Pac-10 foes will collide at The Coliseum this weekend, as the eighth-ranked USC Trojans play host to the Arizona State Sun Devils.
There is absolutely no question that Arizona State and its fans are highly disappointed and surprised by the 2-3 start to this season. The last three outings have resulted in defeat, including a 24-14 setback to California last week. The Sun Devils have scored just 44 total points in their last 12 quarters of action, hard to believe for a club that was expected to light up the scoreboard this fall. ASU is 1-1 in conference, as it knocked off Stanford in week two by a wide margin.
USC improved to 3-1 last week with a 44-10 thrashing of Oregon. That victory did not erase the memory of the Trojans' 27-21 loss to Oregon State the previous week, but it did put Pete Carroll's club back on track. USC, which has also pummeled Virginia and Ohio State this season, is still alive in the national title picture as long as it can run the table.
The Trojans owns a 15-9 series edge over Arizona State, which includes eight straight wins over the Sun Devils.
Arizona State is averaging 23.0 ppg this season to go along with 354.8 ypg. The Sun Devils pose little threat on the ground, as they are rushing for a mere 85.4 ypg. That puts a great deal of pressure on quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who has connected on 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,348 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Michael Jones leads the receivers with 26 catches for 376 yards, while both Kerry Taylor and Kyle Williams have scored two touchdowns apiece. ASU has made good on 31 percent of its third down conversion attempts, a stat that could certainly stand some improvement.
In the loss to Cal last week, ASU only generated 236 total yards. Once again, the ground game was relatively non-existent, accounting for 2.2 ypc. Carpenter tossed a pair of interceptions and simply could not make big plays in the passing game. The Sun Devils were 4-of-16 on third down conversion attempts, simply not good enough to win.
Defensively, the Sun Devils have been fairly solid thus far, as they are allowing 20.8 ppg and 324.8 total ypg. They have done a good job against the run, limiting foes to 3.5 ypc. While ASU is holding opponents to fewer than 200 passing yards per contest, the team has yielded seven scores through the air while surrendering 11.2 yards per completion. With six sacks and four takeaways in five games, there has been a glaring lack of big plays made by the Sun Devils. Mike Nixon leads the club with 40 total tackles, and Travis Goethel is second with 36.
Sure, Cal scored three touchdowns against Arizona State last week, but two of the scoring drives accounted for 41 and 30 yards, respectively. The Golden Bears only posted 277 total yards, so it is hard to place too much blame on the Sun Devil defense.
It is hard to imagine USC playing much better offensively than it did in the romp over Oregon last weekend. The Trojans racked up 598 total yards on their way to 44 points. Mark Sanchez was outstanding under center, as he connected on 19-of-28 passes for 332 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He does have an injured knee but figures to be in the lineup this weekend. "It was a good victory for us and I'm excited about the way this offense and defense bounced back and how special teams played,"
said Sanchez after the triumph. Joe McKnight showed his versatility by hauling in five receptions for 86 yards while also making contributions as a runner out of the backfield. The Trojans were 10-of-17 on third down conversion attempts.
Sanchez has completed 66.7 percent of his passes this season for 1,069 yards with 13 touchdowns against only three interceptions. There is a ton of talent at the wide receiver position as usual, and McKnight leads all runners with 202 yards. USC is averaging 38.0 ppg and 454.2 total ypg, including just over 300 ypg through the air. Of the 19 total touchdowns that the team has managed, 15 have been passing scores.
Oregon scored its lone touchdown early in the first quarter against USC last weekend. The Trojans were brilliant from that point on, and they surrendered only 239 total yards in the contest. USC was particularly strong against the run, permitting a mere 60 yards on 39 carries. The pass defense held the Ducks to fewer than nine yards per completion. Oregon was just 5-of-16 on third down conversion attempts, a credit to the USC defense. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the defensive performance was that USC shined without star linebacker Ray Maualuga, who has an injured knee. Fortunately, he is expected to be back this weekend.
USC has been one of the nation's best defensive teams this season, as it is holding opponents to just 11.8 ppg and 244.0 total ypg. The Trojans have been strong against the run, yielding 84.8 ypg and 2.4 ypc. Equally solid has been the team's play against the pass, as foes are averaging a mere 8.3 yards per pass completion.
