USA TODAY Sports college football analyst Erick Smith had plenty to say about USC’s win over Stanford this past weekend.
“There might be no more exciting team this season than Southern California,” Smith wrote. “Blessed with a talented array of wide receivers and quarterback Caleb Williams, with coach Lincoln Riley at the controls, many defensive coordinators in the Pac-12 will be searching for ways to slow down the Trojans.
“The Trojans ran circles around Stanford for the first 30 minutes before backing off in the second half of a 41-28 victory. This occurred one week after they scored 66 against Rice. What’s been impressive for the Trojans has been their fast starts.
“They scored eight touchdowns and a field goal on their nine first-half possessions this season before running out of time on their last drive of the first half Saturday.
“The defense hasn’t been great. USC allowed 319 yards in the first half to Stanford, but still led by 21 because it forced three turnovers – two inside its 10.
“This comes after the Trojans returned three interceptions for touchdowns against Rice. Expect to see a lot of games this season resembling tennis matches, with the defense that gets a stop basically breaking a serve.”
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