Just finished watching the USC-UNLV game except for garbage time; though of course, it's all kind of meaningless because how much can we really know from game 1, especially against a UNLV opponent that was 5-7 last year and not bowl-eligible.
What scares me about USC:
#1) In terms of matchups, I don't think we'll see a team with a taller secondary that can potentially cover JJAW and our tight ends. They have 6'1" and 6' corner backs and a 6'4" strong safety. And they seem even longer than their height would suggest. UNLV attempted passes over and past the USC secondary, but USC was able to turn around and swat the balls down. The balls will have to be very accurate, float over the secondary and drop in perfectly against some of these rangy USC defenders. This could be the toughest match-up in the secondary we'll face this season, due to their height.
#2) JT Daniels played a good first game. He can throw on the run surprisingly well. Also, he and his top receiver, Amon-Ra, went to Mater Dei together so they already have chemistry and have thousands of practice reps.
#3) USC has another fleet of athletic, tall receivers, and can spread out 4 receivers testing whether you have enough fast, tall DBs to cover them, with inevitably, some 1:1 matchups. The receivers besides Vaughn and St. Brown dropped balls early, but caught them late.
#4) It's been a couple of years now for Clay Helton and the guy deserves props. I used to relish early-season games against USC because they'd be disorganized and play under their potential, and it seemed inevitable that they'd self-destruct somehow over the course of the season. USC is now the defending Pac-12 Champs and they've gone to back-to-back NY6 Bowl Games (Rose, Cotton). It's not the same USC they were just 3 years ago.
The good news about USC:
1) UNLV had some success running the ball against USC. If there is one kind of team that is my favorite kind of team for Stanford to play, it is a team that is susceptible to a running game.
2) JT Daniels, though potentially really great one day, still makes a lot of mistakes. There should've been *at least* two picks. In an LA Times story a few weeks ago, Helton mantioned how all his QBs are holding onto the ball too long, and Daniels got sacked a few times. A defender blindsided him once and swatted the ball out, but they later overturned the fumble call because Daniels was down. But in his youth, Daniels looks susceptible to get partied on in the back field.
3) True freshman QB, first away game.
The overall thought:
As usual, USC has so much talent that they have the potential to become a very scary team late in the season, or over the next few years as their QB (or qbs) develop. But I get the feeling Daniels and even St. Brown need a lot more time to master a varied, complex gameplan with reads and audibles to be able to throw a defense like Stanford's off-balance. A basic offense could become very predictable for Stanford. Darnold's maturity, strength, ability to read defenses, and ability to extend plays was critical for USC last year. I think without Darnold, USC scores 14 less than they did in the Pac 12 Title Game, so I am feeling pretty bold saying USC scores very little, 17 -- maybe less depending on the number of turnovers, which *could* be very high. And as usual, I think it is a rare team that keeps Stanford under 30 this season, and, assuming the run game is as good as I think it is (and they totally disprove what happened last week), they should score over 30 again this week.
Stanford 35, USC 17
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What scares me about USC:
#1) In terms of matchups, I don't think we'll see a team with a taller secondary that can potentially cover JJAW and our tight ends. They have 6'1" and 6' corner backs and a 6'4" strong safety. And they seem even longer than their height would suggest. UNLV attempted passes over and past the USC secondary, but USC was able to turn around and swat the balls down. The balls will have to be very accurate, float over the secondary and drop in perfectly against some of these rangy USC defenders. This could be the toughest match-up in the secondary we'll face this season, due to their height.
#2) JT Daniels played a good first game. He can throw on the run surprisingly well. Also, he and his top receiver, Amon-Ra, went to Mater Dei together so they already have chemistry and have thousands of practice reps.
#3) USC has another fleet of athletic, tall receivers, and can spread out 4 receivers testing whether you have enough fast, tall DBs to cover them, with inevitably, some 1:1 matchups. The receivers besides Vaughn and St. Brown dropped balls early, but caught them late.
#4) It's been a couple of years now for Clay Helton and the guy deserves props. I used to relish early-season games against USC because they'd be disorganized and play under their potential, and it seemed inevitable that they'd self-destruct somehow over the course of the season. USC is now the defending Pac-12 Champs and they've gone to back-to-back NY6 Bowl Games (Rose, Cotton). It's not the same USC they were just 3 years ago.
The good news about USC:
1) UNLV had some success running the ball against USC. If there is one kind of team that is my favorite kind of team for Stanford to play, it is a team that is susceptible to a running game.
2) JT Daniels, though potentially really great one day, still makes a lot of mistakes. There should've been *at least* two picks. In an LA Times story a few weeks ago, Helton mantioned how all his QBs are holding onto the ball too long, and Daniels got sacked a few times. A defender blindsided him once and swatted the ball out, but they later overturned the fumble call because Daniels was down. But in his youth, Daniels looks susceptible to get partied on in the back field.
3) True freshman QB, first away game.
The overall thought:
As usual, USC has so much talent that they have the potential to become a very scary team late in the season, or over the next few years as their QB (or qbs) develop. But I get the feeling Daniels and even St. Brown need a lot more time to master a varied, complex gameplan with reads and audibles to be able to throw a defense like Stanford's off-balance. A basic offense could become very predictable for Stanford. Darnold's maturity, strength, ability to read defenses, and ability to extend plays was critical for USC last year. I think without Darnold, USC scores 14 less than they did in the Pac 12 Title Game, so I am feeling pretty bold saying USC scores very little, 17 -- maybe less depending on the number of turnovers, which *could* be very high. And as usual, I think it is a rare team that keeps Stanford under 30 this season, and, assuming the run game is as good as I think it is (and they totally disprove what happened last week), they should score over 30 again this week.
Stanford 35, USC 17
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