Trojans game-plan for Stanford’s McCaffrey
The football team only got a brief break before getting shoved back in the national spotlight, as the Trojans continued prep for their upcoming clash at No. 7 Stanford during Wednesday’s practice at Howard Jones Field. Coming off a comfortable, 45-7 victory versus Utah State last weekend, USC will aim to prove that the season-opening debacle against Alabama was an anomaly with an upset over the Cardinal on Saturday night.
More McCaffrey
Head coach Clay Helton and his squad spent much of Tuesday’s practice discussing how to contain Stanford’s Heisman favorite Christian McCaffrey, and Wednesday was no different. The junior running back/receiver/kick returner is a jack-of-all-trades nightmare for any defense to cope with: a nightmare the Trojans suffered firsthand in the 2015 Pac-12 Championship game.
“Not only is this one of nation’s best running backs, but he’s also one of the best returners in the country,” Helton said.
Remembering McCaffrey’s game-breaking performance late last year, Helton said USC focused on third-down defense and kick and punt coverage during Wednesday’s practice. On Saturday, the players will look to execute defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast’s game plan.
“I’ve always thought Clancy does a great job of taking away your strength,” Helton said. “You saw that in the first two ballgames: taking away [Alabama receiver Calvin] Ridley and then last week taking away the running game … for Utah State.”
Two Can Play That Game
Helton called Stanford’s strategy with McCaffrey a game of “Where’s Waldo?” yesterday, as the Cardinal seem to somehow get their star involved in every facet of their offense. The Trojan head coach hopes to give this weekend’s opponent a taste of their own medicine by using a similarly explosive talent in USC’s receiving corps: JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“[Last week], you saw him as an outside receiver, you saw him as an inside receiver and you saw him in the backfield,” Helton said. “Kind of what Stanford does with McCaffrey, we try to do with JuJu so that he’s not targeted in one spot.”
Smith-Schuster has shouldered lofty expectations throughout his collegiate career, but he has faced some added scrutiny over the past couple of weeks. The wideout followed up a single-reception performance against Alabama with an in-practice scuffle leading up to the game against Utah State, and a few days ago, Bleacher Report said NFL scouts voted Smith-Schuster the most overrated player in college football.
Junior wide receiver Adoree’ Jackson covers Smith-Schuster during practice and occasionally lines up alongside him on offense, and the junior cornerback laughed off the report questioning his teammate’s talent.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t think he’s the most overrated college football player.
Jackson added that Smith-Schuster should use the comments as motivation.
“I go against him every day,” he said. “I know what type of guy he is, and everyone else knows. Whoever said that—JuJu just has to take it and go prove them wrong.”
A Familiar Foe
After taking on opponents from the SEC and Mountain West to start the season, USC is excited to begin in-conference matchups. Having played Stanford twice last year, the Trojans feel like they know what to anticipate in Palo Alto this Saturday, although it remains to be seen if they will be able to stop the Cardinal.
“They’ve been doing it ever since coach [Jim] Harbaugh was there,” Helton said. “Their kill system, being able to call two plays in the huddle and get to the best play based on look. Hogan did a great job last year with it, as do all of their quarterbacks. I remember [Andrew] Luck doing the same thing.”
Redshirt junior quarterback Max Browne agreed with his coach and said he couldn’t wait to face the Cardinal’s similarly predictable (and effective) defense.
“You know what you’re going to get with Stanford: very solid up front and schematically very sound,” he said. “We’re excited for the challenge and ready to get after them.”
Injury Update
Helton announced sophomore safety Marvell Tell was cleared to play on Saturday, and senior right tackle Zach Banner was back in practice after sitting out a day with a stomach bug. According to Helton, sophomore defensive tackle Noah Jefferson will “probably be out” against Stanford.