Football opens Pac-12 season at Stanford
Caleb Williams will duel against junior quarterback Tanner McKee, who was named an All-Pac-12 honorable mention last season with 2,327 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. (Louis Chen | Daily Trojan)
The USC football team will head north to play Stanford on the road Saturday, renewing the 117-year-old rivalry between the two elite west coast programs.
The Trojans are off to a hot start to the Lincoln Riley era, as they blew out the Rice Owls 66-14 last week in the Coliseum. The big win vaulted them up to 10th in this week’s AP poll rankings.
However, Stanford comfortably handled their season-opening matchup as well. The Cardinal blew out Colgate 41-10, led by a two-touchdown performance by junior running back E.J. Smith, the son of NFL legend Emmitt Smith. Trojan defensive coordinator Alex Grinch knows the challenge that a run-first offense like the Cardinal will pose.
“I think they have an expectation to play a physical brand of football,” Grinch said, “And it’s on each defense each week to try to match that.”
The Cardinal has always proven to be a tough test for the Trojans. In the past 20 years, Stanford has beaten USC 11 times and lost nine, including in week two last season when the Trojans were ranked 14th and the Cardinal beat them 42-28 at the Coliseum.
Stanford Head Coach David Shaw has been at the reins for a lot of that winning. Shaw is entering his 12th year as head coach of the Cardinal and holds a 7-5 record against the Trojans. As the “winningest” coach in Stanford history with 94 wins and only 45 losses, it’s safe to say that Shaw knows how to win in any situation.
The Trojans know it’s important not to overlook the Cardinal despite their recent struggles as a program.
“I think it’s important for us to stay focused on the week ahead, the game ahead,” sophomore quarterback Jake Jensen said. “We’ve really went into each practice trying to maximize and make that day the best.”
Leading the charge for the Cardinal is junior quarterback Tanner McKee. Following an All-Pac-12 honorable mention season, McKee started the new season with 308 yards and 2 touchdown passes.
The Trojans are making sure to do their homework on McKee because of the potential he has shown for big games.
“[McKee] is a really good quarterback and they have a lot of good targets. He can make a lot of throws,” Riley said. “This guy can make any throw, so you can’t let your foot off the gas at any point.”
McKee did throw a pick, however, and Colgate’s lone touchdown was a recovery of a muffed punt. Following a record-setting week for Trojan takeaways, the Cardinal’s less than stellar ball security — Stanford had four total fumbles against Colgate — is a weakness the Trojans likely will seek to exploit.
In the air attack, senior receiver Michael Wilson seems to be McKee’s favorite target so far. Wilson had a team-high five catches for 82 yards and both Cardinal receiving touchdowns. Smith also had five catches, yet another way the Cardinal got the ball in the hands of one of their biggest playmakers.
Senior running back Austin Jones is one key player to watch for the Trojans. Jones spent three years at Stanford before transferring to USC this season. He will be returning to a stadium that he is very familiar with, but as a visitor this time around. Jones says that he isn’t treating this game any differently.
“It’s just like any other week,” he said. “Those are my guys, but at the end of the day, this is a business. Go out there, get it done, go 1-0 this week.”
Trojan fans hope that similar preparation will lead to similar results after Jones’s two-touchdown performance in the Rice game.
On the Stanford side, fifth-year senior safety Patrick Fields will face off against his former head coach, Riley. Fields was a three-year starter at Oklahoma and a captain last season. Riley had nothing but glowing remarks about Fields.
“Pat’s awesome. He’s one of my favorite guys I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach. He did a lot for us on the field but even more for what he did off the field,” Riley said.
Many Trojan fans will have their eyes on freshman running back Raleek Brown after his electrifying Trojan debut.
Riley said that Brown should be ready to play after suffering an ankle injury last week, along with any other Trojan injured against Rice.
“All of those guys certainly have a great shot to play in the game,” he said, “I wouldn’t even be close to ruling anybody out.”
As for the air attack, two Trojans who were heavily involved in the passing game last week are still seeking their first touchdowns of the season. Redshirt junior wide receiver Tahj Washington led the team in receiving yards while sophomore wideout Mario Williams showed his impressive playmaking ability with 21.5 yards per catch, but neither recorded a receiving touchdown against Rice. If sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams continues to spread the ball amongst his receivers, look for those two to get into the end zone.
On the defensive side of the ball, Riley is looking for sophomore edge rusher Korey Foreman to take another step forward as he continues to play more.
“The longer [Korey] stays on the field, the more flashes you see and the more consistent they become,” he said. “I’d expect him to take another step and play better this week.”
The Trojans and the Cardinal will square off on Saturday with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. at Stanford Stadium.