Tag: USC Arizona

USC defense lacks toughness and physicality — and a victory doesn’t change that fact

USC’s defense did make a few important plays, but the larger reality is that this unit is simply not ready for prime time.

Yes, USC did beat Arizona on Saturday night. The Trojans won, 43-41. Yet, USC fans aren’t especially happy or confident. They are relieved with one win on one night, but they know this level of performance from the defense simply won’t cut it in the future. The Trojans are nowhere near ready to beat Washington or Oregon. They might not be ready to beat Utah on October 21 if Cam Rising returns to the field for the Utes in that game.

The odds of USC making the Pac-12 Championship Game are not great. If the Trojans can’t get back to Las Vegas, this season will be a total failure. Things have to change — substantially — for this team to realize its potential.

The defense simply can’t go on like this. Let’s give you a taste of how the evening went in the Coliseum against an Arizona offense which often punched the Trojans in the mouth:

Soft, sloppy, unprepared USC team gets very lucky in ugly 3OT win over Arizona

This was a horror show which somehow did not end in disaster, but the storm clouds still linger over the Trojans.

USC won. That’s good. Just about everything else about Saturday night’s game against Arizona was bad. Let’s not kid ourselves or run from the truth: This was horrible. This was worse than Arizona State and Colorado. The Trojans are regressing instead of improving. There is less reason for optimism about this season, not more, despite the fact that USC is 6-0.

Offense, defense, special teams — USC was not up to par in any facet of competition. The Trojans very nearly lost to Arizona as a 21-point favorite. They very nearly ruined their entire season before the first highly anticipated game on the slate, the Week 7 battle at Notre Dame on October 14.

Here is just a small sampling of the larger reactions and startling facts which accompanied this very ugly triple-overtime 43-41 win over Arizona:

Arizona’s offense, especially its receivers, helped USC prepare for UCLA in a few weeks

#USC’s next big spotlight game will be against UCLA on Nov. 19. Arizona made the Trojans sweat. The Wildcats also might have prepared USC for the Bruins.

We know that the next two weeks for USC football should be manageable even with the tidal wave of injuries which has swamped the Trojans. Cal and Colorado are arguably the two worst teams in the Pac-12. (Colorado is easily the worst team in the conference; Cal being No. 11 is debatable, but the Golden Bears lost to Colorado and look very limited right now.) USC can rest a lot of players if it is unsure they are healthy.

It’s all about getting healthy for UCLA on Nov. 19 in the biggest USC-UCLA game since 2005.

The value of the Arizona game was more than just getting a win. The Wildcats might have prepared USC for the Bruins:

Two nights after Utah scored a ‘culture win,’ USC does the same against Arizona

Thursday, #Utah won without its starting QB, 3 running backs, and 2 tight ends. Saturday, #USC won with hardly any healthy LBs, neither of its top WRs, and 2 O-linemen. #Culture

This is what a winning culture looks like.

This is what it looks like when a team endures tons of key injuries, is stretched very thin on its roster, has to overcome a lot of negative in-game events, and must simply persevere.

We saw this resilience on Thursday from the reigning Pac-12 champions, the Utah Utes. They were missing quarterback Cam Rising, three running backs — including Tavion Thomas and Micah Bernard — and watched Dalton Kincaid get hurt (on top of already missing Brant Kuithe).

They had to win on the road at Washington State in spite of all those injuries, and they did.

Two days later, USC did the same thing against Arizona. Let’s underscore all the adverse developments the Trojans had to overcome:

USC defense, missing Eric Gentry and several other players, hangs on and survives vs Arizona

This was pure survival for #USC. No one was expecting a good performance once it became known that Eric Gentry and Ralen Goforth were both ruled out vs Arizona.

Survival.

That’s what this game against Arizona was for USC’s defense.

It’s weird: The Trojans had a week off. Presumably, this gave them a chance to get healthy. Yet, while it was already known that Eric Gentry — injured against Utah — might not play against Arizona, fellow linebacker Ralen Goforth was also ruled out for this game in Tucson.

Shane Lee is still not 100-percent healthy.

Korey Foreman was out and therefore not able to give USC an extra body on its front seven. This is in addition to Romello Height being out for the season.

USC wasn’t going to play a great defensive game. It just had to be good enough.

It was.

Let’s look at how the evening unfolded in Tucson:

USC offense overcomes major injuries to score big, defeat Arizona in Wild West shootout

Jordan Addison: out. Andrew Vorhees: out. Mario Williams: out. Bobby Haskins got hurt. No sweat. Caleb Williams was NOT going to let #USC lose this game.

Andrew Voorhees was out.

Jordan Addison was out.

Mario Williams was out.

Bobby Haskins got hurt in the second half.

We knew that Addison would not play for USC, but the Vorheeds and Mario Williams absences from this game were surprising developments, relative to the past week of injury speculation, Lincoln Riley remarks, and general expectations of who would be able to play against Arizona.

USC was noticeably shorthanded, and beyond that, the offensive line involved a significant reshuffle. Multiple players had to switch positions. Mason Murphy was thrown into the fire at right tackle.

Meanwhile, the USC defense had tons of injuries in its own right.

USC pulled through. Let’s go through the night in Tucson and relive what happened in a 45-37 victory:

Mike Bohn, Lincoln Riley react to massive Pac-12 refs blunder which once again goes against USC

#USC AD Mike Bohn retweeted several tweets which poured in after the #Pac12Refs once again jobbed the Trojans. Lincoln Riley was incensed. This is exhausting.

You might not have seen this, since USC’s game against Arizona was on Pac-12 Network, but you might have read about it on Twitter or heard about it if you were tuning in to a radio broadcast of the Trojans’ game in Tucson on Saturday evening.

It’s really very simple … or at least, it should have been.

USC had at least five or six seconds at the end of the first half. The Trojan offense was in position to snap the ball. A first down had just been gained.

By every possible measurement and according to every available detail, the Trojans should have been able to snap the ball and kick a field goal before halftime.

Zero debate. Zero question. Zero ambiguity. Right? Not in the world of Pac-12 refs.

Notably, USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn was paying attention, as you will see below:

USC vs. Arizona: Stream, injury reports, and broadcast info for Oct. 29, 2022

Get full TV, radio and streaming information for USC vs Arizona.

USC goes to Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats this afternoon. The Trojans have had two weeks to prepare for this game and simultaneously learn a lot of lessons from an ugly defensive game film against Utah. The Trojans’ defense exceeded all expectations in its first six games but then came crashing down to earth in Week 7. The frustrating part of that game is that even a slightly better performance would have been enough to win, but USC couldn’t make one or two game-changing plays in the final minutes.

USC’s defense might still be shorthanded for this game against the talented Jayden de Laura, who can light up the scoreboard when he is on target. USC can’t take anything about this game for granted. Arizona can score.

Get the full viewing information for this game, plus plenty of other pregame notes, below:

USC vs Arizona Prediction, Game Preview

USC Trojans vs Arizona Wildcats prediction and game preview

USC vs Arizona prediction and game preview.

USC vs Arizona Broadcast

Date: Saturday, November 14
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Network: FOX

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

USC (1-0) vs Arizona (0-0) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM

Why USC Will Win

Take the win, don’t ask questions, and move on.

The Trojans were pushed to the brink by Arizona State and came through with a miraculous finish to win 28-27. Kedon Slovis threw it 55 times, but he came up with 381 yards and two scores and came through in the clutch, and the team overcame four takeaways to pull it off.

The Arizona defense is going to need some time, and it’s not going to get it.

The linebacking corps should be one, but the pass rush is still going to be a concern, and the secondary that got hit too easily for 300 yards on a regular basis also has to prove it can start making more plays.

– Week 11 Schedule, Predictions, Lines

Why Arizona Will Win

Turnovers were a problem in Week 1 for the Trojans, and Arizona needs them. There were three fumbles, Slovis threw a pick, and the Trojans needed everyone of their 556 yards to get the win.

The Wildcat offense needs to come out hot from the start, and the receivers are in place for QB Grant Gunnell to bomb away early on. Expect a shootout – the Arizona defense won’t have anything special to throw at the Trojan attack –  and as long as the O line can be merely okay, the production will come.

USC didn’t generate enough of a pass rush against ASU – Gunnell should have time.

– CFN College Football Experts Picks

What’s Going To Happen

Arizona will be surprisingly good for a half.

The defense isn’t going to do anything to stop Slovis, but with a bit more time to prepare after missing last week’s game against Utah, it’ll be a good game that throws another scare into the Trojans – but not nearly as much of one as ASU did.

The Trojans will roar right away in the second half to put it away, the Wildcats will turn it over twice, and a fun game will quickly open up.

– CFN Experts Picks: NFL

USC vs Arizona Prediction, Line

USC 41, Arizona 20
Bet on USC vs Arizona with BetMGM
USC -14, o/u: 67.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 2.5

5: Alex Trebek
1: “Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen.”

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