USC looks to maintain its stride at BYU

After their dominant 45-20 win over Pac-12 rival Stanford, the Trojans are preparing to continue their hot start and make a strong impression in their first road battle of the season against the Brigham Young Cougars Saturday.

With the news of former athletic director Lynn Swann’s resignation, former four-star recruit Devon Williams entering the transfer portal and speculation surrounding head coach Clay Helton’s job security, USC football seems unfazed and laser focused on game results as it hits the road.

Led by freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis, who threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinal, USC’s offense will look to keep up with other conference powerhouses through the first three weeks of the 2019 season, including No. 11 Utah, No. 15 Oregon and No. 23 Washington. Slovis, who led the Spirit of Troy after his illustrious debut, helped propel USC to No. 24 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

“The fast pace, the tempo and the simplicity just allows our guys to play fast,” Slovis said of the Air Raid offense led by offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. “[The wide receivers] don’t have to think too much, they kinda just play naturally.”

Brigham Young is currently 1-1 on the season and coming off a win in double overtime over the Tennessee Volunteers. Sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson’s 64-yard pass to senior receiver Micah Simon helped set up a game-tying field goal with one second left in regulation. BYU’s comeback made national headlines as Tennessee started its season 0-2 for the first time since 1988.

“There were some things that were surprising to us, but I’m really pleased with how our coaches responded with adjusting some of the things that we did on both sides of the ball,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “We made some improvements from Week 1 to Week 2, but I’d like to see it continue.”

USC and BYU have only faced off twice in history — during the 2003 and 2004 seasons — with the Trojans coming out victorious in both games. During those two seasons, USC went on to become national champions.

BYU’s only national championship was in 1984 when the Cougars beat the Michigan Wolverines in the Holiday Bowl under legendary head coach LaVell Edwards, whom Sitake played under as a fullback from 1998 to 2000. However, both programs are looking toward the future: USC is placing a heavy emphasis on defense this week.

“[The defense] just looks fresher when they come off the field,” defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said. “It’s allowing us to play more guys, which I’m really happy about so far.”

Redshirt senior linebacker John Houston and sophomore safety Talanoa Hufanga lead USC with 18 tackles, while senior defensive lineman Christian Rector and freshman defensive end Drake Jackson lead the Trojans’ pass rush. USC only has two interceptions on the year, one each for redshirt sophomore safety Isaiah Pola-Mao and redshirt sophomore cornerback Greg Johnson, but players such as sophomore cornerback Olaijah Griffin and freshman cornerback Chris Steele will look to add to the team’s total this week.

Collectively, the USC defense’s biggest challenge will be trying to get past BYU junior offensive lineman and Notre Dame transfer Tristen Hoge, while the offensive line, led by junior tackle Austin Jackson and redshirt sophomore guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, will look to fend off BYU sophomore defensive end Alden Tofa.

USC’s matchup at BYU is set to kick off live on ABC at 12:30 p.m.