NFL
By: George Lopez
The Holiday Bowl has a history of producing exciting games and this year’s game looks to carry on that tradition as the USC Trojans (7-5) faces against #15 Louisville Cardinals (10-3) Louisville is coming off a tough loss to Florida St. in the ACC championship game while the Trojans are limping into their bowl game, losers of 3 straight and 5 of their last 6 to end their final season in the PAC-12.
Quarterback Caleb Williams has announced that he is declaring for the draft and will not play in the bowl game. With Williams departure, Sophomore Miller Moss is expected to be the starting quarterback. In his career at USC, Moss has passed for 542 yards in limited appearances. The Trojans offense will also be without leading running back MarShawn Lloyd and WR Brenden Rice as both have declared for the NFL draft.
The Trojans offense will be going into this game without key contributors and facing a very good Louisville defense. On the season, the Cardinals gave up an average of 19 points per game. Their defense allowed 205 yards passing per game. With Williams under center, the Trojans would be faced with a difficult challenge to get their passing game in sync. Coach Lincoln Riley will have his worked cut out in devising a passing game plan that will not put Miller Moss in difficult situations. The Cardinals will look to pressure Moss throughout the game as they recorded 34 sacks this season. Leading the Cardinals defense is linebacker TJ Quinn. In the secondary, Coach Riley will need to account DB Devin Neal who leads Louisville with 4 interceptions.
The Trojans will look to establish their running game early. With Lloyd’s decision to skip the bowl game, Coach Riley has stated Austin Jones will see significant playing time in the backfield. Freshman Quinten Joyner and A’Marion are also expected to see playing time. Freshman All-American Zachariah Branch could also see time in the running game.
The Cardinals offense, which averaged 30 points per game, is led by quarterback Jack Plummer. On the season, Plummer passed for 3083 yards with 21 touchdowns. Plummer’s primary target is Jamari Thrash, who led the team with 63 receptions for 858 yards and 6 touchdowns. There is a drop off as the next leading receiver is Chris Bell who had 26 receptions this season.
The Trojans defense has been a disappointment all season, allowing an average of 34 points per game. On the season, the allowed 183 yards rushing. The defense had difficulties getting off their blocks, maintaining proper pursuit angles, being out of position as well as poor tackling. Look for the Cardinals to attack the Trojans defense early with their running game, as they average 175 yards rushing per game. Leading the way for Louisville is RB Jawhar Jordan, who rushed for 1143 yards on the season. Complimenting Jordan is running back Isaac Guerendo with 670 yards rushing.
The Holiday Bowl has a knack for producing excitement from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. With key players opting out of the bowl game, this year’s version will face a tough task of bringing that excitement. The USC Trojans began the year with aspirations of playing in the CFP but collapsed at the end of the season. Louisville has had a very solid season and are rightfully favored to defeat the Trojans. Look for Louisville to come away with a well-deserved victory in this year’s Holiday Bowl.
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Cardinals. 31
Trojans 17
