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USC Football Welcomes Arizona State in Pac-12 South Matchup
October 21, 2018 | Football, Features
*USC--looking to bounce back from a stinging loss at Utah--returns home this week for another Pac-12 South Division encounter, this time against Arizona State. The afternoon contest will air on ABC/ESPN2.
*A win over the Sun Devils would keep the Trojans alive in their quest to repeat as Pac-12 South champs, although Troy no longer controls its destiny to a berth into the Pac-12 Championship Game.
*The Trojans--who are playing one of the nation's most challenging schedules--are looking to protect a 19-game home winning streak, including 14 straight over Pac-12 foes.
*Clay Helton, who is 19-0 in the Coliseum as Troy's head coach, has won 70.5% of his games at USC. At Utah last week, his squad felt the effects of the Utes' hot quarterback and its staunch defense. Troy will need to rebound Saturday, but with uncertainty at quarterback. True freshman QB JT Daniels, who graduated a year early from high school, suffered a concussion in the second half and his replacement (QB Matt Fink) broke his ribs. USC needs to rev up its run game, which has been hot and cold this year (a pair of 200-yard performances in 2018, but just 73 yards at Utah). Whoever is at quarterback will throw to some talented wideouts, including WRs Michael Pittman Jr. (one of the nation's leaders in yards per catch), Tyler Vaughns and frosh Amon-Ra St. Brown. USC's defense had been fairly stingy all year until Utah gashed it for 541 yards. ILB Cameron Smith, looking to be Troy's tackle leader for the third straight year (a feat last accomplished at USC in the late '70s), hopes to return to action after a hamstring injury limited him at Utah. ILBs John Houston Jr. and Palaie Gaoteote IV (a freshman who filled in for Smith) had double digit tackles at Utah, as did frosh S Talanoa Hufanga and DL Christian Rector (who started at OLB for the injured Porter Gustin and had a pair of sacks). DL Jay Tufele rumbled 48 yards for a TD after recovering a Ute fumble.
*Arizona State, with new head coach Herm Edwards at the helm, will be somewhat more rested than USC playing its last game last Thursday at home (a loss to Stanford). ASU has dropped 4 of its past 5 games. The Sun Devils' offense is guided by QB Manny Wilkins, who is in the ASU career Top 10 in passing yardage, completions and TD passes. RB Eno Benjamin, who set a school game rushing record (312 yards) last month versus Oregon State, is highly ranked nationally in rushing and all-purpose running. WR N'Keal Harry, who has a catch in all 32 of his career games at ASU, is in the school's career Top 10 in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs. ASU's defense features tackle leaders S Jalen Harvey and LB Merlin Robertson.
*Fans who donate a new pair of sneakers at the dropoff bin outside the Coliseum or at Heritage Hall on Saturday will get 2 free tickets into the game.
*It will be USC's "Pink Game" as part of Breast Cancer Month.
*USC's 16th-ranked women's volleyball team has key matchups against No. 2 Stanford and California in the Galen Center this weekend.
*The NFL's Los Angeles Rams will play a game in the Coliseum the day after the USC-ASU encounter, the first of 2 weekends that the teams go back-to-back this fall.
