Trojans Dominate Sun Devils....Huskies Coming to LA

After the Cal game, the USC doubters (and haters) came out of the woodwork. The media chirped "Cal this, Cal that" and the Arizona State Sun Devils became the popular pick (LA Times, Kirk Herbstreit, Mark May and Trev Alberts to name a few) to beat the #1 ranked USC Trojans.

Well the Trojans took notice and simply dominated the Sun Devils from the opening kickoff in a performance reminiscent of the 2002 and 2003 teams. Punishing defense combined with an explosive and imaginative offense propelled USC to a 42-7 halftime lead. The Trojans cruised in the second half, finishing with a 45-7 victory.


Tidbits about the Game, the Pac 10 and USC Football

• The Trojans are 10-0 in their last ten games vs ranked opponents with an average margin of victory of 38-16
• USC is the only team in the country this year to defeat 3 teams currently ranked in the Top 25
• This was the 2nd consecutive sell-out at the Coliseum, the first time this has happened since 1947. USC is ranked 7th nationally in attendance, averaging over 88,000 per game
• The crowd has become a real factor at the Coliseum, with ASU suffering 2 false start penalites on their first drive....the noise level during opponents' 3rd downs is impressive
• USC scored 4 touchdowns in the second quarter despite having the ball for under 5 minutes. Sometimes Time of Poss. stats can be misleading
• USC had 8 sacks of the ASU QBs....by 8 different players. USC has 29 sacks this year vs 22 sacks through 6 games last year
• The Trojans stuffed the ASU run game, allowing only 24yds (zero yds in first half)
  
  
• The Trojans held ASU 27 points below their scoring average....this after holding Cal to 32 points below their average last week. USC leads the conference and is 7th nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 12.5 points per game
• The USC defense has held opponents scoreless in 14 of the 24 quarters this year and has only allowed 3pts in the 4th quarter
• The USC offense was clicking on all cylinders for the first time since last season...there are lots of reasons for the improvement, but none bigger than the return of TE Dominique Byrd
• Reggie Bush had 115yds of all-purpose yards and now leads the conference and is second nationally in that category (does not include his 52yd TD pass to Dwayne Jarrett)
  
• True freshman Dwayne Jarrett had 3 TD catches, giving him 6 on the year....one less than Mike Williams had through 6 games last year
• For the second consecutive week, the USC special teams made big plays. Justin Tolliver got the game started with a big hit at the 14yd line on the opening kickoff and Shaun Cody blocked a FG attempt. Ryan Killeen made his only FG attempt and continued to put his kickoffs deep into the endzone
• What was ASU coach Dirk Koetter thinking when he called timeout when ASU had the ball deep in its own territory with just over a minute left in the first half?......a Reggie Bush punt return and a pass to DJ and the Trojans added 7 more points to the pounding
• ASU will take on UCLA this week, making it the second consecutive week the Bruins have had to play the team defeated by the Trojans the previous week
• ASU freshman tight end Zack Miller showed why he was heavily recruited by the Trojans, making 8 catches for 102yds in the loss
• Don't look now, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are ranked in the Top 25

Tailgate Review

This was the best tailgate of the season by far. We had a great turnout and a very mellow, manageable environment. The move off the corner was very successful and that will be a permanent change. We also benefited from some great football games both before (Oklahoma/Kansas St.) and after (Purdue/Wisconsin and UCLA/Cal) the USC game.

Thanks to everyone who attended and special thanks to those who contributed food, beverages and cooking (Hoovers, Curt & Jennifer, Aaron & Melanie, Denise & Brian, Alton...sorry if we forgot anyone).

We will be back again this week and should be set up by 10:15am or so. Kickoff is at 3:30pm, but there are some great games to watch in the morning and early afternoon (ND/Boston College, Michigan/Purdue) so we are looking forward to another great day of college football.

If you are planning on attending this week, please email Tim with the number in your party by Thursday at noon.

Washington Preview

• The Huskies are not a good football team this year and have been decimated by injuries
• At 1-5 (only win vs San Jose St), it is not surprising that UW is 9th in the conference in total offense, total defense, scoring defense and scoring offense
• However, the Huskies are a proud program and do have some talent. Look for UW to start Isiah Stanback at QB (he took over for Cory Paus in the second quarter last week)
• Stanback is a fantastic athlete with a strong arm and very capable of running the option and scrambling. He will be looking to throw to Charles Frederick, who is an outstanding receiver
• UW has been awful against the run this year and that does not bode well for the Huskies
• After playing and beating 3 straight unbeaten opponents, a game vs a 5 loss Washington team has letdown written all over it
• The coaches know this and will be all over the players this week...look for the Trojans to get off to a fast start and crush the spirit of UW
• Spread is USC by 34, which is way too much
• Let's hope the Trojans can stay focused and win another game at the Coliseum with no injuries to either team

See you Saturday!