USC set to battle Stanford

Lane Kiffin knows it won’t be easy. Not on Saturday. Not against a team that has won each of its last 10 games by at least 25 points.

USC’s second-year coach understands his team, winners of its last two games at California and Notre Dame by a combined 35-point margin, faces a challenge and beating No. 4 Stanford (7-0, 5-0) remains another issue.

“Somehow they have found a way to be playing even better than they were last year,” Kiffin said.

Last year Stanford finished 12-1 overall and No. 4 in the Associated Press top-25 poll.

Riding a modest three-game winning streak, No. 20 USC (6-1, 3-1) hosts the Cardinal on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a nationally televised primetime showdown.

“Stanford’s one of the best teams in the country,” senior linebacker Chris Galippo said. “This is one of the few games that has a lot of hype, but I think it deserves every bit of it.”

At least one reason for the added attention might be the pair of quarterbacks scheduled to be on display Saturday night. Stanford boasts the Heisman Trophy frontrunner in Andrew Luck, who has completed more than 70 percent of his passes for 1,888 yards, 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions through seven games this season.

“I don’t know how you could find a more efficient quarterback that’s ever played college football,” Kiffin said of the third-year starter. “For two straight years, he has been phenomenal on third down and you look at this year, they’re 100 percent in the red zone. That’s hard to do.”

Similarly, USC’s junior signal caller, Matt Barkley, has amassed a rather impressive statline of his own with 2,006 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Barkley has been aided by the play of his wide receivers: sophomore Robert Woods and freshman Marqise Lee, who have hauled in eight and four touchdowns, respectively, this season. Woods, who has been battling a sprained ankle all week, and Lee, who is dealing with a sprained shoulder, have been hampered by injuries in recent weeks but are expected to play against Stanford.

Though much of the talk surrounding Saturday’s matchup has centered on Luck and Barkley, the running game could prove a determining point.

In its last game against then-No. 25 Washington, the Cardinal finished with a school-record 446 rushing yards in a 65-21 rout  of the Huskies. And currently, only 16 teams average more yards on the ground per game than Stanford, which averages 219 per contest.

Despite that “run-first” mentality, only Houston (345) has scored more points than Stanford (340) this season.

“That’s so unusual — to find a team that is so run-heavy,” Kiffin said of the Cardinal’s prolific offense. “Usually because the clock keeps running and because of the time of possession, you can’t score as many points.”

Three weeks ago, it would have seemed as if USC’s chances of stopping Stanford, which has given up just two sacks all season, would be near-impossible. In an Oct. 1 game against Arizona, which had just one win at the time, the defense allowed 41 points, marking the first time in program history it had given up more than 40 points in consecutive games — it gave up 43 at Arizona State the week before.

But in its last two contests —against Cal and Notre Dame — USC has allowed two offensive touchdowns and has forced eight turnovers. Additionally, after giving up 41 rushing yards against the Fighting Irish, USC’s defense ranks 11th nationally in rushing yards per game.

USC’s own rushing attack has come on strong as of late. Against Notre Dame, with junior tailback Curtis McNeal serving as the team’s starter, the Trojans finished with 219 rushing yards — the most they have had in any game this season. Against the Irish, McNeal had arguably his best game as a Trojan, rushing for 188 yards on 24 carries.

“I think just finally — midway through the season, having a consistent offensive line really helped,” junior left tackle Matt Kalil said. “We have to have the same focus we had against Notre Dame.”

Last year’s game, however, was all about offense, as both teams combined for 72 points and 976 total yards in the Cardinal’s two-point victory. The game ended on a 30-yard field goal from kicker Nate Whitaker as time expired.

As Barkley knows well, whoever ends up with the ball last might leave with a victory.

“It really comes down to who controls the ball better — who manages the game, who doesn’t turn the ball over and who can drive it down the field and hold the ball for long periods of time,” Barkley said.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be televised by ABC.