The USC Trojans will be in San Francisco this week for their second road trip of the season, a Thursday night game against Cal at AT&T Park. The game will be televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. Eastern.
In last year's matchup against Cal, USC's Matt Barkley had 5 touchdowns in the first half.
It’s the 99th meeting for the two teams in an in-state rivalry that has been increasingly lopsided in recent years – last year’s game at the Coliseum was all USC, with the Trojans up, 42-0, by halftime. Then again, it’s only USC’s second road game of the year, and while they’ve dominated the series lately, it’s no reason to be too confident – their first road game was that horrendous loss to another team that hadn’t won over USC in years: Arizona State.
On paper, the teams match up pretty evenly. USC has a one-two punch at wide receiver in Robert Woods and Marqise Lee; Cal brings their own dangerous duo in Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones. USC’s passing offense is gaining slightly more yards per game, while Cal’s rushing offense just outstrips the Trojans’ (though both teams are pass-first teams this year). Cal is scoring a few more points per game (on average, 34.6 to USC’s 30), while USC’s defense is surrendering fewer points than Cal’s (26.4 for USC, 28 for Cal).
Both teams might be without important pieces of their secondaries. USC cornerback Torin Harris, who started opposite Nickell Robey before injuring his shoulder, might not be ready to go this week. Anthony Brown started in his place against Arizona, but Arizona Western College transfer Isiah Wiley reportedly made significant strides during the bye week and figures to get significant playing time. Harris struggled anyway, so Brown or Wiley could make a case for the permanent job with strong performances starting this week.
Cal’s cornerback Marc Anthony is doubtful for the game and if he doesn’t play, true freshman Stefan McClure will have the daunting task of covering Robert Woods. McClure struggled in his last game when he replaced Anthony, but he said later, “I was playing like I had no arms.” He’ll probably need to play like he has four or five of them to keep up with Woods.
Former Serra High School wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee have developed into one of the best receiving duos in the Pac-12. USC will face the other, Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones, in the game against Cal.
Woods and Cal’s Keenan Allen are currently first and second in the Pac-12 in both catches and yards. Woods is second in the nation with 55 catches in 5 games for 747 yards, and is averaging 149.4 yards per game and 13.6 yards per catch. His NorCal counterpart ranks fifth nationally, with 39 catches for 668 yards and an average of 17.1 yards per catch. Both teams are also in good shape at the WR 2 spot. USC freshman Marqise Lee has quickly come into his own and is narrowing the gap between himself and his former high school teammate Woods. On the other side, Cal senior Marvin Jones makes it too risky for defenses to double up on Allen.
It helps receivers when their quarterbacks are right on the money, too. USC junior Matt Barkley almost singlehandedly slaughtered the Bears last season, tying a school record of five touchdowns in a single-game. He has 14 so far this season, compared to just four interceptions.
The Golden Bears’ quarterback, Zach Maynard, who transferred from Buffalo, has great chemistry with his top WR: Keenan Allen is his half-brother, and judging from the intuitiveness of their connection on the field, they probably threw the ball around in the yard a lot growing up. Maynard isn’t the most accurate of passers; he’s 10th in the Pac-12 in pass efficiency and has completed just over 51% of his passes on the year. Still, he’s gotten the job done 3 out of 5 games this year, with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in 2011. The Trojans’ defense gave up way too many points to Nick Foles and Arizona in the last game; Maynard has thrown for more than 200 yards and at least a touchdown in each of his five games this year, so USC will have to be ready for the aerial attack.
The USC defense is allowing almost 4oo yards per game (267 passing), but Cal’s hasn’t exactly held firm either. Both teams are better against the run than against the pass – but both teams are better passing teams. The Trojans are only allowing 3.8 yards per attempt, and the Cal defense has prevented big drives, but it’s also given up a lot of big plays. USC definitely has big playmakers, so Barkley should be looking to go deep to one of his speedy young receivers.
The Trojans might also want to get tailback Curtis McNeal a few more touches against Cal. McNeal has not played regularly, but he’s second on the team in rushing yardage thanks to a few big plays. USC is still struggling to find some balance and consistency in the running game. Senior Marc Tyler is the starter, but he doesn’t bring explosiveness or breakaway speed. Cal has been successful against the run except against Oregon, when LaMichael James went wild before dislocating his elbow.
True freshman George Farmer, a wide receiver who’s been taking reps at tailback, might be the answer for the Trojans. A high school teammate of Woods and Lee, Farmer was more highly touted than Lee coming into the season and has reportedly excelled practicing at running back. The plan was for him to redshirt, but all signs point to Coach Lane Kiffin burning Farmer’s redshirt in hopes of providing a spark to the offense.
Cal’s spark comes from Isi Sofele, who’s averaging 9.9 yards per carry and more than 100 yards per game. (For comparison, USC’s Tyler is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 84.5 yards per game). Sofele is fourth in the Pac-12, and though teams haven’t had a ton of success running against the Trojans, the Bears will need to make him a factor in the game. Last week against Oregon, Cal collapsed in the second half, in part because the team basically abandoned the running game. Sofele balances the offense and helps open things up for the passing game, and Cal will need to let him do that to be successful against USC.
