Week Eleven, Nov. 12
USC vs. California
By John Harris
a. The Bottom Line – There are probably many critics out there that think that the USC defense has ridden the coattails of the best offense this side of the Indianapolis Colts. But, keep this in mind, if you will, simple math dictates that a team will move the ball against the Trojans ‘D’ and score more against the defense due to the fact that they get that many more possessions in a game than they would against a ball control, low scoring offense. But, even with having to step out on the field more than in ‘normal’ circumstances, the Trojan defense has played a bit more consistently. The run defense is only giving up 111 yards on the ground per game, while the pass defense is giving up 237. However, if you listened to most people, the defense was giving up 500 yards and 35 points every single week. The injuries have really taken a toll on this defense, but each week, the unit seems to get better, especially out on the edge with DE Frostee Rucker and Lawrence Jackson. The two edge rushers seem to get themselves into everything that happens on defense. Combined, they have 20 TFL and 11.5 sacks, and they can still create mayhem with their edge rush abilities. Against Cal, the defense just has to keep everything in front. Force Cal to have to go the long field for six. No cheap deep balls to DeSean Jackson, who’ll have something to prove to the Trojans, the team he spurned for Cal. Don’t lose contain on QB Joe Ayoob. And, most importantly, attack the Cal offensive line by moving, stunting and twisting as much as possible. Fortunately enough for the USC faithful, the defensive 11 doesn’t have to throw a shut out - just make the plays that they need to make to stop drives and keep the Bears out of the end zone.
b. No Liability Here – Facing Matt Leinart and the USC WR isn’t the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but if there’s a secondary that might relish the challenge more than most, it’s the group at Cal. Daymeion Hughes and Tim Mixon vs. Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith is a crucial matchup in this game. The best CB performance against USC was Notre Dame’s duo of Ambrose Wooden and Mike Richardson and you could see the effect of having two solid corners out on the edge against USC. These two Cal corners have frustrated the best receivers in this conference, and are fast and physical enough to run with and cover Smith and Jarrett effectively. The USC offensive brain trust may want to use the two receivers on the same side a little bit more this week, perhaps using one of them in motion to try to disrupt the coverage responsibilities for the Golden Bears. When the two receivers line up on the same side, DC Bob Gregory can’t really afford to not bring his two corners over to that side. He doesn’t have to have them play man, as they could play some quarters zone on that side. The ultimate key is to make sure that these two are around the Trojan pair as much as possible. Hughes and Mixon must keep Smith and Jarrett out of the middle, even if that means they get challenged deep down the sideline. If anything, it should be fun. And, important.
c. Dime Time – Cal probably has one distinct advantage in this game – Marshawn Lynch running behind the Golden Bear offensive line. Flash back to the last USC loss – the 2003 loss at Cal. They probably had the best game plan for facing this USC defense – keep it between the B gaps. Although ‘Joe’ Echimandu had great success that night, Lynch can have even more. Echimandu hit each hole like a runaway train, but Lynch can do that and he can find some cutback lanes, as well. The talented sophomore doesn’t want to run laterally at all, he should attack downhill right away. The USC front is going to stem and stunt most of the game, but all Lynch has to do is get on the hip of his offensive lineman, running a Trojan DL down the line of scrimmage and right out of the play. Cutback runs are fine, but he’s got to hit it downhill. He can’t dance – find the seam and get in it now, preferably somewhere between his tackles. Cal had some trouble with Oregon stud DT Haloti Ngata last week, but they should be able to single block the interior of this USC DL and still be able to occupy the Trojan inside backers. It might take 35 to 40 carries this week for Lynch, but the advantages of having him run so much are too numerous to recant.
Conclusion – Is it possible that USC is getting better each and every week, in particular on defense? If they could just keep people healthy, they might be a scary bunch to face. But, as per usual with the 2005 Trojans – Cal won’t stop them. Even with the secondary that Cal has, the Trojan offensive line is too good to be stopped, which means plenty of LenDale and Reggie on the ground. Cal’s got to look to get DeSean Jackson involved early, as it’ll give him and Ayoob a little more confidence in the passing game. Even at that point, it won’t be enough. USC rolls. USC – 45 vs. Cal – 23
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