Football faces Stanford Saturday

For the first time since 1945, Stanford and No. 14 USC did not play each other in the 2020 football season. The storied rivals will be back in action for their 101st matchup in week two as the Trojans look to start 2-0. 

The two teams had completely opposite starts to the 2021 season. Stanford, routed by Kansas State 24-7, scored its only touchdown in the twilight moments of the fourth quarter. USC took down San Jose State 30-7. 

For head coach Clay Helton, last week doesn’t matter. In a media briefing Tuesday during practice, Helton said he knows what to expect when the Trojans line up against head coach David Shaw and Stanford.

“It’s one of those physical
matchups everytime you play them,” Helton said. “Extremely well coached, extremely well disciplined.” 

Shaw announcing sophomore quarterback Tanner McKee as the starter is the biggest headline coming into this weekend. The Corona, Calif. resident McKee will make his first career start in a homecoming game after splitting last week’s snaps with senior Jack West. 

McKee was a highly touted quarterback out of high school, ranked the fourth quarterback in his class according to 24/7 Sports. In 2017, McKee was behind Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and a player USC fans know well, JT Daniels. After a two-year Latter-day Saints mission in Brazil, the fourth player in one of the best QB recruiting classes in recent history will get his chance to start. 

With McKee’s collegiate debut lurking, both Helton and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando are focused on the physical Stanford run game before they worry about the new signal caller from Centennial High School.

“To have Austin Jones and E.J. Smith in the backfield, those are two dangerous weapons,” Helton said. “Something that we are really going to have to focus on and something that was a success for Kansas St. last week and probably was the difference in the game.” 

Orlando has always been a big believer in being the more physical and aggressive team week in and week out. For week two against Stanford, Orlando, during practice Wednesday, said he is excited to see how the Trojans square off against a downhill run game. 

“I think this game is going to be a great test for us,” Orlando said. “They are going to line up and run the football. They are going to be in personnel groupings that our guys haven’t seen. I am excited about that.” 

On the offensive end for the Trojans, freshmen tackles Courtland Ford and Jonah Monheim will be critical for USC to have a chance. While Stanford’s offense sputtered against Kansas St., the defense held the Wildcats to just 14 points through the first three quarters and got to senior quarterback Skylar Thompson three times. 

“I thought they did a nice job last week of putting pressure on the quarterback with three sacks,” Helton said. “Our offensive line is up for a big task this week with that defensive front.” 

For USC to win, it will need to tackle in space well. Stanford loves to spread its offensive personnel out and run the football up the middle, often leaving linebackers one-on-one with running backs. The Trojans cannot miss tackles and allow big yardage plays, something that hurt them in SJSU’s only touchdown drive a week ago. Orlando preaches swarming the football and, if the Trojans do so, they should be able to make Stanford’s offense one-dimensional and put the pressure on McKee.

For Stanford to complete the
upset, the Cardinal will have to force turnovers and establish the run game. With a new starting quarterback, Stanford does not want to rely heavily on McKee to carry them at a packed Coliseum. The nerves will be high for the sophomore, and we’ll see if the running game can calm them. 

On the defensive side, the Cardinal have a terrific secondary led by junior cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly who was named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week for his interception last week. If the disciplined Stanford secondary can cause junior quarterback Kedon Slovis problems by disrupting the rhythm of the offense and causing turnovers, they might have a chance against USC. 

The quarterback battle between McKee and Slovis is the matchup to watch. The two quarterbacks had nearly opposite routes as college football starters, with Slovis coming in as a three-star and McKee a
top-four player in his class. However, there is one common denominator. Slovis’ first career start was week two at the Coliseum in 2019 against Stanford and McKee’s first career start will be in week two this Saturday night in the 101st rendition of USC vs. Stanford. It’ll be interesting to see the Southern California local and high school phenom go toe-to-toe with the Heisman hopeful Slovis.   

For Helton, a Stanford game early in the season is always a benchmark for where the team is at. He said Saturday night’s matchup is no different.

“This has really become a big rivalry game,” Helton said. “It’s one of those games that really sets the tone for the rest of the season.”