Shane Foley’s USC-Stanford Preview
By Shane Foley
Looking ahead to Stanford
USC and Stanford renew their rivalry this Saturday at the Farm. The Trojans hold a 59-29-3 advantage over the Cardinal in this series but Stanford has won four of the last five. This game will mark the first conference game between top-15 teams with Stanford checking in at No. 13 and USC right behind at No. 14.
Nov 16, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Stanford Cardinal center
Khalil Wilkessnaps the ball at the line of scrimmage against the Southern California Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Stanford has the nation’s longest home winning streak at 17 games after South Carolina was stunned at home in their opener. The Trojans shocked then-No. 5 Stanford at the Coliseum last season with an emotional 20-17 win which created a cathartic overflow of the Trojan faithful on the field. Coach Shaw is second to none in the country and he has presided over back-to-back PAC-12 championships.
Coach Sarkisian is at the helm for USC now, but his record at Washington mirrored the Trojans with a 1-4 record against the Cardinal. Stanford blew out UC Davis in their opener while USC cruised by Fresno State. This game is the one that fans have been waiting for. A lot will be learned about both teams in this game.
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is a dual threat quarterback that can beat you with his arm and his legs. He completed 75 percent of his passes for 204 yards and three TD’s in the opener. Running quarterbacks have long hurt the Trojans’ defense, so look for Stanford to find running lanes and also call designed bootlegs for Hogan. The Cardinal graduated four of five offensive linemen up front but they return 6-7, 312-lb Andrus Peat who will be matched up often against the Trojans’ Leonard Williams. Stanford receiver Ty Montgomery has been a versatile presence in his team’s offense for several years, but his role has expanded greatly in 2014. In addition to returning kicks, catching passes, and being a threat on the occasional run play, Montgomery has integrated returning punts and even taking snaps as the Wildcat quarterback into his repertoire.
Nov 16, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans fans storm the field after the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated Stanford 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It was only one game, but USC is currently 4th in the country with 701 yards in total offense and Stanford is fifth in total defense with 115 yards allowed. Something will have to give on Saturday. As for the Trojans, they had a balanced offense both running and passing and they had 11 true freshmen see the field in the opener. This is a huge game for a lot of inexperienced players who will be counted on to make plays. Can they step up?
Over the last five years starting with Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford-USC game has emerged as a prominent rivalry and has become an old fashioned street fight. After four consecutive losses, Stanford had taken USC’s place as the toughest football team on the west coast, if not the country. They were also winning top notch recruits that the Trojans wanted and desperately needed during their sanctioned era. Last year’s game disrupted the trend. The Trojans went to- to-toe with Stanford and they punched back, scrapping their way to a victory with less than 50 scholarship players and only 12 of them on defense. The Cardinal will not soon forget this one and revenge will be on their minds.
It is time to answer the call. There is no tomorrow. It is time to go to war on Saturday, to stand up and be counted, and to always Fight On!
Beat the Cardinal!
Shane Foley is a former USC Quarterback (1986-1990) and freelance writer for LA Sports Hub. Read more of Shane’s thoughts on the USC Trojans, Pac-12 Football, and Los Angeles area sports at ShaneFoley.com.