Trojans gearing up to battle the Beavers

On Tuesday, the 18th-ranked Trojans participated in their first full-pad practice of the week as they prepare to host the Oregon State Beavers following their bye week.

Bye Bye Week

Following the Trojans’ 37-31 loss at Boston College on Sept. 13, they had a full bye week to tune up their mental game as well as their physical preparedness for the tough Pac-12 games ahead of them.

“Everyone takes a deep breath rather than being in the hurry up and panic mode, praying for our next opponent,” redshirt senior tight end Randall Telfer said. “We got a lot of teaching, especially for the young guys.”

Learning from their loss was a big emphasis this past week for the Trojans.

“We don’t condone in victory what we wouldn’t condone in defeat,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We’ve been hard on our guys since day one, because we all want to be successful on Saturdays.”

This hard-nosed approach to the game will show itself in Saturday’s competition with the Beavers as Sarkisian gave some final thoughts regarding Tuesday’s practice.

“The guys were really efficient,” Sarkisian said. “It was a hard, physical practice, which we need. All in all, it was a positive Tuesday.”

The energy at practice Tuesday was all about preparation to compete at a high level. The team is ready to get back on the field and redeem themselves.

“Coming off a loss, you’re hungry to hit someone again,” Telfer said. “During the bye week we’ve just focused on ourselves.”

Beaver Fever

The Trojans have split the last six games against the Beavers (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12). USC beat Oregon State 31-14 last year in Corvallis, Oregon, and have not fallen at home to the Beavers since 1960 — a streak of 22 games.

Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler, who threw for 247 yards and a touchdown last year against the Beavers, praised Oregon State’s defense.

“They are really experienced on defense, they don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Kessler said.

This is in part due to the fact that every defender starting for the Beavers is a junior or a senior, which will create an anticipated matchup between such a veteran defensive line and a young offensive line for USC that finally showed its inexperience against Boston College, allowing five sacks.

“A lot of teams might look over [Oregon State], but we don’t,” Telfer said. “They are a very physical and well-disciplined team.”

Sarkisian has stressed the importance of never overlooking an opponent since the quad fell to unranked Boston College. This will be especially important this week, as the Beavers head into the matchup this weekend with wins against San Diego State, Hawai’i and Portland State.

Mannion Madness

Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion is getting attention across the country, and nowhere more so than here in Los Angeles, as the Trojans are preparing to face one of the most highly touted senior quarterbacks in the country. Sarkisian referred to Mannion as the “prototypical NFL quarterback.”

Mannion is averaging 301.0 yards per game this season and has thrown four touchdowns. His mileage is especially impressive considering his top target last year, Brandin Cooks, is now catching passes from Drew Brees and making his case for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

There is no doubt that Mannion has absolutely flourished under the command of coach Mike Riley.

Sarkisian also credits Mannion with forcing teams’ secondaries to communicate and make quick decisions.

“He throws such a great ball down the field,” Sarkisian said. “It will be a great test for us.”