University Southern California Trojans
2018 Game 8: USC vs. ASU
October 26, 2018 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
USC RS freshman Jack Sears will start at quarterback against Arizona State on Saturday.
USC Trojans (4-3, 3-2) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-4, 1-3)
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC or ESPN2
Sun Devil to Watch: Sophomore RB Eno Benjamin
Benjamin put up a large chunk of his rush yards against Oregon State's porous defense, ripping through the Beavers for 312 yards on 30 carries, but he's also posted 100-yard games in conference at Washington and at Colorado. He leads all Pac-12 backs with 39 missed tackles forced, per PFF College, so the Trojans tackling will be tested a week after an underwhelming display at Utah. Benjamin is a receiving threat as well with multiple catches in every game this season.
Click here for more on the Sun Devils.
3 Keys
Stay in Your Seats
Arizona State is 0-3 on the road this season and the Trojans are 3-0 at home, two stats that bode well for USC in search of its 20th straight victory at the Coliseum. However, all three of ASU's road losses came by 7 points, so the Sun Devils fight to the end. The Trojans have struggled to blow teams out this season, winning by an average of 6 points in their three conference victories, so expect a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. USC's red zone offense and kicker Michael Brown will need to be efficient on a day when every point will count.
Gamer
USC RS freshman Jack Sears is ready, willing and able to make his first collegiate start in place of injured starter JT Daniels. Don't be fooled by his placement on the depth chart, Sears is a natural playmaker who had even more success at San Clemente HS than Sam Darnold. While Darnold-sized expectations are too much to ask out of the gate, he is cut in a similar mold, at his best when the play breaks down and he can improvise. Those skills are hard to show in practice when quarterbacks cannot be touched, but they will be on full display at the Coliseum against an ASU defense which has 19 sacks on the year.
Protect Yourself
The USC defense came out firing in Salt Lake City, cutting down Utes in the backfield, forcing two fumbles, and returning one of them for a score. However, after a procession of three-and-outs by the offense and a string of missed tackles by the defense, the Trojans quickly wore down. Offensively, with likely a third-string QB running the show, USC must establish its running game to balance out the time of possession and let the defense rest. On the other side, the defense needs to do itself a favor by finishing on third down and getting ASU QB Manny Wilkins to the ground at every opportunity. It's going to be a hot afternoon at the Coliseum, so the fresher team will likely win the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC or ESPN2
Sun Devil to Watch: Sophomore RB Eno BenjaminBenjamin put up a large chunk of his rush yards against Oregon State's porous defense, ripping through the Beavers for 312 yards on 30 carries, but he's also posted 100-yard games in conference at Washington and at Colorado. He leads all Pac-12 backs with 39 missed tackles forced, per PFF College, so the Trojans tackling will be tested a week after an underwhelming display at Utah. Benjamin is a receiving threat as well with multiple catches in every game this season.
Click here for more on the Sun Devils.
3 Keys
Stay in Your Seats
Arizona State is 0-3 on the road this season and the Trojans are 3-0 at home, two stats that bode well for USC in search of its 20th straight victory at the Coliseum. However, all three of ASU's road losses came by 7 points, so the Sun Devils fight to the end. The Trojans have struggled to blow teams out this season, winning by an average of 6 points in their three conference victories, so expect a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. USC's red zone offense and kicker Michael Brown will need to be efficient on a day when every point will count.
Gamer
USC RS freshman Jack Sears is ready, willing and able to make his first collegiate start in place of injured starter JT Daniels. Don't be fooled by his placement on the depth chart, Sears is a natural playmaker who had even more success at San Clemente HS than Sam Darnold. While Darnold-sized expectations are too much to ask out of the gate, he is cut in a similar mold, at his best when the play breaks down and he can improvise. Those skills are hard to show in practice when quarterbacks cannot be touched, but they will be on full display at the Coliseum against an ASU defense which has 19 sacks on the year.
Protect Yourself
The USC defense came out firing in Salt Lake City, cutting down Utes in the backfield, forcing two fumbles, and returning one of them for a score. However, after a procession of three-and-outs by the offense and a string of missed tackles by the defense, the Trojans quickly wore down. Offensively, with likely a third-string QB running the show, USC must establish its running game to balance out the time of possession and let the defense rest. On the other side, the defense needs to do itself a favor by finishing on third down and getting ASU QB Manny Wilkins to the ground at every opportunity. It's going to be a hot afternoon at the Coliseum, so the fresher team will likely win the fourth quarter.
Players Mentioned
Thursday, August 20
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, August 19
