University Southern California Trojans
USC Football Hosts California To Start 3-Game Homestand
October 10, 2010 | Football
Oct. 10, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
| Game Coverage | ||
 Live Audio | Gameday Central | |
| TV: FSN | Radio: 710 ESPN Radio (KSPN-AM) | |
Unranked USC--smarting from two straight losses on field goals at the gun--returns to the Coliseum to host California for the start of a 3-game Trojan homestand (with a bye squeezed in next week). Troy has played Cal more than any opponent (this will be the 98th meeting). USC owns a 6-game winning streak over the Golden Bears (and has captured 8 of the last 9) and the Trojans have beaten Cal 4 times in row in the Coliseum. The Bears have totaled just 6 points against Troy in the past 2 meetings. This is USC's only daytime home game in 2010. USC, prohibited from post-season play due to NCAA penalty, fell at Stanford last weekend by 2 points, a week after a 1-point loss to Washington.
The Trojans are looking to avoid their first 3-game losing skid since 2001. Head coach Lane Kiffin's 2010 offense statistically is among the best in school history and ranks high nationally in every stat category. The offensive talent includes QB Matt Barkley (14th nationally in passing efficiency and already in the USC career passing Top 10 midway through his sophomore campaign), true freshman WR Robert Woods (who just missed setting school reception and receiving yardage records last weekend and is 20th nationally in all-purpose yards), fellow multi-threat WR Ronald Johnson, hard-charging TBs Allen Bradford and Marc Tyler and do-it-all FB Stanley Havili. However, the USC defense needs to tighten, as it is allowing more total yards and passing yards than any Trojan team, and already this year has surrendered 500 yards twice and seen opponents score on their final drive 5 times. Key USC defenders include CB Shareece Wright, DT Jurrell Casey and S T.J. McDonald.
California head coach Jeff Tedford is 5 wins shy of the most coaching victories in school history. The Golden Bears snapped a 2-game losing streak with a home win over UCLA last weekend. Senior QB Kevin Riley, who is in the Cal career Top 10 in total offense, passing yards and passing touchdowns, guides the offense, which features talented TB Shane Vereen and WRs Marvin Jones, Keenan Allen and Jeremy Ross. Vereen is high in the national stats in scoring (he leads the Pac-10) and rushing, helping the Bears' offense rank in the national Top 25 in both of those team categories. The Trojans' high-powered offense will be tested by Cal's stout defense, which features LBs D.J. Holt, Mike Mohammed (a 2009 All-Pac-10 first teamer) and Mychal Kendricks (the Pac-10's top sacker). The Bears rank in the national Top 25 in every defensive stat category and lead the Pac-10 in total defense, pass defense, pass efficiency defense and sacks.
The game will be shown live nationally on FSN. The USC men's water polo team hosts Cal earlier on Saturday. New USC president C.L. Max Nikias, whose inauguration is the day before the football game, will do the coin toss and be saluted at halftime.
