University Southern California Trojans
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No. 20 USC Football Opens Delayed, Shortened 2020 Season At Home vs. Arizona State
November 01, 2020 | Football
THEMES
*At long last, No. 20 USC's 2020 football season — delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and shortened to just 7 regular-season conference game — gets underway the first Saturday of November when Pac-12 South Division foe Arizona State visits the Coliseum.
*It's breakfast with the Trojans and Sun Devils, as the 9 a.m. kickoff is the earliest for a USC home game since at least the early 1950s. It's also the 10th straight season Troy plays the first Pac-12 game of the year. And it's the first time since 1994 that USC opens a season versus a league opponent.
*The Nov. 7 date is the latest that USC has started a season since 1918 (when the Spanish flu delayed games in L.A.). It'll be the 19th time that USC has played on Nov. 7, more than any other regular-season date.
*It's Homecoming/Reunion Weekend at USC, but health protocols won't allow fans in the Coliseum so all events will be done virtually. It's the first time Troy has opened a season playing its Homecoming contest.
*FOX will air the game live nationally.
*Clay Helton, in his fifth full season at USC, has 16 starters (plus the kicker and punter) back from a 2019 squad that won 5 of its last 6 regular season games to go 8-5. The Trojan offense—which averaged 455 total yards, including a school-record 335 passing yards, and 32 points—is directed by Heisman Trophy candidate QB Kedon Slovis, the 2019 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American when he completed a Pac-12 record and NCAA frosh record 71.9% of his passes for a USC frosh record 3,502 yards with 30 TDs. WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown (77 catches) and Tyler Vaughns (74) each caught 6 touchdowns last fall, while WR Drake London added 5 TDs. TBs Vavae Malepeai, Stephen Carr, Markese Stepp and Kenan Christon combined for 1,579 rushing yards with 16 scores last year. OL Alijah Vera-Tucker (ranked the Pac-12's top guard last year) leads a line that has 6 players with starting experience. The Trojan defense welcomes back 11 of its top 13 tacklers from 2019. The front is anchored by 2-year starting DL Marlon Tuipulotu and OLB Drake Jackson, a 2019 Freshman All-American. ILBs Palaie Gaoteote IV and Kana'i Mauga tallied 119 tackles in 2019. Ss Talanoa Hufanga (90) and Isaiah Pola-Mao (73) were second and third on USC in tackles last year (Pola-Mao added 4 picks). PK Chase McGrath has 32 career field goals and Aussie P Ben Griffiths averaged 41.2 per punt in 2019.
RANKINGS
*USC is ranked No. 20 in both the current AP sports media poll and the Amway coaches poll. Arizona State is not ranked.
SERIES
*Herm Edwards' Arizona State club also was 8-5 season in 2019, including a Sun Bowl victory. The Sun Devil offense is led by QB Jayden Daniels, a True Freshman All-American last season when he threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 17 TDs and just 2 picks and ran for another 350-plus yards. WR Frank Darby is the top returning receiver (8 TDs among his 31 receptions last year). ASU's defense brings back its top 4 tacklers from last year: LB Darien Butler, DB Evan Fields, LB Merlin Robertson and DL Jermayne Lole. DB Jack Jones, a one-time Trojan, was in the national Top 20 in passes defended in 2019. P Michael Turk, an All- Pac-12 first teamer last fall, and PK Cristian Zendejas led the league last year in their specialties.
*USC holds a 22-13 edge in its series with Arizona State (not including Troy's 2005 road victory later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 23-13). USC has won 4 of the past 5 meetings, but before that dropped 3 of the previous 4 after having won the prior 10 games (not including Troy's 2005 road victory later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 11), the longest win streak in the series.
*In Los Angeles contests, USC is 11-6, including victories in 8 of the last 10 L.A. clashes (with the wins in 1980-85-98-2001-02-04-06-08-10-12-16 and the losses in 1983-86-91-99-14-18).
*In 2018 in the last Coliseum meeting, 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). Due to injuries, USC started third string QB Jack Sears.
*Last year in Tempe, QB Kedon Slovis threw 4 first quarter touchdowns to help USC build a 28-7 lead and then the Trojans hung on for a 31-26 victory that was not sealed until DL Christian Rector's last minute interception. The victory made the Trojans bowl eligible after missing out in 2018. See page 4 for a complete recap of that most recent matchup.
OPENERS
*USC's record in all season openers is 94-24-8 (.778), with 36 shutout victories. In season openers at home, the Trojans are 66-16-7 (.781). (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 95-24-8, .780 overall.)
*In conference openers, USC is 69-23-5 (.737) and Troy has won 31 of its last 49 (and 44 of its last 63). In conference openers at home, the Trojans are 41-9-3 (.802). (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 70-23-5, .740 overall, 32 of 49, 45 of 63.)
*USC's record for home openers is 98-19-7 (.819).
EARLY KICKOFF
*This 9 a.m. kickoff is the earliest kickoff time for a Trojan home game since at least the early 1950s when complete records are available (a home contest against Loyola in the 1891 season began at 9:30 a.m.). It is USC's first pre-noon kickoff since an 11 a.m. home start against Utah State in 2016.
LATE DATE
*This Nov. 7 date is the latest that USC has started a season since 1918, when Troy opened against Stanford on Nov. 23 because public gatherings in Los Angeles were banned in October due to the Spanish flu.
HOMECOMING
*USC has a 64-27-4 record in its Homecoming games, dating back to the first such event in 1924 (not including 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 65-27-4). This is the first time that USC has opened its season with its Homecoming game.
VERSUS PAC-12
*USC has won 70.0% (474-195-29) of its games against current Pac-12 opponents (not including 9 wins later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 483-195-29, 70.4%).
IN COLISEUM
*USC has a 450-140-27 (.751) all-time record in the Coliseum since the stadium opened in 1923 (not including 6 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 456-140-27, .754). USC's 623 games played in the Coliseum (including the 6 vacated wins) is the third most that any school has played in its home stadium (behind Georgia Tech's 705 in Bobby Dodd Stadium and Tennessee's 626 in Neyland Stadium).
IN NOVEMBER
*USC has a 263-134-20 (.655) all-time record while playing in the month of November (not including 3 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 266-134-20, .657).
USC-ARIZONA STATE CONNECTIONS
*USC has 7 players from Arizona (S Isaiah Pola-Mao of Phoenix's Mountain Pointe HS, QB Kedon Slovis of Scottsdale's Desert Mountain HS, DL Connor Murphy and OL Andrew Milek both of Phoenix's Brophy Prep, OL AJ Mageo of Mesa's Red Mountain HS and WR Zach Wilson and PK Parker Lewis both of Scottsdale's Saguaro HS), while the Sun Devils have 39 Californians.
*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.
*USC defensive line coach Vic So'oto was a linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals (2013).
*USC OL Jalen McKenzie's father, Reggie, was a linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals (1989-90).
*USC S Isaiah Pola-Mao's father, Tracey, played with the Arena League's Arizona Rattlers (1994-96).
*USC Athletics' digital content coordinator Josh Nacion is a graduate of Arizona State.
*ASU DB Jack Jones previously played at USC (2016-17).
*ASU defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins was a defensive back (2014-17) and then defensive graduate assistant (2019) at USC.
*ASU co-wide receivers coach/assistant recruiting coordinator Prentice Gill was an offensive graduate assistant at USC (2016-18).
*ASU assistant 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 cross country head coach Patrick Henner was USC women's cross country head coach (2017-19). *ASU men's basketball director of team operations Eric Brown was an assistant coach at USC (2002-05)
