NFL
By George Lopez
The USC Trojans travel to Boulder, Colorado to take on the Colorado Buffaloes in a PAC12 matchup. Colorado is coming off a disappointing 42-6 defeat at the hands of the Oregon Ducks. The #8 ranked Trojans are coming off an uninspiring 42-28 victory over Arizona St. that improved their record to 4-0. Offensively, the Trojans showed their ability to continue to put up a high point total. Defensively, the Trojans continue to be plagued by inconsistent play. The Trojans will look to
Trojans Offense
Quarterback Caleb Williams continues to put up impressive numbers for the Trojans. Against Arizona St., Williams passed for 322 yards and 3 touchdowns, while accounting for 5 total touchdowns. Williams continues to take care of the football, not throwing an interception through the first 4 games. On the season, Williams has passed for 1200 yards with 15 touchdowns. One area Williams and the Trojans offense will look to improve against the Buffaloes is 3rd efficiency. Against Arizona St., the Trojans converted 3 out of 10 3rd down opportunities.
Leading the wide receiver was Brenden Rice with 7 receptions for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns. Freshman Zachariah Branch contributed 4 receptions for 68 yards. The surprise to Trojan fans was the lack of productivity of Mario Williams as he was limited to 2 receptions for 16 yards. Look for head coach Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams to get Mario Williams more involved in the offense this week. With Travis Hunter unavailable for Colorado, look for the Trojans to attack the Buffaloes secondary early and often in the game.
The Trojans displayed an impressive running attack, having rushed for 213 yards on 29 carries against Arizona St. Leading the way was RB MarShawn Lloyd, who accounted for 154 yards on 14 carries. Lloyd is showing to become the feature back in the Trojans offense with Austin Jones seeing time in the backfield as well. Look for Lloyd to get a bulk of the carries against Colorado with Jones getting touches in the game. Caleb Williams is also a threat to run with his ability to avoid the rush. If Williams is able to get outside the pocket, he is a threat to tuck the ball and run and extend the play giving his receivers time to get open downfield.
Trojans Defense
The Trojans defense was able to generate 8 quarterback sacks and 14 tackles for loss against Arizona St. However, the Trojans did allow 28 points to a team that was shut out by Fresno St. the week prior. The Trojans’ defense had multiple missed tackles against the Sun Devils. The Trojans are susceptible to the outside running game and should expect the Buffaloes to attempt to exploit that weakness. The slow down the Buffaloes running attack, the Trojans will need to improve on their pursuit angles and get off their blocks quickly to close up running lanes.
In his first big test, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was held to 159 passing on 23-33 attempts against Oregon. The Ducks were able to put constant pressure on Sanders, accounting for 7 sacks and multiple hurries. The consistent pass rush forced Sanders to make throws earlier than he would have liked. Look for Trojans defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to bring pressure on Sanders to force him off his spot and get him out of rhythm.
The Buffaloes running game was a nonfactor against Oregon, accounting for only 40 yards on 25 carries. The Trojans’ defensive line and linebackers are going to be key to containing the Buffaloes’ running attack. Look for the Trojans to attempt to neutralize the Buffaloes’ running game to make them one-dimensional. If the Trojans take away the Buffaloes running game, look for the defense to blitz Sanders both from the outside as well as from the defensive interior.
Prediction
The Trojans did not play up to their full capabilities against Arizona St. and are well aware they cannot continue playing that brand of football if they wish to contend for a playoff spot this season. Look for the Trojans to come out with a chip on their shoulder on both sides of the ball come out aggressive from the opening kickoff and improve their record to 5-0
Trojans 49
Buffaloes. 17
