Football Questions - Arizona Edition

Things to watch for between the raindrops ...

• Can USC survive a game? Different game, same question. 10 projected starters have missed games due to injury. Who's going to get hurt this week? Come kickoff, USC will be down to three players who have started every game in the same position on offense (Baker, Davis, and Havili -- Byers started every game but not in the same spot).
• Will USC kill itself? The Trojans are dead last in the Pac-10 in penalties, at 85.8 yards per game. Arizona happens to gain an average of 80 yards due to other team's penalties. USC is also 9th in Pac-10 in turnover margin and 9th in stopping fourth-down conversions.
• Can Sanchez go deep, and if so, can the receivers hang on? John David Booty is out, Mark Sanchez is in -- and his strong arm yearns to go deep. Though essentially untested in game situations, a couple of big strikes could cure Troy's blues. Unfortunately, only two players have receptions of over 35 yards. Freshman Ronald Johnson had a 47-yard touchdown catcg against Stanford, and tight end Fred Davis has several big plays. At this stage of the season, nobody expected this tandem to be the deep threats.
• Will Pete let them compete? Pete Carroll usually lets his players compete and gives the job to the person who earns it. Last week it didn't seem like it. Sure, eight freshmen have seen action, but how much action? Booty played the whole Stanford game despite breaking his finger and spiraling into a dismal performance. Pete's hands are tied this week, as Booty must sit due to his injury. At tailback, Chauncey Washington is getting a heavy workload despite promising youngsters. While Washington's primary competition, Stafon Johnson, should be out for a second straight week with an injured foot, there are at least a couple of those high school All-American tailbacks who are healthy.
• Who will be that special someone? Punt returns are becoming problematic. The Trojans are 9th in the Pac-10 with 5.7 yards per attempt (Cal leads with 13.3). It doesn't help that Arizona is only allowing a stifling 5.0 return average. Much of the Wildcats' success is due to redshirt freshman punter Keenyn Crier, who leads the Pac-10 and is 25th nationally with a 43.3-yard average. A mere six of his 25 kicks have been returned, and the longest return went for 12 yards. USC is desperate for a playmaker on special teams.
• Can USC dominate the ground game? It shouldn't be a problem containing pass-happy Arizona (they average 86 yards on the ground) with a Trojan defense allowing 75.8 (2nd in the Pac-10), but USC's offense needs to get back on track after an abysmal 95 net rushing yards against Stanford. The team averages 208.6 yards rushing per game and piled up 326 against Nebraska. The Trojans can easily improve on that last performance.
• Will the crowd step up? USC's been on a "wear cardinal" campaign to ensure fans show their support on game day. Color is the least of their concerns. First, they need people to show up. Despite an announced sellout, I have a hunch it won't look that way. Since opening with 90,917 against Idaho, home attendance fell to 86,876 against Washington State and 85,125 against Stanford. That still leads the rest of the conference, but there were gaping holes throughout the student section in the ugly loss to the Cardinal. Speaking of losing, that won't help turnout. After tumbling from their top ranking, fair-weather fans will be elsewhere. Making matters worse, the weather will not be fair. It's expected to clear up, but rain should still be coming down in the morning and could deter many Angelenos. Even if the crowds surprise me and fill seats, then they have to get out of them. It's been a while since they acted and sounded like LSU (c'mon folks, is it that hard to stand on big plays?). Toss in an early start time and Parents Weekend, and I don't have much hope for the 12th-man effect.
• Did you know? USC is in fourth place in the Pac-10 ... USC still has one streak alive: 62 weeks ranked in the top 10 ... The Pac-10 isn't safe at home. In conference play, the home teams are 6-8 in 14 games. Cal now has the longest home winning streak at 10 ... USC hasn't given up a pass longer than 45 yards since 2004 (149 quarters).

Comments

[Texpenny]

Yes, SoCal crowds are not known for being the 12th Man, but last week they stepped it up during the 4th quarter, esp. during Stanford's final go-ahead drive--everyone was on their feet during the last 5 minutes or so. I was surprised, as both offense and defense did not give us much to yell about the whole game.