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USC Football: Trojans are embarking on critical road trip

By Jeremy

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Jt Daniels #18 of the USC Trojans warms up for the game against the UNLV Rebels at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Jt Daniels #18 of the USC Trojans warms up for the game against the UNLV Rebels at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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After a week 1 victory over UNLV, the USC Football Trojans will embark on a two-game road trip that will set the tone for the team’s entire season.

The USC Football Trojans have an enormous two-game road trip on the horizon. USC (#17) will travel to Palo Alto to take on Stanford (#10) this Saturday. Then, the Trojans will regroup and catch a plane to Austin to play Texas on September 15th. This two-game stretch can define who the Trojans are moving forward.

In the first game of the season, USC came out victorious over the UNLV Rebels by the score of 43-21. UNLV surprisingly hung in there against USC through three quarters but the Trojans outscored UNLV 24-7 in the fourth quarter to win the game.

JT Daniels finished with 282 yards and a touchdown in his debut. Daniels is the real deal and will get better with more experience. His first big test will be this weekend at the ‘farm’.

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USC and Stanford have clashed in a number of important games over the last few years including just last year in the Pac-12 Championship Game (USC won). The 2018 version should be no different.

Both teams are ranked within the top 25 in the country and are coming off victories last week. Stanford looked vulnerable against San Diego State. Bryce Love struggled on the ground against the Aztecs (just 29 yards on 18 carries). It took a couple of quarters for the Cardinal offense to get going to eventually win 31-10.

However, a key takeaway for the Trojans is how San Diego State contained Love. Throughout the game, SDSU stacked the box with nine defenders and forced Stanford to throw the ball. Stanford did capitalize over the top but the run game was non-existent.

The Trojan secondary is a lot stronger so it will be more challenging for the Cardinal to throw. Though, USC will have to get creative on Saturday. Bryce Love is a dynamic player and is a threat to score on every single play. It will be interesting to watch the USC defense against the Stanford offense.

This game has important implications on the Pac-12. The winner will set the tone for the conference and be in the driver’s seat in the early going.

If that isn’t enough for a road trip, USC is right back at it the following week to take on Texas. The Longhorns started at #23 in the country but lost a disappointing game to Maryland on the road in Week 1, 34-29.

Texas had a difficult time generating an offensive rhythm the whole game. Still, Texas is a force to be reckoned with especially in Austin. We can only hope that this game is as half as good as the classic Rose Bowl game more than a decade ago.

Next. Assessment of JT Daniels' first college game. dark

After these two games, we will learn a lot about the USC Football Trojans and just how good they are. This is a great opportunity to show the country that they are a serious playoff contender and can win on the road against quality competition.

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