The Utes open up Pac-12 play against the Trojans on Friday night in Salt Lake City. In preparation of the game, The Daily Utah Chronicle spoke to Hailey Tucker, the sports editor of the Daily Trojan, USC’s student newspaper, to gain insight into the Trojans’ squad.
Q: The Trojans have suffered a couple of big losses, the most recent being against Stanford. What’s the state of the team?
HT: It’s safe to say the season has been off to a rocky start. As much as the on-the-field problems have been piling up, more disconcerting are the off-the-field problems. There was a lot of disappointment in the locker room, and the players were open about it following the loss at Stanford. Needless to say, most of the guys on the team are not used to losing two of their first three games.
The team should definitely be playing desperate against Utah, which could be an advantage for the unranked Trojans, as they have to come into a hostile environment and play a tough team. As long as they don’t get discouraged, which was a problem last week, the team should be focused on winning.
Q: What have they learned from the losses against Alabama and Stanford?
HT: Hopefully the team has learned that it is important to score more than one touchdown in two games against ranked opponents, and that has been one of the driving factors in choosing to start redshirt freshman Sam Darnold over redshirt junior Max Browne for Friday’s game. Another offensive key is the offensive line cutting down on its penalties. The offensive line had five false starts in the first half against Stanford alone. It makes the offense work much harder, which isn’t a good thing when you’re struggling.
The Trojan defense has been holding up, and perhaps has even played better than expected coming into the season. The problem for them has been the amount of time they spend on the field, because of the offense’s inability to get a first down.
Q: What has been going right for USC? What particularly went right against Utah State?
HT: The best thing that USC did in playing Utah State was just that — playing Utah State. The Trojans beat an inferior opponent and still didn’t look spectacular doing it. Both of USC’s quarterbacks got significant playing time, something that is already coming into play, and they were able to spread the wealth to USC’s receiving corps.
Additionally, so far this season, the defensive line has been playing very well proving that even though they were the most doubted unit coming into the season, they should not be anymore.
Q: Who/what should Utah be worried about on USC’s offense?
HT: No one knows how Darnold is going to play, but expect to see him target junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster more frequently, and when Smith-Schuster catches the ball, he has the athletic ability to go the distance every time. Last season, Smith-Schuster showed he was one of the top receivers in the country and had the most targets on the team. It hasn’t been that way so far this season, and it has looked like he and Browne were just out of sync most of the time.
During his time on the field, Browne showed that USC’s other receivers are capable of holding their own, specifically senior Darreus Rogers and redshirt junior Steven Mitchell Jr.
Q: Who/what should Utah be worried about on USC’s defense?
HT: Defensively, the Trojans have as many athletic playmakers as the offense does. Up front, sophomore defensive end Porter Gustin has been a monster at stopping the run, and if he doesn’t make the tackle then sophomore linebacker Cameron Smith has been. Gustin and Smith are the rocks of the USC defense and have been playing extremely well, even against Alabama and Stanford.
Corner back Adoree’ Jackson is always a threat when he is targeted, and he had one interception against Stanford. Jackson is an explosive player on defense, offense and special teams, and he can make a big play every time the ball comes near him.
Q: Is there anyone in particular the Trojans will be keeping their eye on from Utah?
HT: Known for struggling with dual-threat quarterbacks, the focus will be on containing Troy Williams and preventing him from getting anything going on the ground.
The team is also preparing for a hostile environment and different weather conditions than they have played in so far this year.
Q: What does a win/loss do for the Trojans?
HT: A win is what the Trojans are expecting and what they need. Even though the team will be taking Utah seriously, there will be many fans who are even more upset if the Trojans lose on Friday. The win would help calm everyone down and hopefully set the tone for the remainder of the season and be especially important in the Pac-12 South standings.
If the Trojans don’t win on Friday, it will be very troubling both inside and outside of the locker room. The players and the fans expect to win, and having already lost twice this season puts a lot more pressure on the team.
Q: Who do you think will win? And why?
HT: I think this game will be very close (too close for comfort), but USC is going to pull through. The defense will be able to lock down the Utes and with Darnold being named the new quarterback, I think that will be a rallying point for the offense, and it will show as the team comes out strong.
With all that said, I think the game will be tight, but I predict a 21-17 victory for USC.
@kbrenneisen
@HayTucker