Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC or ESPN2
Aggie to Watch: Junior QB Chuckie KeetonLane Kiffin compared him to Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. Others see the next Colin Kaepernick. Today, SI.com's Stewart Mandel referred to Chuckie Keeton as "the Johnny Football of the Mountain West" right before he picked against the Trojans. He will be a handful for the revitalized Trojans' defense which is ranked No. 4 in the nation. Keeton is a legitimate dual threat who thinks pass first (12 TDs to 1 INT this season), but can run when the play breaks down (leads the team in rushing). He is a dark horse Heisman candidate looking for a stage to shine, and the Coliseum is the perfect setting.
Click the link for more on the Aggies: Utah State Football Game Notes vs. USC.pdf
3 Keys
Chuckie and Duck
The Trojans' front seven defensively overpowered Boston College, a bigger and more physical team than Utah State. If Morgan Breslin and Devon Kennard can get up field and hold the edge to contain Keeton, George Uko and Leonard Williams should have a field day inside. In recent years, mobile quarterbacks were USC's kryptonite, but the 5-2 scheme is better designed to handle Utah State's spread and Keeton's speed.
Clash of Styles
Utah State dropped 70 on Weber State last week. They hung 52 on Air Force the previous Saturday. The Aggies are a solid defensive team, but luring the Trojans into a shootout is their best bet. Even though the passing game opened up last week, USC still only attempted 19 passes to 43 runs. With a bigger team on both sides of the ball, the ground and pound game plan with the play-action pass now in the mix will win the day for the Trojans.
A Win is a Win
USC is 4-0 all-time against Utah State with the four victories coming at a combined score of 213-29. So what? This is not 1989, 1984, 1930 or 1928. In 2012, the Aggies set a school record with 11 wins, and the two losses came at Wisconsin (16-14) and at BYU (6-3). The Badgers, who went on to the Rose Bowl, were so impressed by Utah State that they hired Aggies head coach Gary Andersen to replace Bret Bielema. With a Pac-12 South showdown in Tempe looming, the Trojans will take a victory in any way, shape or form.
The Trojans and Aggies are meeting for the first time since 1989 when USC won 66-10.
