the Trojans have to execute better than Stanford in nearly every category. "We have to stop the run and we have to stop the deep ball," he explained. "We have to tackle well and play well along the line of scrimmage. They're going to make plays and we can't get discouraged. It's going to be a battle until the very end."
- Junior safety Dion Bailey said the biggest challenge for the defense will be to manage the threat of both the run and the pass games. "They're a run heavy team but you have to be disciplined with your eyes to watch for the play action. As long as we have great eyes and great physicality, we can have a great night as a defense," said Bailey.
- The coaching staff knows what they face in Hogan, a versatile QB who can make plays like he did last week when he led the Cardinal offense to 377 total yards in their victory over Oregon. "He is a good, good quarterback," said Orgeron. "We studied the run game and we've been looking at Hogan and the plays that he makes. He's one of the better quarterbacks we've seen all year."
- With only three days to go until the big game, the Trojans are ready for battle. "If you can't get up for this game you shouldn't be here," said Bailey. "It's a primetime game, five o'clock, ABC, on the national stage. It's a great opportunity for us to put on tape what type of team we've become under Coach O."
- Here's the head coach after Wednesday's practice...
