What (or Who) to Expect When You're Expecting USC

After a rough start, where it appeared that newly hired head coach Clay Helton was set to be canned faster than peaches in a factory downtown, USC has rebounded, with three straight wins behind redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold. USC also remembered that they have a smorgasbord of talent, with the defense thriving, allowing 17 points per game over their win steak. And they have had a week more of preparation, coming of their bye week against a Cal team playing after 6 days.

So statistically, what have the Trojans had going for them?

The number essentially say that USC plays a little slower, defends the pass about the same, plays better run defense, and can keep up with Cal's offense. Both Davis Webb and Jake Spavital have called USC the most talented team that they've played all year, with Webb calling the defensive backs "unreal." It's a difficult matchup for the Bears, heading down to the Coliseum, where they haven't won since 2000.

On the corners:

Speaking of the defensive backs group, it starts with Adoree' Jackson and Iman Marshal. Jackson will be the biggest threat that USC possesses, in the return game and otherwise. Jackson has speed, technical skills, and an immense feel for the game, having three punt return TDs and three kick return TDs during his career. With Chad Hansen possibly set to return this week, Cal may have a weapon to challenge Jackson.

On the other side is Iman Marshall, a former freshman All-American, who has five interceptions over his year and a half for USC. Marshall is a bigger corner, at 6'1" and 200 lbs, who will be tasked with keeping up with Demetris Robertson and Brandon Singleton. At the safety spot you have Chris Hawkins and John Plattenburg, both returning starters.

Clancy Pendergast likes to rotate packages in more than players, so we'll see who gets rotated in as the nickel back. They have shown a propensity to rotate Cameron Smith, their sophomore inside linebacker, out when the nickel package comes in.

As for coverage, Webb noted that USC has a lot of coverages similar to Oregon. They'll respect the deep ball, leaving underneath options open. Spavital added to this by saying that they play man, but they'll see similar single and double high safety looks that they've seen this season. One the big points that Sonny brought up during the press conference is how well they can cover outside allows them to be creative inside.

What they do inside:

There are a lot of big guys on USC defensive line, with Rasheem Green, Stevie Tu'ikolovatu, and Malik Dorton set to start. Tu'ikolovatu is the nose tackle, and at 320 lbs, can occupy a lot of space. This isn't a team that gets to the quarterback as much, with four guys sharing the team lead in sacks at two, but they can make plays in the backfield, close gaps quickly, and end drives fast.

Aside from Smith in the middle, De La Salle product Michael Hutchings is also a key player, along with OLBs Porter Gustin and Uchenna Nwosa, who will big roles in stopping the run. USC has the ability to load up the box with the strength of their corners, so Cal is going to have to take advantage of the slot receivers to break through.

Offensively:

The Trojans have come around on their winning streak under Sam Darnold, who gave the offense a shot in the arm after some poor play from Max Browne. Darnold, though a redshirt freshman, can extend plays with his feet, turning sacks into minor gains, an underrated and somewhat infuriating quality for defenses to deal with. Tee Martin has done a solid job of bringing him along slowly, but he does have some help from a massive offensive line.

Zach Banner and Chad Wheeler are the bookend tackles, with Banner listed at 360 lbs. Interior linemen Viane Talamaivao, Nico Falah, and Damien Mama are all juniors, and the group has allowed eight sacks in seven games, with five of those coming in the first two games. This group is very sound.

The running back roulette starts with Justin Davis, who had more success against Utah than anyone else this year. Ronald Jones II broke the freshman rushing record last year, and is having a solid, if unspectacular year. Aca'Cedric Ware is worth looking out for as well, but this isn't as much of a running team with how many weapons they have at receiver. That being said, look for them to run a ton on Thursday.

The receiver group is led by Juju Smith-Schuster, a candidate for the Biletnikoff award. Smith-Schuster is a big play receiver, already eighth on USC's all-time leading receiving list, and is tied with Chad Hansen with 8 TDs, good for 2nd in the conference. It's looking like Darius Allensworth won't be able to play, so this should be a tough matchup for the Bears.

Other receivers include Darreus Rodgers, Steven Mitchell Jr., and Deontay Burnett, who had an excellent game in the slot against Cal last year with 3 catches for 82 yards.

Possibly more troubling are the tight ends, Taylor McNamara, Tyler Petite and Daniel Imatorbhebhe, who Nam noted as a big issue in his five things to watch for. Petite has been the biggest threat of the three, but with the success of the tight ends for Oregon last game, expect the Trojans to do more with these guys.