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USC Trojans @ Arizona Wildcats Football Preview

Under Pete Carroll, USC became famous for its late-season dominance. It wasn’t until 2009 that Carroll earned his first November loss with the Trojans. 

Lane Kiffin is only 1-0 in November, but the first-year head coach of the Trojans has a chance to earn a reputation of his own at the school. 

USC will look for its first win against a ranked team this year when it travels to Tucson to play Arizona on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET. 

Had the NCAA not sanctioned USC this summer, a win against the Wildcats would make USC bowl eligible. But with no postseason in play, the Trojans are left to build for next year while making due this season.

The Trojans will likely need a better performance than the one they showed in a 34-33 win against Arizona State. Arizona is coming off a 42-17 loss to Stanford but beat USC last year in the Coliseum. And the evening game at Arizona Stadium will surely present a hostile atmosphere for the Trojans.

But the Wildcats’ wounds extend beyond the scoreboard from their last game. Nick Foles has a bruised non-throwing shoulder, and backup Matt Scott will be out with an injured wrist. Foles returned last week against the Cardinal after missing the previous two games.

Nic Grigsby and Juron Criner are also trying to shake off sprained ankles.

The USC defense, however, is even more embattled. The Trojans’ woes haven’t seen the midseason turnaround that the team once hoped for. USC ranks 114 th in the country in pass defense and 75 th in points allowed.

That should provide plenty of opportunities for an Arizona offense that averages nearly 300 passing yards and more than 30 points per game.

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Matt Barkley will need to return to his early season form if he hopes to pilot USC to an upset. Barkley had his second consecutive multiple-interception game, his fourth of the year, against Arizona State.

For all of the offense’s occasional miscues, USC has still scored at least 30 points in each of its last seven games. Arizona’s loss to Stanford was the first time that the Wildcats had yielded 30 points or more to an opponent.

Barkley has only been sacked 13 times this season, but USC’s offensive line will have a tough test against Arizona. Defensive end Ricky Elmore leads the Pac-10 in sacks.

By Mike Schwartz
DFN Sports Staff Writer