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Click here for the post-game press conference.
Click here for the Rapid Reaction.
"Just JuJu It"The Trojan Knights had the rewrite of Nike's slogan painted on their chests and sophomore WR JuJu Smith-Schuster obliged, posting career-highs with 10 catches for 192 yards plus 2 touchdowns. "It felt great," said Smith-Schuster. "Everybody was executing. Last night, we talked about what kind of person you are, and we came out here, and we dominated the game, and I feel great about it." He showed off the full arsenal, running physically after the catch in the horizontal pass game and then flashing his top end speed to go vertical for touchdown catches of 50 and 41 yards.
Spotless
Senior QB Cody Kessler was nearly perfect, completing 26/31 for 410 yards (career-high) and 3 touchdowns. "Cody was a little bit more relaxed tonight," said head coach Steve Sarkisian. "I thought he was a lot more calm, a lot more clear minded and decisive in his decision-making." He spread the wealth as 14 different receivers caught passes on the night, and he found the timing on the deep ball that was missing last week. "I thought Cody's feet were a little better, and he put a little bit more air under the ball," said Sarkisian about Kessler's long balls.
Pick Your Poison
For the second consecutive week, the Trojans ran exactly the same number of run plays as pass plays. While veterans Tre Madden and Justin Davis scored two touchdowns apiece, freshman Ronald Jones II led the tailback corps with 83 electrifying yards on only 8 carries. "He can play in tight quarters, explode through the hole and then open his stride up almost like a 200m runner," Sarkisian said about Jones II. "He's a unique guy, and we are still just figuring him out." The freshman from Texas scored a touchdown on a one-yard plunge, but it easily could've come on the previous play, a 44-yard run that displayed eye-popping speed and balance. "I don't think so, but I guess the officials know best," said Jones when asked if his knee touched at the one-yard line. "In my mind, it is still a touchdown."
Ho Hum
The offense will get all the headlines after this win, but the USC defense gave up only 9 points and forced 9 punts. Idaho was limited to 2.2 yards per carry as freshman LB Cameron Smith made 6 tackles to lead the team for the second straight week. The Trojans recorded 6 tackles-for-loss, and OLB Su'a Cravens picked up his first sack of the season.Feel Good Football
At the start of the fourth quarter, Sarkisian got on the headset and directed his assistants that "every eligible player that can play plays in this game tonight." The head coach knows the importance of rewarding the walk-ons and scout team players for all their hard work. "It's great for our locker room. It's great for team morale," he said.
Game On
While the Trojans proved too much for their Sun Belt opponents in each of the first two weeks, Pac-12 foes will likely pose a stiffer challenge, starting with Stanford. "We're expecting a tough ball game from Stanford next week, no doubt," said Sarkisian. "We just need to make sure we execute and play our style of play." The Trojans averaged 10 yards per play tonight and 57 points per game over the first two contests, but the Cardinal will bring a level of physicality on both sides of the ball that the Trojans will need to match in order to keep the hot start going.
Here are the SnappyTV highlights of the 8 touchdown performance:
