No. 22 Trojans tangle with the Colorado Buffaloes


Streaks of cardinal and gold will drape the stands of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Saturday at 3 p.m. as the No. 22 USC football team clashes with the Colorado Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Pac-12) for Homecoming.

Bounce back · Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler managed just 185 passing yards and one touchdown at Arizona last weekend. The Bakersfield, California, native looks to get back on track this week against Colorado. - Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

Bounce back · Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler managed just 185 passing yards and one touchdown at Arizona last weekend. The Bakersfield, California, native looks to get back on track this week against Colorado. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

 

Colorado has narrowly dropped two straight games to California and Oregon State, but wielding a dangerous aerial attack on offense, the unranked Buffs will aim to break into the conference win column as the third unranked team to knock off the Trojans this year. With injury problems looming in the USC secondary, and with issues about closing out games having surfaced, the Trojans (4-2, 3-1) will search for consistency and look to steer clear of a third upset on the 2014 season.

Dropped out of the AP poll rankings last week, USC returned to the Top 25 this week after a game-ending field goal attempt that went wide right allowed the Trojans to escape with a 28-26 win on Oct. 11 against then-No. 10 Arizona. Losing on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown and winning on an ever-fortunate missed field goal has left the Trojans bruised and once beaten, but far from broken, as head coach Steve Sarkisian likes his team’s mentality heading into Saturday.

“We’ve used a little different format here the second half of the season in our Thursday practices, in that we’re challenging the guys to be really mentally sharp,” Sarkisian said. “I think all in all the guys are in a really good frame of mind. They’re excited for the opportunity to get back out in front of our home fans at the Coliseum and put on a great show.”

The Buffs have never defeated the Trojans in the eight meetings all-time between the two sides and have struggled to keep opponents out of the end zone this season, giving up an average of 35.7 points per game.

Ranked 14th among all FBS teams in passing offense, however, the Buffs’ passing attack will keep defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and the Trojan defense on its toes. Colorado’s sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau has thrown 19 touchdowns on the season. Ten of those touchdowns have been caught by junior wide receiver Nelson Spruce, who Sarkisian says will demand the Trojans’ attention on defense throughout Saturday’s game.

“[Spruce] is a really versatile guy, and [the Colorado coaching staff does] a heck of a job moving him around,” Sarkisian said. “They’re putting him all over the field, not just one spot. This coaching staff did this for the last couple years with Paul Richardson, and Nelson has assumed that role of being their go-to guy, and you need to know where he is on every snap.”

Though USC did not concede a passing touchdown through the first four games of the season, stamina could determine whether or not the Trojans neutralize the Colorado air attack, as injury and fatigue have haunted the USC defense all season. Junior defensive end Leonard Williams, who dealt with an ankle injury earlier in the year, played what Sarkisian called an “astronomical” 94 snaps against Arizona last week and sat out from practice at the beginning of this week with an injured shoulder.

Both junior cornerback Kevon Seymour and freshman cornerback-wide receiver Adoree’ Jackson were sidelined by injury during the game against the Wildcats. Jackson’s hip flexor injury kept him out of practice earlier in the week as well. Jackson, Williams and Seymour all returned to practice and are expected to play in the Homecoming game. The Trojan defense will look to do a better job shutting the door in the closing stages of the game this time around against the Buffs — the Trojans’ had multiple-touchdown leads erased by late offensive surges from both the Sun Devils and the Wildcats.

On the offensive end, the Trojans will look to continue riding the hot streak of redshirt junior running back Javorius “Buck” Allen, who put the team on his back last week, rushing for three touchdowns on a career-high 205 yards against the Wildcats. Sarkisian believes Allen has developed the field vision that has put the Trojans’ running game over the top.

“[The key to running is] understanding the blocking scheme; it’s recognizing the front the defensive is in or the blitz the defense is trying to execute — really anticipating where that run is going to go — and we’re starting to see that more and more from Buck [Allen],” Sarkisian told Trojans Live. “He’s playing great. We can’t ask for more than what we’re getting out of him right now.”

Meanwhile, the Trojans will try to increase their own aerial firepower. After finding the end zone by air 10 times in the first four weeks, redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler has been limited to one touchdown in the last two games and threw his first interception of the year last week. Sarkisian has frequently noted the lack of explosive plays leading up to this Saturday and his desire for Kessler to launch the long ball down the field more often.

In eight meetings all-time, the Trojans have outscored the Buffs by a total of 277-76. Despite this history, the Trojans aren’t overlooking their opponents.

“[Sarkisian] said it right after we beat Arizona: ‘Next week’s another a championship game,’” sophomore linebacker Su’a Cravens said. “Colorado’s gonna give us their best shot just like every team that comes into the Coliseum does, and we have to be ready for the punches they’re about to throw.”