- Head coach Steve Sarkisian squashed any internet rumors about the severity of the injuries to two of his biggest stars. He also is optimistic about the return of OL Jordan Simmons (knee) and Khaliel Rodgers (knee) to practice, but they need to improve their fitness to have an impact Saturday.
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OL Damien Mama worked out during the beginning of practice, and he will be a game time decision. - Sarkisian hinted on last night's Trojans Live that Stanford might open it up a bit more this season with a veteran quarterback and a talented receiving corps. "It's a tough match-up because they complement their run game very well," Sarkisian said about Stanford's wideouts. "You want to commit to defending the run, but then, you know they can beat you with the deep ball to create explosive plays."
- All-American Ty Montgomery is the toughest match-up on the outside for the Trojans, so junior CB Kevon Seymour will likely draw the assignment after a "very active" first game against Fresno State during which he had three pass breakups. Sarkisian also praised Seymour for being "confident, but disciplined." He has had an interception in practice on back-to-back days.
- On the other side, Adoree' Jackson knows the competition level will be ramped up from a week ago. "They just told me to tighten up," said Jackson. "We're going up against great receivers defensively like Montgomery and the other receivers they have. They said, 'This is like a pro team. You're not going against Fresno State.' We need to tighten up and be prepared for anything."
- Given Stanford's balanced attack, Sarkisian pointed to Su'a Cravens as the X factor. "Su'a's versatility is a real key for us in this game because he can play down in the box and be physical and then he can be a deep safety in some of our nickel sets and everything in between there."
- Cravens setup the game-winning field goal with an interception against Stanford last year (pictured). "I gotta make a lot more tackles than I did," he said. "I want another pick. I did pretty good, but I want to be a lot better than last year. I want it to be to where they can't run to my side. There's something about Stanford that fires me up so I'm ready."
- While the Cardinal have the capacity to open the game up, David Shaw will likely be in no hurry to match the Trojans' tempo. "I can't force them to run more plays," said Sarkisian about the clash of styles. The head coach explained that "efficiency on third down" will be the key since both teams want to extend drives to control the nature of the contest.
- Senior LB Hayes Pullard relishes the opportunity to play an opponent like Stanford. "It's going to be a dogfight. That's Stanford-USC football," said the captain. "Just bringing your lunch pail and being able to go out there and just fight toughness with toughness."
- Stanford's physicality poses a unique challenge in the Pac-12, which is better known for spread offenses looking to throw 50 passes per game. Pullard described the weekly conference game plan conundrum perfectly by saying, "You've got to be ready to face a lion one week and a mongoose the next."
- This is a titanic match-up, especially so early in the season, but the Trojans are trying to avoid riding the emotional wave this year. "We can't make the game bigger than what it is," said Cravens. "It's only week two. Stanford, of course, is going to be a big game, but we're going to approach it like we approach every game and go out there and do what we gotta do."
- Here is Sarkisian's post-practice presser:
