USC Trojans (1-1, 0-1) at Washington State Cougars (1-1, 0-0)
Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, at 12:30 p.m. PT will air nationally on FOX and streaming on the FOX Sports app at 12:30 pm PT. Check your local listings for channel information. If you are unable to get the game on TV or Cable you can stream the game for free by clicking on this link: Watch the Game
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Joe Davis (play-by-play announcer) and Brock Huard (color commentator) will call the game.
THEMES
*USC visits the Palouse for the first time since 2017 when it plays its 2021 road opener against
Washington State on FOX this Saturday afternoon. *Offensively, it will be a battle of versions of the Air Raid (USC) versus Run-n-Shoot (WSU).
*WSU only has beaten USC 10 times in 74 overall tries (and its past 3 wins came on late field goals).
The Trojans have lost just 4 times in Pullman.
*USC, coming off a loss to Stanford, previously has lost its Pac-12 opener 40% of the time in the past
20 seasons, but historically has rebounded well, including winning 3 Rose Bowls and a national title and
averaging 9 victories in those seasons.
*Several USC coaches once coached at WSU, and several Cougar assistants once were at USC
*USC leads its series with Washington State, which dates back to 1921, 60-10-4 (not including 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 61-10-4). The Trojans have won 37 of the last 43 meetings (and
43 of the past 50). *Playing against the Cougars in the state of Washington (Pullman, Spokane and Seattle), USC is 19- 4-2, with the losses (1930, 1986, 2002 and 2017) and ties (1937 and 1950) coming in Pullman. In Pullman
games, USC is 15-4-2, with wins in 11 of its last 13 trips there. However, the Trojans lost 30-27 in 2017 in the
most recent Pullman meeting when Cougar PK Erik Powell hit a 32-yard field goal with 1:40 to play
Cougar to Watch: Sophomore QB Jayden de Laura
De Laura burst on to the Pac-12 scene last season with two impressive games against Oregon and Oregon State, but then plummeted back to earth at the Coliseum with a 134-yard, two-interception performance against the Trojans. But, he is coming off an outstanding effort last Saturday, albeit against Portland State, and looks ready to show USC what he can really do.
Pack a Poncho and a Run Game
The game time weather is expected to be wet and wild with a 90% chance of rain, so while this matchup pits the Air Raid against the Run-And-Shoot, two historically pass-heavy offenses, the ground game may win the day. USC is averaging 5.15 yards per carry through two games which is a huge improvement over 3.17 yards per carry last season. Vavae Malepeai (5.48 ypc) and Keaontay Ingram (5.20 ypc) have both been solid, so expect OC Graham Harrell to ride his horses through the slick conditions.
Turn the Heat Up
Through two games, USC has zero sacks. That’s a surprising stat given the talent the Trojans have upfront. Last season, USC was one of the best teams in the nation at getting pressure without having to blitz, but DC Todd Orlando may need to do something to spark this pass rush. The Trojans sacked de Laura four times in the 2020 meeting, which tied USC’s season high. They cannot afford to let this Wazzu offense get comfortable because the receivers and backs are legitimate playmakers if they do.
Interim Coach Bump
In all sports, hitting the reset button in the middle of the season usually leads to the team rallying together around the interim head coach and that’s what the Trojans need to do. Donte Williams is the perfect man for the job because he brings a different type of energy than Clay Helton, and he is known for his ability to connect with his players. In poor weather conditions and on the road for the first time, the Trojans will be forced to band together and fight off the elements if they want to get this season back on track.
Information provided by the USC Athletic Department in their Game Day Notes.