No. 13 USC (3-1, 1-1) at Utah (2-2, 0-2)
Rice-Eccles Stadium at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN and WatchESPN.com
Ute to Watch: Senior DT Star Lotulelei
The 2011 Morris Trophy winner (best defensive lineman in the Pac-12) is pushing for an All-American nod in 2012. He is also expected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, so the Trojans have their hands full with the 6'4" 320-pound interior force. "The problem is he was a great player last year and now he's better," said Lane Kiffin about Lotulelei.
Click here to learn more about the Utes.
3 Keys
Party Crashers
Utah is expecting a raucous, sellout crowd in one of the great showcase games in the school's history. Lane Kiffin has a simple formula for defusing a hostile road atmosphere: protect the ball, pack the run game and defense. The Trojans struggled with the first two parts of that plan in Palo Alto, but to bounce back like they did in 2011, they need to check all three boxes.
A Strong Spine
The center of the offensive and defensive lines will be tested. As mentioned above, Star Lotulelei will line up over USC's center and guards in the hopes of disrupting the Trojans offense just like Stanford. With or without Khaled Holmes, USC will have to hold strong so the playmakers can go to work on the outside. Utah does not have a high-octane offense, so expect a lot of power run to kill clock and set-up play action.
Style Points
The world will be watching. USC is on center stage Thursday night on ESPN. The national media mostly wrote the Trojans off after the early season loss, but a big time performance could get the pundits talking. College football is a beauty contest. If USC wants back in the race, it is time to start making some statements.
USC defeated Utah in the first ever Pac-12 game in 2011 thanks to a blocked field goal by Matt Kalil.
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