Q&A with Daily Wildcat sports editor
USC heads into the desert this weekend to take on undefeated Arizona. The 10th-ranked Wildcats, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon, are riding high after toppling Oregon. Daily Trojan sports editor Aubrey Kragen sat down with Daily Wildcat sports editor Roberto Payne to provide USC fans with an idea of what to expect about the ’Cats on Saturday night.
Daily Trojan: Arizona is coming off an impressive upset of then-No. 2 Oregon in Eugene. What did Arizona do well that game that allowed the team to pull off the win?
Daily Wildcat: Arizona’s upset of then-No.2 Oregon in Eugene may have seemed improbable for the majority of the nation, but really it just same old, same old for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats put up 208 rushing yards behind the two-headed monster of Nick Wilson and Terris Jones-Grigsby. Not to mention the 129 receiving yards the duo recorded against the Ducks.
Combine several timely second-half stops from a bend but don’t break defensive unit, and Arizona did to Oregon exactly what its been doing to opponents all season.
DT: Arizona opened as a 2.5 point underdog at home against unranked USC. Do you think that’s accurate or is Arizona getting disrespected?
DW: Is it accurate? Probably not. Does Arizona feel disrespected? Probably not.
Arizona football head coach Rich Rodriguez dismissed talk of disrespect on Monday during his weekly press conference by saying he understands why USC is favored.
Players echoed his statements by saying they’re glad that USC is favored. “I’m glad we [are] the underdog, that just keep[s] the guys focused [on] the task at hand,” UA safety Will Parks said.
DT: How are the Wildcats compensating for the loss of standout running back Kadeem Carey this year?
DW: Ka’Deem Carey was one of the best players in Arizona history and his departure definitely sent waves around Tucson. However, the team hasn’t missed a beat since he left for the NFL. The Wildcats are 27th in the nation and first in the Pac-12 in rushing offense behind the duo of Wilson and Jones-Grigsby.
I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted the team having such a dominant run game without Carey.
DT: Arizona is 5-0 with four one-possession wins. What contributes to that late game success especially considering Solomon’s youth?
DW: Solomon has taken care of the ball especially well down the stretch of games, as all four of his interceptions have come in the first half of games. He has been nearly flawless in the second half of games this year.
Combine that ball security with an Arizona defense that improves significantly in the second half, and it’s not a surprise that Arizona has outscored opponents 125-63 in the second half of games and is 5-0.
DT: Prediction?
DW: Arizona usually keeps things interesting so naturally I’m predicting a double-digit win at home for the Wildcats.
Arizona 35, USC 24.