Trojans face off against struggling Colorado team in Friday night game
After a close call against the California Golden Bears last week, USC will look to extend their two-game win streak against Colorado this Friday.
USC had a rough outing against Cal, giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter, which brought the Golden Bears within one possession before the final whistle. It marked the third Pac-12 matchup that the Trojans won by only 8 points or less.
“We stunk offensively in the first half and we stunk defensively in the second half,” said Head Coach Lincoln Riley in a press session after Tuesday’s practice.
A contest against a team that USA Today ranked as the worst in college football can be easy to write off, especially with matchups against UCLA and Notre Dame looming in the next two weeks. However, Riley said that he and the team have done their best to stay focused despite the short week.
“We’re doing everything in 24 hours less,” Riley said. “You gotta pack it in, you gotta prepare. It’s an absolute race the entire week.”
One part of that race is the return of the Trojans’ duo of injured star receivers, junior Jordan Addison and sophomore Mario Williams, who have both been out since USC’s loss to Utah Oct. 15. Riley said Addison is set to play, while Mario Williams’ return is questionable.
USC has also been missing a duo of impactful defensive players in linebackers senior Ralen Goforth and sophomore Eric Gentry. Riley has stated Goforth will return against the Buffs, but Gentry remains a game-time decision.
“They’ve actually looked like they haven’t missed a day,” said sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams. “It’s awesome to get them back, just adds a few more weapons to the offense again.”
Caleb Williams had another banner day against Cal, throwing for 360 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Trojans’ passing attack was firing on all cylinders, led by Caleb Williams and sophomore receiver Michael Jackson III. Jackson III hauled in 5 passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns Saturday, both career highs.
“Something about [Jackson III] is that he always works,” Caleb Williams said. “He hated not being on the field, and you could see it.”
Jackson III has been dealing with a litany of injuries since last winter, pulling his hamstring an estimated six times. He made his debut this year against Utah but had not amassed more than 20 yards in one game before playing Cal.
“He had a couple of practices in the spring where he did a few things, especially aggressively running through the ball and catching the ball where you’re like, ‘OK, there’s something there,’” Riley said. “It’s been good to see that after missing all that time, that mentally, he stayed into it.”
One of Jackson III’s touchdowns came on a 59-yard screen pass from Caleb Williams, an aspect of the Trojans’ passing game that has been consistently successful in the past few weeks. Against an inexperienced Colorado secondary, such plays may continue to find the end zone.
“The screen game makes a quarterback’s job so much easier if you can run the ball as efficiently as we have,” Caleb Williams said. “It allows for some trick plays…possible screens, screen and go’s and also the play action game.”
Last spring, USC added two former Buffs to their roster through the transfer portal who will face their former team for the first time Friday. Junior receiver Brenden Rice, the sure-handed son of NFL hall-of-fame wideout Jerry Rice, has caught 23 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown so far for the Trojans.
Meanwhile, redshirt senior Mekhi Blackmon has racked up 27 tackles, 2 interceptions and 9 pass breakups during his time at USC. Blackmon’s departure from Colorado was certainly felt by the Buffs’ secondary, which is now composed entirely of freshman starters.
Southern California (8-1, 6-1) takes on Colorado (1-8, 1-5) Friday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.