USC makes final preparations for Luck

Thursday marked USC’s last tune-up before its much anticipated matchup against Stanford on Saturday. Much of the talk in this contest has been about quarterback Andrew Luck, the All-American candidate and likely first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Sophomore cornerback Nickell Robey, who is coming off a dominant performance against Notre Dame where he held the Irish’s star receiver Michael Floyd to just four catches for 28 yards, knows that Luck is a great passer, but he is aware there is much more to the Cardinal offense than just the star signal caller.

“I mean, they’re a great offense. They’ve been playing great lately,” Robey said. “Andrew Luck is an awesome player.”

Robey said the key to stopping Luck is to force him to make mistakes, which is difficult considering he has thrown only two interceptions on the year.

“[We need to] capitalize off Luck’s mistakes,” Robey said. “He’s not perfect, but he’s still a great player. He’s a veteran quarterback and we’re going be mixing it up on him in all types of different ways.”

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The team is looking forward to coming home after tough road tests in California and Notre Dame. The Trojans are expecting an electric atmosphere, one that will make it tough for Stanford to play its game.

“It’s great to be back home, especially knowing that you got the home crowd with you,” Robey said. “That’s a big plus.”

 

Quick hits

– Neither redshirt sophomore cornerback Torin Harris, who is suffering from a shoulder injury, nor freshman tailback George Farmer, who is suffering from a sprained ankle, practiced Thursday. Their status for Saturday is unknown.

– Freshman kicker Andre Heidari was limited Thursday and will be a “game-time decision,” according to USC coach Lane Kiffin. Heidari injured his ankle during a kickoff return against Notre Dame.