Players Mentioned
USC Football Travels to Arizona State to Start Two-Game Road Trip
November 03, 2019 | Football, Features
THEMES
*USC begins a 2-game late season road trip, first this week visiting Arizona State on Saturday in a game televised live by ABC before heading the following week to California.
*A win at ASU would make USC bowl eligible after missing post-season play in 2018.
*Troy last played a day game in Tempe in 2005.
*The Trojans have won just once in 3 tries on the road so far in 2019.
*USC, coming off a home loss to No. 7 Oregon that knocked the Trojans out of the Pac-12 South lead, is looking to bounce back and finish the regular season strong. Head coach Clay Helton's record against Pac12 South foes is 18-4. Troy's offense has been effective this year despite playing part of the season without its top 3 running backs and with a backup quarterback. Freshman All-American candidate QB Kedon Slovis is completing 68% of his passes and has thrown 16 TDs but he had a tough outing last week against the Ducks. True frosh TB Kenan Christon, who began 2019 as a fifth stringer, has shown flashes of his state 100-meter champion speed as well as his toughness. USC has the nation's best trio of wideouts in WRs Michael Pittman Jr. (the Biletnikoff Award candidate is in the national Top 20 in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs), Tyler Vaughns (soon to enter USC's career receiving Top 10 list) and Amon-Ra St. Brown. The trio sports 163 receptions and 17 TDs between them this year (and, in their career, they have 408 catches for 5,475 yards and 39 scores). Pittman and Vaughns, in fact, are just the fourth pair of 2,000-yard career receivers sharing a Trojan roster. OT Austin Jackson and OG Alijah Vera-Tucker anchor Troy's offensive line. USC's defense is young (usually 9 freshman and sophomore starters, including the entire secondary) and somewhat banged up. ILB John Houston Jr. has topped the unit in tackles 5 times this year, DLs Marlon Tuipulotu, Jay Tufele and Christian Rector have shown well up front and S Isaiah Pola-Mao snagged an interception last week against an Oregon squad that rarely throws picks. Nearly half of Australian P Ben Griffiths' punts have pinned foes within the 20-yard line. WR Velus Jones Jr. has tied Adoree' Jackson's school career kickoff returns record and is closing in on his kick return yardage mark.
*Sun Devil Stadium will be a familiar sight for the six Trojans (including Slovis and Pola-Mao) who grew up near the campus, while USC's cardinal-and-gold uniforms will be familiar to DB Jack Jones and OL Roy Hemsley, former Trojans who now suit up for ASU.
*Head coach Herm Edwards' Arizona State club is rested after a bye week following road losses at Utah and UCLA. True freshman dual threat QB Jayden Daniels directs the offense. RB Eno Benjamin, a 2018 AllPac-12 first teamer, has nearly 2,500 career yards and more than a dozen 100-yard outings. Leading pass catchers are WRs Brandon Aiyuk, who is in the national Top 20 in all-purpose running and receiving yards, Kyle Williams, who has a reception in 36 straight games, and Frank Darby. The Sun Devil defense is 10th nationally in turnover margin and 22nd in rushing defense. Top tacklers are LBs Darien Butler and Merlin Robertson, DB Evan Fields and DL Jermayne Lole. P Michael Turk, who set an NCAA record with a 63.0 average in the Kent State opener, is seventh in the nation in punting (46.8). PK Cristian Zendejas, whose father and uncle kicked at ASU, is 18th nationally in field goals.
*Last year in the Coliseum, Arizona State--behind the play of QB Manny Wilkins, RB Eno Benjamin and WR N'Keal Harry--snapped USC's 19-game home winning streak with a 38-35 victory. The loss also ended USC's 14-game Pac-12 home game winning streak and was Clay Helton's first loss in the Coliseum as USC's head coach (he had won his first 19 home contests). Because of injuries, USC started third string QB Jack Sears.
VERSUS PAC-12
*USC has won 69.9% (471-195-29) of its games against current Pac-12 opponents (not including 9 wins later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 480-195-29, 70.2%).
IN NOVEMBER
*USC has a 260-134-20 (.652) all-time record while playing in the month of November (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 263-134-20, .655).
INJURIES
*USC has had a number of starters and key backups miss games with injuries in 2019. They include (with games missed): ILB Jordan Iosefa, knee (9), ILB Solomon Tuliaupupu, foot (9), DL Jacob Lichtenstein, knee (9), OT Clayton Bradley, hand (9), QB JT Daniels, knee (8), OG-OT Andrew Vorhees, ankle (7), OLB Eli'jah Winston, ankle (6), OLB Abdul-Malik McClain, knee/shoulder (4/1), S Talanoa Hufanga, concussion/ shoulder (1/2), TB Vavae Malepeai, knee (3), DL Christian Rector, ankle (3), CB Olaijah Griffin, back (2), TE Josh Falo, ankle (2), CB Max Williams, knee (2), TB Markese Stepp, ankle (2), TB Stephen Carr, hamstring (2), WR Munir McClain, knee (2), DL Drake Jackson, ankle (2), ILB Palaie Gaoteote IV, ankle (2), QB Kedon Slovis, concussion (1), CB Greg Johnson, shoulder (1), CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart, concussion (1), OT Liam Jimmons, concussion (1) and CB Chris Steele (1), knee. In 2019, USC has started 3 different quarterbacks and has entered games down to a fourth string tailback or with 4 defensive starters out or missing both starting cornerbacks or both starting defensive ends.USC-ARIZONA STATE CONNECTIONS
*USC has 6 players from Arizona (OT Austin Jackson from Phoenix's North Canyon HS, S Isaiah Pola-Mao of Phoenix's Moutain Pointe HS, QB Kedon Slovis of Scottsdale's Desert Mountain HS, DL Connor Murphy of Phoenix's Brophy Prep, OG-OT AJ Mageo of Mesa's Red Mountain HS and WR Zach Wilson of Scottsdale's Saguaro HS), while the Sun Devils have 35 Californians.
*USC secondary coach Greg Burns, who will celebrate his 47th birthday on Saturday (Nov. 9), was Arizona State's secondary coach from 2008 to 2011.
*DL Connor Murphy's sister, Kayli, played basketball at Arizona State (2007-10) and competed in the 2011 Miss Arizona USA pageant.
*USC wide receivers coach Keary Colbert is the cousin of former Arizona State defensive lineman Tommy Townsend (1999-2001), who also attended USC.
*WR Michael Pittman Jr.'s father, Michael, played with the Arizona Cardinals (1998-2000).
*OT Jalen McKenzie's father, Reggie, was a linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals (1989-90).
*S Isaiah Pola-Mao's father, Tracey, played with the Arena League's Arizona Rattlers (1994-96).
*Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (2004-08) previously worked with the Arizona Cardinals and was on the staff of the 2008 team that played in Super Bowl XLIII. He attended Tolleson (Ariz.) High and his family owned dairy farm property in Glendale (Ariz.) that is now home to University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Cardinals.
*USC Athletics' digital content coordinator Josh Nacion is a graduate of Arizona State.
*ASU senior OL Roy Hemsley and junior DB Jack Jones previously played at USC (2016-17).
*ASU associate head coach/special teams coordinator coach Shawn Slocum was an assistant at USC in 1998 and 1999.
*ASU women's tennis coach Sheila McInerney was an All-American player for the Women of Troy from 1977 to 1980, playing on national championship teams all 4 seasons.
*ASU assistant men's basketball coach Eric Brown held a similar position at USC (2002-05).
