2017 Pac-12 Championship Game: USC vs. Stanford
November 30, 2017 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The Trojans are one win away from their first conference championship since 2008.
No. 10 USC Trojans (10-2, 8-1) vs. No. 12 Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 7-2)
Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN
Cardinal to Watch: Junior RB Bryce Love
The Heisman candidate is the ultimate home run hitter. He has 31 runs of 15 yards or more this season, and these explosive plays account for 67.5% of his yardage, per PFF College. Just when you think you've got him corralled, he pops an 80-yarder and changes the game. The Trojans witnessed his act firsthand in September. He ran for 160 yards on 17 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run. Love has been hobbled by an ankle injury late in the season, but he's still managed to top the 100-yard mark the last three weeks, which includes wins over Washington and Notre Dame.
Click here for more on the Cardinal.
3 Keys
Two Things to Worry About
Back when USC and Stanford met in Week 2, both teams ran the ball effectively (6.5 yards per carry for the Cardinal and 6.4 ypc for the Trojans), but QB Keller Chryst could not get the passing game going until late in the fourth quarter. Since then, Chryst has been replaced by K.J. Costello, and while the Orange County product has thrown for more than 200 yards in a game only once in nine appearances, he gives them a vertical threat that did not exist before. On passes 20+ yards downfield, Costello has completed 13 of 26 with 4 TD/0 INT and a 135.4 passer rating. The USC secondary has been vulnerable to explosive plays in the last two games, so the Trojans will need to be buttoned up at the back to force Stanford to earn its points by driving the field.
All Grown Up
All the talk this week was about how much better Stanford is than the last time these two teams met, but the Cardinal will have some new Trojan weapons to worry about. Back in September, RS freshman WR Tyler Vaughns was being eased into the offense, while sophomore WR Michael Pittman Jr. and RS sophomore TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe were out injured. Stanford has shored up its run defense over the last month, holding Washington and Notre Dame to well below their season averages, so the Trojans might have to go to the air more than they did in September when they trounced the Cardinal with 307 yards on the ground. USC QB Sam Darnold and his plethora of weapons are more than capable of carving up the kings of the North.
Still USC-Stanford
The stage and stakes are different, but for a decade now, the USC-Stanford game has been won by the more physical team. Coming off a bye week, the Trojans are feeling rejuvenated, and they need to use those fresh legs to fly around Levi's Stadium and attack the Cardinal. Stanford is coming in hot, but the dreaded short week after a tough opponent has been a bugaboo for Pac-12 teams this season. If the Trojans take care of the ball against the Pac-12's best in turnover margin, they should have the advantage in all facets of the game to win the day and the conference.
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Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN
Cardinal to Watch: Junior RB Bryce LoveThe Heisman candidate is the ultimate home run hitter. He has 31 runs of 15 yards or more this season, and these explosive plays account for 67.5% of his yardage, per PFF College. Just when you think you've got him corralled, he pops an 80-yarder and changes the game. The Trojans witnessed his act firsthand in September. He ran for 160 yards on 17 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run. Love has been hobbled by an ankle injury late in the season, but he's still managed to top the 100-yard mark the last three weeks, which includes wins over Washington and Notre Dame.
Click here for more on the Cardinal.
3 Keys
Two Things to Worry About
Back when USC and Stanford met in Week 2, both teams ran the ball effectively (6.5 yards per carry for the Cardinal and 6.4 ypc for the Trojans), but QB Keller Chryst could not get the passing game going until late in the fourth quarter. Since then, Chryst has been replaced by K.J. Costello, and while the Orange County product has thrown for more than 200 yards in a game only once in nine appearances, he gives them a vertical threat that did not exist before. On passes 20+ yards downfield, Costello has completed 13 of 26 with 4 TD/0 INT and a 135.4 passer rating. The USC secondary has been vulnerable to explosive plays in the last two games, so the Trojans will need to be buttoned up at the back to force Stanford to earn its points by driving the field.
All Grown Up
All the talk this week was about how much better Stanford is than the last time these two teams met, but the Cardinal will have some new Trojan weapons to worry about. Back in September, RS freshman WR Tyler Vaughns was being eased into the offense, while sophomore WR Michael Pittman Jr. and RS sophomore TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe were out injured. Stanford has shored up its run defense over the last month, holding Washington and Notre Dame to well below their season averages, so the Trojans might have to go to the air more than they did in September when they trounced the Cardinal with 307 yards on the ground. USC QB Sam Darnold and his plethora of weapons are more than capable of carving up the kings of the North.
Still USC-Stanford
The stage and stakes are different, but for a decade now, the USC-Stanford game has been won by the more physical team. Coming off a bye week, the Trojans are feeling rejuvenated, and they need to use those fresh legs to fly around Levi's Stadium and attack the Cardinal. Stanford is coming in hot, but the dreaded short week after a tough opponent has been a bugaboo for Pac-12 teams this season. If the Trojans take care of the ball against the Pac-12's best in turnover margin, they should have the advantage in all facets of the game to win the day and the conference.
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