Trojans host Oregon State in Pac-12 clash

The lights of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will shine once again on Saturday night, when the USC football team takes the field against visiting Oregon State. The No. 18 Trojans (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) fell to Boston College two weeks ago in devastating fashion and hope that a victory can put their season back on track. Standing in the way of that goal are the pass-happy Beavers (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12), who have ridden quarterback Sean Mannion to nonconference wins over Portland State, Hawai’i and San Diego State. Though OSU has yet to face a true test, USC head coach Steve Sarkisian is not overlooking the Trojans’ second Pac-12 opponent.

 

“They’re a veteran group,” the first-year coach said. “They play really well together … If you hit them with something early in the game, generally it doesn’t work later in the game. They make very good adjustments. The biggest thing they have is great team speed.”

Mannion, ranked by many experts as the top pro-style quarterback prospect in this year’s NFL draft class, is averaging 301.0 yards per game through the air so far this season. With his top target from 2013, wideout Brandin Cooks, now catching passes for the New Orleans Saints, Mannion has opted to spread the wealth in 2014. Though no Oregon State player has reached 200 receiving yards, a whopping eight Beavers have multiple catches.

Tight end Connor Hamlett and wideouts Richard Mullaney and Victor Bolden each have over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, while running backs Terron Ward and Storm Woods have combined for 166 yards and a score out of the backfield. Sarkisian is wary of the constant danger that Mannion’s skill presents, especially within head coach Mike Riley’s pro-style scheme.

“[Mannion]’s played a lot of football,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a very experienced guy. He’s in a system that is conducive to his skill set. He’s a big, strong, strong-armed guy that is in a system that utilizes those strengths. For whatever reason I think the mesh with Sean [Mannion] and what Coach Riley does is a really good one.”

Aiming to slow down the Beavers’ attack is a USC defensive unit that has shown flashes of brilliance, but has also struggled for large portions of games against Stanford and BC.

Eagles quarterback Tyler Murphy gashed the Trojans for 191 yards on the ground two weeks ago, and while Mannion lacks Murphy’s dual threat capabilities, the Beavers’ have a formidable two-headed monster at running back. Ward and Woods have each picked up 212 yards on the ground on limited carries, with Ward punching in four rushing touchdowns to Woods’ two.

If USC’s last matchup against a pro-style offense, a Sept. 6 win over Stanford, is any indication, the Trojans could be in trouble on Saturday. Though USC’s front seven was effective -— All-American junior defensive end Leonard Williams combined with senior linebacker Hayes Pullard and redshirt junior Anthony Sarao for 29 total tackles, holding the Cardinal to just 3.4 yards per carry — the team’s pass defense was highly suspect. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan picked apart the USC secondary, finishing the day 22-of-30 for 285 yards.

Sophomore safety Su’a Cravens, who picked up three tackles for loss against BC, has been a bright spot for the Trojan defense all season. Cravens acknowledges that the Beavers have several options on offense.

“I think they want to stay inside and run the ball,” Cravens said. “But they will take shots when they can.”

On the other side of the ball, the Trojans will face a Beavers’ defense that is much improved from a year ago. OSU boasts a top-20 scoring defense and has held its opponents to an average of just 255 total yards per game.

Linebacker Michael Doctor leads the unit with 18 total tackles, while defensive end Obum Gwacham, a Los Angeles-area native, has added three sacks. Sarkisian praised the work that Oregon State defensive coordinator Mark Banker has done over the past two seasons.

“[Banker]’s a great defensive coach,” Sarkisian said. “They’ve got a veteran secondary, a veteran linebacking corps. They do a great job of flying to the football … putting pressure on the quarterback and being aggressive in the secondary. Our offense is definitely gonna have their work cut out for them.”

With redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler leading the way, the USC offense has been explosive at times so far this season. Kessler has been remarkably efficient, completing 71 percent of his passes for 846 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Last season, however, USC’s victory over Oregon State was a coming out party for tailback Javorius “Buck” Allen. The then-redshirt sophomore reached the 100-yard mark for the first time, racking up 133 yards and a career-best three touchdowns. Allen would go on to rush for over 100 yards three more times in the season’s final six games, solidifying the starting tailback spot. Kessler was excited about the work his team put in during the bye week.

“We had the bye week and we fixed some things,” Kessler said. “Everyone is flying around, and we’ve had some great practices. We just got to keep doing what [we’re] doing.  Personally I have to take what they give me on defense.”

Senior tight end Randall Telfer, who had his first reception against BC, is also confident about the Trojans’ offensive preparation.

“Oregon State is a team that although a lot of teams might look over, we don’t because they are very physical and disciplined,” Telfer said. “They got a lot of seniors on defense. I’ve been telling the young O-linemen, ‘Just do your job and execute it well. If you got a solid O-line, you got a solid team.’”

USC has dominated the all-time series with the Beavers 60-11, with four ties. Still, Trojan fans only have to go back to 2010 for an ugly memory at Oregon State, when the unranked Beavers destroyed No. 20 USC 36-7.

Two years earlier, the No. 1 Trojans were stunned 27-21 by another unranked Oregon State squad on the same field. History is still on USC’s side, however, as the Beavers have not won a game at the Coliseum since 1960.

Saturday’s matchup kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.