USC isn’t playing football on this September Saturday. The Trojans are back at it next week, September 23, against Arizona State.
We talked to Fighting Irish Wire about one key player for the Trojans heading into the teeth of their season:
“Caleb Williams is the best player in the country, but Zachariah Branch is making it impossible to ignore him. The freshman has unreal speed and open-field instincts. He’s a natural. Notre Dame and anyone else who plays USC ths year cannot punt the ball to him, period. Punts have to be fair catchable or out of bounds. If Branch rips off a kick return in a big game, that’s seven fewer points Caleb Williams has to worry about scoring. Branch, if he can evolve as a receiver, could give USC the Jordan Addison-level replacement the Trojans haven’t yet found this season. USC fans are in love with him, but national observers might still be focused on Caleb. Keep an eye on Branch, who (by the way) doesn’t want to be called Zach. It’s Zachariah.”
Catch all of Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team overviews for the 2023 season:
Arizona — Arizona State — California — Colorado — Oregon State — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State